You Can Paint On Pretty Much Anything

                                                                                       (C) 2021 Dale DiMauro
 

This little watercolor was painted in a spiral-bound book by the Bee Paper Company. It absorbs watercolor paints, yet is only 93 lb paper. It is great if you simply want to put something down on paper quickly. Also, it is a handy surface to test pigment mixtures.

Every type of paper manufactured handles pigments differently. Thus, it is great practice to be able and willing to use different papers and find which surface suits you and how you handle the paper.

I find painting everyday, even if just for half an hour real beneficial. Continuity and progress are real important.

                                                                                       (C) 2021 Dale DiMauro
 

Winter definitely feels like it is moving in, here in Vermont. It is colder at night and the strength of the sun during the day seems weak. 

However, we have had many sunny days lately. I try to get in the sun whenever possible even if it means eating lunch in the car or getting a walk in at erratic times of the day.

I have discovered this brownish mix by combining burnt umber and phthalocyanine blue which I have begun to experiment more with lately. It offers a nice earthly base which you can warm up or cool down depending on how you want to tweak the colors.

At this time of year the landscape can develop an eerie quality with all the leaves gone and a dismal lack of color. It is as if the landscape is waiting for the snow to arrive.

Moody Landscape

                                                                          (C) 2021 Dale DiMauro
 

The colors in this watercolor, for me, express this time of year here in Vermont. The sun has become weak with long shadows and you have to take advantage of it's warmth when it's out. All of a sudden I look out my window at 11AM with the sun out and there is a bunch of people squeezing in a walk or attending to their pets.

I usually don't paint gray skies but I tried a mixture of burnt sienna and cobalt blue. This sky color really sets the tone for the painting.

Often a sheet of watercolor paper curls or buckles on me once there is an accumulation of paint on it. However, this doesn't faze me so much as it might have in the past. I just turn it over and soak it under water from my sink. Next I lay it down on a flat surface and put an empty jar or two on it and then it will dry flat.

Blues & Greens: The Colors of Summer

                                                                                       (C) 2021 Dale DiMauro
 

Years ago I purchased one of Cheap Joe's sample packs. They offer a variety of watercolor papers cut down to a smaller size so budding artists can experiment and find out which paper they may prefer in the future.

This watercolor I did on 300lb Fabriano Artistico watercolor paper which has been kicking around in my flat file for some time. This sheet has additional watercolors I did from many years ago on the top.

I have not worked on the thicker watercolor paper for some time and appreciated the slower dry times. In addition, to my eye, the colors remain vivid, just as when I was painting on the surface.

ULTRAMARINE BLUE

                                                                                       (C) 2021 Dale DiMauro
 

Sometimes it is best to just play with your pigments and see where it takes you. This was a test sheet for sampling color mixtures which became an imaginary landscape. There is a bit of drawing which helped in the composition. Even some memories of the landscape oozed out, too.

However, I have been trying to resist the urge to cover the whole sheet with pigment. I am beginning to see the strength of the white of the paper more and more. Also, I think the mind and eye fill in the composition with color in some spots.

The blue I used here is ultramarine blue. I use this more than any other pigment and it blends well with other pigments. One of the keys is to vary the concentration of the color which strengthens the perspective and can appeal to the eye.

October in Maine

                                                                           (C) 2021 Dale DiMauro
 

This watercolor is a sort of personal postcard of my trip to Bar Harbor, Maine in late October. The natural colors of the island had a natural richness one does not experience during the summer season. Also, the burden of overpopulation had dispersed by the late fall.

With family members I went on a hike on Great Head(in Acadia National Park)with lovely views of Sand Beach and the Atlantic Ocean. It always is rewarding to smell the ocean air.

The rocks have a peculiar greenish tone which I had not seen before. I did not portray this color here but they are distinctly artificial in tone. It remains a mystery to me. I am baffled at what colors to even mix to achieve that color.

Living Memorial Park

                                                                            (C) 2021 Dale DiMauro
 

Today's painting is of Living Memorial Park, which I painted this evening. It felt great to get back to painting after spending much time preparing my house and property for this coming winter. 

My timing was great as winter feels like it has begun to move in. Most of the raking, organizing the garage and cleaning the gutters of leaves has been done.

During COVID-19 I have visited Living Memorial Park many, many times. Over the course of these visits I have come to appreciate the changing light across the fields and hills of the park. The other thing I look forward to are the views across the park and into the distant hills.

Large Brush Practice

                                         (C) 2021 Dale DiMauro

 

Recently, I have started doing large brush exercises before digging into the painting I am working on. I can see how the pools of pigment bleed into each other on the paper. Naturally, this involves preparing greater quantities of pigment.

However, this is a very satisfying activity. I can always go back and do more if I want but it makes me more sure in my strokes, with less fussing about. Also, I use an inexpensive watercolor pad, so there is no loss if a picture doesn't work out.

I will see where this takes me but I appreciate the increased scale and boldness of my approach. There are so many ways one can work on developing their watercolor skills and this is just my current approach.