Plein air challenges

(C) 2017 Dale DiMauro

Plein air painting in watercolor is a real challenge. I have mentioned in prior posts how the changing light, a sudden burst of wind or rain, can alter the scene in a moment. Well, late this afternoon I experienced all these qualities in my hour or so working on this piece. As a result the final version is much different than my start.

My first wash involved adding blue for the sky above the distant hill. I misted the top of the paper with my sprayer then dropped in blue and rotated the watercolor block around to prevent the pigment from running down the page. The sky was faint when I blocked in the hill, but as the weather changed, the hill was obscured. There were two guys playing basketball on the right, and I sketched in one of the figures but he scurried away as the clouds moved in.

Regardless of the challenges, I am embracing open air painting. It makes me really concentrate on the task while honing my observation skills. It also frees me to paint unlike any studio piece. I have learned to approach a plein air painting subject differently, with flexibility and a focus on simplicity. 

North East Watercolor Society Exhibition

(C) 2017 Dale DiMauro

Recently, I was informed that this painting titled My Brother was accepted into a major watercolor exhibition. The painting was selected for the 41st Annual International Open Exhibition 2017 by a jury of five signature members of the North East Watercolor Society.

The exhibit will take place in Kent, Ct from October 15th - 29th. There will be an opening reception on Sunday, October 15th from 2-4 pm. In addition, there will be an awards ceremony at this reception. The juror of awards this year is Mel Stabin, AWS, a nationally known watercolor painter.

Naturally, I am excited to report on this bit of news. Now I just have to get this painting framed.

Stickney Brook Falls

(C) 2017 Dale DiMauro

I found yesterday afternoon to be a hot and humid day in Brattleboro, Vermont, so I escaped to these little falls not far from where we live. I love the sound of the falls, the breeze they create, and being able to cool down on a hot day.

It was a challenge to paint this scene. I had two rambunctious girls circling around me while throwing stones. At the same time their energetic dog was shaking water from its body right at my foot, and licking my knee from time to time.

With many plein air paintings, you don't really know what you'll get until you're done. I worked on this a little too much since the light had changed and the sun moved directly into my eyes. The cascading water that zig-zagged down the hill was at times invisible to the eye yet audible as it flowed from one outcropping to the next.

By the end of my painting time, consciously or not, I was exclusively painting in purples and grays or black. After I got home and took a second look with a fresh eye, I was pleased with my result. The rock ledges have a cool, shadowy quality to them.

Thumbnail sketch

(C) 2017 Dale DiMauro

When my wife and I vacationed recently, in the state of Maine, we took daily hikes for exercise but also to get out in the landscape. When we were on Mt. Desert Island, we were rewarded with breath-taking views nearly every hike. 

Since we got back home, I have had pictures printed that either I or my wife took. Last night while listening to a podcast on plein air painting, I doodled this little thumbnail sketch from a photograph taken while climbing Acadia Mountain. 

Sometimes these little doodles are the best as I am not attached to any set composition. In my mind I was rapidly changing the landscape to strengthen the composition. I moved trees around and inverted the landform to make the figure (me) have a stronger presence. I am not looking to dominate the picture but tweak it in a way that reveals some quality inherent in the landscape, whether it is an atmospheric effect or the quality of the light.

Plein air bag

(C) 2017 Photograph Dale DiMauro

After two weeks vacationing in the state of Maine, my wife and I returned home. The weather was great, and we socialized with friends and relatives more than we had anticipated when we left.

This afternoon as we unpacked, I emptied out my bag for plein air painting, which was originally intended for fishing.  When we visited an outlet store of L.L. Bean's in Ellsworth, Maine I picked up a plein air bag that is better than the one I have been using. The new one, like the one I have been using, is waterproof with useful water and spray bottle holders. However, the new one also has an assortment of small pockets to hold pencils and paper towels with greater dividers.

Before leaving Portland this morning, I got to visit one of the best art stores I have ever been to. Most art stores these days do not carry much product, and the quality of their offerings are not what they used to be. However, The Artist & Craftsman Supply store is similar to a warehouse with aisles of goodies. Additionally, it is an employee-owned company. 

Acadia National Park

(C) 2017 Dale DiMauro

My wife and I spent this week in Bar Harbor, Maine, and exploring Acadia National Park by car, foot and through swimming. We met up with relatives and friends along the way. We even ran into good friends from Vermont who happened to be walking along the sidewalk in the downtown area.

One of the hikes we took was around Jordan Pond, which was well traveled. This little plein air was done not far from the trail. It was a challenge finding a spot to get situated that was not in the sun. The Bubbles are in the background, which are two small rocky mountains. There was quite a bit of wildlife coming and going around me. There were many people, gulls, and ducks, as well as small schools of fish in the shallow water near my feet.

When plein air painting I seem to arrive at colors that approximate the natural scene. This is not easy to do as the light is constantly changing, so I am proud of that. However, I feel the foreground needs a little more work to solidify the picture. I could have worked a little longer, but my stomach was calling for lunch.

Andrew Wyeth @ the Farnsworth Museum

Photograph by Dale DiMauro

Earlier this week, my wife and I visited the Farnsworth Museum in Rockland, Maine, which includes the Wyeth Center. It is quite an achievement to have a museum for your family's paintings but that in essence, is what the Wyeth Center is. Don't get the wrong impression because the three generations of Wyeth's from N.C., to Andrew, and to Jamie have created a lot of worthy paintings.

Since this is the year Andrew Wyeth would have turned one hundred, there is a gallery dedicated to his watercolors. One of the display panels mentions that he painted 100-150 watercolors a year, which through the years would total thousands of paintings. I do not know of any American artist with that level of productivity.

This watercolor study by Andrew Wyeth, called Drumlins was done in 1974. It is part of another exhibition in the museum featuring some of his drawings, which alone, are quite remarkable in the range of subject matter and scale of the work.

After we left the museum I came away thinking this was the best exhibition of the artist's work I have ever seen.

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo

2017 Photograph Dale DiMauro

Earlier this week my wife and I visited Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. We learned they had a great exhibit of works on paper and they indeed do. They have many drawings and watercolors on exhibit dating back hundreds of years. Most of these pieces I had never seen before. However, there are watercolors by the likes of John Singer Sargent and Winslow Homer among others.

This red chalk drawing by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1696-1770) is titled Head of a Young Man. This was completed circa 1752-53. With the aid and collaboration of his two sons, they created more than 1,500 chalk studies. In addition, they created hundreds of pen and ink drawings.

What I noticed most about this drawing is his ability to capture the feelings of the individual through a minimal amount of drawing. This is in addition to depicting the characteristics of the face in part, through the conveyance of light. 

Jules Adolphe Aime' Louis Breton

2017 Photograph Dale DiMauro

Last weekend my wife and I visited the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, MA. This day trip in early summer has become an annual ritual, followed up by attending a play in the evening at the Williamstown Theatre Festival.

Even though there was a special exhibition on Picasso, we are usually drawn to the permanent collection, and this time was no different. Since the museum completed its expansion, the exterior setting outside in junction with the orientation of the grounds truly parallel the quality of the works hanging on the inside walls. Through all the improvements to the museum, it remains in its familiar location and many of the art works feel like old friends. 

I have always admired this painting by Jules Breton (1827-1906), a French 19th century realist painter. The painting, titled Peasant girl with turkeys, is oil on canvas, completed in 1864. Breton's paintings reveal the importance of the French landscape to his art.

A View from the Brattleboro Common

(C) 2017 Dale DiMauro

This is a plein air painting I did this afternoon. I walked down to the Brattleboro Common, which is a short walk from our house. It was important that I could paint in the shade while looking into the sun. The building was minimized because I wanted to convey the light coming through the gaps and had selected a small sheet of paper.

Recently, I have been staking out places to plein air paint with picnic tables or benches where it is easy to set up my equipment. Not only am I trying to refine my painting approach outside, but also simplify what I need to bring with me.

I worked on this picture for about an hour and a half. I couldn't resist putting in the parking meter, yet wish the shadow was added, as it helps define the curb and time of day. It is fun to wet small areas of the paper, which enables me to experiment with a variety of brush techniques or drop in other pigment and increase the value in areas.

July 3 in Grafton with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra

(C) 2017 Dale DiMauro

My wife, mom, and I spent the evening of July 3 attending the Vermont Symphony Orchestra's pops concert in Grafton, VT. The day had been hot, but the weather ended up being quite pleasant as we stayed out of the sun the entire time. After eating the dinner we brought (and my wife consuming our neighbors' surplus), I did some plein air painting. 

As far as subject matter, I wasn't sure what I should focus on. The light was changing fast, and all the people gathered in the field were constantly on the move. The bugs could have been a real challenge, but they were not a nuisance, or even really noticeable.

I settled on the distant fields and woodland edge where the sun was still present. This can be seen in the above photograph. After I started, and particularly during the intermission, a trickle of onlookers developed around me. Some were artists themselves and others just wanted to see what I was up to. One person asked if I was going to sell the picture. My wife even handed out business cards. 

However, I must admit, I was eager to finish the picture before engaging in any peripheral conversations. The light was fading fast. The paint was not drying as quickly as I would like as there was some moisture in the air accumulating into dew. I learn something every time I work with watercolor. 

A View from the Northampton, MA Rail Trail

(C) 2017 Dale DiMauro

Several weeks ago, my work week was cut short so I put my bike in the car and headed down to Northampton, MA. We had, had a streak of overcast days so it was important to get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather. This image, inspired from a photograph, I took from my bicycle, has lingered with me ever since. I was struck by how verdant the Pioneer Valley was. I thought Vermont being the Green Mountain state and all, could not be outdone.

Lately, I have been reading about all kinds of color combinations worthy of trying in my paintings. On this very trip I purchased, The Artist's Color Guide, Watercolor: Understanding the Palette, Pigments and Properties, by Hazel Soan. For some time, I have been searching for greater knowledge in the use of color and pigments as a means to expand my color palette in watercolor and this purchase as they say, was spot on.

I have learned the fewer color combinations required, the better. For example, it is easier to combine two pigments instead of three and the less you utilize the more vibrant the wash.

This green field is a pairing of aureolin and prussian blue which I have come to use for some time. However, I tried a new dark from the combination of cadmium red and prussian blue for the tree trunk. For a couple months now, I have introduced more burnt sienna into my landscapes which seems to add a greater dimension and variety into the foreground. 

My Brother

(C) 2017 Dale DiMauro

There have been numerous commitments that have kept me from finishing this painting. Well, I finally managed to complete it, other than signing it. 

There were several details that needed to be resolved. One was that the water bottle did not read as resting within a holder. Another was that the fanny pack was the same color as the shirt, thereby not registering as a separate element, drawing the eye unnecessarily to the bottom of the painting. The exterior pocket of the fanny pack had an angular shape, which did not look right and was distracting. I gave the area another darker wash with a neutral color and created a softer edge to convey distance.

When you work on a painting of this scale these elements become important, particularly when conveying the human form. I like this painting for its composition and subdued colors, which sparkle in contrast to the red bottle cap.

Landscape Meditation

(C) 2017 Dale DiMauro

This has been both a busy and tiring week for me. Not only was I thinking about the local landscape here in Vermont, but I have also been actively involved in transforming a couple's piece of Vermont into a place of greater meaning.

From developing landscape sketches for plantings to installing both free standing and retaining walls, I have been working to change their piece of the world. Although this is a creative process of its own, it feels good to step back and paint a simple little watercolor.

I have been trying to paint a plein air each Sunday, but today I lost my best chance to a heavy downpour. Pressed for time, I painted this at home as a substitute. This is one of those little imaginary landscapes that takes you to another place. Sketching from life, memory, or imagination is good practice.

Every time I work on a watercolor, even a simple sketch, I learn something, such as how the pigment behaves or moves around and settles into the surface of the paper. At times leaving the white of the paper says more than filling it with pigment. Pure color applied freely is reinvigorating. 

Long Pond: Massachusetts-style

(C) 2017 Dale DiMauro

Recently, I paddled my kayak with a small group from the Brattleboro Outing Club on Long Pond, which is in Royalston, Massachusetts. With all the rain we have had lately, the water level was high, enabling us to paddle into areas you usually cannot access. We paddled over beaver dams with little trouble, saw nesting birds, including Canada geese and red-winged blackbirds, as well as great herons. In this pristine location we heard and saw significant waterfalls.

This little watercolor, inspired by that trip, was done in one hour, and I think of it as a postcard painting. It was a glorious day, preceded by a period of gloomy weather. The shoreline is not developed at all, making this paddle quite spectacular. This view is of one of the many bends in the river you pass through before the pond opens up.

Often I find myself attempting to paint the colors I have recently seen in nature. I find the best greens are made from mixing blues and yellows, not from the tube. Coming up with that strong shadow color projecting on the water is a challenge, too. In this case, I used a combination of ultramarine, Payne's gray and Prussian blue.

Something's Biting at South Pond

(C) 2017 Dale DiMauro

Last Sunday my mother and I took our kayaks up to South Pond. After paddling, I thought it would be a great location to try a plein air painting. It was a hot day, approaching ninety degrees, which is unusual for this time of year in Vermont.

I have discovered that plein air painting can draw inquisitive onlookers who are eager to see what I am doing yet do not want to interrupt my progress. Perhaps it is only fair that we artists, who are always observing, are also observed.

Shortly after I set up my easel, a middle-aged man came along, took his canoe off the roof of his car and promptly capsized not once but twice, barely off the shore. Later, when he stopped to see what I was painting, I realized that I knew the unlucky fellow.

Although I did not have a large human crowd on Sunday, I had other visitors. I did not get far on this watercolor before the no-see-ums started to devour me. All over my body I found small bloody areas, yet I did not recall seeing any insects bite. In hindsight, I wish I had taken a photograph so I could finish this one at home.

Ashuelot Park: Keene, NH

(C) 2017 Dale DiMauro

This little watercolor was painted plein air in the Ashuelot Park in Keene, NH. Once I started, it drew quite a crowd of onlookers. The vibrant colors and freedom of expression appealed to passers by. I find the paint dries relatively fast, preventing me from waiting around before the next application. 

The sky truly had a bit of color in it when I started but as it dried it ended up much weaker. I do like the brush strokes in the foreground depicting the light on the lawn with the hard edges in various colors.

I made a simple pencil sketch of this scene when I began from a picnic table in the park. I have to say I am beginning to like this plein air business even though the bugs and changing light are challenging. 

It can be hard to determine when the picture is complete but I generally spend no more than one hour on these.

Along the Ashuelot River

(C) 2017 Dale DiMauro

Plein air painting can be a challenge with the changing light and weather conditions but lately, I have been embracing it. Also, plein air forces you to paint directly as you have time constraints. You get these rich colors down on the paper and it dries quickly. However, there are areas where the white of the paper shows through which can be advantageous, such as the reflections on the water, in this case.

When I am painting outside in the elements I am so focused on painting that all other distractions I am oblivious to. I am thinking about what area to focus on next or when to drop pigment into an already wet area. This free and wild quality I definitely enjoy when painting in watercolor. Often to suggest with pigment is more effective than covering the whole page.

What attracted me to this subject was the moving water against the backlit river vegetation. In addition, that band of spring green was stunning.

(C) 2017 Dale DiMauro

This week there has been progress on this full sheet watercolor. First of all, this picture does not have much color, which is the strength of the composition. The muted colors help to make the red water bottle cap come forward. The background has been kept simple and lacking in detail, to avoid conflicting with the figure.

Mask was used to preserve some white areas for the hair. It has since been removed and painted over. The shirt which dominates a majority of the painting has distinct folds of fabric.

There has been much positive feedback regarding this watercolor. When matted, framed and hanging on the wall this picture will have an impact on the viewer. The posture, scale and water bottle details command your attention. However, there is still work to be done on the shirt, fanny pack, face and hat.

The eyes have it or do they?

(C) 2017 Dale DiMauro

Last winter, I turned this drawing into a little watercolor in my sketchbook. Looking back at this image I find the shadow below the chin to be stunning. Is it a warm shadow or a cool one? The photograph does not do justice to the image. However, when I look at this warm shadow as I see it, I feel the time of day which was a mid-day shadow. For a little watercolor done in one sitting with  a minimal amount of pigments I am quite pleased with the overall affect I attempted to capture.

There is something about the lips and skin tone which are quite pleasing, too. It is a challenge to make the lips look like they weren't pasted on. They can lack dimension which gives them a flat appearance. I am not saying they were greatly painted but that they have a warm feeling to them.

Regardless, it is good to thumb through work in the past either to see your progress as well as consider how you would approach things differently. I do think drawing and painting makes you see things more clearly for what they are. 

The subject of this post was conceived because I could not stop thinking about those qualities I find in this image. I do believe meaningful art goes beneath the surface to some deeper understanding or conveyance.