Color swatches

(C) 2016 Dale DiMauro

When I go on a walk I may come upon a color in nature that is new to me. I will make a mental note of which pigments when mixed will approximate what I saw. In addition, I often read of color mixtures in art magazines that pique my interest. I take all these sources and experiment with pigments in a color swatch journal, as seen above.

For example, of late, I have been toying with the various combinations of permanent magenta, cobalt turquoise, and cobalt violet with Payne's gray. The atmospheric affects one can discover captivate my imagination.  

All this activity expands my vocabulary of color. Arriving at warmer or cooler colors or discovering new darks can be quite rewarding. Color, after all, is a powerful influence. It can change the temperature in a scene or reframe our perceptions.

Merry Christmas to all

(C) 2016 Dale DiMauro

Earlier in the week I was able to spend time working on my self-portrait, which I recently started. One area I focused on was my left arm and hand as seen in the photograph. 

I am quite inspired at this point in the development of the picture. I like how the hand is depicted. There is warmth in the colors, yet the form is well developed. The simple green growth in the background provides a sense of optimism while making the figure push forward. The color of the fence has evolved to an off-white, as a way to not compete with the rest of the composition, yet provide a framework for what is seen. 

At this time of year with the daylight limited, it is often difficult to take a good quality photograph, consistently. I prefer to take my photographs during the daylight but other commitments make it a challenge. Taking interior photographs with artificial light and the shadows they project, requires more consideration, unpredictability and greater cropping.

Carl G. Evers

(C) 2016 Photograph by Dale DiMauro of Carl G. Evers painting

For many years I have had this little book of paintings by Carl G. Evers on my nightstand. I consider him to be one of the best ever water-based painters. The book is titled The Marine Paintings of Carl G. Evers with an introduction by Ian Ballantine. It was printed in 1975 and is less than fifty pages in its entirety.

I know very little about his paintings (techniques, materials, etc.). What I do know is that he was a master in depicting the sea and and all its many moods. Sometimes before turning the light off and falling asleep, I study his skies, which he seemed to master equally well. 

I suspect most of the pictures featured in his book were primarily painted in watercolor with some white gouache. Areas where there is a strong white feature, such as in the whitecaps of cresting waves, are difficult to achieve with transparent watercolor pigment. In his day, I do not believe Evers would have used masking to preserve the white of the paper, as is readily done these days. First I don't think it was as available, but also it may have been a custom that was frowned upon. Gouache is opaque and when applied on paper it blocks the passage of light.

Self-portrait

(C) 2016 Dale DiMauro

Recently, I started this self-portrait. Last month, I had considered taking a local workshop in watercolor specializing in portraiture. Initially, there was a small group registered so I was anticipating which subject to focus on. Then I realized, my wife and I were scheduled to usher a live music venue the evening before which would get us home late. In the end I did not attend the workshop as the timing just was not going to work out.

However, I became intrigued by this picture my wife took of me when on vacation in Maine. There is personal significance for me as the bench is named after a relative of mine who lived to be over one hundred years old. I like the composition as much for the face as for my dangling hands in the foreground. Over the last year I have been trying to improve on the portrayal of hands in my paintings as many say that hands are the most difficult body part to capture.

The more I studied this composition, the more I realized it was an opportunity for me to practice the use of masking fluid. The wood, which the bench is made of, has peeling paint on some edge areas with textural qualities that I am looking to emphasize. The masking fluid preserves areas from paint, which can removed later on in the painting process. Defined edges or strong color contrasts can be preserved this way to great affect.

Eldridge Hardie

(C) 2016 Dale DiMauro

Several years ago I purchased this book, The Paintings of Eldridge Hardie: Art of A Life in Sport, which I consider one of the best of many art books that I have. I particularly admire his watercolors of outdoor sporting scenes. There is something captivating about a figure in motion in the landscape.

This watercolor is inspired from the work of Eldridge Hardie. I tried to emulate some of the techniques and stylings he may have used in some of his watercolors. 

When he paints water he seems to achieve this great dry brush affect as he drags the brush along the surface of the paper leaving white speckles. His evergreens appear darker than mine and he uses wonderful vibrant colors to convey his fall foliage with warmth.

Aquabord

(C) 2016 Dale DiMauro

Several weeks ago when I was in Northampton, MA, I purchased several aquabord panels. These boards were created specifically for use with watercolor. I had yet to try this new surface and was not sure how the watercolor pigments would handle it. The surface is textured not unlike a sheet of cold press watercolor but it is a board so the pigment more or less sits on the surface. I liked working with the panel even though I was not sure how far to carry the development of the picture.

I created an imaginary landscape inspired from the Connecticut River Valley with it's meandering river basin. The photograph is not quite accurate in that the sky transitions from the horizon with a richer cobalt blue the further up you proceed. 

I have been experimenting with the use of permanent magenta in collaboration with other pigments such as paynes gray and ultramarine blue to achieve greater atmospheric effects.

Chair drawing

(C) 2016 Dale DiMauro; Photo credit: Squirrel Friends

My wife purchased a fancy new chair for me that not only rocks but also swivels and reclines. Don't worry; she has a brand new couch coming of her own choosing. However, one of the criteria for my new chair was that I needed to be able to sketch in it comfortably.

This is the first drawing I did in the chair two nights ago while watching television. The subject was from a photograph clipped from our weekly newspaper, just after I read the latest edition in my new chair.

I do find drawing a critical stage prior to painting as it makes me think of the composition in advance. In general, the more I can advance a composition or simplify it, the stronger the end result  

Apple orchards

(C) 2016 Dale DiMauro

Recently, I have been working on painting this apple orchard inspired from back in the fall. I was taken by the fall colors as much as the rolling land and distant mountains. What really captured my imagination are the areas between the trees which seem to convey this organic open space.

When I originally put down my first washes they were very abstract shapes but it did not read as I intended. Thus, I had to unite all these separate landscape elements such as the trees, grass and distant mountains. I used a lot of burnt sienna which artists often say is an important color in landscape painting. Even though the painting is not yet finished I used burnt sienna in the foliage of the apple trees and in the warmer tones of the grass which unites the foreground with the middle ground.

The post in the foreground was moved from the right to the left side of the picture as a way to better frame the vista. I intend on refining the grassy growth in the foreground. 

Pencil studies

(C) 2016 Photograph Dale DiMauro

My art mentor Gerard Doucette impresses upon me the importance of developing quick pencil studies as a means to improve upon your composition before you start painting. I have filled the back of my small sketchbook with many of these postage-sized pencil studies. 

Through eliminating unnecessary details and improving the arrangement of elements you can strengthen your composed picture. For example, if you have an individual in your picture, by lowering the horizon you can strengthen the presence of that individual.

Mr. Doucette helped me develop these pencil sketches last spring for a watercolor composition. It is of a winter scene at a local ski jump. However, since it is of a winter scene I wanted to put it off until at least late fall, after the summer season had passed. Now I am eager to start it.

Big sky

(C) 2016 Dale DiMauro

Recently, I tried my hand at a dramatic sky painting. To capture the sky with some sort of mastery is no easy accomplishment in watercolor. However, painting in the ribbon of landmass solidified the painting and provided the scale for the sky.

The inspiration for this picture came from last summer's trip to Maine. Late in the day, near Bar Harbor with all the heavy humidity in the air, even up in Maine, a storm had just passed through. The result was the warm glow of the late day sun.

It seems important to provide some sort of definition to the underbelly of big cloud masses which strengthens the perspective in landscape paintings.

Watercolor sketch

(C) 2016 Dale DiMauro

Recently, I purchased this multi-media sketchbook, at a local Michael's, with my fifty percent off coupon. The end result is that for eleven dollars I hope to be able to develop my portrait skills as I fill this book with all kinds of drawings and paintings.

I value these kind of sketchbooks in the winter months when there is more time to record places and people that I see as well as the natural color and light on the land.

This is a pencil sketch turned into a simple watercolor with minimal washes. I like how the intensity of the gaze and colors flow off the paper. I found the paper did not buckle as often is the case with sketchbooks, thus it was a huge benefit.

Landscape study

(C) 2016 Dale DiMauro

This little watercolor was essentially a doodle when the bleeding of the pigments captured my imagination. I am not sure why though. I have been experimenting with two new pigments, cobalt turquoise and permanent magenta. The permanent magenta when mixed with blues create a lovely sky rich with atmospheric affects. The jury is still out on how best to use cobalt turquoise but I have been combining it with ultramarine or payne's gray and arriving at interesting darks.

Between the fluid washes of pigments and the texture of the Arches watercolor paper I really like this landscape. The curly white streaks over the image are when I was testing out white gouache, an opaque paint, for the rigging of the sailboat in my last post.

In hindsight, with the shortness of natural light, at this time of year, I recall wanting to suggest the late afternoon presence of the distant hills in one wash.

Still waters

(C) 2016 Dale DiMauro

This is a watercolor I had started after the summer. It had developed well but I needed to paint some rigging and finish some details before I would consider it done. Ah - but to paint the rigging - easier said than done. 

I consider the rigging, the ropes which help hold the sail up, an integral part of the picture due to the reflections on the water. In addition, the rigging is important because they add a crispness to the image in contrast to the misty feel of the atmosphere.

The rigging was painted with white gouache which is an opaque paint that is essential to capture the white crisp lines. I used a lizards lick brush which is oddly shaped, enabling an artist to maintain a fine point.

In retrospect, I had no problem painting the rigging. It could have been painstaking but I practiced on a scrap of paper and then just painted the white in. I like how the white line is not solid which suggests some speckles of light reflecting off of it.

Pencil Portrait

(C) 2016 Dale DiMauro

Recently, I found this wonderful art book at our local used bookstore. It is titled How to Draw the Human Head: Techniques and Anatomy, by Louise Gordon. Ironically, many years ago I signed it out as an interlibrary loan. Most of the illustrations in the book of the human head are depicted in pencil and they are beautifully drawn.

I made this drawing from an illustration in the book that inspired me as our national media election coverage was dragging on late tuesday evening. This was a twenty minute drawing. I like the little streak of light along the women's right jaw line.

Having fun with new sketchbook

(C) 2016 Dale DiMauro

My painting experience has evolved to the point where I am reasonably comfortable painting a large picture which requires larger figures if they happen to be in the composition. To that end I am attempting to improve upon the drawing and painting of my figures. Whether those figures are actively performing some activity out in the landscape or standing while talking on their cell phone, I am trying to capture the posture of these individuals. I have admired Ogden Pleissner's figures, in his watercolors which have a certain degree of authority to them.

I have enjoyed drawing and painting in this new mixed media sketchbook. Fortunately, the pages are thick enough that they do not buckle too much when wet. This way they are easier to work on. In addition, I can paint on the back side too. The idea is to continue to improve upon my figures, automobiles etc., by carrying around this sketchbook and capturing everyday tasks that people normally do and put down a quick wash to record the moment. In this book, in addition, I hope to develop little sketches which may inspire me to paint larger watercolors down the road.

Mist rising from the river

(C) 2016 Dale DiMauro

This is the finished version of the picture I posted on Wednesday. I have added trees and shrubs along with the power lines. The shadows are a big part of this watercolor as they reveal the light areas and the form of objects. 

I experimented by adding white gouache to amplify the mist rising from the river. Otherwise, the mist is largely the absence of color painted with soft edges. On the lawn I introduced burnt sienna to make the green grass less garish.

The shadows in the foreground on the lawn give depth to the picture while not revealing their source.

Here comes the sun...

(C) 2016 Dale DiMauro

One early morning I set out to capture the effects of the rising sun on the landscape. However, it was difficult to gauge when the sun would reach the landscape as the mist over the river was slow to rise. When it did reach through the mist, boy was it stunning. The sunlight cast dramatic shadows and  revealed stunning fall colors.

This is a watercolor I started, inspired from that week, before I was drawn away to other commitments. What I have been trying to capture is the mist lifting in the valley revealing some of the brilliant fall color on the distant hills. There is a bit more to develop in this picture as there is some foliage in the foreground and some details to attend to but I like the qualities of the light.  

Improving on my figures

(C) 2016 Dale DiMauro

Since last winter I have kept in the back of mind my desire to improve the figures that I paint in my watercolors. It has taken a while but I think I may have found a watercolor sketchbook that I can take with me to places such as a cafe or the library where I can capture on the spot, people and their postures. 

Most little watercolor journals from my experience are too cheap as the paper will buckle once you get it wet. This mixed media sketchbook by Stillman & Birn has much thicker paper which can absorb more moisture and lays flat with it's ringed binder which I find essential. In addition, my approach is to paint wet on dry as this seems to be the quickest drying method that I know of.

As I have mentioned in prior posts, once you put a person in the picture they become the focal point so it really is important to get the figure right. This requires getting the scale correct along with positioning the figure so that it reveals the activity they are doing within the atmospheric qualities of the time in question.

Still life oil painting

(C) 2016 Dale DiMauro

This is the second oil painting I did at Qiang Huang's workshop at the Village Arts in Putney, Vermont. It has been a challenge painting in oil this time in part because I am following someone else's process. However, I figured I may improve greatly over these four days if I persevere. 

There are many inaccuracies such as in the perspective, development of values and the shape of the tin creamer, but I am beginning to embrace the greater use of color. 

Once home in the evening, I have continued to work on a watercolor I began last weekend of the mist lifting off the local river valley. Beneath the rising mist are the lingering fall colors of umbers and ochres.

Qiang Huang's Oil Workshop

2016 Photograph of Mary Cassatt painting

This week I will be attending Qiang Huang's oil painting workshop with the Village Arts in Putney, Vermont. Qiang paints impressive still life's which are characterized as having a freshness to them. Of the paintings I have seen of his work, which have all been online, none seem overworked. As in most media it seems quite easy to end up overdoing it. He admires Richard Schmidt's work as most of us do, so perhaps we will luck out and get a visit from the master.

When my wife and I were at the Portland Museum of Art in Portland, Maine this summer, we checked to see if some of our favorite paintings were still to be found hanging on the walls as we often do. I would say that this Mary Cassatt(1844-1926) painting, Anne and Her Nurse circa 1897 is one of my favorites. This was proudly exhibited in one of the main galleries.

This photograph was posted because I need to be thinking in an oil painting mindset for the next four days. I particularly like the warmth of the colors Cassatt used and more specifically the child's skin tone.

The sound of music

(C) 2016 Dale DiMauro

The local farmers market offers great subject matter for a studio composition or even plein air painting. It is good to run in to people you know and meet new folks. It is also a good spot to people watch. In general, I enjoy trying to capture the postures and characteristics of people, as we are such a diverse population. There are often musicians playing in the summer under one of the big maple trees as on this particular day.

This painting was a challenge because I do not usually paint facing into the sun. When painting into the sun there are opportunities to paint backlit subjects such as the light coming through the foliage. However, I didn't capitalize on those qualities even though I am proud that I was able to achieve some depth in the canopy through layering the foliage. In many ways this is a totally new experience for me as the shadows project in different directions from my typical late afternoon timeframe.

There is a charming quality with the two men standing under the protective element of the tree in the shade. I think the informal layout, posture of the musicians and soft ground give this picture an overall warm feeling.

Sign-of-the-times

(C) 2016 Dale DiMauro

In a recent post I mentioned that I have been considering updating how I sign my finished paintings. Usually I sign a painting in sepia or black in a discreet fashion on the bottom of the picture in from the corner so once it is framed it is still visible. I have been using popular micron pens, which come in a wide range of colors. I have been using my first initial followed by my last name to keep it simple and not take up too much space. Up to this point I have hand lettered my name rather than signing it in cursive.

Since reading master watercolor painter Joseph Zbukvic's book on painting where he mentions signing his pictures in red, I have taken to experimenting with his approach. In the above practice run, I practiced using cadmium red right out of the tube with no water. I like that it adds some flair yet does not overwhelm the other colors. I find the red really gives life to the grays and blues so often used in watercolor painting. I also gave a try at putting my first initial within the first letter of my last name to create overlapping D's.

New products & materials

(C) 2016 Dale DiMauro

These are some of the new paints I have acquired since the end of summer. I always seem to be experimenting with new color combinations to acquire greater effects.

Recently, I have been experimenting with new pigments to portray distant mountains. For a while I have used a combination of Payne's gray and ultramarine. Lately, I have introduced a touch of permanent magenta to ultramarine to get a more dynamic color. For overcast skies I have introduced some raw umber and and a touch of quinacridone rose, which give the sky some dimension and a cool atmospheric affect.

When on vacation in Maine I picked up a small spray bottle in one of Portland's art supply stores. I believe the manufacturer is Holbein. I use this spray bottle everyday to moisten the paints in my palette before use. It is light weight with a good quality spray mechanism useful for travel and plein air painting.

A Simple Sketch

(C) 2016 Dale DiMauro

Many may recognize this as a portrait of Carson Daly, the host of the television show the Voice.

I drew this portrait from a magazine with many photographs of celebrities in it. Most of the time I find the head on shot to be a rather uninspiring angle. However, in this case the facial features seem to have a degree of warmth and simplicity to them. Personally, I prefer the three-quarter view, which conveys a sense of depth pictorially in addition to potentially displaying more emotional content. 

In this situation, the proportions seem to be relatively accurate, yet there is a simple quality to the image as it is relatively large in scale. To add a wash of watercolor would make this image come alive as it would provide temperature and atmosphere; however, since I drew this drawing on thin sketch paper and not watercolor paper, I have held off. Some master artists such as Andrew Wyeth would say a particular drawing says all that it can say. In essence, adding color may not improve upon the drawing.

On the Farm

(C) 2016 Dale DiMauro

Recently, when I was in Maryland, we came upon this structure, in one of the state parks,  full of history. There seem to be some ventilation openings on the left side of the structure which perhaps were used for drying tobacco or some other crop. The fact that the structure is elevated above the ground suggests the farmers did not want their product to get wet.

I have been eager to do a landscape painting on a full sheet of paper(22" x 30")with a structure in the scene. This image just spoke to me with this sense of history, the big tree and a southern setting. I also was excited because the overcast sky and moody light gives the picture some weight. 

Clearly there is a ways to go as the tree is enormous, even dwarfing the structure. Unconsciously, I have made the landscape more lush than it actually is as Maryland has had a very dry summer.

Joseph Zbukvic

(C) 2016 Dale DiMauro

Recently, I signed out a book through our local library's inter-library loan program. This book, Mastering Atmosphere & Mood in Watercolor: The Critical Ingredients That Turn Paintings into Art, by Joseph Zbukvic, is a gem. It really is for intermediate or advanced watercolorists, as the author is a master of his approach. The book is in such high demand that it is virtually unavailable. It was first printed in 2002, however it sells for around $ 250.00 on Amazon. Yikes! Who says artists don't make any money!

When reading any of these art books that are authored by a master, I jot down any juicy nugget whether it is a color combination they prefer or how they stretch their paper, etc. In this little study I tried Joseph Zbukvic's color combination of ultramarine with a touch of permanent magenta for distant mountains. This paint is the purplish color you see behind the tree, which I do like for it's richness. I will continue to experiment and adjust the color ratio's to my liking. It is always fun to try new colors or combinations of colors as they really impact what you paint and how it is perceived.

Test sheet experiments

(C) 2016 Dale DiMauro

When my painting is interrupted, as it has been many times this summer, I often experiment with different techniques on a test sheet, which are often little landscapes in and of themselves. For the past two weeks we have had masons working on our chimney, which has disrupted my painting routine.

On this little painting I have been experimenting with a neutral tint, which is a watercolor pigment, to arrive at a richer dark earlier in the painting process. The neutral tint in this picture is used in the dark tree massing in the distance. I also have been using mask, which when lifted created all those fine white marks that were left.

Finally, I am looking for a better way to sign my paintings. I do not want my signature to be too dominant as to take away from or compete with the painting. However, I like the idea of signing my paintings with a vibrant red, which to some degree is absorbed into the picture. In many watercolor paintings there are various grays such as in some of Winslow Homer's work, which is the complement to red, offering possibilities to expand upon.

VWS 2016 Juried Members Fall Exhibition

(C) 2016 Dale DiMauro

Recently, I was informed that my painting No Trespassing, was selected for the Fall Exhibition of the Vermont Watercolor Society. This exhibition takes place from October 21 - November 11, 2016 at the AVA Gallery on 11 Bank Street in Lebanon, NH 03766.

For me this is exciting as I also had a painting selected for the Spring Exhibition which took place at the Southern Vermont Arts Center in Manchester, Vt. The painting selected for this show had been Heading up River, a picture of a kayaker paddling on a glorious fall day with many reflections cast across the water.

There will be many other fine artists exhibiting their work, so if you have the time or are in the area I encourage you visit the AVA Gallery.

My Hand

(C) 2016 Dale DiMauro

You don't know your hand until you draw it. The process of drawing your hand makes you aware of the characteristics of your fingers and wrist. I find drawing the hand to be the most difficult aspect of the human anatomy. For me the face and feet are not nearly as challenging.

My left wrist was reset after fracturing it two winters ago in a snowstorm. As a result my wrist has a different shape these days. The light area on my wrist is usually where my fitbit sits. My hands are very slender, giving me great dexterity and touch. It is also creepy to see how your hand may actually be. I do believe the drawing is relatively accurate.

I tan quickly and have an olive complexion so this hand may come across as a hand of a darker skinned man.

National Portrait Gallery: Walter Payton

I took this photograph yesterday at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C., in the hallway with new acquisitions. This is a painting by the late Merv Corning (1926-2006) done in 1981 in watercolor and graphite on paper. It is one of hundreds of portraits Corning produced from 1966 on of players for the National Football League.

Walter Payton was a Chicago Bear running back from 1975-1987, nicknamed "Sweetness." He was born in Columbia, Mississippi, went on to have a very successful NFL career, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993. He was named League MVP in 1977 and 1985.

One of the characteristics I admire of Corning's work is his tendency to leave a lot of the paper unpainted. To some this may seem unfinished, but I find it forces the viewer to zoom in on the player's posture and expression. In addition, he gives reverence to his subject by making us look up at him through Corning's perspective, while capturing Payton's true presence through realism.

Mood in the landscape

(C) 2016 Dale DiMauro

This past summer in Vermont we have not had many cloudy days or at least the string of overcast weather as in past seasons. It is great to wake up to beautiful, sunny days, but there is something special about the somber, quiet, stillness of overcast weather. This is the kind of weather that might make you want to curl up and read a book.

When studying Winslow Homer's watercolors earlier this summer, I noticed that there are many grays both warm and cool, and the subtleties of color really create strong moods on the landscape. I have used a lot of darks here by combining various degrees of shadow green, ultramarine, Payne's gray and sepia. These darks bring out the light, and as you can see there is precious little in this picture. I think there is a misty quality in this watercolor.

At the bottom where the water is, I lifted paint to suggest disturbance on the surface of the still water.

Spray fixative

(C) 2016 Dale DiMauro

Recently, I purchased this hardcover, spiral-bound sketchbook from a local art store. I am determined to fill it with portraits until there is no paper left. After having experience with many different sketchbooks through the years I have learned that pencil smears and will dirty the front pages over time. Thus, after this first drawing in this new sketchbook I thought it would be a good idea to try using a workable fixative, which prevents smudging and wrinkling. I bought this spray fixative at the same local art store and am eager to see how it goes. 

To minimize smearing in the past I either have used sketchbooks with perforated pages where you can cleanly remove a sheet as needed and use pencils that lean more to the hard end of the soft scale. That is I tend to use an HB or 2B pencil instead of an 8B, for example.

In the past, when I used other fixatives, I had to spray them outside as the stuff smelled foul, but I was told this product is much better. I'll let you know what I think of this product in a future post.

P.S.: The source for this drawing originated from the USA Today Sports: Special Edition which I picked up locally prior to the beginning of the U.S. Open tennis tournament. I am interested in capturing the varied expressions on people's faces and their individual characteristics.

The Birder's(Study)

(C) 2016 Dale DiMauro

This painting is a fond memory of this past summer. With the shorter days upon us and the humidity subsiding it is finally comfortable to paint again. I have been inspired and feel like I made significant progress on this picture. However, it is not completely resolved, but I feel I got off to a great start.

This watercolor is a study for a larger painting I hope to do in the fall. The reason it is a study is because I was not sure how best to arrange the figures for the composition. Figures in a picture immediately become the focal point so it is important to get them correct. 

I do like the presence of light in this picture and thus the shadows that reveal the various forms. There is an overall outdoor feeling conveyed by the light and the colors which is true to form, I believe. Through much practice I am mixing colors that are more accurate and attaining the degree of darkness I am seeking. The earlier stages of my paintings continue to be executed with an uninhibited manner and I slowly am getting better at depicting the human form.

On solid ground

(C) 2016 Dale DiMauro

Last week I started this watercolor of my wife at the beach along the Maine coast. I like the composition with the figure off center and the great rocks in the foreground. I have been adding a touch of red into my blues for the sky, which seems to add an element of drama, setting the stage for the painting. I have begun to appreciate an unsettled sky over the shoreline, second only to the setting sun, particularly since the viewer cannot see the water.

At this point I have not put much time into this painting but the most laborious aspect of the painting has been the rocks. I have been building up the quality of the rocks through various color washes, which has included spattering. By spattering I am attempting to suggest the texture of the rocks and create some variation of their form as they are in the foreground. In order to spatter, I tap a brush loaded with dark pigment against my forefinger, and the paint is thrown randomly in small areas.

My wife's left arm is darker than the rest of her body, which will have to be corrected further along in the painting's development. I will most likely be required to lift paint by wetting the area and wiping it with a paper towel.

With my art mentor, Gerard Doucette's input, I added a sliver of land to the right of the figure providing more depth to the picture and further uniting the landscape. In reality the scene is a very small island connected at low tide by a sand bar to Pompham Beach State Park.

Test sheet

(C) 2016 Dale DiMauro

Sometimes the results of working on a test sheet are better than a finished watercolor. In a previous post, back awhile, I discussed the benefits of working on a scrap sheet of watercolor paper. You can experiment with your color mixes until you find what you are looking for. In watercolor it is important to understand that the pigments dry lighter than the mixed color you have created. Also, you can play with different techniques to convey texture and there are so many ways of marking the paper other than with a paint brush.

In this image I was really excited to come upon several color mixes that were new to me. The rock-like area under the figure was created by mixing three primary colors providing this rich gray/purple/blue color. The transparent pigments used, I believe, were aureolin, ultramarine blue and winsor red. Finally, the blue right of the figure was created with winsor blue and cadmium red conveying this rich sky color.

The white, wavy patterns towards the bottom of the sheet were created by using masking fluid to preserve the white of the paper. There are infinite marks that you can make using masking fluid which I have only begun to experiment with. It is generally used to preserve white subject matter or areas where light may be projecting off a surface such as the top of a car in the sun.

This week I have been working on a watercolor with a bit of rocks in the foreground. I have been stippling with darker colors to give the rocks greater texture which I sampled at the bottom of the above image.

I have found when you mix your own colors instead of use what comes out of the tube you can arrive at a much richer and dynamic palette.

(Local) Election time

(C) Dale DiMauro

When we arrived home from our summer vacation in July we had numerous political flyers piling up at the post office. With a late summer election, we were constantly receiving these colorful flyers profiling a candidates views on issues and what kind of endorsements they were accumulating. My father-in-law joked that the faces on the flyers grew larger each day.

Well this one did not do well in the summer election. 

When I was watching the news the other evening I started drawing his face from one of these political flyers. I noticed he had a very upright posture to go with his professional attire. 

It is always a challenge to add the glasses as they obscure the face to some degree. I do not know that the facial features are accurate, but I may have captured aspects of his demeanor. This drawing did not take long, maybe half an hour or so.

Watercolor study

(C) 2016 Dale DiMauro

Last month on vacation in Maine I came upon this young woman against this backdrop of a wetland. I imagined the color of her white t-shirt against a clump of dark blue spruces, which one experiences along the Maine coast, as stunning, when done in watercolor. Part of it is the upright posture of the girl reflected in the vertical mass of the evergreens.

In the world we live in today, I constantly see people with a cell phone, water bottle or a dog all at close proximity. I want to portray these elements in some of my paintings in a natural unposed state. This is a challenge, as you can imagine. I hike in the nearby woods and fields where I live and come upon people walking their dog while talking on their cellphone with no one around nearly every day.

I did try mixing different greens to capture the evergreens and develop a greater sense of depth in the picture. For the evergreens, I mixed Winsor blue (red shade) with new gamboge yellow, which was a new combination for me. The other green in the foreground, is a variation of aureolin with Prussian blue. At this point in my practice I do not use any green straight out of the tube, unmixed. However, if I need to set a color back, distance-wise or in temperature, in a picture, I apply a wash of ultramarine blue or Paynes' gray.

The Bennington

Photograph of Eric Sloane painting

This past week my wife and I visited The Bennington, an art gallery and museum in Bennington, Vermont. It is a good-sized museum for such a rural setting. It has a covered bridge museum, national fine art exhibitions, native american fine art and a bird carving gallery. The bird carvings are outstanding with amazing details such as the tongues in open-mouthed birds. The painting on the birds truly give them a life-like quality. The bird carver is Floyd Scholz.

We learned much about the covered bridges of Windham County, in Vermont where we live. For example, in the last century, an individual in Townsend, Vermont, tried roofing the local bridge during the night, which ended up spooking a rider's horse. They had a state map depicting all the locations of covered bridges in Vermont, and, as you can imagine, there has been a major reduction in their numbers. Also, we learned that the creamery bridge in West Brattleboro got it's name because there was a creamery on the other side of the bridge.

Within the covered bridge museum exhibit is a feature on Eric Sloane, a prolific oil painter who was believed to have painted over 15,000 paintings. I have always admired his pen and ink drawings of rural scenes and tools. A few years ago, we saw his massive mural on clouds and the atmosphere at the National Air and Space Museum when we visited Washington, D.C.

Summer Greens

(C) 2016 Dale DiMauro

We have a local pond which is great for paddling. In fact, motorized boats are prohibited. This place is called South Pond in nearby Marlboro, Vt. To get away from the heat and humidity I like to glide on the clear, clean water where it is usually ten degrees cooler than in town. 

Often there are loons out on the water when I have been there. I have even seen cormorants airing out their wings on one of the docks in the fall when the pond is much quieter.  The most dramatic wildlife sighting I have ever seen on South Pond was a deer with full antlers swim across the water with a very dramatic thrashing of water which made quite a racket. This also happened in the late fall.

Recently, I started this watercolor as I have been inspired for some time both by the overwhelming amount of green foliage one encounters up on South Pond and the presence of small watercraft such as kayaks which are so popular these days. 

Up to this point the painting basically consists of the color green. This alone makes me feel the weight and presence of the humidity in the air, which to me has dominated the summer season. I have used shadow green with various amounts of paynes' gray for both the foliage and the water.

Five-minute sketches

(C) 2016 Dale DiMauro

While on our vacation in Maine we took many photographs. Some definitely have inspired me. Even on the trip I was often thinking of ways I would compose a painting. Should I go with a horizontal format or a vertical one? How big should the picture be? Should the focal point be off center or even in the lower right corner? What should I include and what should I exclude?

The evolution of these sketches originated when we visited the Maine Audubon Society, which is in Portland, with lovely mowed passages running through meadows and woodland trails, providing shoreline views amongst mature oaks. 

We came upon a young girl taking a break, wearing a white t-shirt against this mass of dark spruce trees, with a distant estuary behind her. Her upright posture against all this dark growth was quite a contrast. With all these cool shadows projecting across the ground from nearby trees it was the perfect picture in of itself.

I had evolved to thinking that the best composition is a horizontal format where the focal point, in this case, is this girl placed in the right foreground. By placing her off-center, the picture attains a more relaxed feel, yet includes the distant landscape in contrast to the dark evergreens in the foreground on the right.

Figure study

(C) 2016 Dale DiMauro

It has been very uncomfortable in our house with the heat and humidity, not to mention workers installing heat pumps, days on end, it seems. Disinclined to take on a large project in these conditions, I tried something a bit smaller. The other evening I had this scrap of Arches watercolor paper on my desk. I thought with its narrow dimensions it lent itself to a vertical composition for a figure study. 

Catching people behaving naturally doing ordinary activities seems to be an art in of itself. You have to be aware of your surroundings and tuned in to what people are doing. The scene can change abruptly; for example, if a summer thunderstorm moves in everyone suddenly disappears. I like trying to catch people who are active but unconscious of being watched. It is very different approach from posing someone for a detailed up close study. I do find that if you add a person to a picture it immediately adds a focal point. If it is a figure rather than a portrait, adding that person provides movement to the piece in more cases than not.

It has occurred to me that matting and framing this piece would be a challenge as it is quite narrow. However, at this point, I have not given it much consideration.

New pigments to experiment with

When we visited Portland, Maine recently, we learned of a new art store or at least new to us. Often when in Portland, I have visited the Art Mart in downtown, which is not far from the Portland Museum of Art. This store caters to the local art school. However, the Artist & Craftsman Supply Store, which is west of downtown Portland, serves more seasoned artists who know what they are looking for. I am aware of large art stores such as Dick Blick and Cheap Joe's which exist in large cities, but I had yet to be in an art store that big. These are some of the art supplies I bought there.

Earlier in the summer, I had been reading Jeanne Dobies' book Making Color Sing, which is a classic in watercolor. She has a section on the challenge of mixing greens that provide fresh, vibrant color in contrast to the dull color you get out of the tube. She recommends using Winsor green with various yellows and reds to arrive at a richer and more varied source of greens. 

Before I went into the Artist & Craftsman Supply Store in Portland, Maine I thought this was an opportunity to expand upon my palette and experiment with a greater range of colors. In addition, to Winsor green, I purchased perylene green, graphite gray, and iridescent sapphire. I'll let you know what color mixes evolve into color staples on my ever-changing palette.

Portrait: Walter Griffen(1881)

Since visiting the Portland Museum of Art, in Portland, Maine, a few weeks ago I have been thinking about this painting. Dennis Miller Bunker (1861-1890) painted this portrait of a fellow art student, Portland born Walter Griffin (1861-1935). They both were twenty year old students attending New York's National Academy of Design when this portrait was painted. Perhaps it was a class exercise. Both men had successful painting careers; however, as the accompanying text panel points out, Bunker's life was cut short by his death from influenza in 1890.

What I like about this picture is the attention given both to the face and hands, which seem to glow in stark contrast to the overall dark composition. In so many portraits, historically speaking, hands are not portrayed accurately or left unfinished, yet this picture seems to feature the hands. I really like the warmth of the skin tone.

This oil on panel is exhibited in the permanent collection towards the back of the Portland Museum of Art. Most of the information on this picture originated from the display panel alongside the painting in the art museum.

Acadia National Park

(C) 2016 Dale DiMauro

On our recent trip to Bar Harbor, Maine we did a bit of hiking in Acadia National Park. We were told island visitors were up twenty percent for Acadia National Park's centennial year. However, we did not encounter congregations of people any larger than in years past. 

With the hot weather even reaching Mount Desert Island, we decided to hike in the late afternoon in the shadows of other mountains. This approach worked splendidly one particular day. We hiked Great Head above the ocean and Sand Beach then through a forested valley before climbing to the top of Gorham Mountain just as the evening clouds began to move in.  We had views in all directions of vast ocean and numerous mountains.

This watercolor was inspired by our hike up Gorham Mountain. Earlier in our trip we stopped at an art store in Portland, Maine where I picked up a tube of Winsor green (blue shade), which I was eager to try out. There is some Winsor green mixed with burnt sienna in the midground vegetation.

Albert Bierstadt: Autumn Birches(Approaching Storm)

Last week, my wife and I visited the Portland Museum of Art, in Portland, Maine. We admire many of the traditional paintings from their collection, which we usually can find on exhibit in one of the several back galleries. I have always been taken by Albert Bierstadt's painting, Autumn Birches (Approaching Storm). When you walk in the gallery where it is being exhibited, it captures your attention immediately. It is not just the striking red foliage but the storm-like clouds, which some attribute to the conflict leading to the impending civil war.

Bierstadt painted this oil on board around 1860 in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. He lived from 1830-1902. He was born in Germany but came to the United States as a toddler. Many landscape painters of his era traveled to scenic landscapes during the warm season and painted outdoors en plein air. 

Much of this information is reported on a display panel next to the painting, hanging at the Portland Museum of Art, in Portland, Maine.

Thumbnail sketches

(C) 2016 Dale DiMauro

Before I took a little summer break, in part from the heat, my art mentor Gerard Doucette, urged me to develop a strong compositional approach. Not that prior paintings were weak, but early in the process emphasizing the value of quick ten-minute sketches. These are value studies where an artist determines what is important as well as what to prioritize. As such, the focal point of a picture is presented with clarity as well as how best to position it on the paper.  In some cases the focal point is best in the center of the piece but in others off to the side is stronger. Any unnecessary elements are discarded as they simply clutter the overall painting. Details are not a consideration at this stage.

These sketches above are compositional studies Gerard did with me regarding a picture I have been thinking a lot about lately. Annually, we have a local ski jump in my town and the man depicted is a fellow marker who helps determine where a skier lands on the hill. 

First of all, I like that the viewer is looking up at the individual, which conveys a sort of reverence for the man doing his job. Second, since the painting will be orientated vertically it strengthens his position on the paper as he stands upright. Since he occupies the right side of the paper, we have shifted the mass of evergreens from the upper right corner to the upper left which balances out the composition.

These are simply some thoughts I put out there in an effort to strengthen my painting process, hopefully resulting in better paintings. Perhaps you can draw from this or at least look at my watercolors with a broader perspective.