Fort Dummer State Park(VT)

                                                                                       (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro
 

Fort Dummer State Park is a lovely recreational area in Brattleboro, VT. This is a watercolor of an area within the park that I painted at the end of winter last year.

After the park closes for the season I visit most often. This is when the area becomes quiet and there are no park fees for local residents.

However, this year I hiked the area before the snow melted and was shocked to see hundreds of trees blown down by one of our late season heavy storms. Some of the hiking trails were obscured with debris from pine trees piled all over the place. Many of the limbs ripped from the pine trees were enormous.

Soon the park will open for the season on Memorial Day. I hope and imagine much of debris from the winter storms will have been attended too. Regardless, it was quite a site to see the park littered with trees down in the open spaces as well as deep into the woods.

Following the Bead

                                                                              C) 2023 Dale DiMauro

Watercolor is such a diverse medium. You can apply paint or mark the paper in such diverse and numerous ways. You can paint in watercolors outside, in the studio or in your car.

The paint can be applied wet on wet, wet on dry or with a dry brush. You can paint on smooth, textured or rough paper.

Recently, I have taken to following the bead of wet paint down the paper as I go along. In essence, the painting is or can be done in one wash. However, you can go back and add a wash here or there after the paper has dried.

LOCAL FIELD

                                                                             (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro

Since I have upgraded my computer I have scrolled though photographs of watercolors painted many years ago. I have to say I am impressed. On some paintings another wash here or there may clarify the values or convey better depth but in total there is a lot to take in.

This is a watercolor painted in the fall many seasons ago inspired from a local field I walk through often, even recently. I love the warm colors and distant hills.

Increasingly I nudge myself to paint larger, with bigger brushes and a larger palette.

The Brattleboro Common

                                                                          (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro
 

Painting the Brattleboro Common en plein air has developed into a ritual for me. Sometimes it is hard to know when it is warm enough to paint outside, at least, at the beginning of the summer season. I use the Brattleboro Common as my test run as it is a reliable painting spot with picnic tables and the snow often melts first here.

I like the abstract quality of this watercolor. There is a minimalistic quality to this image but I like the simplicity and flow to the colors.

Apologies to all for not able to post yesterday. I upgraded my computer two weeks ago and had all kind of glitches navigating the blog and my email.

Sketchbook Paintings

                                                                                       (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro
 

When all else fails it is best to draw or paint in the sketchbook. Whether it is testing out color studies or improving on capturing the human form it is always good to go back to the old friend - the sketchbook. 

It has a record of what you have done and an indication of what you can do in the future. There is much more life in a sketchbook than in a final painting. It has a soul and fluency in technique, colors and approach than your ever find on the wall of a gallery. 

I always try to carry a sketchbook everywhere I go but other demands and obligations interfere. One's skills can really develop if they persist and are allowed to develop.

PLEIN AIR SEASON

                                                                                       (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro
 

With the temperature reaching the seventies, locally, it feels like summer is not far off. Today, I dug out my summer clothes and tick apparel. 

I even painted my first plein air of the season. However, this plein air painting is from last summer. 

Recently, I bought a new mac computer and am getting up to speed. I am yet to master the new photograph application. But, boy the colors of summer are so enticing.

Missing Painting

                                                                            (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro
 

The Saxton's River Art Group is exhibiting for the month of May, in the Crowell Gallery, at the Moore Free Library, in Newfane, Vermont. 

In the past I have exhibited with this group and as a solo exhibit in this same space. I wanted to exhibit this particular painting above which I cannot find. It is framed and ready to go.

I have searched in every closet space and storage area and have come up empty handed each time. 

Hopefully, it turns up soon. It is beginning to feel like the missing Vermeer painting. A lot of frustration with zero results.

GATORBOARD

                                                                                       (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro
 

Years ago I purchased this Gatorboard from Cheap Joes, a mail order company well known for selling art supplies. It had been used a bit in the past and had acquired pigment stains and some dirt accumulated on the edges.

Well, today I cleaned it up and taped a watercolor sheet down and started a watercolor. The board looks likes it is brand new again.

I will say it is tricky to prevent the paper from buckling. I am always experimenting with different methods of keeping the paper taunt. I prefer it stretched tight like a drum.

Cropping Your Watercolor

                                                                                 (C)2023 Dale DiMauro
 

When I need to step back from my watercolor painting to gain a greater perspective I often grab one of these pre-cut mats to see how the picture is coming along. They help to crop the edges and determine which areas need further refinement.

Sometimes it reveals two pictures in one.  The area below the mat is of the cloud pattern reflected in the water - a painting in of itself.

I have many of these mats in different sizes in my studio. These mats seem to guide me in determining where I should sign my painting, too.