Birds Eye View Perspective

Last Saturday a group from OPAS (Ontario Plein Air Society) met at Rattlesnake point south of Milton.  The day was changeable, so the second decision was - warm or cool colour key?  The pinnacle showed a panoramic view, ideal for training in aerial perspective, linear perspective, and colour aided perspective.  If one chose an image looking down on the close farms, an exercise in linear perspective with an eye level different from the horizon was ready to challenge.  Any or all of these help to train the eye to see (as opposed to using preconceived notions of what is there).

Here is a cool but bright colour key photo of distant Mount Nemo.  As usual, the photo compresses the vertical and eliminates many hues.  I could plainly see lake Ontario and the far shore in the Grimsby area.  The colours in the sky were quite intersting.  I chose the atmospheric perspective option and went between the cool and warm colour keys, lopping off a great deal of image and information.  I chose a vertical canvas to aid the perspective.   The actual canvas appears less vivid than this image.

Nemo from the Rattlesnake, 10x12, Oil on Board

The painting was done with a #14 and a #8 bristle Filbert brush.  The door skin board was white Gesso. I started with a grey green wash to kill the cold white.  Then I went directly to the colour as I saw it (not the local colour) affected with the prevailing light.  My Palette consisted of Ultramarine Blue, Viridian, Cadmium Yellow light and deep, Alizarin, and Titanium White.  A number of people ask why they do not see earth tone paint on my palette.  Well, sometimes I do use then, especially yellow ochre.  However, I can mix these and I prefer a simple palette when out of doors.  It facilitates a quicker painting pace.  This is important as the light changes so quickly.