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.