What is White?

What color is it? A question I often ask myself. When you look at a paint chip in a store you might say that it is red, or blue and recognize that it has a particular shade but what color really is it? The color only exists because of the light that is shone on it at that moment. In other words, there is no color at all without light and the type of light or shadows that fall upon the object determines the color. If you look at a white building, one side might be in shade, one side in sunlight, one area might have reflected light on it from the grass giving it a green cast and so on. The problem of seeing color clearly is one of determining what colors are around it and how they are influencing it weather it be the color of the light itself or of reflected light and shadow. To say something is white is mearly a generalization. For the artist that white wall may be seen as having a hundred different colors. Study a white wall and see how many colors and different shades of light and dark you can find. It will surprise you.
Sometimes you will only be able to say that this part is a warm color and another area a cool color but you will readily see that white is not white at all.