Off the Coast of Maine

(C) 2020 Dale DiMauro

Painting has been a challenge lately. I keep wondering if I can plein air paint or not? With social distancing and public surfaces potentially carrying this coronavirus whatever I have worked on has been from home. I have considered painting from the inside of my car which I have done in the past. However, I have not gone that route. But, before long the weather will be very tempting and the itch to get outside will be great.

In the meantime, I started this watercolor this evening. I am attracted to the double bodies of water and that great expanse of sky. I like the layers of greenery too.

Often when I paint the ferrule on my brush seems to hold some pigment from a prior experience. This pigment is not visible but when I wet the brush and start painting it makes marks on my new painting. This can be quite frustrating. I often modify my painting to draw attention away from these marks. In this watercolor the lower sky had these dark red linear marks which I covered for the most part with the evergreens along the shore.

Have other watercolorists had a similar experience? I believe my brushes are cleaned fairly well but have yet heard from someone with a similar experience. Anyway, food for thought.