Vermont Winter Landscape

                                                                   (C) 2021 Dale DiMauro

Painting the landscape in Winter is truly a different experience. The light, shadows and energy are unlike any other season. There is no other time of year when you can feel the temperature of the air with such clarity.

This Winter I have become frustrated with my watercolor paper buckling or separating from a block early in my painting process. It has forced me to wet the backside of my paper and lay down books on it so it will dry flat.

As a result I have experimented with different kinds of paper and thicknesses. This paper is Waterford Saunders 200lb cold press paper. This paper is bright and seems to hold up well. It seems like a special paper when the watercolors are sitting on the surface, wet. I appreciate the lively colors.

Winter Landscape

                                                                      (C) 2021 Dale DiMauro
 

While cross-country skiing today it occurred to me how the landscape is the opposite that of the Summer months. That may seem obvious to some people as the land is covered in snow. 

However, as a watercolor painter one is told or learns that the landscape is two values or so darker than the sky. This gives your landscape a sense of grounding or a foundation to rest on. 

The Winter though is another case altogether assuming you have snow covering the ground. In fact, from my observation being outside today, the sky and distant hills are a couple values darker than the snow covered fields.

To this point you don't even have to paint in the horizontal aspect of the landscape primarily just the trees. Naturally, the white of the paper is portrayed as snow. Now you can put in a wash in the foreground just to break up all the white with cobalt blue or raw sienna. Or even to suggest some shadows.

I travel around town thinking how I would paint certain objects or scenes and with which pigments. This revelation has been brewing for days as we have had many snow accumulations in the last month or so.

My Indoor/Outdoor Easel(For oil or watercolor)

                                                                 (C) 2021 Dale DiMauro
 

Recently I have developed a desire to do some oil painting. What appeals to me is painting with a palette knife. The hard yet flexible edge of a palette knife can provide an artist with both a found and lost edge in one swoop. You can achieve a textural quality along the way on canvas which is appealing to me, too.

This easel or porchade box I basically earned through the health care provider I have through my wife's employer. They have all these incentives to encourage members to live a healthy lifestyle. The check I got nearly covered the cost of this. It folds down nice enough to fit in a basic shoulder bag. 

So going into Winter I was hoping to put this portability to use. However, I didn't anticipate the entire town would be shut down due to COVID-19 and then for as long as it has been. Originally, I thought I could set it up in any of the local libraries or cafe's and work on a small painting. 

Every time I look at this easel it reminds me of the frustration. I know I will get much satisfaction out of using this easel but for now it is on hold as so much of our lives are. Nevertheless, it is well constructed and nice to look at.

Landscapes, Color & Portraits

                                                                    (C) 2021 Dale DiMauro
 

When struggling on a watercolor it is a good idea to utilize the side bar. I have posted on this topic before but it seems like a good thing to do. Most watercolor blocks come with a protective sheet that covers the glued stack of watercolor paper. You can use it as a test sheet to verify if the pigments you have mixed are what you want. Or you can draw or paint doodles on this area. However you use this space it is important as a warming up exercise which frees up your mental approach.

The watercolor on the right was done en plein air last Fall. I ran out of time and did some more work on it at home. I like the layers of growth and strong use of color. However, it needs more work to my way of thinking. I do learn and progress far more from painting outside than in the comfort of my studio.

The cover sheet for me, is valuable real estate, as I can work out details or address challenges during my painting process. Also, I find it rewarding to look back at these graphic marks to see what I was going through and what my approach was.

Color Swatches

(C) 2021 Dale DiMauro

In between paintings it is a good practice to paint color swatches. This enables an artist to expand their palette or at least increase their understanding of color theory.

These become reference cards not unlike index cards people use to to write down menu's for dinner options. Otherwise, it can be hard to recall what pigments you mixed to arrive at a certain color. 

In addition, the mixed colors dry very different from when they were wet. I even try these on different papers as a way to begin to understand the various properties of how the paper behaves with this moisture once they dry.

Anyway, this is something you may want to consider in your journey of painting.

Landscape Study

                                                                   (C) 2021 Dale DiMauro
 

This Winter I have been drawing quite a bit. I utilize small and large sketchbooks in both pen and pencil. I seem to have improved in capturing the human form.

Nevertheless, it feels good to just let loose and paint. Sometimes the most progress happens in these moments. You mix colors and try techniques you may not normally use. 

Earlier this evening I did this study as I had a free hour or so. With the combination of cold weather lately and frequent snow accumulations it felt good to try my hand with a warm weather subject. Rich browns and vibrant darks have been on my mind a lot.

Popham Beach

                                                                  (C) 2021 Dale DiMauro

Popham Beach, in Phippsburg, Maine, is a lovely beach and recreational area which often has dramatic sunsets in the Summer months. In addition, the changing water levels makes it fun to explore the beach for seashells and tidal pools.

While I was excited how this watercolor was developing, the end was not what I intended. Often I apply a clear wash of water to unify an area. However, in this case, I put a wash of water over the sky and these yellow dots emerged. In the end I can lift them out with a scrubber but I did not have time today for that.

This was painted on 300 lb Arches cold paper which I have not used in a while. This paper gives you more time to work in the pigment before the paper dries then the 140 lb paper. The expansive and expressive sky was one of the appealing qualities in taking on this subject. 

The Winter Landscape

                                                         (C) 2021 Photograph Dale DiMauro

In the last ten days or so I have made a point of getting out in nature and embracing Winter. Instead of just going on walks I have snowshoed, cross-country and down hill skied numerous times. In the process I am amazed how late the sun is beginning to set, at least on days when it is out.

Before this last storm I took a walk and some photographs of the landscape in the late afternoon. The late day light was quite remarkable. I walked across this field to capture the fading light but it was well worth it.

I don't know that this photograph captures the magic of that fading light. The colors of the Winter landscape became so vivid before fading into the night sky. 

The blue hues cast on the snow were so fresh yet, varied in contrast to the brown structure of the growth on the edge of the field. Just to walk in that light felt special, partly because that moment was not going to last.