Charles Sumner(1811-1874)

Over the course of the year I read many books. Many are non-fiction historical and others are art books. 

Recently, I finished reading Charles Sumner: Conscious of a Nation, by Zaakir Tameez a well-researched book, based on a significant political figure in American history that I knew virtually nothing about. He is perhaps, best known for suffering a brutal caning on the senate floor in 1856. 

Sumner was an American lawyer and statesman who represented Massachusetts in the United States Senate from 1851-1874. He grew up on Beacon Hill, in Boston, in a black neighborhood. Once he visited France and saw a society without slavery he immediately became an advocate for the abolition of slavery.

He became good friends with Frederick Douglas and Mary Lincoln while advising Abraham Lincoln. Sumner helped the Union win the Civil War. The author presents Sumner as a re-discovered founding father, constitutional visionary who helped re-write the post-Civil War Constitution and give birth to civil rights law.

As I concluded reading this book it has remained on my mind ever since. I wanted to complete a watercolor based on the photograph of Sumner on the cover of the book but I never got to it. So this my post for today - a history lesson.

Watercolor Study

   (C) 2026 Dale DiMauro

Recently, I joined The Brush & Palette Painters, a local group, which paints every Wednesday from 9:30(AM) - 12:00(PM) at the Brattleboro, VT, Gibson-Aiken Recreational Center, on Main Street.

I painted this picture while there, this morning. This was painted on a rough surfaced paper with a varied grain which makes for interesting washes for those willing to tackle something new. I believe this paper was manufactured in India. It was purchased from one of the major art retailers(such as Cheap Joes or Jerry's Artarama, etc.), though it was not acquired recently. 

In addition, this paper has a deckled edge which is a conversation unto itself. Simply put, a deckled edge is an irregular edge made when paper-manufacture's used a wooden frame, where a perfect square edge was not possible to produce. Many hand-made paper manufacturers produced paper with their own unique characteristics. 

Anyway, this is a view west across one of the Brattleboro Retreat fields. I received various comments from the group when they first saw this. One was that this landscape looked very different depending on which angle you were viewing this from. Another was that this foreground snow was the best 'dirty snow' she'd ever seen depicted. It has a 'sparkled quality', dry brush affect ,where the paint didn't reach the valleys of the paper.

It was interesting feedback and thought-provoking. However, I like how the paper doesn't seem to buckle and I tend to paint with a pretty wet brush.
 

Blue is the Theme

(C) 2026 Dale DiMauro

 

This is today's watercolor done inside with a group of other watercolor enthusiasts. This winter's snow has vanished or at least a majority of it. Thus, this is a memory of our winter. However, the sky was a dominant blue nearly every time I went cross- country skiing.

The apple tree in the foreground cast the deepest of the blue shadows. There is so much temperature when you paint with blue that the mood dominates the scene.

This photograph does not do justice to this watercolor. It makes the whole scene very moody. Actually, it looks like an evening scene on one of the coldest nights in winter. 

Man from the Protest

 

(C) Dale DiMauro

Protesting under the current Presidential Administration, for many people, has become a daily activity. It has slowly galvanized millions of people. With another 'No Kings Protest' coming up in less than two weeks, we are certain to see all kinds of characters come out of the woodwork.

After the Renee Good execution in January, there was a seemingly impromptu protest, in downtown Brattleboro, Vt. I took a photograph of this guy at the protest and ended up painting a very different landscape around him. It seemed he might be more comfortable in a more relaxed setting.

It is more important where you don't put paint then where you do. Those little unpainted areas help define the arm, neck and head areas, otherwise, the paint all runs into a blob. 

This is something I have learned from studying some of Charles Reid's (1937 - 2019) watercolors. As far as I am concerned, he was a master of the human figure. I admire how he used color and his freedom of expression.

Brattleboro Outing Club

 (C) 2026 Dale DiMauro

 

Even though it has been a cold and challenging winter in more ways than one, I am sad to see the cross-country ski season end. Today, I was hopeful and drove to the trails at the Brattleboro Outing Club to get one last ski in and found that they are closed.

To me it is more than just a ski. To strap on my skis, breathe the fresh air and experience the landscape  from a different perspective is vital to our existence. I get to see, feel and touch the patterns of light and snow which are shaped by the atmospheric affects specific to Brattleboro.

To that end, this watercolor captures some of the qualities I have experienced during my many adventures across the fields and woods of the Brattleboro Outing Club. 

It seems like every season the outing club gets better and better. The signage, trail names and campus map has become so professional in describing the characteristics of the club. Equally strong is the quality of the grooming and school instruction, etc.

Atmospheric Landscape

       (C) 2026 Dale DiMauro

Recently, I was painting a winter landscape here in Vermont and was searching for a dark to put down to represent the dense evergreens in the distance. However, I couldn't come up with a cool, dark that I was looking for. Yet, I had a vibrant, pool of rich earth-like greens on my palette. 

Regardless, I didn't want to waste this pool of pigment or let it evaporate from my palette. So I just started a new painting on the spot and that is what this is. I kept the paper wet longer where the vegetation is green so I could build up a greater foundation and have a softer appearance.

This is a painting unlike any other that I have produced. It has such an atmospheric quality which dominates the whole page. This reminds me of several locations along the coast of Bar Harbor, Maine in the summer, where the fog would move inland, while the tide is low. I have memories of seeing row boats, sail boats and the like, stranded on the mud flats and the strong smell of the sea percolating in these situations.  

This may seem like an odd little post but it is what it is. However, there is shimmering quality to this picture which captivates me.

 

Watercolor sketch

(C) 2026 Dale DiMauro

 

After a bigger snowstorm than expected, we had a gorgeous March day here in southern Vermont. Everything outside exposed to the elements ended up pretty wet, but in a good way. The fresh snow made the landscape new and exciting, like a new toy at Christmas.

I got a quick little cross-country ski in before heading off to an appointment. This little picture, is sort of, my postcard memory of the day.

The red top of this figure gliding along the open spaces and small trees was so captivating to see. The red itself commands the viewers attention like no other color.

(C) 2026 Dale DiMauro

 

Orange and blue radiates harmony or at least that's how I see it. I don't know how it actually came about - but I learned when you mix raw sienna with cadmium red you get this lovely juicy orange. And this pairs well with ultramarine blue if you have it somewhere in your picture.

Earlier this week that same pairing came up it a conversation I had with my wife. We were discussing where to hang some paintings in our living room when it seemed natural to hang a landscape with a sunset over a doorway with blue trim. This color combination seems to radiate in this location even though it is in a dimly lit location.

I am excited any time I can broaden my palette, simply with the colors I have. This makes me see the world in a different light - literally.