Stickney Brook Falls

(C) 2017 Dale DiMauro

I found yesterday afternoon to be a hot and humid day in Brattleboro, Vermont, so I escaped to these little falls not far from where we live. I love the sound of the falls, the breeze they create, and being able to cool down on a hot day.

It was a challenge to paint this scene. I had two rambunctious girls circling around me while throwing stones. At the same time their energetic dog was shaking water from its body right at my foot, and licking my knee from time to time.

With many plein air paintings, you don't really know what you'll get until you're done. I worked on this a little too much since the light had changed and the sun moved directly into my eyes. The cascading water that zig-zagged down the hill was at times invisible to the eye yet audible as it flowed from one outcropping to the next.

By the end of my painting time, consciously or not, I was exclusively painting in purples and grays or black. After I got home and took a second look with a fresh eye, I was pleased with my result. The rock ledges have a cool, shadowy quality to them.