Scott Farm(Plein air)

                                                                                       (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro
 

Earlier this week, The Saxton's River Art Group, had a plein air session at the Scott Farm in Dummerston, VT. Little did I know it was to be the last of their season. It still was only August but they had no other locations scheduled.

I went to paint outside with the group. However, it was hot and humid, with temperatures into the nineties.

Prior to lunch, this is how far I got with my watercolor. I like the subject I selected but it needs some finishing touches. 

The roof in the lower right is of a shed that has collapsed to the ground. I thought about excluding it from the composition but then thought it may ultimately add context to the overall scene. 

My biggest criticism is of the oval shape right of the barn which is a sloped lawn. Either I need to lift some of the green away in that area or carry that color to other lawn areas on the other side of the drive. This will make the landscape read better and convey a greater sense of harmony.

I could add more color to the barn and strengthen the shadows under the eves of the barn roof. In addition, the shadows cast from the cluster of trees in the foreground might best be enlarged to give them a greater presence. The gate in the middle of the painting needs some fine line work but overall I think the painting is heading in the right direction.

Long Pond(Mount Desert Island, Maine)

                                                                                       (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro
 

It feels good to paint on Arches watercolor paper again. Lately, I have been painting in a small Holbein travel book and on other various papers. However, for me Arches is a lovely surface, at least on cold press as it takes washes so well. Also, it gives you time before the paper starts to dry.

I painted this watercolor study tonight of Long Pond which is on Mount Desert Island in Maine. The colors in the photograph are far more muted than in the watercolor. It almost had a tropical feel to me. Of course, the winter feel would be entirely different.

This image reminds me of summer. Time sure does pass.

Andrew Wyeth @ The Farnsworth Art Museum

 

In July, my wife and I, made our annual visit to the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, Maine. We usually stop on our way back to Vermont.

This year we spent two nights in Rockland and discovered what a lovely town it is. We were able to walk everywhere from where we were staying. There are some lovely old neighborhoods with charming architecture and large shade trees. Ed Hopper painted a watercolor, back in his day, of the inn we were staying in. There was a large print of his watercolor down in the hallway which added a bit to our stay.

At the Farnsworth Art Museum there is usually a gallery or two dedicated to Andrew Wyeth. Viewing his paintings in person never gets old. The scale of his paintings and the people he portrayed draw you into his pictures. In our daily lives we don't usually see watercolors that are four feet long. His drawing ability and unique perspective of capturing the landscape is extraordinary.

This is one of Andrew Wyeth's classic watercolors which was on exhibit.

DAVID CURTIS: The Landscape in Watercolour

 

When my wife and I were on vacation in Maine I bought this used book, titled David Curtis: The Landscape in Watercolour. It cost eight dollars and is one of the best books I have in my watercolor library. Curtis offers no nonsense advise on working in watercolor from his years of experience painting.

I had just left the Farnsworth Art Museum at the end of the day in Rockland, Maine. It occurred to me there might still be an art store in business on the main drag. I got in the store before it closed for the day. I didn't realized they had such an excellent collection of used art books. 

David Curtis is also accomplished in painting oils, so I purchased another book he had in the art store for under eight dollars, too. It is titled A Light Touch: Painting Landscapes in Oils. Both books are hard backs.

You never know what you will find when traveling.

Higgins Beach

                                                                                       (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro
 

Summer vacation now seems like a long time ago. The days are getting shorter and the nights are cooler. However, my wife and I have some wonderful memories of our time in Maine. We had some of the most amazing sunsets I can remember.

I painted this watercolor of the late day sun along a beach in southern Maine. The pinkish sky reflected across the ocean was so dramatic along with the lapping water and the great stretch of uninterrupted beach.

I used a limited palette for this picture and pre-stretched a piece of Arches watercolor paper.

Park by Wells Fountain(Brattleboro, VT)

                                                                   (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro
 

On Friday after paying my property tax bill in person, I noticed a shady spot, in the middle of town, where I could squeeze in some painting. So I set up my painting supplies and painted this scene. 

If it looks dry to your eye it is because the ground has been in a drought for some time. I think the colors reflect this.

I sat on a low stone wall which is connected to this patio with drystone pavers in the foreground. Putney Road slices through the picture towards the top of the painting. 

When painting outside you have to make many decisions rapidly, including deleting many elements in order to keep the composition simple and readable. This was fun to work on even if it is not by best painting.

Walker Farm

                                                                            (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro
 

Earlier this week I joined artists from the Saxton's River Art Group for a plein air outing. We painted outside at the Walker Farm, in Dummerston, Vermont. 

It was forecast to be hot and humid and it sure was. When I hopped in my car to leave around mid-day the temperature gauge read ninety-seven degrees outside.

Fortunately, I found some nice shade under a tree and was able to set up my painting gear on a stone wall with this view across the farm.

West River Trail

                                                                  (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro
 

This painting has been sitting on my desk. It was painted at the end of winter. At the time there was the promise of spring after a winter of closures due to Covid-19. However, in the spring, we didn't really have any rain to speak of.

So here we are months later - in a heat wave with a greater drought. However, we have had some flash storms the last two days.

While I return to viewing this watercolor I don't know if I am reflecting on this time or projecting the future. However, I do find the image calming with such clarity of light and the increased length of day.

Madame Sherri Forest

                                                                           (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro
 

Before heading to Maine for a vacation in July I did a bit of plein air painting. 

This was painted at the Madame Sherri Forest in Chesterfield, NH. This is a lovely 513 acre landscape consisting of a pond, woods and views of Wantastiquet Mountain. The reflections and wildlife in and around the pond were very lively.

In this painting I particularly like the brushwork in the foreground. The bold colors, loose brushwork and white of the paper add much to the experience of the landscape.