Dockside Scene

Here's a little oil study of a dockside scene painted along the Hudson River. 

The light was blindingly bright, with the sun reflecting in dancing spots on the foreground water. The sun's glare burned a color corona into the darks of the hull of the sloop.

I enjoy painting toward the light, or contre jour, because it often gives a greater sense of brilliance than any other lighting direction. And because you're sorting out wild extremes of illumination, you can capture effects that would elude the range of the camera's sensors.