Asparagus Festival

(C) 2019 Dale DiMauro

A few weeks back I went to an Asparagus Festival in Hadley, MA. It is situated within the Pioneer Valley, one of my favorite rural landscapes to visit. The old historic buildings in combination with the mature, majestic trees which frame the green are much revered. It is even more appreciated on a hot, sunny day such as my wife and I experienced.

This watercolor is a result of that experience. Painting layers of foliage is usually not an easy task for watercolorists. However, I like the sunny and shady areas portrayed in this picture. It is easy to overwork the painting but I feel like I put the brush down at the right time. It is better to keep it simple but harder to follow this principle.

As a final note I want to mention there is a lot of hansa yellow used in creating this watercolor. I find it a useful pigment for mixing yellowy-green foliage and vibrant lawn areas which don't look so manicured.

June in Vermont

(C) 2019 Photograph Dale DiMauro

This spring in southern Vermont has often been overcast and wet. These cloudy and cooler conditions have amplified the richness of greens emerging in the landscape. On a recent paddle these yellowish-greens above the water looked stunning. They added a vibrancy to the landscape.

This color or experience inspired me to purchase a tube of green paint called Azo Green which I had not heard of before. To me the color on the tube was a microcosm of the green I saw out in the landscape. I figure it was time to stretch the palette a little with this color in mind. It is amazing how a color just like a smell can carry associations over time.

I have had a lot of work this spring forcing my painting to lapse at times. However, in my travels I see colors more clear than I have ever seen before. Hopefully, this will lead to greater watercolors fueled by a stronger vision.

Dennis Bunker

This painting by Dennis Bunker(1861-1890) was on exhibit in the American Wing last week when I visited the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. While Bunker did paint watercolors at least early on, I believe this painting is in oil. It is titled The Pool, Medfield 1889.

While Bunker was born in New York City, he spent much time in the Boston area and New Hampshire. He was a major American painter of the late 1800's and was friends with the prominent artists of his era. These artists included John Singer Sargent, Augustus St. Gaudens and William Merritt Chase amongst others. 

He was characterized as an American Impressionist with loose brushwork and vivid colors. Unfortunately, he died from meningitis at the age of 29. 

When I first saw this hanging in the museum I could imagine it as a watercolor. I can feel the moisture on the paper and in the landscape. This painting has a lot of the blues and greens we experience during the growing season. The flowing water draws you into the painting just as a path across the landscape leads your eye. One of the things I like most about this composition is the sliver of sky across the top with two thirds of the canvas consisting of the landscape.

Museum Epiphany III

On Tuesday I went on a bus trip with a group from the Saxton's River Art Guild down to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Actually, it was more of a van trip as I believe we totaled fourteen passengers.

Now, I don't go to this museum that often. However, the last two times I was eager to see if they still had this very contemporary painting hanging saloon style amongst many historic gems in the American wing.

The above painting hanging on the left center of the photograph is titled Museum Epiphany III, 2012. It was painted oil on canvas by Warren Prosperi, an American artist born in 1949. The write-up by the painting mentions that he collaborated with Lucia Prosperi(a presumed relative) who was born in 1951.

When you are in the gallery viewing this painting, that very white sculpture in the painting resides right behind you. It makes you feel as if you could have been in the painting. It makes it very contemporary.

Other than the young girl, all the models in the painting are largely preoccupied with subjects on the perimeter of the canvas. These qualities where an arts patron is seriously studying a piece away from what else may be going on in a gallery we experience every time we visit a major art museum. 

Living Memorial Park

(C) 2019 Dale DiMauro

For those who paint, it's plein air season here in Vermont. For now, the snow and ice are long gone. The variety of green foliage in the plant kingdom is bewildering. Lately, the landscape has become quite lush with growth.

There was a group from the Saxton's River Art Guild meeting for a plein air event. Since I had to leave early to go to work I painted on my own. This is a modified view from the stone bleachers which look over one of the softball fields. As I was leaving a woman pulled up in her car and took out her gear and headed toward a lower vantage point from the same stone bleachers.

You might think I used one tube of green for this watercolor. Actually, I do not have any green at all on this particular palette. I used many blues, yellows and burnt sienna for this picture. I like the fresh quality to this painting. Oh and I had an hour and one half to paint what I could.

Charles Reid

The world of watercolor lost a celebrated heavyweight in Charles Reid(1937-2019). He painted in oils and watercolor for nearly sixty years. Over his lengthy career he worked as a fine artist, illustrator and teacher. In addition, he authored eleven instructional books on painting. The above book, Painting FLOWERS in Watercolor with Charles Reid, is one of my favorite books on watercolor. I purchased it in a local bookstore used, for ten dollars. The quality of the printing and page material is superior to any newer versions I have seen. The minute I saw it I knew I was not to leave without it.

Charles won many awards for his paintings such as the gold medal from the Portrait Society of America and several Altman prizes from the National Academy of Design. It was his mastery of the human figure which drew my eye towards his work. His drawing was precise with an economy of line. To the public's eye his paintings perhaps, look unfinished as the background is often left white, the color of the paper. However, his ability to capture the proportions, posture and attitude with the freedom of color and brushwork before a model I find amazing.

Recently, I have followed his facebook feed which on most days posts his daily paintings and travels while teaching workshops all over the world. These seem to be a sort of open sketchbook. His painting style is so unique that I can't think of another painter like him.

Vermont Watercolor Society

(C) 2019 Photograph Dale DiMauro

The Vermont Watercolor Society had their annual meeting today at the Landgrove Inn in Landgrove, Vermont, not far from Stratton Ski area. It was a picture-postcard day as can be seen from the above photograph, with it's bucolic environment.

It was difficult to be limited to the indoors on such a beautiful day. However, we learned of the society's new website which is up and running at: www.vtwatercolor.org.

After lunch we were treated to a solid demonstration by Andy Evansen, a landscape painter. He talked and answered questions while painting which was very informative. His goal is to complete a painting in a couple of hours.

Great Blue Heron

(C) 2019 Dale DiMauro

Recently, I have not had time to paint watercolors. However, I did get my first paddle in today. The three other paddlers I was with were able to get quite close to this Great blue heron, even though he was well camouflaged amongst the brush. In addition, we saw quite a few red-wing black birds.

Tully Lake in Royalston, MA is a lovely body of water to paddle. It even has an impressive waterfall. It is best to go during the week as the weekend attracts too much boat activity.

On a down note, I was paddling in the middle of the lake when a sizable C-130 military cargo plane roared over me at a low level. It was so low and noisy I thought it might crash or hit me. It was literally one hundred feet or so above the surface of the lake.

Playing with Color

(C) 2019 Dale DiMauro

It is rewarding to learn of new pigments or color combinations and experiment with them. This color swatch I come back to repeatedly as it freezes me in my tracks. This ten minute painting can be an abstract or realistic picture dependent on how much effort you want to put into developing it.

In the sky we have cerulean blue. The purplish color comes from the combination of alizarin crimson and ultramarine blue. Below this we have pale yellow cadmium bleeding into this wash.

There is a freshness to these colors and washes I do not find on a daily basis. In addition, the white of the paper, in contrast, adds a speckling and hard edge.