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