Art: Learning About Contrast and Light

One of my art instructors laughingly commented that drawing and painting are acts of illusion... On paper, a picture is one dimensional - but by drawing shadows, one adds the ILLUSION of depth.

Another instructor talked about the importance of light... which traditionally (in a picture) comes from the left, leaving shadows on the right...

But nature isn't always like that!

Recently I was reminded of both contrast and light when I looked out of the window early in the morning... The light reflecting on the evergreens and the nearby barren branches made both look bleached and yellow! Not much contrast here!

And, nearby, the shadows under the branches of a pine tree were a study of contrasts - but the light came from the right!