Summertime

(C) 2016 Dale DiMauro

When I think of a summer day in Vermont, I visualize paddling and hanging out by a body of water. When it is hot and humid I like to escape to a shady spot where I can take a dip, check out the wildlife and pull out either my sketchbook or watercolor set. Also, I enjoy reading a book along the shore under a big shade tree.

This watercolor I have been working on reminds me of those dog days of summer. I like the rich, cool blues of the water, the green vegetation on the distant shoreline and the fellow paddler sitting on the warm pine needle groundcover.

This picture has been painted freely with vibrant wet-on-wet washes. The man does a lot of communicating with his hands and I believe this image captures that quality about him. Originally, the tree trunk was behind his hands in the dead center of the image but I off set it to his left. This enhances the presence of his gesturing hands, which I think are crucial in the composition of the picture.