How can I create a Sense of Light in my paintings?

To create a sense of warm light in your paintings, paint the areas that are illuminated by sunlight warmer in color and lighter in tonal value.  Areas in shadow should be cooler in color and darker in tonal value.  The color and value contrast will create the sense of light.  Making the contrast greater—even warmer and lighter colors in light and even darker and cooler colors for shadow areas—will make a more dramatic statement.  For cool light, paint the areas in shadow warmer (they don’t need to be hot, they just need to be warmer than the cool light).

          Be consistent with your treatment of the light and shadow.  The light on a landscape is constantly changing, so you should aim to capture a single moment.  Sunlit areas and shadows that are not consistent will weaken the sense of a specific time of day in your painting.

From “Oil Painter’s Solution Book – Landscapes” by Elizabeth Tolley