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| (C) 2020 Dale DiMauro |
Quick sketches are a recording of an artist's thoughts, compositionally. Is this a picture I want to develop further? Can I make it a stronger statement? Is the inspiration such that I cannot put it aside?
This pencil drawing is based on a waterfall and stream I experienced on a trip to Maryland several years ago. On one hand the sound and movement of the water was captivating, yet the spring burst of green growth and brown ledges drew me in. Often a new setting makes us aware of the differences from what we experience in our everyday lives.
The fun part is when you begin to simplify the composition or consider alternatives. In this sketch I eliminated the scrawny tree growth above the waterfall which made the falls have a greater impact. Also, I have considered tweaking the edges of the stream so that the viewer is in the path of the water.
As a result, I think when you draw from life you begin to see more clearly. Thus, perhaps, you develop better judgement.
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| (C) 2020 Dale DiMauro |
This watercolor has progressed from the last posting. It is amazing how a wash can change your perception of things or clarify what you are seeing. The yellow-greens found in nature, in the spring, are something to keep an eye on. Just looking at these colors makes me feel the moisture in the air.
I don't know where I learned about the pigment combination of quinacridone gold with manganese blue. However, I have been experimenting with this pairing quite a bit, lately. It produces a lively green foliage color.
The other color combination which I have taken a liking to is ultramarine blue and burnt umber. It gives the artist a warm dark on the brown side which I used on the surface of the pond. These two color matchings seem like real Vermont colors.
I must say I like the shoreline in this watercolor. It has that meandering quality which breaks up the space on the page into a pleasing proportion. Finally, I don't mean to bore the reader with endless pigment names but certain combinations truly can broaden your horizons.
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| (C) 2020 Dale DiMauro |
In the last year I have been told on numerous accounts that my watercolors have achieved a greater saturation of color. In particular, my landscape paintings have richer colorations.
I take this as a complement largely due to the influence of plein air painting practices. Outside in the elements I really try to mix colors that I see in the natural light. It helps greatly that my knowledge and understanding of a more complete palette has progressed.
This watercolor which I started in the afternoon basically has one initial wash. While the paper is wet until it retains a degree of dampness I drop in loads of pigment. This is to define the edge of elements or seek a graduated mass.
These comments are not meant to sound like I am boasting. However, I opened one of my flat file drawers this evening and could see a transformation in the pieces over the last year. For example, I am mixing and using browns more than I ever could have imagined one year ago.
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| (C) 2020 Dale DiMauro |
Since reading this book by Jordi Vigue, Great Masters of American Art, I have gained new appreciation for many of the Hudson River School painters. In particular. I admire the work of Alfred Thompson Bricher(1837-1908) who painted many coastal scenes of Maine. Some of his imagery comes to mind when I look back at this picture which I worked on last winter.
This is a study I did of the Maine coast, from a photograph I took. My thoughts keep coming back to this image. Like many other traveler's I don't know if I will be able to go to Maine this summer. That would be a first, for me as long as I can remember, summer in Maine, at some point, has been a family tradition.
The other thing about this image, is well, the image. The Maine coastline with it's rocky, erratic and undulating shoreline has such a strong element in the human psyche. The eye is drawn to where the land meets the sea. As a viewer the eye simply wants to follow the shoreline up to the horizon. And somewhere along the way one can smell the fresh fragrances from the life of the sea. By contrast, inland, we don't usually experience these qualities.
So much of capturing this landscape is getting the drawing right. It doesn't require much color. In fact, color will just compete with the quality of the light.
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| (C) 2020 Dale DiMauro |
This year the transition from winter to spring seems to be taking an eternity. While the current outbreak of COVID-19 is certainly altering human life in unprecedented ways, I am more eager than ever to spend time out in nature.
In the last couple of days I finally got back to painting. This watercolor is not a final product but has progressed well of late. There is something appealing about a sandy beach with dark, fresh, clear water. The verdant colors of spring bring nature to life.
Artistically, this picture has challenged me to take on subject matter I don't see everyday. That is erosion or the effects of erosion. There are exposed roots holding the sandy bank together, yet to be painted and driftwood dangling over the edge of the water.
When I finish this painting it will be posted.
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| (C) 2020 Dale DiMauro |
This past week I started reading Charles Reid's(1937-2019) most recent book, Watercolor Basics: Learn to Solve the Most Common Painting Problems. Reid was a noted watercolor painter with a long career.
As we honker down with this long home stay, due to COVID-19, I figure it is a great time to absorb any information or technique from Reid's decades of painting.
In this book there is a section just on brush strokes with proper technique. Above I practiced some of these approaches, whether it is painting with the belly of the brush or rolling the brush as you work your way across the paper.
It is a good practice to keep working on the fundamentals from time to time. Or at least that is what I find. It helps to broaden your perspective. Overall, it is amazing the range of marks you can make with a brush or even without one.
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| (C) 2020 Dale DiMauro |
This is my full plein air set-up. As you might imagine, it takes some effort to lug this stuff around. However, for me, this equipment is well constructed and dependable.
Yet, most of the time when painting outside I use less equipment. If there is a picnic table or bench available all I need is a shoulder bag to transport my stuff. However, with the threat of COVID-19 I can't sit on any of these public benches so I have to go all in carrying my stuff or paint around my yard.
Fortunately, my wife and I have a magnolia beginning to bloom. We also have crocuses and tulips, in addition, to primroses, beginning to show their true colors.
I am telling you all this because it is important to be mentally prepared to paint outside yet flexible to adapt to changing conditions. Earlier today I took a screen out of one of my windows because it seemed like a great vantage point to paint from. After thinking about it I had second thoughts and resumed studio painting.
With this stay at home order I thought it would be too limiting to do any plein air painting but now I beginning to realize my magnolia tree offers plenty of subjects to paint in of itself. So, as they say, paint on.
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| (C) 2020 Dale DiMauro |
Living through this COVID-19 crisis has interrupted my painting routine, amongst other daily functions. My wife and I do not usually spend this amount of time together or isolate on the computer as now. Don't get me wrong it is great to have her around and we do get along well but my usual routine of painting in the early evening or late afternoon has been hampered.
This watercolor seems like it got a lazy start but earlier today I was pumped to move it along. In this picture there is a heavy dose of greens which gives it that summer identity. I particularly, like the abstract quality to the growth in the foreground.
Also, there is an accidental mark in the upper left corner which only can be found in a watercolor. If you look closely there appears to be a a low flying aircraft approaching above the landscape. These happy little marks I have learned to incorporate into my painting as opposed to maintaining any form of white knuckle resistance.
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| (C) 2020 Dale DiMauro |
With the restriction of our lives these days due to Covid-19 it feels good to get out in nature if possible and to paint scenes full of warmth. This image reminds me of a carefree summer day.
It can be fun to play around with watercolor with no set outcome. I am always searching for interesting color combinations and new techniques. Is this watercolor done, probably not, but if it is I will learn from it, nevertheless. One thing I have learned to appreciate is the importance of pre-staining the paper when many layers of pigment are needed.
This watercolor was done in a Winsor-Newton spiral bound book. It is not a paper that I use on a regular basis, although I do use it on occasion for plein air painting.
