Dummer State Park

(C) 2026 Dale DiMauro

Hiking through a state park seems like a defiant act of Spring. It seems like a statement that Winter may be officially over. Well - I hiked through Dummer State Park in Brattleboro, VT a few weeks ago after I saw my dental hygienist. 

For me it expanded my walking perimeter after a long and difficult Winter. No wildlife was found. However, there was a scattering of people, likewise, spreading their wings a little bit.

What I did observe was the lovely sunlight and longer length of days penetrating deep into the woods which one would not notice once the trees all leaf out.

That warm experience I put on paper here on this watercolor block. The spatial quality of the trees and the pine needle forest bed added a welcome mat for the new season to unfold.
 

South Pond

(C) 2026 Dale DiMauro

Finally, I was able to get this watercolor framed. It has a lovely dark green frame which plays off the richness of the water. Due to the distortion of the camera I couldn't crop this like I wanted to.

Where ever I have traveled with this painting it has received strong positive feedback. I brought it to yoga class and it was placed in the front of the room where we meditated upon it. When I brought it to my painting group people endlessly examined every inch of the paper. Most people seemed to admire the atmospheric qualities specific to this subject.

The stillness of this subject conveys a calming, quiet demeanor which is in stark contrast to the lives we actually live. Perhaps it has a timeless quality.

I find the image compelling because it has really only one color to it - green.

 

Charles Reid: Flower Painting in Watercolor

Charles Reid

 

Dale DiMauro's version

This coming week I will be taking a flower painting workshop with the Saxton's River Art Group(SRAG) in Bellows Falls, VT. The instructor giving the workshop is Annelein Beukenkamp, a Burlington area based Vermont artist.

In anticipation of this event I thought I should paint a flower arrangement as a form of practice. I admire the way Charles Reid(1937-2019), a noted watercolor artist, with many books written to his credit, went about painting flowers. He had a very direct approach which originated in contour drawing and emphasized leaving the white of the paper where possible.

The painting above, which I did is a visual copy of one of Charles Reid's, from his book Flower Painting in Watercolor. The title in his book is: Blue & White Iris(16" x 13"). My version of his subject which is the watercolor below his, is 13" x 9.5".

It was fun to try and tackle a different subject and not take it too seriously.

Brattleboro Outing Club

(C) 2026 Dale DiMauro

 

Skiing at the Brattleboro Outing Club makes me see the landscape differently or perhaps more accurately. Naturally, the landscape is always changing - whether it is the seasonal change or the migration of birds coming or going, etc.

However, to really stop what you are doing and to really see the landscape can be a profound experience. I have skied past this little brook many times throughout the years but I really began to pay attention to it's presence this season. I don't know if it was the dark indigo of the stream or the light cast upon the snow.  Ultimately, I think the contours of the land, water and mounds of snow drew me into the woods.

This subject was fun for me to paint as it seemed very intuitive. This painting only took two short sessions to finish. I like all the variations of light on the snow and the shadowy trees in the background.

Leaving some of the white of the paper in each and every painting is a goal of mine. It's sort of like a where's Waldo aspect which I think enriches the painting for viewers even if they are unaware of it.

Loose & Free Painting

(C) 2026 Dale DiMauro

It feels great to let loose and paint freely with no expectations. Just let the colors run and use bold strokes. This watercolor was painted with just two pigments: cadmium red and viridian. I think there is a lovely freshness with this approach if you don't overdue it and noodle areas with the brush.

You can see many of the great techniques watercolor has to offer in this picture: dry brush, spattering, misting, leaving the white of the paper and letting pigments blend on the paper, etc.

Plus, this painting was painted very fast.

My Palette

(C) 2026 Dale DiMauro

 

Palettes are a personal choice. I use four on a regular basis. One that folds down to a small size for painting outside or on the go. One that is metal with many paint wells and two ceramic palettes which I use at home. 

I find the metal palette drips fluid on occasion as it has tiny drainage holes which is really frustrating. However, it sits nicely in a butcher tray(11" x 15") so that problem has been mitigated.

Personally, I prefer the ceramic palettes as they don't leak and are easy to clean-up. However, they are fragile and difficult to transport. The other reason I prefer the ceramic palette is that they come with larger paint wells enabling me to use larger brushes for mixing paints.

The above photograph is of one of my ceramic palettes. You can see that there are less paint wells but they are larger. Over time with experience I have learned I don't need many paints to complete a painting, so this size is very useful.

In addition, I cut some styrofoam - like packing material(the dimensions of my palette) which sits under my palette making it easier and safer to glide around my table.

It can be a real challenge choosing a palette and then determining how you want to layout your colors. In the end like most artists I put cool pigmented colors along one side with warm pigments on the other side. For the top paint wells I use neutral colors or earth colors(ochres and umbers) with some exceptions.