Portland Museum of Art

2018 Photograph Dale DiMauro

On Friday, my wife and I visited the Portland Museum of Art in Portland, Maine. We learned that on Fridays, in the summer, admission is free, from 4-8 PM. This also gave us a chance to get out of the hot, humid air.

This painting by NC Wyeth(1882-1945) is one of my favorite paintings in their permanent collection. Even though they move it around depending on their current exhibition, we usually find it hanging in one of the galleries.

NC Wyeth was an American artist and one of this country's great illustrators. He studied under Howard Pyle and settled in Chadd Ford, Pennsylvania. During his lifetime, Wyeth created over 3,000 paintings and illustrated 112 books. He is well-known for illustrating twenty five of the scribner's classics, which included Treasure Island.  

This painting, Dark Harbor Fisherman, was created in 1943. It was painted in egg tempera on panel.

A majority of NC Wyeth's paintings are large and this is no exception. The scale of this picture draws the viewer in, particularly with the splash of yellow in the middle of the painting. Also, I like how the viewer is looking down on the scene.

Women artists in Paris: 1850-1900

 2018 Photograph Dale DiMauro

On Tuesday, my wife and I, made our annual pilgrimage to the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, MA. We saw the special exhibition titled Women Artists in Paris:1850-1900. There were many solid paintings by women I never heard of. 

This painting is by Elizabeth Nourse who lived from 1859-1938. She was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and died in Paris, France. It is titled A Mother and was painted in oil on canvas. This image is of a working class mother and her child. It was hung at the saloon in 1888, 'on the line' which means at eye level. This is in comparison to others placed in less favorable positions.

We then viewed the permanent collection, to make sure our favorite paintings were still hanging in their usual location. Some of our favorite paintings from the permanent collection are by artists such as John Singer Sargent, Thomas Gainsborough, Winslow Homer and Alfred Stevens, etc.

In the evening we caught the play, Lempicka, at the Williamstown Theater Festival which profiles a painters life. This was followed by a 'talk back' where the cast and production leadership discussed the process of developing the play. 

On a side note, I learned that anyone can request to see a watercolor painting from their collection in advance. This takes place at the Manton Study Center for works on paper which is part of the Clark Institute.

Down by the river

(C) 2018 Dale DiMauro

Brattleboro, Vermont, on Saturday was the site of a beautiful, sunny day. While I played in a singles tournament at the Brattleboro Outing Club, I found time to fit in some plein air painting.

In my travels around the area I often seek out new areas to consider for painting. The location for this picture is one of those locations. When you head out of Brattleboro towards the old Walmart store, you travel over two bridges carrying you over the Connecticut River. Just before the second bridge on the left is an old bridge abutment which appears to have been there for many decades. These days it is the perfect landing to look up and down the Connecticut River on the New Hampshire side.

Since I use a different palate for outdoor painting than my indoor set I come up with different results. My outdoor palette has sixteen pigments while indoors I may use as many as forty colors.

Lately I have been combining colors I would not have imagined before. I put red into my blue skies to attain some warmth while partnering browns with my greens to achieve a rich, earthy color. Yesterday, I like the effect my rigger brush made when I dragged it across the page. This can be seen in the sharp-edged foliage of the tree on the upper right. 

Each time I play with watercolor paints something is learned. Even when a watercolor does not come out like I would like, I make notes to refine my approach.

Warm-up sketch

(C) 2018 Dale DiMauro

Last week before painting at Stickney Brook I did this as a warm-up exercise. It is very abstract, yet full of feeling, drawn from that environment.

Stickney Brook falls is in Dummerston, Vermont. It has a serious of falls consisting of ledge-like blocks under foot, with shallow pools. The pools are transparent with browns and greens, with the latter provided by the above leafy canopy. On a hot day it is great to wade through the water or dip into. The sound of the water is very soothing. It is also a great spot to do some reading.

When I look back at this watercolor it has some of these qualities. I can feel the movement of the water as it is slides across the stone or fills a crevice and ultimately drops down to a lower grade.

This makes me realize that sometimes a small watercolor done in a limited window of time can be more powerful or memorable than a great big picture that is well composed.

Stickney Brook watercolor

(C) 2018 Dale DiMauro

On the third of July I painted a plein air watercolor during an outdoor concert and fireworks show in Grafton, Vermont. However, I was frustrated as the paper would not dry due to the humidity and developing dew in the air. Last year at the same location, the watercolor I did was quite successful and additionally drew many onlookers.

As a result of this most recent experience I have sought to change my approach to plein air painting. My approach in this painting was to wet limited areas at a time so that I could move around the paper as needed. This way I did not have to wait for the paper to dry and could concentrate pigment in certain areas.

I am excited to develop this approach and see where it takes me. I found going back into a wash very easy as a method to darken the value or introduce additional pigments in various washes. Even after the paper dried I could go back in and paint for example, some texture for the bark on the tree.

New Horizons

(C) 2018 Dale DiMauro

On occasion I like to travel down to Northampton, Ma to ride my bike on their rail trails which totals in the neighborhood of twenty miles. What is nice about this route is that you as a rider are always in the shade of trees and can look out into the agricultural or natural landscape.

This is a simplified view from along the rail trail. This is definitely not the best watercolor I have done. However, I have been experimenting with these new Winsor Newton Series Seven brushes which I find amazing. I painted this watercolor with only one brush to see what I could do.

Lately, I have been recovering from stiffness in my lower back. It is gradually improving through yoga exercises and improved posture techniques. So I saw this watercolor as an exercise to build upon.

These brushes hold a lot of water or pigment, yet retain a reliable point. They also feel amazingly balanced in your hand.

Coastal Maine

(C) 2018 Dale DiMauro

With the summer upon us here in Vermont, my wife and I have been planning our annual trip to Maine. Just the thought of coastal Maine with the smell of the ocean brings forth subconscious memories of the landscape.

This little watercolor is inspired by our discussions. There is something about seeing and smelling water at this time of year which is refreshing. The verdant green in the foreground is rich with association. Not unlike Vermont with it's many shades of green, from the green mountains to the farmland, Maine has it's own greenery. There are the many fields, meadows, and pockets which include blueberry bushes. Not to mention the state tree, the pine tree and all the other landscape types from mountain to ocean.

Lately, I have been experimenting with different brushes and varying techniques. Last year I purchased a Winsor Newton Series Seven watercolor brush which I have come to believe is the best brush ever made. This brush just sitting in your hand feels unbelievable. I took it out a few days ago and cannot believe what I can do with this brush. First of all it holds a lot of water yet retains a fine point. However, it flows across the paper effortlessly. Perhaps most of all I like how pigment can be nudged across the paper from wet to dry areas simultaneously.

Happy 4th of July!

(C) 2018 Dale DiMauro

Recently, my wife and I attended a family reunion along the shore in Connecticut. I was struck by the great expanse of ocean, beach and sky. These horizontal qualities, in contrast with the perpendicular posts, holding up the wrap around porch, were striking.

This quick sketch was inspired from that experience, reminding me of one of Andrew Wyeth's  paintings, with an individual set against a rather sparse background. What I like about this composition is that it makes you look into the painting for something you may not find. The posture and introspective quality of the subject influences the viewers understanding of the scene. This psychological quality not spoken, resonates throughout the image. In fact, the subject matter is backlit, strengthening the profile of the face. 

In this sketch I am trying to find ways to eliminate any unnecessary elements and position the subject so that the composition is as strong as possible. For example, it may be best to lower the horizon or eliminate the railing or even move the post.

Plein air landscape

(C) 2018 Dale DiMauro

Once I learned that southern Vermont was entering a prolonged heat wave it seemed wise to brush up on my plein air painting skills. Weather.com was reporting a record seven consecutive days of ninety plus degrees of heat with multiple days approaching the century mark. 

This watercolor was painted outside under the shade of a tree in our back yard. Time constraints limited this painting to a little over an hour. Of course, over this hour, the light can change a lot. As a result, I take a photograph, once I have settled on my subject in case I have to finish my piece at home.

I have come to embrace plein air painting even though there are many frustrations along the way. Plein air painting forces me to simplify my compositions and paint directly. By this, I mean, you can not cram every little thing into your picture, nor should you. Additionally, I need to minimize my color mixing and brush strokes. As a result, cleaning up is much easier and my painting approach is freer in nature.