Painting Test Strips

(C) 2015 Dale DiMauro

Many painters that I know use a scrap of watercolor paper to test pigment mixes prior to applying them to a painting. I test my colors to achieve the value that I am seeking, which in essence is the degree of darkness. Since watercolor dries much lighter than the initial wet mix, this test strip is a valuable tool. In addition, I make notes in a little field book regarding certain pigment combinations that I come upon. This way I have a portable record for future reference. In addition to trying different pigment mixes I also use scraps of different paper as there is a wide range of watercolor paper and thus a great range of effects one can achieve.

The little portrait at the bottom was done quickly, primarily as a means to achieve a relatively accurate skin tone, which can be challenging. Doodling on the paper and testing out color combinations keeps me from thinking too much. It is also a resource which I can come back and build on if I end up going in a different direction. 

Winter on the Avenue( Detail)

(C) 2015 Dale DiMauro

Recently, I started this watercolor of a very local building in our neighborhood. This is one of those corner stores that offers basic staples such as milk, newspapers, and Ben & Jerry's ice cream. Clearly, some of the things they offer aren't really necessities. Also, the building is not actually on a corner.

I had not painted a building in a couple of months. I like the light behind this structure, which really amplifies the complementary colors of blue and yellow. There is a lot of temperature in this painting from the pavement to the snow, shadows, distant hills, and sky.

If you live in Vermont, as I do, you have to embrace the piles of snow everywhere because they are not going away until late April or perhaps even May. Within those piles of snow are a fascinating range of color. Recently, I have been using cobalt, ultramarine, raw umber, and Payne's gray to express the warmth and coolness of the snow I experience.

Portrait drawing in pencil

(C) 2015 Dale DiMauro

Recently, I purchased this book, Draw Faces: in Fifteen Minutes by Jake Spicer, an author from the United Kingdom. I am not necessarily plugging this book or author but find its layout and principles to be sound and readily communicated. Anyone beginning to draw or seeking to improve their skills will find this book as a good starting point. 

I have studied many of the great draftsmen throughout human history such as Durer, Da Vinci, Sargent, and Wyeth, to name a few. When I am drawing a face either from a picture or from life, I find the nose to be the most challenging. The nose really has no lines but projects a range of shadows. I noticed that Andrew Wyeth, for example, used reference marks to rapidly proportion the face as he began a portrait drawing.

Since drawing is a solid basis for painting and developing a composition, I find routine drawing to be important in developing one's abilities. Thus, I am always searching for subjects to draw and books that will help me improve my understanding of painting or the human form.

I had always relied on drawing with an HB pencil, the pencils you are provided in public school to write with or fill in the ovals of your S.A.T. exams. Recently, I have been exploring a greater range of pencils, particularly the B range, which provide a softer mark for greater expression. The above drawing was done with an HB and a B pencil.

Train travel

(C) 2015 Dale DiMauro

My wife and I traveled on Amtrak twice this past year, to Washington D.C. and New York City. It was fascinating to perceive the landscape in a way other than from the road. There are people traveling by train you would not meet on the road as rail transport is more inclusive. These trains roll through the countryside and right through the center of our major cities. We noticed the rapid growth of invasive exotics such as knotweed swallowing up the backside of neglected bridges and framing graffiti or, as my wife clarifies, art. As you are traveling, you can get up and use the bathroom or walk back to the train car with the café in it. At one point I looked up and we were traveling over the East River, parallel to the Brooklyn Bridge, while at other points we were below grade, moving through a tunnel.


When I started this unfinished watercolor, I was struck by the range of grays and the subtle variation within this color range. There are cool grays, warm grays, and industrial grays with pings or dents included. The grays define the form, yet I find the stripes of blue and red really make the picture. Early on I detected the abstract shapes of the rail cars and saw how trains are truly moving containers. I do like how the cables and hoses dangle barely above the tracks.

Flat files finished

(C) 2015 Dale DiMauro

Recently, I wrote in a post that I was pushing to finish this flat file that I had started several years ago. I had constructed twelve drawers, installed handles and applied preservative while the frame was yet to be complete. The heat and humidity of the summer discouraged progress; then I felt pinched with the decreasing length of day and ensuing cold of winter approaching. I felt pressure to complete the flat file in part, because our unheated garage is the best space I had to work on it. Well, I finally completed it about a week ago. As a result, it has freed up space in our garage. I desperately needed the space that the flat files provide as well, to better organize my paintings and storage of unused watercolor paper. Also, I don't like leaving my watercolor paintings in the sun of my south-facing studio space.  

In the above photograph, the flat file I completed is on the left. It is constructed mostly of red oak with several coats of polyurethane to preserve its condition and reveal the lovely wood grain. Several people have commented that it is a fine piece of furniture. The flat file to the right is one I had purchased several years ago. It has provided space for drawings in addition to paintings, but it is filled to capacity.

The watercolor resting on the flat file is a copy of an Ogden Pleissner painting I did to force myself to paint bolder and larger in scale. It was done on a rough sheet of watercolor paper, which I usually do not use. I prefer to use cold-pressed paper, which has some texture but not nearly as much as a rough sheet.

Kitchen Utensils

(C) 2015 Dale DiMauro

This is a little watercolor I just painted in the last forty-five minutes from start to finish. I set this ceramic container with our kitchen utensils on my studio desk, set up a lamp to project the light and resultant shadows and painted it quickly from life. 

We are replacing our kitchen counter and double sink with a much improved version. Thus, our kitchen is in disarray. Seeing familiar items in unusual places makes me perceive them differently. Our ceramic container with its varying colors of ladles, wooden spoons and spatulas seemed like it might be quite attractive in warm interior light.

To get the speckled blue look of the container I sprinkled table salt immediately after I applied the blue wash. In the first wash, the warm tan color you see in the background was applied wet-on-wet. That is wet brush on wet paper. The other technique I used was wet brush on dry paper for the individual utensils. 

I like the fresh look and simple composition. It is a nice change of pace to try to create a painting so quickly.

Postage-size pencil studies

(C) 2015 Dale DiMauro

When preparing for a painting it is important to consider alternative compositions, such as the combining of many elements into just a few. Sometimes a little refinement can provide great impact in a composition before you even start painting. A few doodles or simple pencil studies while you are waiting at the dentist's office for example, get the juices flowing. You may change from a horizontal to vertical format because it strengthens the overall layout or enhances the focal point.

The above pencil drawings are two of four I drew on the back of an 8 1/2" x 11" sheet of paper I received at a meeting. These sketches are about 2 1/2" x 4" and were completed in about five minutes. 

In the top sketch I considered shifting the entry drive so that it sweeps across the foreground from the left to the right of the picture while making a more pleasing approach along the contours. In contrast, the existing drive diagonally cuts across the foreground in such a linear fashion that it divides the picture into two.

In the lower sketch I considered positioning the entry drive so that it sweeps into the scene from the lower right with subtle shifts in the lay of the land to create greater variety and depth as you arrive at the focal point, the barn. 

In addition, I considered adding a fruit tree along the drive to add more depth to the picture. Should it be in the foreground where it would be very visible or to the middle ground where it has less presence?

Heading Down River

(C) 2015 Dale DiMauro

This is a watercolor I started in early October which was finished the other day. I had the good fortune of paddling with a group of outdoor enthusiasts, in September, from the Brattleboro Outing Club, on one of the most beautiful days of the year. The humidity of Summer was gone, the colors were vivid and the water was sparkling. 

I was struck by the quality of the reflections projecting from our colorful kayaks and the mesmerizing patterns of the moving water. I have painted scenes of placid water before with some skill, but had yet to tackle dark, moving currents. The vertical format seems to strengthen the movement and clarify the colors. 

Friends have told me this is my best watercolor to date. They like both the composition and the way I went about painting the watercolor. I personally, like how the trees and vegetation above the paddler were handled. I am considering entering this picture into an American Watercolor Society competition.

Halloween

(C) 2015 Dale DiMauro

We greeted eighty-four trick-or-treaters last night to our Vermont front door. My wife finds it's odd that this one evening every year Americans feel entitled to bang on people's doors and demand candy and even money for Unicef, but she also finds it impressive that the community comes together to make it all happen. There were some great costumes that came to our house, including a Donald Trump. The little ones certainly were cute and had great outfits.

There is something appealing about dressing up for this Halloween tradition to change our identities and even spook people we know or don't know. Changing our perception of ourselves and others can be quite exciting. What we see is a reflection in part, of who we are, but it certainly is not the whole story. 

This is a detail of a drawing I did recently.  It is understood that our two eyes are separated approximately by one eye's width and that no two eyes look alike. From the above image can you imagine what the rest of the face looks like or what you would like it to be? Can you tell if this man is frowning or smiling? What is revealed in this small glimpse?