🌾 Weekend Mini Challenge: Chasing the Light with Monet's Haystacks ☀️ (Patreon)

This week's lessons have all been about one big idea:

We don't paint what something is—we paint the light that's falling on it.

Claude Monet understood this better than almost anyone. Instead of painting a haystack once, he painted the same haystacks over and over in different weather, seasons, and times of day. The haystacks themselves barely changed...the light did.

✨ Your weekend challenge is simple:

Find 4–6 of Monet's Haystack paintings online or in a book. Spend a few minutes looking at each one and answer these questions. To help you, I found two good websites with Monet's Haystack paintings: Exploring Monet's Haystacks and Haystacks (Monet Series)

🎨 Light Detective Questions

🌅 What time of day do you think this was painted?

🌈 What is the dominant color of the light?

💜 What colors do you see in the shadows?

🔥 Is the light warm or cool?

☁️ Does the painting feel sunny, cloudy, foggy, snowy, or near sunset?

👀 What's the biggest color surprise you notice?

Bonus Challenge

Choose ONE of the haystack paintings and create a quick 10–20 minute color study. Don't worry about painting every blade of hay. Your goal isn't the haystack—it's the light.

Even a few loose brushstrokes are enough if they capture the feeling of the light.

Remember...

We aren't painting objects.

We're painting light.

And light is always changing.

Happy painting!