Fabriano Sketch Paper

                                      (C) 2025 Photograph Dale DiMauro

Every artist has there own preferences but I like this sketchbook paper. I happened upon it by accident as my local sources for paper do not stock this paper. This sketchbook was purchased in Maine while traveling.

This paper is Fabriano 1264 which is made in Italy. Fabriano started making paper in 1264 and thus is the oldest European paper mill.

I prefer sketchbook paper that doesn't tear so easily yet will hold up particularly when using the larger sizes. Recently, I began using the 18" x 24" books to encourage me to draw the human figure and landscapes at a larger scale.

                                                                                 (C) 2025 Dale DiMauro

After several interruptions it is always great to get back to watercolor painting. Simply dragging paint across the paper releases emotions and begins to establish new associations within the color spectrum.

For some time I have been trying to transition to a larger format - that is a full sheet. I have painted many full sheets but to be able to paint at that scale as readily as at a much smaller sheet will be a turning point for me.

However, to paint at that larger scale requires more pools of paint, drawing at a more accurate scale and a portability which is quite different from working on a small watercolor block. Regardless, I think I am transitioning to that scale as time goes on.

Recently, I saw some Andrew Wyeth full sheet watercolors in person and could gain a sense of what direction I might carry a painting at this larger scale. One thing is you don't have to fill the whole paper with paint. Another salient point is that over time and practice the compositions one develops are transferable regardless of scale which enables an artist to become more intuitive.

In conclusion, I am not trying to bore the viewer but put down some thoughts at this moment to carry the painting process forward......

Last Night's Plein Air

                                                                                    (C) 2025 Dale DiMauro

Last night my wife & I caught a production of Shakespeare's As You Like It, in a local park. It was a lovely evening to paint outside with great light, rich colors and an impressive audience.

I tried a different approach to this watercolor. Pigment was lifted as I was painting the sky in with a brush. Then I put down a wash of green as a backdrop for the trees. Then I painted the trees and trunks over that wash. This made the trees simpler to paint yet provided more depth.

Capturing the undulating ground with a shadow was a nice feature in this watercolor. Overall I like how this picture turned out particularly as most of this painting was created while sitting on the ground.

In conclusion, there were people watching me paint the whole duration of making this picture. However, I expect that in public places. When painting outside the public usually feels entitled to see what you are doing and offer comments and reactions or even try to push you out of the way.

 

Great Setting Light

                                                                                  (C) 2025 Dale DiMauro
 

Last night I caught a small concert on the Brattleboro(VT) Common. It included a trio of seasoned musicians playing a whole range of the American songbook. One of the musicians was Kevin Parry who has hosted numerous open mic's in the region. 

While attending this concert I noticed the amazing setting light in the background which lit up the landscape in ways I have never experienced before.

The warm glow lit up the tree trunks with a lavender hue while the foreground in the light had a pastel-quality to it. Even the distant hills had a misty blue, yet surreal characteristic to them. The above photograph does not pay justice to the experience which ultimately, in my eyes, overshadowed the concert.

July 4th Inspiration

                                                                                 (C) 2025 Dale DiMauro

Oh - the fourth of July - what a holiday of traditions. Independence day and all that. For some the beginning of summer. Parades, marches, picnics and fireworks. In this time we are living in - we take our freedoms for granted!

I love this little watercolor painted fast with zero hesitation and no fussing about. After all it was the fourth of July and you could hear fireworks in the distance and see them up close temporarily decorating the sky.

For me watercolor is the only medium where you can capture the smoke and other atmospheric qualities of the lit torch at the end of this guy's hand.

This was painted from memory but still lives on with great clarity in my mind.

Imaginary Landscape

                                                                                (C) 2025 Dale DiMauro
 

On Thursday, July 4 I was irritated with the national news and painted this scene in a decidedly fast manner. I wanted to express some of that aggression in a powerful, yet expressive way.

When painting this watercolor I tried a few different techniques. I painted a very wet sky and dropped in pigment right up until the paper dried. The spray bottle was utilized right into the end.

Ultramarine blue is a transparent color which means I can lift the pigment pretty readily. So I lifted this blue from the body of water and got these whitish streaks which gives the surface a reflective-quality.

Last, I painted the dark evergreens in the immediate foreground to thrust the viewer right into the picture. Sort of implying that the future is now.

It always feels good to mix up your painting approach and try something new. I learn the most when I challenge myself. Most days I learn something about watercolor that I didn't know before. On other days I learn a whole lot about the medium or at least challenge my perception of things going on around me.

Living Memorial Park

                                                                                              (C) 2025 Dale DiMauro

Last week my wife and I went to Shakespeare in the Park, at Living Memorial Park in Brattleboro, VT. It felt great to do a summer activity after months of work. It has been a stressful spring like no other, including being selected for jury duty at my busiest time of the year.

This was painted while watching A Midsummer Night's Dream being performed before us. I kept looking at the distant hills as the night wore on and thought I ought to try to capture that scene over there.

It may look like something you may find along the coast or at a mountain top but nevertheless, I like the finished product. The sky was painted very freely and has an expressive- quality to it. I used an atomizer to encourage the colors to run into each other. As the sky dried I added more pigment and lifted out streaks in the sky which may not be visible in this photograph.

The middle and foreground was painted very wet, too. Perhaps, too much as the gray colors bled into each other. I think the darker patches are great as they add a bold stroke to the picture and give a sense of the contours to the distant hill. I lost the distant trees as they dissolved upon drying into the massive rock.

Local Park

                                                                                 (C) 2025 Dale DiMauro

If I have learned anything about spring it is that greens and browns are the colors of the season. The green is the re-emergence of all the growth around us and above our heads while brown is the earth and river bottoms all churned up.

Getting outside is a wonderful thing. This was painted not long ago - as in the early evening - tonight. After dinner I walked to a local park and painted this watercolor, taking advantage of the longest days of the year. There is an old concrete wall and staircase which faces the woods where I set-up my studio for the moment.

It's funny how lively the paper is when it is wet with pigment and water and then as it dries it becomes much flatter in appearance. I painted this picture with just two brushes thus, it made for a quick clean-up.

I feel like the colors are pretty true to what I was seeing - even though the light is always changing all around me. However, the mosquitos gathered around me the whole time I was painting.

Shelter from the Sun

                                                                                    (C) 2025 Dale DiMauro
 

It will be great once this heat wave passes. I can not recall a time in Brattleboro, VT where we had three straight days of one hundred degree days or close to it. Yesterday, the exterior temperature at my house reached 101 degrees. And that sensor is in the back of the house where it is in the shade!

This watercolor conveys the importance of trees in our lives. They provide shade, dappled light and habitat for birds, to name a few. However, in my neighborhood they always seem to be cutting down trees. Ironically, they don't seem to replace the trees or if they do it is with a weak replacement or something that is not allowed to grow to it's full height. This all seems silly and irresponsible to me.

As far as painting trees I find them fun and rewarding. They don't have to be the perfectly symmetrical trees either. Misshapen trees have a lot of character and add much value to your painting. For summer foliage I keep experimenting with the pigment combination of winsor green and burnt sienna.

Madame Sherri Forest

                                                                                               (C) 2025 Dale DiMauro
 

The Madame Sherri Forest in West Chesterfield, NH is a lovely 513 acres of undeveloped land to submerge you into the sights and sounds of one of our great local ecosystems. I prefer the wetland and pond in the lowland, yet at a higher elevation is the lovely Indian Pond.

It seemed like I had a great start in painting this watercolor, on site, until I started to run out of time. By the time I began to paint the water in the foreground, I knew I had to head out to my scheduled medical appointment in the late afternoon, putting a stop to my painting practice.

I was particularly excited about painting the beaver lodge in the foreground with it's distinctive architecture. In addition, I like the blending of pigments for the base of the tall reeds towards the back.

This landscape scene always has dramatic light, which seems to magnify the features of the landscape. In particular, the shadows of the tree masses and the ripples across the water capture my imagination every time I am at the water's edge.

Pond adjacent to Chestnut Reservoir

                                                                                      (C) 2025 Dale DiMauro
 

The Green Mountain State has been very green this spring. I mean deep greens as well as many shades of green. Someone told me today Vermont has had only two weekends with no rain since the first of January. That statement is hard to accept but it might well be the case. I have observed a lot of gray days.

Regardless, of rain or not I have been painting outside a lot. I have been been painting outside what is before me in a fast and direct way. Plus, I have been painting on different surfaces and at different sizes.  This watercolor is an unusual size: a square format(12" x 12"), not the usual horizontal(landscape) format. With this size you have to think twice about how you want to develop your composition. In this case, I simply started painting on this sheet with no hesitation as I had time constrains.

This watercolor was painted walking distance from my house. There is a small pond next to the Chestnut Reservoir which often hosts a great heron amongst the wetland growth. The perspective is unique as I was looking down towards the center of the pond which has a bowl-like quality to it. Yes-it has deep, still, dark reflections which makes the experience have a meditative-like quality to it.

Regardless, of the quality of this watercolor I am excited about some new techniques I have been experimenting with. One is lifting out pigment with both a brush and paper towel. Other techniques included dry brush work and negative painting along the shore where the grasses overlap the water. I have even been blending pigments at the base of the grasses to suggest a more rooted plant then a simple wash can convey.

Ft. Dummer State Park(Brattleboro, VT)

 

                                                                                    (C) 2025 Dale DiMauro

This weekend the state of Vermont offered free access to their state parks. So I took advantage of this offer with a trip to the closest state park to me - in Brattleboro, Ft. Dummer. 

It is a bit of a sleepy park but nevertheless a lovely one. Ft. Dummer doesn't offer any jaw dropping views or attractive beaches but it has some nice jogging or hiking trails in addition to it's camping options. It has a still pond in a stone quarry and a lovely field as it's assets.

This watercolor was painted in the late afternoon in the field from a picnic table. Other than the mosquitoes it was a lovely situation to be operating from.

As my mother has commented I have been painting a lot of greens lately. Tis the season as everything seems to be lush green - which beats the parched yellows and browns of a drought.

I have been experimenting with this Kilimanjaro watercolor block I have been painting on lately. This paper is bright white and good for lifting pigment especially when the paper is still wet. In fact, you can notice some lifting of pigment on the right side where the green foliage is with a palette knife. 

Whenever I lift paint I think of John Singer Sargent and Winslow Homer who were prolific at this technique. My understanding is that they lifted significant amount of paint when necessary in some of their watercolors. They scraped away paint when depicting tree trunks, white caps on the water or to suggest a stucco wall, etc.

Goose Pond

                                                                                           (C) 2025 Dale DiMauro
 

Goose Pond in Keene, NH is a lovely place to take a hike and a dip at the same location. The trail around the pond has countless vistas of beautiful natural scenes and wildlife if your timing is right.

This watercolor is of a view from near the spillway where the transparency of the water is best, highlighting the stony underwater. The cool deep shade of the shoreline is evident with the uninterrupted foliage and strong shadows on the water.

This was painted fast in under an hour with a limited palette and a lot of distractions. For some reason it reminds me of some of John Singer Sargent's watercolors he painted out in the field. He was so direct with his approach to watercolors that I still find it mind-boggling.

Landscape Painting

                                                                                                 (C) 2025 Dale DiMauro
 

Often when time is limited I simply start painting on any single sheet of watercolor paper or scrap I can find. At times this may be on a rough, cold press, hot press or soft press surface. Sometimes I even paint on illustration board.

This landscape was painted on an Arches cold press sheet of 140 lb watercolor paper. It has some texture to it but it is not particularly rough if you draw your hand across it. Recently, I have embraced rougher surfaces as I seem to be able to express a more drybrush affect with the brush and appreciate the advantage of leaving the white of the paper when I can.

The last month or so I have been observing, recording and experiencing as many in our area, here in southern Vermont, much rain and the mist and moisture in the air. I ran out and into the heaviest precipitation with my camera in and amongst the lush green growth and wetland environment.

This landscape painting is derived from memory as rain occupied the West River Valley last weekend with it's all encompassing mist dominating the valley at the foot of the Mt. Wantasiquet basin in the distance.

I wanted to match the dark-grays of the evergreens I saw outside. I was reasonably satisfied with the combination of phthalocyaine blue and burnt umber. In some areas of the dense foliage I even flicked paint with my fingernails.

Cloud Study

                                                                                      (C) 2025 Dale DiMauro
 

Observing the sky is an endless fascination for me as I go on walks. The sky we live under is always in a state of transformation. Sometimes there are no clouds in the sky while at other times they race across the sky.

This watercolor started as a landscape painting along the West River Trail in Brattleboro, VT. However, I keep experimenting by painting clouds in different formations and with new techniques. 

This cloud study depicts high drama in the sky yet makes the landscape rather boring in contrast.The landscape was painted after the sky to tether the ground to some source of reality. At this point the landscape is imaginary.

Memorial Day Plein Air

                                                                                  (C) 2025 Dale DiMauro

Painting outside after painting inside for most of the winter is a challenge. It is not so much the change in scale but the quick decisions one has to begin to master.

This watercolor was painted last week, on the edge of a cornfield in Northfield, MA. It was a wild and turbulent painting session as flocks of birds flew towards and over me. Also, large swarms of mosquitoes hovered around me as I put down washes of pigment.

However, I do see some progress in this painting. My 'cloud' painting is improving but the values of the pinks are still a bit weak which makes it hard to read aspects of the sky. I like the energy and color in the landscape depicted here. Also, I like that I did not get bogged down in details.

The other area I have improved upon is matching the color mixes to the colors I see in nature which is not easy as the light is always changing. Also, I have become much more adaptive with the specific palette I am using on a given day. Some of my palettes are quite small as compared to my indoor one which is much larger.

With spring definitely here, much promise and hope reveal themselves regardless of the political climate.

Rainy Period

                                                                                           (C) 2025 Dale DiMauro

We have been experiencing a rainy period that seems unlike any other. It has been dark and wet nearly all of May. I don't even know if our solar panels are producing any energy this month. Today, would be the exception.

On the other hand, it has become incredibly green and lush, like a tropical rain forest. I paint watercolors outside when I can. To match the colors I see out in nature requires a saturation of colors I have never before had to achieve.

This is a local field between periods of rain. There is a coolness in the colors and temperature which is quite distinct. The longest days of the year are about one month away.

Watercolor sketch

                                                                                   (C) 2025 Dale DiMauro
 

Recently, I bought a used book, Starting with Watercolour, by Rowland Hilder (1905-1993) at the Toadstool Bookstore in Keene, NH. Hilder was an English landscape artist and book illustrator, known as the Turner of his generation. As in J.M.W. Turner, considered by many, to be the best-loved English, romantic artist.

While reading this book and coming upon his discussion on his palette, he mentions one particular pigment combination: burnt sienna and phthalo green.  He mentions how this combination provides a deep, rich green the color of summer foliage.

So I gave it a go as the British might say and started introducing it into my watercolor practice. I find it is quite lovely, particularly when used against a backdrop of warm colors such as yellow or orange. 

When I look at the photograph of the above watercolor, I feel the temperature of a summer day, which I find to be quite powerful.

 

Brattleboro Common

                                                                                           (C) 2025 Dale DiMauro
 

It was wet and rainy this afternoon, but I still got outside and painted in the elements. After lunch I painted three watercolors, all on different papers, and this was the largest (9" x 12") one. 

This was painted on a Kilimanjaro 140lb CP watercolor block. I have limited experience with this paper but learned I could lift pigment readily with a paper towel as drops of rain fell on the paper while I painted.

This was the first real plein air I have done in a while, and was determined to plunge in regardless of the outcome. Today, I became aware of how verdant the landscape truly is.

Fitchburg, MA

 

                                                                                    (C) 2025 Dale DiMauro

Recently I accompanied my wife on a visit to a dental appointment in Fitchburg, MA. It was only a few weeks ago at most and this what the landscape looked like adjacent to a nearby hospital. 

The landscape has changed dramatically since then. It has become green, lush and full of growth.

This watercolor is of an area nearby to where my wife and I parked. We took a hike through the woods of a nearby parkland that at the time looked drab and lifeless. 

Since that visit the landscape has pretty much skipped over spring and ascended into summer.

What to do?

                                                                                           (C) 2025 Dale DiMauro
 

What to do? 

This landscape was painted a while ago. It is of a local field as spring was beginning to unfold with the lengthening day and increased warmth. I experienced this scene on a hike as I came out of the woods and into the sunlight of the field.

I love the saturation of color and blending of pigments.  However, it needs some finishing touches. What I did of this painting was done in one sitting. However, the photograph on which this watercolor was based has not been located in a while. Yet, I would like to move on and paint another watercolor on this watercolor block.

Really just the edge of the hills or woods needs to be finalized. Simply just staining the white of the paper is all that might be needed. 

What would you do?

Of Light & Air: Winslow Homer in Watercolor

                                                                                                   Winslow Homer
  

The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, MA, is putting together a major exhibition this fall, of watercolors by Winslow Homer. The show is titled: Of Light & Air: Winslow Homer in Watercolor, running from November 2, 2025 - January 19, 2026.

The Museum of Fine Arts has the largest collection of Homer watercolors in the world, many not having been exhibited in nearly half a century.

The exhibit is accompanied by a forthcoming book from MFA Publications, which I am more than eager to acquire.

I took this photograph of one of Winslow Homer's best loved watercolors, Blue Boat (1892), from a book I have featuring his work. It's my favorite book on Homer and was published by Yale University Press for the National Gallery of Art to accompany a traveling exhibition (1995-1996) at the National Gallery of Art (Washington, D.C.), Museum of Fine Arts (Boston), and The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York).

First Plein Air of Season

                                                                                       (C) 2025 Dale DiMauro

Painting a watercolor without water can be a challenge. This is the first plein air watercolor I painted of the new season. It is smaller than expected.

This was painted at Fort Dummer State Park in Brattleboro, VT. However, I discovered I didn't have any water or access to it and no paper towels to clean up with. What seemed to be a problem turned into an opportunity.

The only water I had was in a small spray bottle. This forced me to treat water as a truly scarce resource. I searched for any open faucets or stream beds but they were all dry or drained for the season. This experience required me to be more creative than usual. Also, I used a limited palette to make my painting practice as efficient as I could.

I did paint this from a picnic table looking across the only field at Ft. Dummer State Park.

 

Quick Painting

                                                                                     (C) 2025 Dale DiMauro
 

Quick painting with a loaded brush is fun and exciting. It is good to let the paint sit on the surface without fussing with it. Then you can add quick marks with a dark color if you want. This is how I got those dry brush marks in the center of the paper. It is important to drag the belly of the brush across the paper before you lift the brush off the paper.

These fresh pigment marks are striking against white paper. I was trying to blend phtalo green with sepia but the green just stole the show. 

For me this only works when you are painting on textured paper. I have come to appreciate this elseware 300 lb watercolor paper. I purchased several watercolor bound books of this paper at my local food coop.

One-Wash Watercolor

                                                                                       (C) 2025 Dale DiMauro

This is a one wash watercolor. Sometimes all you need is one wash. In particular, I like the combination of indian red and perylene green. A substitute can be made by combining pthalo green and sepia.

When I learn of a new pigment combination instead of just putting a swatch down I turn it into a little landscape. This way utilizing different brush strokes I gain a greater understanding of how I can place the pigment on the paper.

Also, from my perspective, there is a simplicity to this color combination which has a calming effect.

In the past I would draw or paint a trunk in on the right side where the tree is over the painted area. Lately, I would lift out the tree trunk with a damp brush instead. The great thing about watercolor is every day I learn something new which inspires and stimulates my senses.

LOCAL FIELD(Further Developed)

                                                                                            (C) Dale DiMauro
 

This watercolor of a local field on the property of the Brattleboro Retreat has evolved quite a bit. The varied sky and lavender-tinted hills got me off to a great start. The rich colors of the season and strong values in the foreground however, in my mind, make the picture.

Oh, by the way, the combination of raw sienna and winsor violet gives me the lavender-tinge on the distant hills. The pattern, direction and value of the tire marks bring your eyes into the picture.

I find it fascinating to go back to a subject matter I haven't painted in years. An artist sees things differently over time with a sharper eye and greater understanding of one's palette.

P.S. - I am still having issues with the cropping tool. For years I could crop a photograph of a watercolor painting quickly and move on. For some reason it has become a real challenge - but I am working on it.

Local Field

                                                                                  (C) 2025 Dale DiMauro

Many years ago I painted this local field in watercolor. The subject matter and colors are very welcoming even to this day.

However, I approach this subject very differently these days. Not that any approach is better one way or the other. 

My understanding of pigments and ever changing palette has broadened so much in the last few years. I find with just four or five pigments I can paint an entire watercolor. This may be the result of painting outside where time is limited and the changing weather is a real factor. Also, I have developed an eye for what I see outside and can match the colors of nature quicker and more accurately and in a direct manner than I ever could before.

I have begun to lift paint when the opportunity arises in a more successful manor. Effective lifting seems to be tied to good timing because the paper can't be too wet or too dry or you get these unsightly hard edges and large blooms. As a result the skies I paint have begun to evolve and become more diverse simultaneously.

In no way am I trying to brag or boast - it's just a reflection of looking at past struggles and becoming more adaptable to situations which arise when painting.

This leads me to this watercolor which I believe is off to a great start. I find myself focused and attentive at times when painting which seems liberating. When the painting moves along rapidly and I am decisive good things happen. There is less fussing around, overworking and a clear ending point.

I hope this summer season leads to more painting in this direction with results that are just as satisfying.

 

A View From Mt. Wantastiquet

                                                 (C) 2025 Dale DiMauro

 

Every spring for decades here in southern Vermont we have had something called Mountain Day. It is sponsored by Blue Cross/Blue Shield as an incentive to get people moving out in nature and as a way to improve their overall fitness. Annually, they give away t-shirts, apples, sandwiches and prizes.

Mountain Day usually happens on a a Saturday in May. This year it is on Saturday, May 10, 2025.

This is a watercolor I started a while back. It is inspired by one of the those mountain day hikes. However, it never got finished. In general, I feel comfortable or at least no hesitation in putting down some finishing touches. There is a freshness in this piece which I equate with spring as the the colors and leaves of the season emerge with a sense of joy.

Colors of Spring?

                                                                                                 (C) 2025 Dale DiMauro
 

Spring is coming. Or at least winter is ending.

I painted this watercolor shortly after a hike behind the Brattleboro Ski Jump. Even though the colors of nature are subdued they were vivid in the natural light. Some of the colors are actually alive with a richness such as that mud in the foreground or the blue of that sky.

The lengthening of day and warmth of temperatures are bringing an increased optimism which spring affords. It is so welcome considering the political environment we are living through. To that end I can't wait to be able to resume plein air painting.

To a fresh start to spring.....

Unfinished Watercolors

 

                                                                                  (C) 2025 Dale DiMauro

There are always some watercolors I and other artists don't finish. Often it is due to time constraints or the inspiration fades towards a certain subject.

Many simply become studies which I learn from one way or the other. Sometimes I wanted to experiment with a different approach or paper which yield differing results.

Often I will come back at a later time and add more paint to an unfinished work and even complete a watercolor.

This watercolor I started at South Pond in Marlboro, VT, after a summer paddle. I painted this from the shore on my easel.

Watercolor Palette

                                                                                        (C) 2025 Dale DiMauro
 

Even though I have been painting in watercolors for years I just discovered my folding easel fits nicely into a butcher tray. That may sound odd to the reader. However, it means I can carry around and store my palette much more easier than before.

I find the small folding palettes often drip or leak which leads to spillage in undesired locations. As the photograph demonstrates I can also transport a sponge and brushes all with one hand easily.

The butcher tray featured above is 11.5" x 15.5". Butcher trays are available in an assortment of sizes. I have several and they are very handy to have around.

When I paint outside I do utilize a folding palette as portability and limited space are factors in carrying my painting supplies.

People in Watercolor

                                                                                     (C) 2025 Dale DiMauro
 

Painting people can be a challenge. Much of the time I aim to capture their posture and sense of movement. A little color here and there can go a long way.

It is important to include people from the start in your painting process. In painting the people who I painted above I did not want to show much detail - just capture the essence of the scene.

I try to sketch and paint people on a regular basis. That way I can become better at it but also, more intuitive in capturing the human body in motion. 

In addition, at times I like to incorporate the white of the paper as part of someone's outfit. I feel the white of the paper provides a special quality which I can't come up with on my own.

Fabriano Artistico Watercolor Block

                                                                                                 (C) 2025 Dale DiMauro
 

Since late fall 2024 I have been experimenting with color lifting on some of my watercolor paintings. This is an exciting development I find when lifting color in a small targeted area. It may be the suggestion of smoke in the distant hills or the white trunk of a birch tree. 

This technique interrupts dark massing in areas with some contrast or introduces atmospheric affects to the overall picture.

This Fabriano Artistico watercolor paper has a reputation for being good for color lifting. So I purchased a block of this paper to see what I can do with this technique. This is one of my first paintings on this surface so I am learning as I go.

This is a watercolor of a local agricultural field off the West River Trail, in Brattleboro, Vt.

LOCAL FIELD

                                                                                     (C) 2025 Dale DiMauro
 

Often my subject matter to paint originates from going on a hike, walk or cross-country ski. Much of the inspiration comes from the natural light I experience in that moment. In the warmer weather I am fortunate to paint outside right in that moment. Otherwise, when there is challenging weather(ie.wet or cold) I take a photograph or have to rely on my memory of an experience.

Recently, we have had beautiful mild weather - which I am not prepared for. I want to go outside and do something active and then realize there is a pile of melting snow, ice and mud all over the ground.

So this watercolor is in essence a painting of the West River trail field a couple months down the road.

I find I like to experiment and welcome painting on all kinds of surfaces. This is a rough (140lb) Baohong watercolor paper but I also like using hot, cold and soft press papers. In addition, I like painting on illustration board.

Smith College Museum of Art

 

Last week I visited Smith College in Northampton, MA to view the bulb show on display in their greenhouses. As usual it was a lovely and needed exhibit to get a whiff of Spring as Winter marches on here in southern Vermont.

Shortly afterwards I visited the art museum on the same campus. The permanent collection has quite a variety of paintings and objects in their collections. In one of their back rooms they have a lovely collection of drawings on exhibit.

This figure drawing from the collection caught my eye and imagination ever since I saw it. The accuracy, gracefulness and mastery of the line work is amazing. With just a few lines of pen this artist captures the character, fashion and time period of the subject matter.

The Italian artist and architect sited is Lodovico Cardi(1559 - 1613) known as Cigoli. He trained in Florence and later moved to Rome. This is a study of Jacob from Jacob's Dream drawn with brown ink on cream laid paper.

West River Trail

                                                                                   (C) 2025 Dale DiMauro
 

The West River Trail in Brattleboro, VT is a lovely walk right after a fresh snowfall. The sun coming off the Connecticut River or from the East produces a lovely warmth with the local birds flitting about. 

I like the agricultural field which you soon pass by for it's color changes throughout the seasons. Also, the smaller water channels which parallel the Connecticut River add much value when I am exploring the sights and sounds of nature.

I like painting on this 'Master's Choice' watercolor paper. In particular, I like the 'rough' surface they have which has a nice bead to it. If you use your brush right you can get nice dry brush effects across this textured surface.

Tough Winter

                                                                                               (C) 2025 Dale DiMauro

Winter is a great time to paint watercolors. I find the snow a great source of inspiration with the light patterns and the landscape, in general, viewed from a different perspective.

However, this winter has been a real challenge, at least, for me. Days and days of bitter temperatures, the absence of snow and then frequent storms requiring endless shoveling has made this winter exhausting. 

This winter my house was so dry I couldn't keep my eyes and skin moist enough. I had to do an exhausting eye treatment of drops every fours for nine days or so and then I got not one but two respiratory flu-like colds which dragged on forever.

Other than that it was a good winter. I did get some watercolors painted but not nearly as I intended as the house was so cold. We had many gray days where the snow stayed on the roof and our solar panels become ineffective. However, I am beginning to appreciate the mid-day sun and increased length of daylight. Before long I will be able to paint outside again....
 

Monadnock Table Cover Artist

                                                                                      (C) 2025 Dale DiMauro
 

Since January I have been the featured cover artist on a local magazine called Monadnock Table. This magazine is published by the Keene Sentinel (Keene, NH) and primarily distributed in Cheshire County, New Hampshire.

Overall it has been a positive experience from the initial interview through emails and seeing it published. I relish the exposure it has created and the feedback from people who have seen it.

The theme of the publication was 'comfort foods', winter and snow. To fit this topic I supplied many watercolors of snow which were painted several years ago when we had snowier winters. Little did I know we would have a 'true' winter this calendar year.

Landscape Painting

                                                                                             (C) 2025 Dale DiMauro
 

When visiting coastal Maine last summer I noticed this woman in the distance dressed in red amongst a tangle of green. The green growth almost looked tropical in contrast to the woman's orderly appearance and behavior.

That flash of an image or memory sat with me for some time. Recently, I decided to put down that experience on paper. The mystery of what is happening out towards the ocean adds another layer of intrigue.

I like utilizing the complementary colors whenever I can. The red/green combination for me really balances out the composition.

LOCAL FIELD

                                                                                         (C) 2025 Dale DiMauro
 

There is a nice warm glow to this watercolor. I come back and can gaze at this picture endlessly. I don't know what it is - but I think it is that creamy yellow in the middle. There is warmth even in the shadows in the foreground.

Here in Vermont we have had a gray, cloudy, winter. Not to mention the coldest winter I can recall. So to look at that bright, sunny picture above makes me calm and focused.

I like the combination of yellow ochre/burnt umber for the woodland edge feathered up from darkest at the bottom. 

Experimenting with Painting Skies

                                                                                     (C) 2025 Dale DiMauro
 

Often I will turn over an unfinished plein air watercolor painting and just start painting on the backside. This is the case with this watercolor.

I keep developing my approach to painting the sky in watercolor. It is very easy or instinctive to paint a graded blue wash for the sky. However, most days are not truly full of blue skies. Also, the sky really conveys the mood for your scene so there is a large opportunity for me to seize.

In this sky I lifted out paint where the streaks of white are. Also, as the pigments dried I dropped in water or sprayed mist which created cloud-like shapes with soft and hard edges. These are some approaches I look forward to developing in the future.

Stepping back from this painting I can see how a J.M.W. Turner (1775-1851) influence may have seeped in. Turner was a landscape painter who left a vast quantity of watercolors, in addition to his oil paintings.

But no -I have not even thought of J.M.W Turner, in some time, even though I do find his work intriguing.

Landscape Painting

                                                                                      (C) 2025 Dale DiMauro
 

Nothing inspires me more than painting the landscape. The changing natural light and seasonal color can be endlessly fascinating. There are a limitless amount of techniques to adopt which can make your paintings evolve.

However, painting fast in watercolor is a thing. This approach is more about putting down pigment, minimizing detail and not fuzzing about.

This painting was done in about forty minutes. It was painting rapidly and very satisfying in execution. There is a directness and freshness which I like about this approach.

Test Sheets

 

                                                                                       (C) 2025 Dale DiMauro

In a post years ago I wrote about the value of test sheets. An artist can test a color combination, develop a value sketch or refine their composition on a test sheet. These are all important steps in the painting process. 

These small watercolor books purchased at my local coop provide a similar service for me. They are great for on the go or painting outside in warmer weather. They are just so portable. 

However, they are equally good for testing paint mixtures and compositions etc. They become a great reference to return to when painting a watercolor. Also, these books are great for painting studies or just putting down on paper what you observe out in nature.

Without hesitation I paint right on these sheets of watercolor paper. Often, I don't sketch at all on this paper.

P.S - I have been recovering from a respiratory illness and was not able to post last Sunday. Out of routine I try to post on Sunday and Wednesday's with very few exceptions. However, with all the sneezing and coughing the last week has been a challenge. Hopefully, I am back on schedule.

Monadnock Table Cover Art

 

                                                                                     (C) 2025 Dale DiMauro

For the months of January/February(2025) I am the cover artist in a local magazine called Monadnock Table. Inside the cover some other watercolor paintings I have done featuring the winter season are displayed.

A writer from the magazine based in Keene, NH, came over and interviewed me earlier in December. Overall working with the folks from this magazine has been rewarding but little did I know it was going to be fourteen below as it was at my house last night.

I think the cold temperature displayed in the above watercolor is quite indicative of the winter season we are in the midst of.

Dark Greens

                                                                                                   (C) 2025 Dale DiMauro

After years of watercolor painting I just learned how to mix a dark shadowy green which I like. Mixing paynes gray with permanent sap green offers up a cool, rich green. I only learned this by constantly experimenting with different techniques and paint combinations.

However, it makes a huge difference when painting landscapes where you want to convey a sense of depth in your picture. Also, it helps brings out all the other rich colors in your painting.

The paintings above were really improved upon by adding that cool, shadowy green in the foreground. It provides the foreground with a solid footing for the landscape to emerge from.

It's not that there aren't other greens out there. There certainly are. It's just that when you mix a lively combination the page comes alive which no store bought pigment can compete with.