A Summer Evening in Maine

(C) 2015 Dale DiMauro

This watercolor reminds me of last summer on Mount Desert. There is a sand bar to Bar Island which disappears as the tide comes in and reappears when it goes out. There are spectacular sunsets from this vantage point, but if you don't time it right, you can get stuck on the island until the next tide goes out. If you park your car out here, it may be under water when you return.

People walk to this island on a spit of land with water lapping over their ankles while creating fascinating and unending patterns across the surface. It is the perfect spot to people watch and engage in conversations with travelers as they take photographs of everything imaginable. People are looking out, across the bay, at birds, at passing boats and down through the transparent lapping water.

This watercolor (12" x 16") was done on an Arches 140 lb block. I love that the focal point is the figure looking down at the disappearing sand spit and the subsequent patterns and reflections of water. The figure below the horizon strengthens the dramatic sky and scale of the bay. For me water can be tricky to paint. I don't want to overwork it, so as to keep it fresh. There are so many layers of rich color and value in the water. It is a challenge to figure out where to start and where to end.