On the Beach

                                                                                      (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro
 

Each time I paint with watercolors I learn something. Sometimes it is a small realization and at other times it is significant.

This painting has very few washes on it, enabling me to retain the white of the paper and move around the page rapidly. Also, the white of the paper is varied in it's character from dry brush areas to open areas. In addition, the sky where it is absent of paint at the horizon becomes part of the graded wash of blue which becomes darker in gradation the higher in the sky you go.

Finally, when I am dissatisfied with a watercolor I often turn it over and start another picture on the back. I find this works well and reliably with Arches watercolor paper.

More Experimenting

                                                                                       (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro
 

Colors dominate our life in one form or another. Whether it is slick advertising on television or a greenhouse full of spring bulbs bursting forth. 

It can be challenging to determine if a color can stand on it's own. Also, it is a challenge to mix and arrive at a color you intend on.

In the evening I often jot down color combinations which seem intriguing or I select combinations I have zero experience with. Along the way I am able to expand my knowledge of my palette and become greater able to draw upon this information down the road.

The vibrant orange on the bottom is the result of combining quinacridone gold with permanent brown(a Daniel Smith pigment). Above, the base wash under the vegetation is the product of permanent brown and raw sienna.

These color combination give life to the paper which appeals to me. Also, they make the white of the paper come forward.

Fort Dummer State Park

                                                                                       (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro

Fort Dummer State Park is one of those understated parks that you might come upon dotted around the state of Vermont. It is located in Brattleboro, VT, not far from the local high school. It has history, recreational value and scenic qualities we take for granted. I often walk, hike or snowshoe the grounds and take in the mid-day sun, when I can.

This watercolor was inspired from a walk I took late last winter before the state was preparing to open for the summer season. It is a nice place to explore at that time of year as they don't seem to get much of a mud season. By this time bird activity ramps up quickly.

I like that this picture is between the seasons. Is it spring or still winter? The major challenge was to depict the woodland edge without fussing about too much. It easy to overwork the trees and get lost in the details. There is a warmth to the woods which I like which is not so inviting in the winter months.

Off the West River Trail

                                                                                       (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro
 

For a week or so I have been enjoying this new watercolor paper - marketed as The Masters' Choice. I particularly like the rough version. This is the second such watercolor I have done on this paper, both winter scenes. This paper has a lovely tooth to it.

The West River Trail offers many views of the river and woodland areas. Under a blanket of snow it is a totally different experience. I like the reddish growth in the distance against the white of the snow.

Sepia & the White of the Paper

 

                                                                                      (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro

This tree was painted with the combination of sepia and permanent sap green. In the past I didn't really mix sepia with other pigments. I don't know why, but it never occurred to me. Since then I have been experimenting with a whole range of pigments to combine with sepia.

The tone of this color combination was appealing when wet and even in it's dry state. With this one wash on the paper the tree seems to have a presence on the page which is not overstated.

Lately, I have begun to appreciate the white of the paper more than ever before. Sometimes less paint can communicate more. Also, one can achieve greater depth in the picture if you leave the white of the paper in certain areas.

THE MASTERS CHOICE - A New Watercolor Paper

                                                                          (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro
 

Since last fall I had been eager to try this Chinese watercolor paper - Baohong, now marketed as The Master's Choice. There has been increasing interest and demand for this paper world-wide. Many say it is a high quality surface to paint on which does not buckle, yet can take many washes and repeated scrubbing.

The only retailer in the states who seems to carry this paper is Jerry's Artarama. Earlier this week I tried a rough version of this paper which has a tooth to it. This little watercolor is the result of my first experience using this paper.

There is something appealing about an image consisting of fresh snow and a blue sky. Perhaps, it is because this winter has been one challenge after another, so far. Messy and icy accumulations with sudden melting and refreezing has been frustrating to handle. On the other hand, fresh snow that blankets the landscape and stays in that condition for a period of days is both spiritually uplifting and lovely to ski or sled in.

Winter 2022(so far)

                                                                           (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro
 

This imaginary watercolor scene reminds me of the local outing club. That is the Brattleboro Outing Club which has been maintaining cross-country ski and snowshoe trails for the public, for years. Also, they offer instruction for school groups in the area, encouraging kids and adults to embrace all that winter has to offer.

However, this winter seems more challenging than most, partly due to COVID and in part to the unpredictable winter weather we are having. Will it rain, snow, sleet, ice over and melt in the next seventy-two hours? Well, there is good chance that several of those conditions will materialize.

With this kind of winter, when I leave the house I not only include several mask options but find myself preparing for the moment and the chance that when I return home it may be totally different outside. Thus, I include a hooded parka, sunglasses, gloves, hat, ice grippy's for my feet, a small fabric to clean the fog and moisture off my glasses, etc.

This watercolor was painted primarily with three colors: ultramarine blue, burnt sienna and payne's gray. With a razor I lifted some color to suggest birch trees in the distant woodland edge.

Winter Scene

                                                                                        (C)2022 Dale DiMauro
 

Since we haven't had much of a Winter so far, which is simply bizarre to me - I painted this imaginative one. Southern Vermont seems dark and out of place without snow or frozen ponds scattered about.

It is natural to keep the white of the paper as the snow and paint in the other landscape features. If you play up your dry brush washes it can provide texture in the field in the expression of your grasses, etc.

I find in painting the distant hills it is important to keep the upper areas painted with warm colors. As you work down the hill it is necessary to establish stronger values which are cooler in nature. Then you need a wash to link the whole area together which defines the shape.

This painting was done on 140 lb cold press Arches watercolor paper, which has evolved into my preferred surface. 

Watercolor Doodle

                                                                            (D) 2022 Dale DiMauro
 

Cerulean Blue has been a pigment I have avoided for a while. I like how it granulates and makes a lovely blue sky. However, my cerulean blue, I believe, has become contaminated over time with other pigments in it's well. I really like this blue best on it's own, unmixed. 

These little landscape doodles are great because the pigment flows and there really is no holding back, painting-wise. I like the rich pigmentation and warmth of color. Quinacridone gold has become a must have pigment for my palette. I use it for mixing all kinds of greens such as the ground surface here.

Finally, before I forget, a Happy New Year to everyone! May 2022 become a much better year than 2021.