Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Fisherman in the Mist

C1553
“Fisherman in the Mist”
(Muddy Lake, Oregon Coast)
Oil Sketch on Centurion Oil Primed Linen Panel
With additional coat of Rublev Lead Primer
5" x 7"

SOLD

After several days at the Lost Lake section of the New River ACEC, I returned to Muddy Lake to work on a “misty dawn” painting that I had been thinking about.  My intent was to capture the feel of pre-dawn mist rising across the lake from the observation hide, and include the Great Egret almost hidden in the mist, fishing where he is often to be seen.  I began by making a small drawing of the proposed composition in my smallest sketchbook, and then took the bull by the horns and dove into the Oil Sketch.

Because I wanted to use some brighter colours than I have been using on most of the posts thus far, I went to work straight onto the white ground of the linen panel, without laying down the usual imprimatura of earth red.  I painted in the sky and the lake with Cobalt Blue, Cadmium Yellow Pale, and Rose Madder (Genuine), mixed with Titanium White (all W&N).  I chose this white as it is the brightest white, although it has to be used with care, since it is such a cold white, opaque and can ill you colours.  The dark tree and its reflection to the left, was painted with the quieter earth colours of Yellow Ochre & Venetian Red, and Ultramarine for the Blue.  Here, when I needed white in the mix, I used Cremnitz, since it isn’t a “colour- killer.”  In mixing the colours for the lily pads I used a mixture of Cremnitz & Titanium for the white.  Thus the palette for this painting was composed of two colour triads: the more traditional with the earth colours, and the other using the more modern and brighter pigments, plus the whites.  I would also point out that the sky colours in the original sketch are a bit more subtle than what I'm seeing on my screen; monitors being what they are, what you are probably seeing on yours will be different from what I am seeing anyway, but I thought I'd mention it.

The Great Egret is hidden in the mist a can be seen in the detail of the painting seen below.



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