My Favorite Plein Air Painting

(C) 2020 Dale DiMauro

By now I have painted countless plein air paintings. However, this one stands out as my favorite. I like the composition with the backlit light, the colors and figure. A landscape painting captured in a vertical orientation.

I mention this because it sits as the top sheet on one of my watercolor blocks. It makes me pause every time I see it.

The other quality about this watercolor is that it depicts a scene from a local park. With the prevalence of COVID-19 many parks are off limits or their use is heavily restricted. During times like these, a pleasant picture can be reassuring.

Watercolor Doodle

(C) 2020 Dale DiMauro

Many artists use practice sheets which basically are any piece of scrap paper they have on hand to test whether a color they have mixed is what they want to use. These sheets are often used to work out any problems you may have with correcting your drawing before committing to a large sheet of watercolor paper.

This image has been developed on a test sheet of watercolor paper I have been using. I tend to use both sides of test sheets so as not to waste any paper. There often are marks on the paper over different time periods which are unrelated.

This little watercolor was developed as a warm-up exercise before starting on a painting. I like the clean washes and how they read on the paper. Particularly, as minimal color has been used.

Wooden Boxes for Art Books

(C) 2020 Dale DiMauro

When the stay-at-home order first kicked in, back in late March, I wasn't sure what to do with my time. Like everyone else I didn't know how long this house arrest would last, either. However, it had become warm enough to work in my garage comfortably.

So I decided it was best to use any pine boards that I had on hand to create storage space for any books which I had not found a home for. In the end I built six boxes for books with materials I had on hand in my garage. 

The boxes stack well vertically in whatever configuration is needed without being tied to the dimensions of a typical bookshelf. 

Make no mistake this was a lot of work. But it was very satisfying. My creative skills along with craftsmanship traits were brought to use. The boxes have two coats of polyurethane to protect them from aging poorly. Also, it was an excuse to use my router to give all the edges a professional look.

Tonight's Watercolor

(C) 2020 Dale DiMauro

This watercolor is inspired by an experience along one of the many finger-shaped landscape inlets along mid-coast Maine. The landscape is characterized with dramatic views of the sea, often from a rocky or sandy shoreline, full of uninterrupted evergreen masses. In addition, the ocean smells draw you in.

The horizontal format of this watercolor block is great for painting landscapes. Most of the time I prefer Arches watercolor blocks with a cold press surface.

Landscape painting can be really exciting as it is not so technical as say figure painting. As long as the perspective is fairly accurate I find I can experiment with different brush techniques. Since the paper has a tooth to it, you can drag the brush across the paper at a steep angle and achieve lovely speckled affects.

Living Memorial Park

(C) 2020 Dale DiMauro

Yesterday afternoon I stopped painting abruptly. The shade had moved in while it also had become quite windy out. On top of that groups of frisbee golf enthusiasts had descended upon me. With this come comments and people peering over your shoulder. None of this rattles me even though it is a distraction.

However, this plein air painting had already grown on me. When arriving home prior to dinner I had ideas about how I wanted to finish this watercolor. So today I set about lifting paint to imply where the multiple tree trunks are, along with the telephone pole just to the right. I gave the main tree an additional wash of green to make it pop from the background, suggested power lines and dropped in the ochre wash, to the right of the field. The cool shadows with their enhanced definition were added today. 

I believe this picture has relatively accurate colorings as I experienced out in the natural light. In particular, I like the added touch of the seed heads on top of the field grasses in the foreground. 

Finally, it is hard to leave the sky alone without any more tinkering around. I resisted the urge to alter the white puffy cloud.

New Tools to Play With

(C) 2020 Dale DiMauro

In life it is usually exciting to try new things and new materials. Well, playing with new brushes, pigments and paper for me is always a highlight.

Since winter I have been experimenting with different-sized Isabey mop brushes. They can lay down a juicy wash yet retain a great point for fine work. Due to these characteristics I only bring three brushes with me when I plein air paint. Yet, I still can't believe how versatile these brushes are.

Like brushes, paper is such a personal preference. For me Arches and Saunders watercolor paper are the cream of the crop. They are such reliable surfaces to work with. However, I began to use Fabriano a couple months ago. I have been experimenting with their soft press which is between a smooth and rough surface. Recently, I purchased a hot press watercolor block from Arches, which has a smooth surface. I have not yet used this block but am eager to see what I can do with this paper.

There are so many pigments on the market that it is mind-boggling. I have been frequently combining cobalt blue and permanent alizarin crimson in making my skies for quite a while.

This is more information than the average reader may want to take in, but it's fun for me, and I like to share. 

Referencing John Constable

(C) 2020 Dale DiMauro

John Constable(1776-1837) was a noted English landscape painter who worked in the romantic tradition. He was credited with increasing the value of landscape painting.

This photograph was taken in Living Memorial Park in Brattleboro, VT, a view I often see from the  tennis courts which I have played on a bit, lately. This view makes me think of John Constable's The Wheat Field (1816) on exhibit at the Clark Art Institute, in Williamstown, MA, which my wife and I see every year when we visit the museum. Since the museum is currently closed due to COVID-19 this year may not happen for us.

Nevertheless, the qualities I experience at the park which remind me of Constable are the light, particularly in the sky, and the warm colors of the field. Other qualities in common include a distant tree line free of structures. In addition, a worn path leads the viewer into the painting. 

I realize these are rural characteristics but the parallels seemed striking. A little art history is good to keep things in perspective, yet expand our thinking. 

Living Memorial Park

(C) 2020 Dale DiMauro

Because COVID-19 has basically caused house arrest since late March, I have spent more time visiting Living Memorial Park in Brattleboro, Vermont than I ever have. By now I have played doubles tennis numerous times on their courts, by the ice rink. Prior to that I was limited to using the hitting wall which is mounted in the same area, as the nets at the tennis courts were not up.

Every time I play tennis at the park, which is usually late in the day, I look over at the fields and distant hills with its picturesque scene. The late afternoon light and the cloud patterns give life to this verdant landscape. However, it's always changing in some way. The greenery continues to grow and fill in, and the light and atmospheric conditions continue to evolve.

As a result of this experience, I kept promising myself I would paint this landscape. Finally, this evening I painted this watercolor basically from memory. Often I take a photograph as a reference, but I haven't had time to print out any pictures. I am also aware that in some way it won't be the exact same scene, which does make things interesting.