Big & Bold

(C) 2017 Dale DiMauro

Since winter I have embraced larger scale drawing and painting. Little-sized drawing pads seem inadequate these days. I think it is simply that this larger scale makes a greater impact. Recently, when I was with a group at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the framed paintings hanging on the walls didn't seem so big.

In contrast the plein air paintings I have been doing on Sundays, are on small watercolor blocks. However, painting outside is an entirely different game as the light changes rapidly and the elements can be a real challenge.

This drawing was inspired from a photograph I cut out awhile back. I would give the photographer credit but it is misplaced at this point in time. What I try to catch is the way the light crosses the human form in addition to an individual's expression.

The View from Mt. Wantasticut

(C) 2017 Dale DiMauro

With the recent rain here in Vermont, I put in a bit of work last week on this watercolor. It is on a full sheet(22" x 30") of heavy rag paper(3oolb) where you can build up glazes and achieve a range of effects across the surface.

One of the qualities I like about this picture is that the colors are relatively muted. There are few strong contrasts, as in distinct shadows, but what color there is, really pops off the page, as in the red water bottle cap. In addition, I find the distant, blue mountains against the skin color to be stunning. That area is yet incomplete. 

The folds of the shirt and contours of the fanny pack in their abstract shapes, could be a painting unto itself. I am excited where this picture is headed as originally the distant landscape was not given much thought.

Portrait: Walter Mondale

(C) 2017 Dale DiMauro

When I brought in the mail earlier this month I kept looking at the cover with this face on it. In today's political environment, Walter Mondale's persona seems to have acquired greater honor in this era of reality television and fake news. Yet Mr. Mondale's face is unmistakeable to anyone who has lived long enough to be aware of Walter's background.

People saw this drawing and knew exactly who it was. There seems to be a strong relationship between the eyes, nose and mouth that is unmistakable to all humans.

This pencil drawing was inspired by a photograph on the cover of Macalester Today by David J. Turner.

Plein air painting

(C) 2017 Dale DiMauro

Plein air painting is a challenge but I am committed to working on one small one each week for a while. I purchased a new watercolor easel intended to be used outside and a beautiful palette/ pan set by Sennelier. The challenges to painting outside from prior experience include the changing light, weather patterns such as wind and bird droppings. Ultimately, you have to keep your composition simple and paint in a direct manner with minimal detail.

The most challenging thing for me is to plot out where I am going to paint in advance. This way I am mentally prepared for what I will be faced with. This painting was done as I sat on a picnic bench in a nearby state park while I sat in the shade and looked toward the sun. I kept this painting to one hour in duration.

This painting has too much green for me, even though there were layers of green in the scene. I am learning my way around this new palette which has bright, rich pigments. I like the warm tones and the soft and hard edges in this picture.

Henri Matisse

(C) 2017 Photograph Dale DiMauro

Today I was fortunate to join the Saxton's River Art Guild, on a bus trip to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, MA. One of the special exhibitions on view was Matisse in the Studio, which runs from April 9 - July 9, 2017. Henri Matisse was a french artist who lived from 1869-1954.

This painting by Matisse is titled, Marguerite with Black Velvet Ribbon, painted in 1916. This was done with oil paints on wood. The subject is Matisse' daughter who was twenty-three at the time she was painted.

With simple brush strokes and lines, Matisse suggests deeper emotion and substance than many other artists of his time.

Blues & Grays

(C) 2017 Dale DiMauro

Over the last couple weeks I been developing this painting with many other demands stalling its progress. The seasons have changed greatly since I originally conceived of this composition. However, I now consider it a memoir of Winter 2017 as if I could take it out of my wallet like an old photograph marking a period in my life.

This is a view from our front door facing South. It has that backlit quality which I have to come to appreciate. In the late afternoon, in the Winter, on a sunny day I have observed a glow that can be projected on to the landscape or comes from it. The angle of the sun is low, projecting these long, yet dramatic shadows. When you notice the quality of this light, if you come upon these conditions, there are elements in the landscape that you didn't notice before. Anyway, this quality and light inspired this picture. It is not finished but I like the direction it is going. The little tree is basically an under painting for the evergreen that will be in it's spot. I like how the building is off center in the upper right.

Manganese blue

(C) 2017 Dale DiMauro

Over the course of this past Winter I have worked on a number of snow scenes as it is a major atmospheric quality here in Vermont. I have transitioned from exclusively using cobalt blue and ultramarine for my snow palette to include manganese blue. At times I use this pigment straight out of he tube and it has an electric quality that can light up a watercolor. This pigment projects a great feeling of temperature on to the watercolor sheet. There are not too many pigments from my experience capable of doing this.

You can see some of the qualities of this color in the above watercolor detail. At times I contrast it with a warm gray as in a paved road or against sunlit snow which has some raw sienna it to provide variation. Against cool-toned evergreens it can seem downright cold yet increase warmth in the sunlit areas.

My palette has more blues than any other color. The colors I mix continue to evolve as we speak, but manganese is likely to stick around. 

I do not seek to promote nor discourage the use of manganese in your watercolor palette. However, as I experience Winter in Vermont I see how it can be valuable in conveying the landscape. 

Spring cleaning

(C) 2017 Dale DiMauro

Last week I started to thin stuff out of my studio space.  Stuff collected as it does from time to time in the form of framed paintings to art supplies and hand-me downs. I have had no where to put twenty or so framed paintings so they sat leaning on my flat files which I thus could not get at. So I started emptying out my closet to put new, more relevant, stuff in. 

Well, it is a huge improvement. I have a five-foot wide birch topped drafting table which I have not seen in it's entirety in awhile. It feels like I have acquired new real estate.

Some of this cleaning is inspired by the advent of Spring and much due to the dreary weather forecast for the next ten days. This little pen and ink with watercolor I came upon in my cleaning. To me it speaks of the enthusiasm for Spring and Summer here in Vermont, where the landscape is beautiful.

Portrait: Elie Wiesel

(C) 2017 Dale DiMauro

The other evening I was watching the television show Scorpion, with my wife.  Often, late in the evening, while the television is on, I search for something or someone to draw. Now that I have a comfortable reclining chair perfect for drawing, it easier to get in a mindset for drawing.

Since I am always searching for faces to capture, I have learned that older people or at least people weathered by some particular environment, offer greater character to convey, than others. It is amazing the subtleties of light across the face that you can pick up on when you pay attention.

The subject is Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor, who was a noted author, teacher and activist. The credit for the photograph that inspired this sketch goes to the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. I just couldn't resist sketching his interesting facial features. I do not know that I captured his essence, but I had fun doing it.