Summer in the Fall

(C) 2017 Dale DiMauro

Last weekend when it was hot and humid, I got a paddle in before starting this plein air painting. Eager to escape the heat, I grabbed a watercolor sheet from a sample pack purchased years ago from Cheap Joe's, a big art supply store, and headed up to a local pond. When arriving by the water I realized how surreal the day was. The forecasted high for the day was above ninety degrees, which here in Vermont, a week shy of October, is not normal. The docks from the various beaches had been brought in for the winter, yet as I paddled around the perimeter of the water, there were more people on the beaches and in the water than I have ever seen.

When I started to paint this scene, the parking lot and boat landing, which is nearby, were still full of people and automobiles. After putting this aside for a few days, I found that I like the abstract quality of the washes. The subject and painting techniques, at least to me, have a Winslow Homer quality. I feel like my color mixes are attaining a greater richness, more accurate to what I am experiencing out in nature. There is a directness to plein air painting, which is unlike anything done in the studio.  I am eager to get back to this watercolor even if I have to finish it indoors, but I have been busy.

Plein Air Painting

(C) 2017 Dale DiMauro

The plein air painting that I have been doing this summer is evolving. At first it was a challenge to focus on one aspect of a natural scene before me without overcomplicating it. In addition, there are time constraints and the ever changing light when one works outside. Recently, I have adopted an approach where once I set up my equipment to paint, a photograph is taken, so that the watercolor can be completed at home. That way I have a reference particularly as Winter is around the corner.

When working outside I have learned to work from the top of the sheet down with a little angle to the surface. This way I can manipulate the pigment to move in ways that I intend it too. Sometimes this includes pigments blending with each other as in creating the wash for the sky.

Not only have I been refining my painting approach but my outdoor painting equipment has evolved too. When driving in town I take a mental note of desirable places to paint. If there is a picnic table nearby then all I need is my shoulder bag worth of painting supplies. I have acquired various easels which set-up quickly and enable me to stand without holding anything. The above plein air was started on an easel yesterday in Keene, NH. It took me all of ten minutes to install my easel. 

This summer in Maine I purchased a Winsor & Newton watercolor block which this was painted on. This is the first time I have used this paper in a block form. I really like the texture of the paper and am gaining a feel for some of the affects I can achieve with this surface. 

The Great Outdoors

(C) 2017 Dale DiMauro

This is a watercolor started back in the Spring which I have been eager to get back to. It speaks to why people come to Vermont in the first place. To spend time outside away from the commercialism and electronic culture that we have become. It speaks to paying attention to the natural rhythms of life around us at a pace we can comprehend.

There is a modern Winslow Homer quality which inspired me to this subject. The relatively-still water is gently disrupted with the lapping of the water from the paddling. The brilliant blues in the water and the vivid greens on the shore are striking.

Most of all, I am captivated by the composition. Even though the photograph does not show it, the paddler is in the lower right quadrant which conveys a calming affect. You can imagine the paddler gliding through the picture with little actual physical effort.

Clark Art Museum

(C) 2017 Dale DiMauro

The Clark Art Museum is located in Williamstown, MA., a small college town along the western side of the state, amidst the Berkshire Mountains. As you may know, the Clark as it is often referred, is a gem of an institution on its own, but the fact that it is nestled in this bucolic setting is equally impressive. The recent renovation and expansion reflects the importance the landscape has in its layout and development. While in the museum you are made aware of the distant hills through the clever placement of corridors and windows, the courtyard brings you to the base of this verdant landscape. However, it is not until one climbs the trails above the Clark, when one can sees how it fits into the larger landscape.

After my wife and I made our annual Summer tour of the museum I took a stroll on these trails with their long views up and down the valley. It seems to be quite the locale for a plein air painting or two. I took many photographs of these views as time was limited. 

This was painted last week in my kitchen. The rich green in the center was made from a combination of aureolin(yellow) and phthalo blue which is a new experimental pairing.

Eric Sloane

2017 Dale DiMauro

Eric Sloane was a noted regional painter who lived in both Connecticut and New Mexico. He wrote and illustrated over forty books with incredible drawings depicting knowledge of some of our ancestors building methods, craftsmanship and wisdom. Over the years I have acquired many of his books, primarily for the drawings which depict farm life, a way of life fast fading. He is also well known for his oil paintings, primarily of rural life, which number in the thousands. A few years back when my wife and I were at the Smithsonian Institute's Air and Space Museum we saw his mural of the sky, depicted on a great scale, along the entry way.

This watercolor painting I did many years ago is a copy of one of his oil paintings. I was inspired by the late afternoon light draped across the New England landscape with it's compound of farm buildings. 

At this point in time, I used payne's gray as an under painting to convey depth in a picture. The depiction of the eves and shadows across the landscape solely utilize payne's gray. It is not based on a Winter scene but I like how it reads as one.

One of the elements of this watercolor that I most admire is the sky with it's unconscious explosion of washes creating both soft and hard edges. There are small random marks in the sky left from where the paper was not wet, providing a textural quality to the scene. It is hard to capture these in a photograph on this scale. 

Holbein Multi-Drawing Book

(C) 2017 Dale DiMauro

This summer when my wife and I were on vacation in Maine, I came upon this sketchbook while we were staying in Portland. This book handles watercolor washes well for a sketchbook. From my experience, most sketchbook paper buckles too readily and lacks the mark making you can achieve from a quality sheet of watercolor paper, such as one made by Arches, for example. I was beyond ecstatic to find this one.

You may be wondering what I am talking about. Well, Holbein, which puts out this book, has a long tradition of making quality watercolor paints, which originated in Japan many centuries ago. 

The other quality about this book that I truly appreciate is that the coiled binder lets the sheets lay flat as compared to other sketchbooks that close on you, which frustrates me to no end.

I purchased this Holbein Multi-Drawing Book at the Artist & Craftsman Supply store in Portland, Maine. Since then I have ordered others, as they come in various sizes. As I see it, these books are not for finished paintings but drawings with light washes, studies and doodles. I like to try out new color combinations in these books. You can develop great compositional studies in these sketch books, which can lead to great things down the road. 

It must be noted that I have no affiliation with this company other than that I enjoy to use their paper in this format.

South Pond

(C) 2017 Dale DiMauro

Often when paddling in the summer season, I am searching for places to capture in watercolor. South Pond in Southern Vermont, offers much to be desired for the paddler and the artist, simultaneously. Generally speaking, it is a quiet place, with minimal development and a variety of wildlife if you are paying attention. I have come upon cormorants, loons, red-winged black birds and numerous other birds that escape my identification abilities. My most spectacular experience, as I mentioned in a prior post, was when a deer with a full set of antlers swam thrashing across the still surface of the pond. 

Recently, I left South Pond, with my kayak on the roof of my car and this plein air in hand. In town it was one of those sticky, muggy days, which motivates me to seek a cooler setting. After an hour and a half of standing in the shallow water, I was pleased with the direction this picture was going. The light had changed significantly, but I like the greens and browns that were such a part of this small protected cove.

New Watercolor Palette

(C) 2017 Photo Dale DiMauro

This summer I have experimented with different palettes and considered various ways of arranging my paints. Generally speaking, there are metal, plastic and ceramic palettes available. From my experience ceramic is simply too heavy. Plastic is common with many choices available. However, I have not come upon the perfect palette and may not in the future.

Last week I registered for a plein air workshop led by Gary Tucker with the Monadnock Area Artists Association in Walpole, NH. Gary is a watercolor painter from Boston, MA. Reading through his handouts for the workshop I came upon this palette, which he recommends. It seems well conceived with tough plastic, so I figured it was worth trying. It is available on this website: http://www.shysart.com/.

I like this one for plein air because the two covers snap shut creating a tight seal over the paint. This way the pigment cannot run around and make a mess. The paint wells in the middle area are deep and wide for larger brushes. This palette folds down to the size of the two centered sections which makes it convenient for travel. 

Other palettes that I have used are difficult to clean as there are many paint wells with small areas where pigment builds up. For this palette I intend on only using Holbein watercolor paints. I have been informed that Holbein paint does not use ox-gall, which can make paint a bit runny, which can be a challenge when working outside. In addition, other paints may be susceptible to the development of mold in moist conditions, but not this brand's.