Modern day Thoreau

(C) 2016 Dale DiMauro

On the dog days of summer there is no better place to be, but in the water, on it or at least near it. We had a picnic lunch on a small island with nearly a three-hundred and sixty degree view of the lake, vegetation and distant Vermont hills. Naturally, there was a ton of bird activity, vocally, but it was difficult to see many birds in the brush or on the open water.

There are such strong color combinations in this watercolor which are appealing. In the foreground are orange and blues while on the distant shore there are yellows and greens. I like the quality of light seen throughout the picture without seeing the source. The light projected on the man's shoulder through the various canopies is quite lovely, even though the photograph does not give it justice.

In a prior post, I mentioned how I used a lifting technique to remove paint to create those subtle horizontal disturbances on the water. I could have carried that approach farther but regardless I feel like it added a lot to the picture.