Cool Cove

(C) 2015 Dale DiMauro

Since we arrived in Maine, I started this watercolor of a lobster boat. I do not have a ton of experience painting coastal scenes but have been eager for some time to give to it my best shot. I find I am laying out less of the picture in pencil, but if needed, will draw a little as I get into any uncertain areas. However, in watercolor it is advisable to lay out the picture in advance. There definitely are some flaws to the picture, in particular where I let a pigment run a bit, but overall there is a cool blue feel which is good on a July summer day. Recently, I was studying some of Winslow Homer's coastal scenes in his watercolors where he uses very free washes for the sky and thus attempted his approach above.

Some artists use very clean palettes but I am not one of those. I let different pigments mix with others from a prior painting and that is in part, one way I learn new color combinations. In the sky above, there was some red that was in one of my blue painting wells so I couldn't be fussy and had to work with it, once it was on the paper. Basically, I could lift the color from the paper with a paper towel, dilute it with water or embrace the 'happy accident' and learn from it.

I have been experimenting with a new color I purchased when we were at the Art Mart in Portland, Maine last week. This color is 'shadow green' which can be seen in varying degrees in the water around the boat even though it is mixed with payne's gray and indigo in other areas.

Reflections in Time

(C) 2015 Photo Dale DiMauro

My wife and I have worked our way up the Maine Coast on our annual summer vacation with the weather turning much colder and damper. We have visited with relatives and even attended a high quality art show called "Gallery on the Green" in Southwest Harbor on Mount Desert Island. 

The above photograph is inspiration for a future watercolor painting. What I like about this image is the presence of the building, abstracted in the water. The physical form of the structure is not visible, but it is clearly present beyond the frame. The shimmering quality of the water is not drowned out in color, yet there is much variation in the shadows of the pilings. In fact, there are so few colors that what color exists subtly covers a great range.

Johan Barthold Jongkind

Photo (C) 2015 Dale DiMauro

On our arrival in the state of Maine, we were told the tall ships were in port. That is, in Portland's deepwater harbor. In fact, there were twelve tall ships; most were replicas of ships from the era of the War of 1812, and one was from as far away as Spain, a replica from the founding of St. Augustine, Florida in 1565. We were able to board the ships, talk with the crew and acquire a sense of how they set sail. They are quite a dramatic sight. Most impressive to me, are the individuals who climb up and out to the uppermost rigging to let out and bring in the sails. It is a great tradition.

The above oil by Johan Barthold Jongkind (1819-1891) titled "Norwegian Ship Leaves the Port of Honfleur" was painted in 1865. We saw it in the Portland Museum of Art, where it is part of the permanent collection. It reminded me of the tall ships we had just seen. Jongkind's picture is also one of my wife's favorite paintings, which she looks for each year when we visit this museum. I appreciate the simple composition, classic ship, varied sky and yellow water!

The entire collection of The Portland Museum of Art has just recently become available online (http://collections.portlandmuseum.org), but it is best to see the paintings in person.

Thomas Gainsborough: the eyes have it

Photo (C) 2015 Dale DiMauro

My wife and I spent Friday in Williamstown, MA visiting The Clark Art Institute and then in the evening catching a play at the Williamstown Theater Festival where they have high quality acting on par with Broadway. If you have not been to The Clark, you are really missing out. Fortunately, for us it is a short drive to a regional museum with world renown.

This is a photograph I took of a detail of Thomas Gainsborough's (1727-1788) 1768 painting titled "Elizabeth and Thomas Linley" during our visit to The Clark. This brother and sister came from a family of musicians in Bath, England. According to the blurb next to the painting, she was a celebrated singer, and he was a precocious violinist. Our guide from a few years back, informed us that both died tragically at young ages.

I find the eyes to be all consuming in their different gazes and soul-revealing clarity. Physically, the eyes along with the red lips seem to unite the two children. One of the qualities of the painting I really love is the harmony of color from the young boy's rosy cheeks to the girl's subtly pink complexion and the overall warmth of the ochre background inviting us into the picture.

When we go to The Clark we alway look for this painting as if it is a memento of a loved one. It makes you stop in your tracks as if you are in their breathing presence.

Out on the Water

(C) 2015 Dale DiMauro

There was this marine painter called Carl Evers, who was a master at painting water in watercolor. His paintings of the sea in watercolors, many with goache, an opaque paint, are truly amazing. Somehow he acquired a rich grasp of the waves and huge swells of water with exquisite accuracy in color and character. Some of these characteristics--in addition to our anticipated, annual upcoming summer vacation to Maine--inspired me to paint this boat scene.

I have painted water in the past and have done okay with it, particularly the placid sort. However, I wanted to expand into moving water, whether ripples or raging rapids. Recently, I got a new rigger brush, a name derived from painting the rigging on ships. This brush is a size ten, which provides a healthy belly for holding pigment and water. I used it to build up the shape of waves in the foreground and thereby strengthening the perspective of the body of water. I included the sailboat behind the lobster boat because I like the wash of color contrasting with everything else and the feel of movement. In addition, I do like the dark mass of trees, which makes the boat come forward while adding an element of mystery.

Out in the Sun

(C) 2015 Dale DiMauro

With our summer vacation to Maine fast approaching, the subject of this watercolor inspired me of the refreshing coastal waters, we shall soon be upon. There is something alluring about the cool lapping water, coastal breeze and different yet familiar sights. Today, in Vermont it is approaching a humid, ninety degrees. The pollen has been irritating my eyes for quite sometime, as it has others, but the humidity makes it more uncomfortable.

This little watercolor study is of an area of Bar Island off of Bar Harbor, Maine, which we visited last July. The tide comes in and goes out. However, if you are unaware you may be stranded with or without your vehicle, off the mainland.

Much of the sky was cut off when I photographed the painting. I think the golden ratio plays into this. The dimensions of this small painting are 5" x 9" which is an unusual size. However, when I photograph and thus reduce the size of a painting for the blog of standard sizes such as a 9" x12", 10" x 14" or 12" x 16" the proportions seem relatively intact from the original painting.

On occasion, I test my color combinations, for the right value on the side bar, which is the same sheet of watercolor paper as the painting, which is then cut off when I have completed the picture. 

Self-portraits

(C) 2015 Dale DiMauro

Earlier this week, on numerous occasions in the evening, I was sore from building a deck, so I decided to draw in front of the television instead of paint. The subject of my drawing has been my self-portrait, twice from two different photographs. Over time, I have drawn or sketched my share of people from life or photographs. Some turn out well, others are okay and occasionally they are a dud. The one above is a bit of a dud, and that is why I am blogging about it.

I find drawing myself with an objective view to be quite challenging. To draw a face with glasses, which is more common than not, adds an increased degree of difficulty. Often when you draw an individual with glasses, the eyewear dominates the portrait, and there can be glare. I prefer a three-quarter view over a frontal take because it can display more depth of expression and depict more of the topography of the face, but the photos I had on hand were frontal views. 

In the above drawing, the left side of my face was obscured as it was in shadow alongside my wife's in the photograph. My nose as depicted appears larger than it is due to a lack of definition and because the glasses in reality come further down my face. I believe the proportions of the face (i.e. eyes, nose, mouth and ears) are relatively correct. However, from this perspective the subtle modulations are lacking in definition.

Many people have commented that my facial studies and drawings reveal character. Some people have told me that I should exhibit them in a bigger venue, and others have said I need to draw these faces on a grander scale. This self-portrait is not ready for that. In my drawings I try to express individual personality in addition to some inner thought or mood. Perhaps with more practice, my self-portraits will reach a higher level too. Feedback anyone?

Plein Air Painting

(C) 2015 Dale DiMauro

Here in Vermont, where I live, once the spring rains come everything greens up from the ground plane to high in the tree canopies. There is a wide color spectrum of green from the cool blues, found low and near water to the warm yellows found in meadows and up in some of the trees. After all, this is the Green Mountain State!

Recently, our garden has begun to bloom. We have many different lovely daylilies, which bloom in a wonderful variety of colors. However, I particularly like the 'Hyperion", which is said to be the most fragrant daylily. This daylily, which we have many of, blooms for nearly a month with lemony yellow/greenish blooms. When there is a border of these in bloom, it is simply stunning.

I seldom plein air paint as it is a real challenge in watercolor due to the changing light, slow dry times and necessity to finish a painting in one sitting. However, when it is really hot and muggy out, it is nice to go down by a river for a swim, paint and read in the shade. My wife took this picture of me earlier in the day as I was painting in our front yard.

I have acquired, over time, good painting tools, which make it much more enjoyable than when I started out. First of all, the easel is metal, sturdy and folds down readily for transport, and it has a plastic tray that clips nicely to the easel legs so all I really have to hold in my hand are the brushes. My water container clips on to the easel, making it a pretty hassle-free experience.

When I do paint outside it is important to keep things simple. I usually paint small studies that I can expand upon later. It is especially important to get the drawing aspect of the picture correct.

(C) 2015 Dale DiMauro

Early winter snow

(C) 2015 Dale DiMauro

This is a watercolor I started before I broke my wrist in early February. Now that we are in July where the temperature can heat up I plan on finishing this one, a cool season subject. I started this picture on a full sheet which is 22" by 30". To see a painting framed on this scale, across a room, can make quite an impact.

I was taken by the freshness of the scene. There is a lot of temperature in the elements from the cool of the snow to the warmth of the bark on the trees. The clouds seem to part before your eyes, revealing clean snow in contrast with the dark railroad trestle directing you into the picture. I find the painted crosswalk spellbinding.

The more experience drawing and painting, the greater I understand the importance of the dark areas revealing light and the sometimes subtle balance of both. I will post my progress and challenges along the way.