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.