A splash of color

(C) 2016 Dale DiMauro

This watercolor reminds me of an Eric Sloane painting. Eric Sloane painted rural New England scenes along with skies and Americana. There is a great mural of his, which we saw last spring, at the Smithsonian Institution's Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. He illustrated his thirty-some books with pen and ink, depicting tools and methods of farming and building that now are largely lost. His images convey a strong connections to the land, weather, and all four seasons. Oh and by the way, his pen drawings are unbelievable.

No, this was not directly inspired by Eric Sloane. However, I wanted to paint a Vermont scene with vibrant warm colors in the foreground and a rich blue sky. I sought to convey a sense of depth in perspective with a range of values in those colors. The photograph does not really capture the coloring accurately.  At this time of year it can be difficult to find the natural light that is so crucial to photographing paintings. I put birds in because it is the beginning of migration season and because they add interest and movement.