Coastal Maine

                                                                                       (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro
 

Coastal Maine is such a strong experience in the psych of those who have experienced it. The smell of the ocean is so intoxicating, particularly if you have been away for some period of time. The visual and emotional associations we carry with us in our daily lives.

Recently, I was sorting through volumes of pictures I have held onto for some time when I came upon this image. The composition and simple earth colors stopped me in my tracks. Thus, I set this photograph aside and did a little watercolor inspired from this earlier this afternoon.

The ribbon of blue which is the ocean just seems to run off the page. Also, part of the spit of land projecting out in to the water disappears into the distant fog.

My Plein Air Palette

                                                                                       (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro
 

Well, it is about time I introduced you to my plein air palette. Since the cold weather makes it more difficult to paint outside I miss using it.

As you can see it has four wells that fold out and nearly doubles the size of it's closed dimensions. Basically, I put the cool pigments(blues & greens) on the right side and the warm colors(reds & yellows) on the left side. I try not to put pigment on the end panels as they are flat and it requires more surfaces to clean.

When I am done painting on location I close the end panels and carry it in my hand to either my car or home and then clean it at home. By then I find the pigments have dried and I avoid making a mess if I put it in my painting bag. For me the most important area to clean is the hinges which can accumulate paint and the upper areas around the wells.

This palette has sixteen wells which hold pigment. One of the things I like most about this palette is that it has deep wells. I fill the wells with Holbein paint from the their pigment tubes.

I have learned to embrace and depend on this palette as painting outside can be a challenge. I like that I can paint standing up or sit down and even rest this palette on my thigh.

Brattleboro Common

                                                                        (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro

For most of the year, the Brattleboro Common is a lovely spot to hang out. In particular, I like the quality of the trees and the picnic tables. I have painted here many times in all kinds of weather. I seem to notice something different every time I am at the Common. 

Since summer I have been meaning to paint the statue on the war memorial. There is something about this figure and it's location that has captured my imagination. Maybe it's the updated plaque by the memorial - I don't know.

For me this watercolor captures some of the characteristics I think of when I think of the Brattleboro Common. The edge of meandering trees is special with the additional specimen trees scattered about the space. Also, the ribbon of a path is inviting.

BROWN in the Landscape

                                                                                     (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro
 

More browns are entering my watercolors which I think is a good thing. In some cases browns may dull the image but they are such a natural element in the landscape. We see browns in the coloration of beaches, the bottom of rivers and in the meandering flow of things. Particularly, with the combination of greens we see such a natural or organic quality.

Yellow ochre and burnt umber makes a lively, smooth, warm brown. Cadmium red with permanent sap green and winsor violet makes a truly mud brown pigment. These pigmentations make me think of spring or summer.

I painted this watercolor on a rough scrap of watercolor paper. I don't think I have ever painted a watercolor which seemed to come out so dark. Or is it that the photograph is so dark. Anyway, I like the ribbon of a path criss-crossing in the foreground.

Hooker's Green

                                                                             C) 2022 Dale DiMauro
 

Hooker's green is not a pigment I have used in some time. However, I read recently, how useful it is in making a greater range of greens. Since then I have put a dollup on my palette to experiment with.

As you can see in the above photograph, hooker's green adds a cool temperature to your watercolor painting. Here, I have added burnt sienna to hookers green. It has been said that hooker's green has the pigmentation of apple leaves.

Many pigments right out of the tube seem flat and unexciting. Hooker's green I definitely would concur is one of those pigments best when used in mixes with other pigments.

Stretcher Board

                                        (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro

Recently, I started a painting on a full sheet of watercolor paper. Now that I am primarily painting inside, it seemed like the time had come to paint big. It is not that I haven't painted large because I have, but there are certain issues you need to contend with at the increased scale. One is the sheet takes up most of my desk and the palette seems to get in the way.

Actually, I was eager to paint large since I got this stretcher board for my birthday, in April. I am impressed that the paper(140lb) remains as tight as a drum even when the paper is wet. I am comfortable stretching smaller sizes when needed, but it is frustrating to have watercolor paper buckle on me, particularly with the the larger sizes.

This paper stretcher is marketed as the KEBAartmate. For me it is an aid in getting me to paint larger watercolors on a more frequent basis.

A New Brown to Explore

                                                                                      (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro
 

Recently, I discovered a new lovely brown. For some time I have been searching for a rich, lively brown and finally I have arrived at one. When yellow ochre is mixed with burnt umber it creates this soft brown.

As you can see in the above photograph(of a watercolor) this brown has the color of beach sand. It certainly can be tweaked by making it cooler with an ultramarine blue or warming it up with a yellow or red, if needed.

When I learn of a new color combination I get real exited because I can begin to experiment with other colors on my palette, with a fresh approach. This begins to change how I view and thus paint the landscape.

Higgins Beach(Maine)

                                                                                       (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro
 

Painting the sky can be a real challenge. It is the first area I focus on when starting a watercolor. For me the real challenge is not so much the sky as painting clouds in the sky. With a little more practice I believe I am progressing.

Last summer while in Maine my wife and I experienced stunning sunsets on a daily basis. It was incredible to see the sunset across the ocean but when we turned around the estuary would be just as stunning. And this is the largest estuary in Maine, not far from Winslow Homer's residence in Prout's Neck.

Also, painting the sunset pushes my palette farther than I would normally pursue. That brilliant orange you see along the horizon is a combination of quinacridone gold and cadmium red.

Fall Foliage

                                                                           (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro
 

It really warmed up this afternoon. It was nearly seventy degrees in Brattleboro, VT. It definitely didn't feel like November. However, the sun and natural light was great.

This pleasant weather inspired me to get outside and squeeze in some plein air painting. I noticed a lot of oranges and russet colors today. I painted this at a picnic table at Fort Dummer Park. 

A few touches done in the studio will finish off this picture. There ended up to be too much repetition on the left side of this picture. All the trees and limbs seem to be of a similar size and the coloration is monotonous. I will add in some larger tree trunks and pockets of stronger color. 

I missed much of the peak foliage this season, as I have been recovering from COVID-19.