BURNT SIENNA & BURNT UMBER

                                                                                       (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro
 

Last evening I was watching the PBS lineup on Saturday night with my wife which included Father Brown and Death in Paradise. Then we migrated over and watched the current episode of Saturday Night Live.

As the evening progressed I kept thinking what would happen if I mixed the pigments burnt sienna and burnt umber. I certainly have combined the two in the past but I was curious what I could do with the mixture. 

So just before bed and after brushing my teeth I put this wash down. I made this landscape as I was mixing more of the pairing. It totally absorbed all my consciousness and I figured I would put it down and revisit the image in the morning.

I have not had time to add anything to this painting but it clearly is a local snow scene with the natural woodland in the background. Sometimes less is more, particularly when it comes to direct painting.

WATERCOLOR SKETCHES

                                                                                       (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro
 

This January I have been frequently visiting the local library. Primarily, to read Samuel Adams: The Revolutionary, by Stacy Schiff, one of my recent Christmas gifts. Books on the founding fathers I find hard to read as the time period is quite removed from our current times, so I need to eliminate distractions as much as possible.

While I was in the library I came upon an old book on the painter JMW Turner which stated he painted over 20,000 watercolors, many in journals. That figure doesn't escape my consciousness. That's a huge number which is hard to comprehend. I don't know where he stored all those paintings.

In that same vein, a few years ago I recall reading that someone discovered over five hundred watercolors attributed to John Singer Sargent's sister Emily, found in an old trunk.

These two watercolor studies I did as I often do by grabbing a sheet of paper when I am either pressed for time or inspired by something I see in the moment. There is a direct quality to painting a watercolor study with no hesitation that is quite refreshing. Much of the paper maybe left white while the brush moves across the paper at a rapid pace.

I hope that these watercolor studies are done in the same spirit as a Turner or Emily Sargent from an earlier period.

PAINTINGS & BOXES ETC.

                                                                                      C) 2023 Dale DiMauro
 

This winter I have been building small objects out of wood. In general, I love working with wood. However, with the mild temperatures and minimal snow I found I could comfortably work in my garage.

While I paint often outside during the warmer months I use reference photographs when I paint in the studio during the winter. Often I end up with 4" x 6" photos spread out on my table which can be a nuisance when doing other work in my studio. So I had been meaning a to build a little photograph holder for these pictures which was easier to access. 

I came up with this little box. The ends have cutouts so I can easily lift out the photos when I need to. Also, I built a longer, narrow box which holds pencils. It always feels good to work with my hands...

PLEIN AIR SUPPLIES

                                                                             (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro
 

With this mild winter and lack of snow I keep thinking about ways I can squeeze in some plein air painting. This has led my thinking to assembling and combining compact paint supplies. 

It can be rewarding to paint in a cafe or public library, particularly, if they have seating in front of large windows. In painting out in the public, in these locations, you observe and notice things you normally wouldn't.

In this photograph, except for paper towels, I pretty much have all that I need to paint a watercolor. One can see the travel brushes I have, which, when not in use, slide within each other requiring much less space. These are Tintoretto brushes which I like and use quite often

Watercolor Sudies

                                                                            (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro
 

Boy, I love painting with watercolors - everyday I see progress in some form or another. Sometimes it is simply experimenting with color, other times it is trying out different brush techniques.

These are imaginary landscapes but with the kind of Winter we are having they look like late fall local landscapes. 

The subtle little nuances with the brush and pigmentation(through drawing techniques) can really strengthen your painting. To some people there may not be much color in this watercolor, but I beg to differ. However, a small drop of red, for example, can really bring out the neutral color or make that color pop.

Watercolor Studies

                                                                                        (C)2023 Dale DiMauro
 

There hasn't been much snow to photograph or paint this "winter." Vermont doesn't feel like Vermont. There is still much beauty, though. This small painting was done from memory and imagination.

Through practice I continue to learn the value of leaving the white of the paper unpainted as it contributes so much to a painting. It can for example, suggest light reflecting off the surface of the water or lead your eye into the painting.

Recently, I have begun experimenting with the combination of tuscan red and phtalo blue which produces a warm gray or a dark. Often I paint over this combination, for example, when painting water and the reddish pigmentation bleeds through, which creates a lovely coloration

Light on the Landsape

                                                           (C)2023 Photograph Dale DiMauro
 

On my late afternoon walk I became impressed with the quality of the light that shone across the landscape. Lately, at least here in southern Vermont, we have had minimal sun and a damp ground with mild temperatures.

We got some snow during the day Friday, which helped to firm up the ground particularly during the evening hours. During today's walk the fresh snow brightened up my perspective and the late day glow was something I have been missing with the absence of any real snow accumulation.

Certain earth colors like the ochres, reds and browns, not to mention the blues were delightful to see. In this era of climate change you really don't know what the winter will be like and how to plan for it. So I try to get outside and appreciate whatever the natural world gives us when out in the elements.

This photograph is very busy due to all the brush. Deciding what to keep and what to remove is crucial in planning a composition. I like the small wooden sign post as well as the disappearing path. The shock of blue-white snow is also appealing and emphasizes the coolness of the shade while echoing the blue sky above. The streaks of light and dark in the foreground clarify the direction of the sun as it lowers early on this winter afternoon.  

RETREAT MEADOWS II

                                         (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro

 

My, how the weather has changed within the last week. The week between Christmas and New Years we had Winter-like weather here in Vermont. As I mentioned in the last post, the Retreat Meadows was a glorious place to skate and play hockey. 

Now it has a pool of water on it and the Brattleboro Fire Department is prohibiting anyone from going on the surface.

In the meantime, I added some touches of watercolor to the painting from my last post. The tall reeds are such a strong part of the composition and experience. I gave them a little more attention and painted a wash over the ice to give that more weight and depth.

RETREAT MEADOWS(Brattleboro, VT)

                                                                                       (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro
 

Skating on the Retreat Meadows, in Brattleboro, VT, right after Christmas, was such a delight. At mid-day, in the sun, the Retreat Meadows became such a community center. All kinds of people came out to skate, play hockey, ice fish and walk across the ice, some even in sleighs. Also, at least for me, experiencing the landscape with such a different perspective was magical.

This outdoor winter experience inspired me to paint this watercolor. I had never painted ice before in watercolor. Is ice in watercolor transparent or opaque or both? What color would you actually paint the ice? These are questions that came to mind.

Wherever I went the ice was the foreground(not the greens of the ground) of the landscape with many ochres and umbers in the distance. Ultimately, the sky and foreground have blue in them but not the blues of bodies of water.