HAPPY NEW YEAR

                                                                   (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro
 

The landscape looks real different for this time of year. At least for southern Vermont which historically has had a layer of snow and or ice over the landscape. It feels like early November. Since these are the shortest days of the year that lack of snow makes the landscape seem darker. And it is.

However, on sunny days the landscape can have a lovely glow upon it. This is what drew me in to paint this scene. The grasses in the foreground seemed electric in the natural light.

Bring on the New Year. I am looking forward to 2024 as a fresh start from a difficult 2023. I am eager to have better health and paint larger watercolors in the months ahead.

Happy New Year to all!

Painting Big

                                                                                       (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro
 

It feels great to start a watercolor on a full sheet(22" x 30"). That's a lot of paper to cover with paint. However, I have been eager for this moment for sometime.

In the past I have capably painted full sheet watercolors. However, I feel like I am a different painter now. It seems like I have greater command of my palette than in the past. Also, I want to think my paintings are more fluid and saturated in color than in the past.

Finally, in the last year, every time I started a full sheet I had some obstacle in my way. In 2023 I started a watercolor just as I came down with Covid-19 and another time an abrupt trip to Maine to help move an elderly relative effected the progress of that painting. Also, in 2023 I had an eye infection which took me five months to recover from.

Hopefully, 2024 will be prosperous and productive.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

                                                                                       (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro
 

New Gamboge is the latest pigment that I have been experimenting with. New Gamboge mixed with paynes's gray makes a lovely green. However, New Gamboge mixed with burnt sienna or burnt umber can give you a rich, vibrant glowing orange which can really light up your paper.

When you add some blues for the water - it makes a striking composition of color. This makes me want to experiment more.

This Arches watercolor journal is great for just putting down color combinations and developing quick landscapes. This format is great as a way to practice your brush strokes and warming up before painting in earnest.

A View From Cadallac Mountain

                                                                             (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro
 

Hiking on Mount Desert Island(Bar Harbor, Maine)is always a satisfying experience, as long as the crowds are kept at a distance. There seem to be views in all directions and often wildlife is a focal point.

The view in this watercolor is from a lower vantage point then the popular peak. This vast ledge of rock before you makes the walk more accessible.

For me the two people in the foreground makes the composition all the better. The splash of red gives the scene greater emphasis. I like the shadows over the rocks and the foreboding tree line in the distance.

Moving Forward With Paint

                                                                             (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro
 

It always feels great to paint. Watercolor painting seems to focus my attention like nothing else. A definite meditative moment.

A few months ago I had started this watercolor but for whatever reason it was left incomplete. Recently, I developed this picture in a very different direction then from where it began. I must admit I don't like to waste paper so modifying any painting is fair game for me.

I have been using cerulean blue more than I have in years. It adds so much to a watercolor - particular the sky. From my experience some versions of cerulean are watered-down or diluted and weak. However, I love the dry brush effect one can get when using cerulean blue more than any other pigment.

Local Field

                                                                                       (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro

This field I walk by often during the summer season. There are often cows or evidence of them in the landscape. The try to shade themselves under the canopy of trees or get a drink at the watering hole at the bottom of the picture.

I have been experimenting with the pigments I use for painting foliage. For dark foliage, in the foreground, I like this combination of sepia and sap green. To me, it is a dark but has a warm and natural feel. Foliage can truly frame the landscape and when handled well it can add a lot to your painting.

It feels like I have increased my knowledge and feel for my palette significantly in the last year. These days I can paint a complete watercolor with a limited palette. Also, I have evolved to paint more saturated colors which gives my watercolors a richness and depth I could not achieve before.

White Christmas?

                                                                                      (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro
 

Thanksgiving ended up being white, will we be treated to a white Christmas? I hope so.

This post was written during a heavy spring-like rain in mid-December. I even mowed part of my lawn today. My electric lawn mower states that the battery is best stored at around thirty percent, yet it was at a nearly full charge. 

I love painting snow in my watercolors as the contours and light on the landscape really come to life in the winter. Evergreens in the winter landscape are such an iconic image. Time to bring back the winter wonderland.

Brattleboro Common(Plein air)

                                                                              (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro
 

From time to time there is a watercolor that needs a little tweaking before I would consider it a finished painting. Of course, signing a painting, usually in one of the lower corners is one of the final stages of a painting.

In this picture, the central tree, had a rather undefined large trunk which seemed out of proportion with the overall vegetation. I resorted to thinning the trunk by pushing it back with a cool blue so that it is more in the shadow. This led me to add some cool-toned branches to make the trees more convincing.

I like the warm overall tone of the light in this watercolor. In addition, I am pleased with the coloring and brush work in this picture. It must be noted that this was painted ninety-five percent outside at a picnic table where the light and elements are continually changing.

Standing Desk

                                                                                       (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro
 

Before it got cold outside and started snowing I committed myself to using up some of the wood laying around the garage. Most of the wood is left over from past projects. And most of it is pine. 

This is my most recent construction - a standing table for my laptop. The table top is made of cedar and has a nice feel to it. This project gave me the opportunity to practice using my various edge routers with two different-sized round over bits.

Like most people I sit too much when I am at the computer so this gives me the opportunity to become a little more mobile. I can move this from room to room depending on the season and demands of the work. When using this height(of desk) I am more inclined to stretch periodically and walk down my hallway for frequent breaks.

While this is not a watercolor it makes me think about my watercolor painting. In particular, I have been pondering what the next painting shall be.