Revolutionary War re-enactment

(C) 2018 Photograph Dale DiMauro

It was a beautiful morning on Saturday, September 29, 2018 when my wife and I headed out the door. I did not truly grasp in advance what we would experience. We decided to attend a Revolutionary War re-enactment in Charleston, New Hampshire.

I suppose it was somewhat like going to Gettysburg without the crowds and heat. We basically went back in time which was really neat. The enactors not only dress true to the time period but are approachable and engaging. They came from all over the country and Canada. Some even slept over night in tents of the period.

This photograph was from the battlefield re-enactment which played out before our eyes. The vivid colors of the uniforms and the troop movements caught my imagination. Not to mention the smoke from all the shooting. Before we left I thought this would be a great scene to capture in watercolor. 

The figures set against the cloud of smoke with their individual postures, casting strong shadows on that green grass make for a strong composition. I was thinking it might be best to go with a horizontal composition with added lawn to the right enhancing their presence. What do you think?

Saxtons River Art Group Exhibition

(C) 2018 Photograph Dale DiMauro

Members of the Saxtons River Art Group will be exhibiting their paintings for the month of October at the Moore Free Library(Crowell Gallery) in Newfane, VT. This Sunday, October 7, 2018 from 1-3 PM, will be our opening reception, held during the Newfane Heritage Festival. The public is encouraged to attend.

With the help of my mom and another kind volunteer, I helped hang the forty odd paintings. The three paintings on the right are the watercolors I have on exhibit. The three watercolors on the left are my moms. Regardless, it is great to see all the paintings hanging in a gallery, as there is such a wide range of subjects and styles to take in.

This exhibit is not limited to watercolors as their are many done in oil, pastel and in multiple media. Simply noticing all the different kinds of frames and approaches to mounting ones work is quite eye opening.

Living Memorial Park

(C) 2018 Dale DiMauro

When I started this picture it seemed to me this might be a gem of a watercolor. I loved how the road meandered over the land and drew the eye into the picture. The colors seemed pleasing and I liked the warm shadows in the foreground cast from the dense growth.

This plein air painting was started in June and by the end of my outing the light had changed so much that the shadows were in a different place than when I started. When the paper dried the picture looked very different than when it was painted. The vivid colors and shimmering paper dried flat with bleached out colors.

As a result, the question is whether I want to carry it further. I figure there is something learned each time I work outside as the weather is so variable from one outing to another. In addition, working out in the elements makes the painter simplify their process, painting and composition.

The other dilemma is that I use a different palette for plein air painting than when painting in the studio. Outside I use a Sennelier paint set consisting of fourteen pigments with rich watery colors. While inside I primarily use Winsor Newton with up to forty tubes to draw upon.

I have become inspired to go back and finish some watercolors started outside. The recent post depicting Robin Hood Park in Keene, N.H was a painting with a satisfying end result. There is an ephemeral quality which is unique to painting outside. To carry forward this spirit of a place captured outside I find exciting.

Gray or is it green?

(C) 2018 Dale DiMauro

In watercolor painting I find coming up with grays a real challenge. Of course, you have warm and cool grays to utilize. Other painters say green, for them, is problematic. I do find many greens on the low value range synonymous with some grays.

Often I let pigments on my palette run into each other. This way I have pigment mixtures that I would not normally come up with. As a result there is often pools of gray accumulated in my mixing wells that I can draw upon.

I have learned that grays and other neutral colors enable other colors, such as red to sing. Grays if applied skillfully can emit a soft atmospheric quality in your painting. The greenish-gray seen here is a combination of some variety of cobalt blue and burnt sienna.

This is most likely a dull post but I believe it reflects the dreary weather we are having lately. The shorter days with decreased light levels due to this cloudy, rainy patch highlights a limited color scheme. Particularly, if you are an astute observer of nature. At this time of year I look out the window and try to come up a color that matches what I am seeing. 

Coastal Maine study

(C) 2018 Dale DiMauro

Painting the shoreline has been a fascination of mine for sometime. The coastline with it's wall of trees and sand rich with ocean smells is imprinted on my psyche. This landscape is full of atmospheric qualities such as fog and moisture which are perfect to convey in the medium of watercolor.

I draw inspiration in capturing the coast from some of the great watercolorists of our time. These include Stephen Scott Young, Dean Mitchell and Andrew Wyeth.

In this watercolor I continue to expand my color palette. I applied royal blue for the sky, wet on dry so the hard edges would give variety above the tree tops. The beach has warm and cool pockets where I added olive green or diluted cobalt to emphasize the contrast with areas that are in the sun. Lastly, all kinds of pigment were added when painting the trees to get variation in temperature and massing. These include ultramarine, payne's gray, raw umber, aureolin and quinacridone gold.

Robin Hood Park, Keene, NH

(C) 2018 Dale DiMauro

This past weekend I played in a tennis tournament in Keene, New Hampshire. After a long Saturday match I found a spot in the shade and started this plein air painting. This watercolor was eventually finished in the studio. 

What is exciting for me was capturing a quality of the spirit of this place. I can't really say that I have done that before. However, I believe between the back lit light, water and figure there is something ethereal about this picture.

There really are few hard edges in this painting which I find difficult to achieve. This made me consider the great tradition of english artists who paint watercolors with a lot of neutral colors and minimal contrast. David Curtis is one such painter who came to mind when I was wrapping up this painting.

Sketchbook paintings

(C) 2018 Dale DiMauro

Recently, I visited Northampton, Massachusetts with my wife. They have a lovely art store in the downtown area called Guild Art Supply, which I like to frequent when in the area. Up the street is a lovely gallery called R. Michelson Galleries which I believe, in a former life, was a bank with a grand space for exhibiting art. 

When other people travel they may inquire about local fine cuisine which I appreciate. In contrast, I continue to search for new papers to experiment with. Either to draw or paint on.

While in Northampton, I purchased this relatively inexpensive spiral-bound book for watercolors. This paper is called Superfine watercolor, which for me, is useful for quick studies. It is a thinner paper than I prefer which seems best for quick washes as opposed to building up layers of paint. My preferred approach in using this paper is to apply wet brush on to dry paper.

Self-portrait

(C) 2018 Dale DiMauro

Painting urban subjects I have discovered is a real challenge. This scene has numerous angles from storefronts with projecting signs to reflections in the window, etc. Therefore, if the perspective is off it is obvious and diminishes the painting significantly.

It is a painting where all the focus should be on the individual with the background kept simple. However, all those beautiful colors are wonderful to depict in watercolor. In that regard, this makes it a real watercolor.

Clearly, this painting has a long way to go. However, it has a strong composition and is like no other watercolor I have attempted. The setting is outside, during the summer season, along a cafe in Portland, Maine. 

Nature at it's finest

(C) 2018 Photograph Dale DiMauro

This photograph was taken last week, while paddling on Lowell Lake, which is in Londonderry, Vermont. With a small group of people whom I'd never met, we sought to escape the hot, humid weather by kayaking and swimming. This was a chance to truly get out in nature. Isn't that why we live in Vermont anyway?

I was struck by the stillness of the water and the overall timeless quality of the composition. Perhaps this scene would have been similarly found one hundred years ago. There still remains a pristine quality to this lake as development has not been allowed to encroach on it's shores. In fact, it now is a lovely state park.

The other quality I saw within this photograph is a painting in watercolor. As if it painted itself. First of all, I could not improve upon it's composition. Therefore, all an artist has to do is get his or her paints out. I would paint a blue wash over the whole paper as the sky is reflected in the water. Then I would paint in the yellows and greens of the tree line. Next, I would put another clean wash of blue over the water, followed by the shadow from the vegetation. A total of three pigments could accomplish this. Perhaps winsor blue, aureolin and shadow green will do it. What do you think?

Another skinny watercolor

(C) 2018 Dale DiMauro

This watercolor was inspired after going on a local paddle. After all, this hot summer has put me on and in the water more often than most summer seasons. 

As you can see I am continuing to explore all kinds of landscape formats. With the length of day decreasing, I have observed the shadows moving in, earlier across the landscape. This seems to make for increased color saturation.

At the same time I have been painting with larger brushes, bigger sheets of paper and a more natural approach. In particular, I like the shadow across the shoreline which makes that sliver of green pop out. The warmer vegetation in the middle provides some depth to the shore scene. 

Unfortunately, the paper would not lay flat when taking the photograph, which makes the painting look smaller. 

Art in the Park

2018 Photograph Dale DiMauro

This afternoon, my wife and I attended the local Art in the Park, which is held in Keene, N.H. In the past I have set-up a vendor tent, but not this year. This year's artists were fortunate as the hot and wet weather held off for the weekend

We saw many familiar faces and met some new folks. Many people retain the same location in the park year after year. This way we can search for people we know.

Of note, for me, was a fellow watercolorist from the Nashua, NH area with winter painting scenes. He used ink when painting some of his trees, scraped paint away with his razor blade for interesting effects and used white gouache in depicting animals against the snow.

A ripple in time.....

(C) 2018 Dale DiMauro

In my travels I am always seeking to capture the light on the landscape or an object. When some element of the landscape is awash with natural light you notice things you normally wouldn't. 

Often I start a painting seated in a chair and get up to view my work from a different perspective. At some point along the process I often do quite a bit of the painting from a standing position. In this instance, I was struck by the graphic nature of this piece. 

The absence of pigment created this movement of water on the surface of this pond. The other thing I noticed was the unified mass of washes which tie the image together. It has been said it is best to keep things simple and leave out the details until the end. Well these are some of the thoughts that have been going through my mind lately.

This watercolor was inspired from a popular, yet local swim spot here in Vermont. When I hop in my kayak I always bring my camera with me as I don't want to miss anything.

late summer heatwave

(C) 2018 Dale DiMauro

When I walked on the tennis courts in the late afternoon you could feel the increased humidity in the air. Mind you, this is not the site of flushing meadows(aka, the United States Open), but southern Vermont. This latest waft of humidity, reminded me, of what we are in for, the next several days.

My mind immediately returned to this watercolor painted not long ago. There is something enticing about cool green foliage and the sound of lapping water along the shoreline.

High humidity stifles my creative output. My arm sticks to the paper while the pigment can be slow to dry. In addition, my attention span wanders while I work on smaller paintings.

I long for a day, most likely in September, when I won't perspire as much as I have this summer. When that days comes I have all sorts of ideas to put down in paint. With a rapidly evolving palette I feel like my best days are ahead.

Great Head Postcard

(C) 2018 Dale DiMauro

This watercolor is a little memoir of my summer vacation in Maine. As mentioned in a prior post, my wife and I like to hike Great Head, in Acadia National Park, which is in Bar Harbor, Maine, when the sun is beginning to set. It is east-facing which in the heat of the day can be sweat-inducing. However, when the sun starts to go down, the light can become magical with a glow on the rocks and meadow areas.

This watercolor was painted on a damaged corner of Arches watercolor paper. I saw it as an opportunity to try out my Holbein paint palette which has vivid pigments. I like how the pigments run into each other.

I am cheap. I try not to waste any paper. If a watercolor becomes a dud, I either divide it up into smaller pieces to use as a test sheet or turn the sheet over and use the back.

Lowell Lake landscape

(C) 2018 Dale DiMauro

This summer, in Vermont, at least in Brattleboro, has been particularly strange. We had a late winter followed by a long stretch of sunny days with little precipitation for spring. Then towards the end of July it seemed to rain nearly everyday.

As a result of all this moisture, the landscape is verdant. This panoramic, I believe, conveys much of the range of greens we live with during this time of year. I do not remember a growing season where you could not skip mowing the lawn, one week, before it really gets out of hand.

Needless to say, I included a lot of yellow-greens and cool blues in developing this watercolor. The feeling of moisture with all it's atmospheric qualities seems to dominate this late summer landscape.

Great Head(Bar Harbor, Maine) Panorama

(C) 2018 Dale DiMauro

All summer I have been flirting with the idea of painting bolder landscapes. The other night I quickly painted this panorama on a scrap of Arches watercolor paper that has been kicking around. 

This watercolor is inspired from my recent trip to Maine. Great Head is one of my favorite hikes in Acadia National Park which is in Bar Harbor, Maine. My wife and I prefer this hike late in the afternoon when the glow on the rocks and vegetation is magical.

Painting the sky and water was truly an exciting moment for me. The paper was wet and the pigment was glistening on the surface. However, I wasn't so sure how the green in the foreground would turn out but am pleased with the result.

It seems like I learn something new each time I work with watercolor, whether it is the pigments, the paper or the impact a brush can make.

Robert O'Brien Watercolor Workshop

Photograph Dale DiMauro

In southern Vermont, we have an art group called the Saxton's River Art Guild, which puts together a calendar of art-related events. On Saturday, I attended one of these functions, a workshop in watercolor held by Robert O'Brien, a Vermont artist. Often Saturdays do not work for me, but this timing worked out well. This extended period of rain closed the deal for me, too.

This is a photograph of the watercolor Rob worked on as a demonstration at the workshop. He arrived with the drawing for the painting transferred to his paper so he could readily start painting. The circular white areas in the foreground are where Rob applied masking fluid which is removed at a later point in his painting process. Masking fluid is used to preserve the color of the watercolor paper from further staining.

I have had some success with using masking fluid but often find it frustrating. So far I have used it in small areas of my paintings. The issue for me is that most masking fluid dispensers clog easily and some dry the same color as the paper. It is important to know where it is on your sheet. This way when you remove it, you can be confident that you got it all.

I believe the workshop had thirteen in attendance including Rob, which is a nice-sized group. There were many familiar faces and quite a variety of artistic approaches. It is good to get out as an artist and broaden your perspective.

Winslow Homer

Photograph Dale DiMauro

This is a Winslow Homer graphite and pencil drawing, presumedly done as a study for a painting. It was created in 1879 and is titled Man with a Scythe. This depicts a period of mourning and renewal, following the civil war.

This photograph was taken last week when my wife and visited the Bowdoin College Museum of Art. We were impressed with the current exhibit on Homer's use of the camera during his life as an aid in his painting process. Seldom do you get to view paintings from such as master, at least in watercolor, these days.

I appreciate anyone who can draw, period. However, when an artist captures the human figure in motion with the correct proportions, scale etc, now that is impressive. 

When we were viewing the rest of the exhibition I kept wanting to come back to this drawing. Those simple pencil strokes captured my imagination.

Not far from the coast

(C) 2018 Dale DiMauro

Usually, I get some drawing and painting done when I travel, but this trip has been challenging. Each stop on this Maine vacation has been hot and humid. And I do not mean just during the days. There have been evenings and even nights when all of a sudden I start sweating because of the humidity. Perhaps, I take our heat pumps, which we use all summer, at home, for granted.

This watercolor, I started, one sticky evening, the other night. This picture I treated as a plein air yet was done inside. It has a freer nature than my studio work. What I do love about these are my willingness to try different techniques while my palette continues to evolve.

Since the Spring I have been thinking about better ways to incorporate opaque paint into my plein air paintings. When we visited the Bowdoin College Museum of Art recently, I studied this aspect of Winslow Homer's watercolors. 

For me, opaque paints are best applied after the transparent washes, but in limited areas. When painting outside this can simplify the painting process by making it more direct which is important as the natural light is constantly on the move.

I will discuss other revelations, to me, in my approach to working outside in upcoming posts.

Winslow Homer

(C) 2018 Photograph Dale DiMauro

The other day my wife and I visited the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, in Brunswick, Maine. We were impressed with their current exhibition titled Winslow Homer & the Camera: Photography & the Art of Painting. This exhibit runs from June 23 - October 28, 2018.

Winslow Homer was an American artist who lived from 1836-1910. Some consider him the most important artist in American history. In fact, earlier in the week, when I was at the Portland Museum of Art, one of the ushers told me that Homer is their most requested artist. 

This exhibition looks at Homer's lifelong fascination with photography and the use of the medium as applied to his paintings. Originally, Homer used the camera while fulfilling commissions for illustrations. He often used the camera as an aid in developing compositions and recording information.

This watercolor painting, Canoe in Rapids, was created in 1897.