Memories of Maine

                                                                                     (C) 2021 Dale DiMauro
 

It felt good to get back to painting. After a weekend in Maine your perspective changes a bit. In general, I don't have much recollection of fall in Maine, but I found the colors of the foliage to be rich and striking, nonetheless.

Maine over the last two summers seems to have become a negative experience for me, due in part to the pandemic and hordes of people and uncertain accommodations. However, it is always a delight to smell the ocean no matter what time of year and see the activity that it attracts.

This watercolor is a collage of those associations of Maine that I bring home with me.

Landscape Doodle

                                                                                       (C) 2021 Dale DiMauro
 

It always feels good to put paint to paper. Even if time is limited. You can always come back and add more to what you started. I learn so much about the pigments the more I use them.

My most recent color exploration is combining cadmium red with turquoise(or any blue green). Depending on the proportions you come up with, a warm or grayish blue sky, or both.

I read where Charles Reid(a noted watercolor painter, author of: Watercolor Basics) suggested during idle hours painting swatches to develop greater understanding of colors and learning how to mix paint on the paper.

Just putting something down on paper keeps the mind sharp and the hand loose. Continuity is important.

Woodstock, Vermont

                                                                                       (C) 2021 Dale DiMauro
 

This summer I had the opportunity to walk the carriage roads and foot paths of the March-Billings-Rockefeller National Historic Park, in Woodstock, VT. There are such lovely vista's with open meadows and large trees which are hard to find these days.

Since I was away part of this week, my painting was limited. I fit in this watercolor earlier this evening. This view is from one of those carriage roads with a rather dramatic drop in the grade across the meadow to the distant hills.

There is always much to be learned in painting the landscape as well as interpreting what is seen.

Eldridge Hardie(1940-2021)

Eldridge Hardie(1940 -2021) painted sporting art in a similiar vein as Winslow Homer and Ogden Pleissner. He loved fishing, hunting and making art. He lived a good chunk of his adult years in Colorado.

I have had a used book on his art for years called: The Paintings of Eldridge Hardie: Art of A Life In Sport. I pulled it out of my bookshelf the other day. I had forgotten how much I appreciated his watercolors.

The colors in his watercolors remind of this time of year with the changing of the seasons and the vibrant fall foliage.

Above, I copied a detail from his painting: New Brunswick: September 30, 1994, both as a study of his approach and expressive brushwork. I find it hard to find figures in the landscape(who aren't moving all the time) yet I love some of the spatial qualities of the natural landscape here in Vermont.
 

Bookmark Anyone?

                                                              (C) 2021 Dale DiMauro
 

Any size painting can lead to a lovely watercolor. This odd-size painting was done in less than half an hour. I used only two pigments in creating this picture - ultramarine blue and quinacridone red.

The gradual blending of pigments often yields positive results. In addition, recently, I have rediscovered the importance of not covering the whole page with pigment. The white of the paper is beautiful in it's own right with it's texture and all. However, up against the white of the paper, any pigment has an expressive vibrancy unlike any other medium.

It is easy to overwork a watercolor and when that happens much of the freshness or even directness is lost. 

River's Edge

                                                                                       (C) 2021 Dale DiMauro
 

Since late summer I have been experimenting with the three primary colors: red, blue and yellow. This is the product of one of my more recent experiments. I love the rich, fluid blending of colors. In particular, I like the darks which add so much to a watercolor painting.

The pigments used in this watercolor are: yellow ochre/permanent brown/ultramarine blue. I find the absence of color(the white of the paper) compelling when edged by darks. Also, this scenario seems to add depth to the landscape on the paper.

This was painted in an inexpensive watercolor book with 80# paper. It is very smooth paper. It simply shows - that it is important to paint on as many surfaces as you can so as to be flexible or adaptive in your painting approach.

Black & Blue

                                                                                       (C) 2021 Dale DiMauro
 

For some time, in the evening, when watching television with my wife, I have some post-it notes on hand. Often I ponder what color I will get when mixing certain colors in my mind. I then write down these color combinations so I can try them out later. 

This dark blue - black is the product of one of those evenings watching television. In watercolor, as many of you know, it is hard to find a rich dark approaching black. Most tube blacks are dull and uninteresting out of the tube. In contrast, however, when pigments are combined they usually become rich and lively.

When I mixed this combination of yellow ochre/permanent brown and ultramarine blue the whole sheet of paper came to life. I started applying this mixture in other watercolor paintings and became totally inspired.

Basically, the combination of yellow ochre/permanent brown and ultramarine blue are a variation of the three primary colors: yellow, red and blue. There are so many combinations of these primary colors for artists to explore that it is overwhelming. However, I find it rewarding to experiment along the way and increase my knowledge so that later on I can draw upon this in my painting.

Today's Plein Air

                                                                           (C) 2021 Dale DiMauro
 

It turned out to be such a beautiful day after many days of rain. As a result, it was great to get outside and fit in some watercolor painting.

This picture was done at the Brattleboro Common, which has a service road that can look at times like a dirt path. Many people were taking advantage of the services the park provides today.

Overall, it was a pleasant painting experience. However, after the watercolor dried and I had stepped back some, I noticed the lack of variety in the spacing and size of the trees in the background. Other than that I have no complaints.

I did use a Winsor Newton watercolor block. All summer long I have been painting on Arches but I am fine with either painting surface.

The Retreat Meadows

                                                                             C) 2021 Dale DiMauro

My wife and I attended one of these Thursday evening food roundups late in the summer, down by the Retreat Meadows. We couldn't believe the number of people in attendance nor the length of the lines to each vendor.

What we did experience was this amazing sunset over the Retreat Meadows, which lit up the landscape in a most spectacular way. The glow across the distant hills and grasses in contrast to the shadows across the water was striking.

This experience became the inspiration for this watercolor, which I soon started. Also, I was struck by the dark foliage which framed the view on the top of the painting. 

With peak foliage upcoming I am sure to view this area much differently than the grungy-feel of the earlier summer milfoil season.