Landscape Meditation

(C) 2017 Dale DiMauro

This has been both a busy and tiring week for me. Not only was I thinking about the local landscape here in Vermont, but I have also been actively involved in transforming a couple's piece of Vermont into a place of greater meaning.

From developing landscape sketches for plantings to installing both free standing and retaining walls, I have been working to change their piece of the world. Although this is a creative process of its own, it feels good to step back and paint a simple little watercolor.

I have been trying to paint a plein air each Sunday, but today I lost my best chance to a heavy downpour. Pressed for time, I painted this at home as a substitute. This is one of those little imaginary landscapes that takes you to another place. Sketching from life, memory, or imagination is good practice.

Every time I work on a watercolor, even a simple sketch, I learn something, such as how the pigment behaves or moves around and settles into the surface of the paper. At times leaving the white of the paper says more than filling it with pigment. Pure color applied freely is reinvigorating.