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.