Bishops and Pawns

Hi there. I'd love some thoughts - expressed as simply as possible please as I am a bear of very little brain - on BISHOPS and PAWNS. Let's say me and my opponent have only one Bishop each. I am confused - especially in the middle game - as which colour squares it's best to have my pawns on. And I know that this will depend on whether my opponent and I have the same coloured bishops or not. In the end game it seems safe and good generally (I guess?) to have my remaining pawns on the opposite colour to my opponent's remaining pawns to keep them safe..... I hope this question makes sense. I'd love your guidance please. In the end game it seems generally goid

Correction. Sorry. Towards the end of this post I meant "to have my remaining pawns on the opposite colour to my opponent's remaining BISHOPS etc".

Aah! Didn't correctly finish first post! Sorry. Meant - in the end game seems sensible to protect remaining pawns from opponent's Bishop by having them on the 'safe' colour.

The general rule is that your bishop is good when it is not on the color of your pawns. Your bishop then controls squares of one color and your pawns control squares of the other color. Your bishop can move unhindered by your own pawns and can attack pawns of the opponent.
There are exceptions. If you are defending, then your bishop is sometimes better on the color of your own pawns: "bad bishops protect good pawns"

 

A lot depends on the game situation.

 

Same Color Bishops - It is best to have your own pawns on the opposite color square of the Bishops, and if possible, to block your opponent's pawns such that they are stuck on the same color squares as the Bishops.

 

Opposite Colored Bishops and up a pawn or two - Here you are clearly trying to win the game.  Let's say you have the dark-squared Bishop and your opponent has the Light-Squared Bishop.  You want to impede his Bishop with your pawns and use the King and Bishop on the dark squares.  Let's say you are White.  You maneuver the Bishop and King to get, say, your d3-pawn to d5, then your e4-pawn to e6, etc.  Your goal is promotion.

 

OCB, you are down a pawn or two.  Here, you want to put your pawns on the same color squares as YOUR OWN BISHOP and maintain opposition of the Opponent's King so that he cannot come in via the opposite color squares. You need to hit his pawns with your Bishop so that you force his pawns to the same color square as his own Bishop.  Then you get a blockade on the color complex of your own Bishop and draw.

Thank you very much for this.