Out-on-the-Range

(C) 2016 Dale DiMauro All Rights Reserved

This past December was so mild here in Vermont that the ground did not firm up as it usually does. The result was a landscape that felt surreal, which even had a Serengeti quality to it. Replace the pine tree with an acacia, and you'll have a very different part of the world. Can you see a giraffe or elephant in the picture? A few weeks ago when I worked on this picture I could envision a whole slew of four-legged mammals roaming through the open spaces and grazing in the sun. 

This little watercolor was inspired by this time of year when the days were short but the temperatures spike during the mid-day hours, not unlike early spring. I was attracted to the strong contrast from the warm foreground hues against the cool-colored background. 

I tried to saturate the paper with strong pigments as the moisture evaporated. However, I could have taken the strengthening of pigment even further. I do like my evergreens painted with a tinge of blue-green. This color is created by mixing alizarin crimson with Payne's gray and pthalo green. I have tried other greens for this vegetation but ultimately come back to this mixture. Down the road perhaps I will come upon a different color combination.