Scott Farm Plein Air

                                                                                             (C) 2024 Dale DiMauro
 

Visiting the Scott Farm in Dummerston, Vermont feels like a walk through a point in history far removed from current times. While there, life seems slower and more attuned to our surroundings. And then the view of large slabs of stone and slate covered historical buildings create a backdrop one does not usually experience on a daily basis.

This week I had the opportunity to paint outside with the Saxton's River Art Group. Unlike during this summer in southern Vermont, when it was hot, humid and often wet, this outing had lovely weather.

It can be a challenge honing in on what to paint when outside. However, this site has many lovely vantage points to choose from. In the back of my mind I am most aware that the natural light is constantly changing so I need to work quickly.

I sat on a stone wall containing this pool of water and tried to record what I saw. There were lots of cool colors and shadows moving about in contrast to the lush greens all around me.

New Sketchbook

 

Choosing a sketchbook is such a personal decision. There are so many sketchbooks on the market in all kinds of sizes, thicknesses and utilizing a huge range of papers. This sketchbooks I found in the spring at a Barnes & Noble Bookstore in Hadley, Ma.

I love this sketchbook because the paper lays flat which is essential if are going to do any kind of drawing. Also, I do not prefer smooth paper for my sketching. as I go for paper that has some tooth to it. This gives your sketch a grainy quality which I really like when drawing a figure or landscape.

I draw on both sides of my sketchbook pages for the most part, as I don't want to waste any sheets. As you can see this sketchbook cost ten dollars which I am okay with. I have spent much more for some sketchbooks because they are larger, have a hard cover and even take watercolor washes.

I find drawing to be an essential part of my life. It immediately relaxes me and focuses my attention to where it needs to be. These sketchbooks document my process and hone my ability to see life for what it is in that moment. The act of drawing allows me to loosen up by experimenting and taking chances by drawing at all scales in contrast to the mundane daily tasks which dominate aspects of our lives.

New John Singer Sargent Book

 

John Singer Sargent(1856-1925) is one of my hero's of the watercolor medium. He certainly casts a huge presence for his great portraits of aristocrats and others over a long career. I appreciate the directness of his watercolor painting approach and his use of color.

This past week I came upon a newer biography of Sargent which has consumed much of my time lately. The Grand Affair: John Singer Sargent in His World, by Paul Fisher is such a thoroughly researched book that I get a much clearer view of how his life played out than any book I had read to date.

Since reading this book I view his paintings in a different light. Recently, I visited the Clark Art Museum in western, MA which has several of his oil paintings which were painted in his early twenties.

One-Hour Painting

                                                                              (C) 2024 Dale DiMauro
 

Watercolor is my medium of choice. I love painting with watercolors because the clean-up is easy and safe. Also, it is such a diverse medium with such a range of choices from it's portability to technical approaches etc, that it endlessly fascinates me.

However, often I am pressed for time and some days it is a challenge to squeeze in any painting. On these days I grab a loose sheet of watercolor paper and paint rapidly on a small sheet what I can. It really calms me down yet focuses me at the same time.

The subject for this painting was done from memory. My wife and I visited Gardiner, Maine earlier this Summer and took a hike along the Kennebec River which flows through the center of town.

South Pond(Cloud Study)

                                                                                             (C) 2024 Dale DiMauro
 

Painting the landscape is such a rewarding experience. The subtleties of color and value have a huge impact on your overall scene. How the sky is depicted sets the tone for the landscape.

This landscape is really about the sky. The drama and variation of the clouds draw one's attention. I have been experimenting with an atomizer to achieve soft edges to distant clouds. I need more practice but feel like I am heading in the right direction.

For this watercolor I used Prussian blue for the water in areas which lent a rich dark. This pigment has a high tinting strength. Winslow Homer preferred using it in his later watercolors.

The Retreat Meadows

                                                                                 (C) 2024 Dale DiMauro
 

The Retreat Meadows in Brattleboro, VT can be a dramatic landscape. Late in the afternoon, during the Summer, strong shadows often move across the water framing Wantastiquet Mountain in the distance.

The lush green vegetation in the distance makes the water appealing and usually quite tranquil.

The sky was one of the things most interesting to me. It had a pinkish glow along the mountain with a richer blue the higher you went. The water has a bit of Antwerp in it, a preferred color of Winslow Homer.

Imaginary Landscape

   

                                                                                   (C) 2024 Dale DiMauro
 

Painting the landscape is truly a gift. Over time you begin to notice subtle changes out in the landscape or in your palette preferences which lead to profound changes in how you approach your compositions. Much of this is unconscious at the moment but upon reflection I notice an evolution.

For example, for the most part, I paint a landscape from the top down. That means the sky goes in first and I blend in colors as I see fit to hold an edge or create a dark separation. There are areas where the paper is left dry so pigment won't run all over the place. At this point this practice is intuitive so I am not actively thinking about this process which enables me to be flexible in my next steps.

By now it doesn't really matter what paper I am using. However, I love the weave of this paper. When wet with pigment this paper has a lovely quality to it. This watercolor paper is called Elseware. I found it at my local food co-op. I wrote about this paper back in July. For me it is useful as a test sheet or for painting warm-up landscapes. Also, it can come in handy when you are painting outside.

Goose Pond

                                                                                            (C) 2024 Dale DiMauro

Goose Pond in Keene, NH is a lovely pond to hike around. It has been years since I explored this area but recently revisited this pond full of memories from the past. It actually has a dedicated parking lot and kiosk while in the past you just parked on the side of the road. 

The spillway or dam has been reconstructed but overall Goose Pond is such a lovely place with much active wildlife. My wife and I saw many birds, dogs and beaver activity in the late afternoon when people were on the trails.

I did this watercolor a day after walking around Goose Pond. The water had such vivid reflections and a richness of color. Seldom do I use turquoise as a pigment(right out of the tube) but the surface of the pond had such a vibrant range of blues.