On the Water

(C) 2015 Dale DiMauro

This is a watercolor I have been working on recently. I had joined a group of Brattleboro Outing Club paddlers on a September outing when the weather was fabulous, with clear blue skies and low humidity. That experience was the inspiration for this picture. I posted on this painting when it was in its early stages (October 4th, "On the Water").

The vertical orientation with the dark water, reflections and surface movement seem to draw the eye towards the paddler. The colors are dynamic and their is something very appealing about the sense of floating on the surface. I also like the woodland edge in the background. It gives the picture some context for the middle ground.

I did not mask any of this painting as some artists do. This involves preserving the white of the paper using masking liquid or tape. I have very little experience masking and am not particularly seeking more, at this point. I prefer the traditional approach of anticipating the negative space.

I do not yet consider this picture done. I feel the ripples on the reflection from the kayak need a little more definition. The paddles need a little more dimension where the fins meet the handles.

The color of the paddles was not an easy decision. Red is a complementary color to green, which is seen in the woodland edge. However, the red would compete with the orange skin tone reflection on the water, so I went with lemon yellow because it is a complementary color to the blue of the water. The lemon yellow is to separate the paddles from the richer yellow of the storage bag in front of the paddler. The lemon yellow in its pure color also looks artificial with a simple wash, which is intended to differentiate the paddles from nature's colors.