This month’s demonstration for the Sidmouth Society of Artists featured mid Devon artist Julie Dunster.

A substantial audience of members assembled at Sidmouth Conservative Club to witness her production of a subtle painting of a calm country landscape. She had ‘one she made earlier’ on display too so that we could see what she was striving for.

The theme of her presentation was succinctly entitled “Atmospheric Perspective of Landscape, in oils”. Her composition contained no buildings, roads or other regular features which many artists rely upon to establish perspective - no straight facades that resolve at a finishing point, so, in effect, there is nothing lineal available to indicate perspective.

We could see from the picture she was following, which featured fairly random trees, hedges, fields and the odd cow or two, that perspective, that is to say the recession into distance, had been achieved by degrading colours. In this respect there was colour saturated strength and sharp definition in the foreground graduating to evermore indistinct, muted and subdued colours as the background receded.

Some deliberate blurring of otherwise clearly defined lines of hedges was another of her techniques. She used a limited palette and when degrading green she added a little red, when degrading yellow a little purple; in other words, she added the complimentary colour from the opposite side of the colour wheel to subdue her colours. She began her painting by working dark to light, first her dark tree shadows then her fairly dark bushes, then slightly muted hedge rows and finally dull distant fields and equally dull sky.

Had a stranger entered the room at this point, after an hour or so, he could have been forgiven for thinking the canvas looked like a four-year-old child had daubed a bit of paint around whilst watching Peppa Pig or something.

If in doubt leave it out

Retiring at the mid-session interval for a cup of tea and a Marie biscuit, I was careful not to fraternise with Julie lest my innermost thoughts escape my lips. When one is the ‘doubting Thomas’, it is wise to keep one’s head down, to use a handy double metaphor.

A new beginning

Rather to my surprise Julie re-emerged for her second stanza bristling with self-assurance. In a very methodical fashion, she began to add foreground highlights in strong yellows and oranges which she affirmed ‘zinged’ or ‘popped’ (I forget which), against the relatively dull surroundings. She used her fingers too, to tidy up some of the delineations between hedge and field. One of the virtues of oils is that the paint can be moved around a long while after its application.

Belt up

As well as using just three brushes she manipulated the oil paint with an old debit card and a small piece of plastic with a rounded edge which she said was purloined from her husband’s trouser belt. I can’t help but picture him in her absence, his trousers around his ankles, stood there watching the Olympics. What we do for art!

In summary I have to say that this was a very convincing demonstration. I am sure that many of us in attendance learned a great deal about colour degradation and its value in controlling the visual perception of distance. Thank you, Julie, and very well done.

For further information about our forthcoming programme of monthly demonstrations please visit our website www.sidmouthsocietyofartists.co.uk