Scattering Skies

Is scattering skies a thing? Sure is gentle reader. And, there are so many reasons why scattering skies excite me. But before I share more, here’s a link to last week’s post. Why? So, any new comers can read, in that post, about the purpose of this blog. Let’s get to scattering skies now, shall we?

Colors in the Sky

First though, I must share that I love color. I especially love using color in oil painting. But I also want to paint a sense of realism. So, imagine my surprise when I learned that this painting, suggests an actual atmospheric condition. Woot!

Here’s the painting. It’s actually quite small: only 2×4 inches. As usual, I painted it from imagination. But the inspiration for the painting came from a morning walk with BDE (best dog ever). I noticed the sky was yellow/orange-ish.

I decided to do a little bit of googling to see if this orange / yellow sky was all in my imagination or not.

Scattering Skies Happen

Yes, you see I found this short but informative article from Science Daily. It describes the phenomenon of scattering. Mostly, it seems, this situation occurs at sunset. But it can also occur at sunrise. The key is for the sun to be low on the horizon. This creates conditions where the sunlight has to pass through more air. And, voila, our eyes see yellow and even orange and red. How fantastic is that?

Next Thing

So you may be thinking that there are more crazy colored skies in paintings ahead? You would be correct about that. Such as, what, a green sky, maybe? Well, sure! Why not. Especially since the “green flash” is also a phenomenon that occurs at sunset. Here’s a nifty article about green flash for you to read, too.

But I have also been thinking about other landscape attributes and ways to show them. Such as? Well, such as the majesty of trees. And, how about the atmosphere of a foggy morning. And, that soothing feeling under your feet when you first walk on a pine straw covered path. These are all challenges in painting that keep me thinking and heading back to the easel.

Yellow Scattering Skies

You know I couldn’t leave this post about yellow skies without thinking about the song “Yellow” by Coldplay. Right? It’s such a sweet and dreamy song. So here it is. Enjoy.

Your Thoughts on Scattering Skies

What about you gentle reader? Have you seen yellow or orange-ish skies or even the mighty green flash? Ooh I would love to hear all about it. Please share the details in the comments below and thank you for reading here today.