Abstract Landsape

                                                                                       (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro
 

Watercolor is such a diverse medium. You can paint in a very direct way with a few washes or apply many precise layers with great control. You can take the medium outside and paint in the elements most of the year or work in the comfort of your studio. In addition, one can paint very small or on a sizable scale such as the work of the Hudson River Painters(even though they primarily painted in oil).

An artist can paint on very smooth paper or on medium or rough paper and achieve a very textured appearance. There are even illustration or watercolor boards which don't warp and are highly portable.

This watercolor sketch was done on cold press Arches paper. I have learned from experience that how you drag the brush across the surface can yield an infinite ranges of watercolor techniques. 

It can be beneficial to let the pigment run into other wet areas while at the same time preserving dry slivers of paper to suggest breaks in the water or waves crashing into the shore. After the paper dries you can go back in and paint tree trunks and define the shoreline or rock outcroppings.

I hope you feel as free as I do and experiment with various painting techniques which expand your opportunities for creativity.

Winter Landscape

                                                                                       (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro
 

It is always rewarding to start painting with warm-up exercises before digging into a larger painting. This way you can can consider your paint mixtures in advance and move around the painting with greater fluidity.

The greenish vegetation in the distance was created by mixing raw sienna and payne's gray, a combination I normally don't use. Simply leaving the white of the paper in the foreground as is and adding shadows makes the ground appear to have snow on it.

There is a warmth to the colors in this watercolor which I find inviting. Also, a simplified palette makes the image easier on the eyes.

The West River Trail

                                                                           (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro

It always feels good to paint on Arches watercolor paper. The pigment moves around well and the bead of the paper is familiar. Also, I find the back of the sheet is just as good to paint on as the front. If something goes awry there is no worry, nor waste.

Earlier in the winter when we had no snow or very little on the ground, the West River Trail was a great place to paint or exercise along. Also, the warmth of the sun was so inviting.

It can be a challenge to paint linear or paved surfaces as they can divide the composition in half but I like the feel of this path.  For me, part of the appeal, is that the trail is off-center with an irregular edge.

 

Living Memorial Park

                                                                         (C)2022 Dale DiMauro
 

It feels good to paint a summer scene in contrast to the winter we have been having. After all, Vermont really is the Green Mountain State. Look at all the greens used in this watercolor.

The only dilemma with this picture I have is whether to tweak the line of the mountain seen through the distant tree. I figured I do not need to eliminate the whole line but sections of it to reduce the severity. On the other hand I could make some of the tree foliage darker to give it more strength than the distant hill. However, for now I left it as it is.

This was painted on that Chinese paper(Baohong) which I have grown to like. Of course, China has a rich watercolor tradition of their own. Lastly, this paper has an interesting tooth to the surface which gives the image a vibrant quality.

By the Reservoir

               (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro

 

It has been an unusual winter here in southern Vermont with ice storms outnumbering snow storms. Is this going to be a pattern as we head into the future? Will we be using more specialized boots and less of our skis?

We have had some arctic cold this winter, too! This watercolor has a lot of temperature in it. The warmth of the sun may be a delight but the cold in the shadows is another thing.

I like the diversity of growth and how the eye is drawn into the picture. 

This was painted on a watercolor block, marketed as The Masters' Choice. I really like the rough surface which gives the overall image a feeling of texture.

Field of Dreams

                                                                           (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro
 

There are days when I drive or walk around town often wondering what color I am seeing. Then I imagine what pigments I would mix to express what I am experiencing. 

I am proud of this painting. This picture is of a summer day in Vermont with high humidity dominating the landscape. The moisture is so strong in the air that the sky has become covered in gray.

So one may ask how do you express this atmospheric quality? I added alizarin crimson to cobalt blue in watered-down proportions to convey the color of the sky. Then I toned down the distant hill with a wash of clear water which soften edges and unifies the wet areas at the same time.

In contrast, the vivid yellow-green of the field radiates color which nearly glows off the paper. Even the shadows have a weight from the humidity which creates these inarticulate, fuzzy edges to them. 

The Master's Choice: Artist Watercolor Block

                                                                     (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro
 

Shortly after the new year I purchased two new watercolor blocks of a paper that was new to me. Since then I have been experimenting and gaining experience using 'The Master's Choice', with origins to China called BAOHONG.

I have been painting on their rough surface which has a pleasing tooth to the paper. It appears to be a durable surface which can take many layers of washes and some say will not buckle when wet.

At this point it seems to only be available in this country from Jerry's Artarama. This paper also comes in cold pressed and hot pressed surfaces. 

It takes a little practice to become acquainted with the qualities of this paper. However, for those artists out there who like to try something new, this may be just what you are looking for. 

Charles Reid

                                                                                   2022 Dale DiMauro
 

Charles Reid(1937-2019) was one of the most talented watercolor painters I have come upon. He was an artist, teacher and author of many books which I have mentioned in a previous post. This winter during some of the coldest days I have been reading up on Reid's approach to painting as I have accumulated several of his books found at local, used book stores.

Reid is well known for his figure painting done during workshops or in front of art groups with a model. Equally impressive to me are his landscapes and still life paintings which have a lot of color, yet are not overworked, which in itself is impressive.

One evening in my sketchbook I copied one of his compositions to study his technique and this is what I came up with. This watercolor sketch was done in less than ten minutes but was very rewarding. I like how all the shapes are pretty much linked together.