Summertime by the Water

(C) 2019 Dale DiMauro

For the most part, painting the landscape is a joy in good weather during the Summer season. There is great plant growth, bird activity and interesting cloud patterns to observe endlessly.

I like this watercolor even if there are some obvious flaws to be addressed. The colors are lively and pretty accurate to the scene. There is movement to the unsettled surface of the water which I find fascinating. The granulation from the ultramarine blue in the sky adds a nice feel to the overall painting.

The flaws originate from trying to lift color to suggest multiple tree trunks on the right foreground. Seeing through the foliage makes the tree appear like it is on the distant shoreline when in fact, it is in the foreground. Nevertheless, the burst of transparent green foliage on the lower right is so rich I come back again and again to this corner of the picture.

The distant tree-line I have been studying all summer with it's undergrowth and spit of sand. This is by far my best approach to date. So yes I find this watercolor to be exciting and a yardstick of progress. Also, it was done in a little over an hour. 

Perhaps, a good watercolor is not the result of time spent as much as a clear vision in the steps forward.