The Sky

                                                                                       (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro
 

The sky can be difficult to paint in watercolor. Particularly, if you venture away from painting a blue sky. However, the sky can truly set the mood for your painting. Yet there is so much variety in the world above the landscape.

Tweaking how I paint my sky's has been an added emphasis lately. In the late fall I noticed there is such variation in the clouds and the colors of the sky. In fact, this watercolor started out as a sky study with some of the subtle nuances of pigmentation that I have been seeing lately.

I am constantly experimenting with new color mixes in order to expand upon my palette. I discovered this lively, green just the other day. It consists of quinacridone gold and cobalt blue. Of course you can darken it with ultramarine blue or warm it with a yellow such as raw siena.

Quick Watercolor Sketch

                                                                        (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro
 

Sometimes simple brush strokes is all that is necessary. Lately, I have been preparing the house and grounds for winter. As a result I have not painted as much.

However, I am eager to get back at it. I like the color combinations in this composition. In the tree I mixed yellow ochre with permanent brown and ultramarine blue. This is a warm brown which I really like. The wash in the foreground utilizes the same ultimate blue which has a warmth to it.

I think the brush strokes are important in this image. At times it is good to not fuss with the marks that your wash may leave. Those dry brush marks and erratic strokes when done well communicate much about the character of the tree trunk, for example. Also, the fluidity in watercolor can lend much beauty in your work, regardless of the subject matter.

Coastal Maine

                                                                                       (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro
 

Coastal Maine is such a strong experience in the psych of those who have experienced it. The smell of the ocean is so intoxicating, particularly if you have been away for some period of time. The visual and emotional associations we carry with us in our daily lives.

Recently, I was sorting through volumes of pictures I have held onto for some time when I came upon this image. The composition and simple earth colors stopped me in my tracks. Thus, I set this photograph aside and did a little watercolor inspired from this earlier this afternoon.

The ribbon of blue which is the ocean just seems to run off the page. Also, part of the spit of land projecting out in to the water disappears into the distant fog.

My Plein Air Palette

                                                                                       (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro
 

Well, it is about time I introduced you to my plein air palette. Since the cold weather makes it more difficult to paint outside I miss using it.

As you can see it has four wells that fold out and nearly doubles the size of it's closed dimensions. Basically, I put the cool pigments(blues & greens) on the right side and the warm colors(reds & yellows) on the left side. I try not to put pigment on the end panels as they are flat and it requires more surfaces to clean.

When I am done painting on location I close the end panels and carry it in my hand to either my car or home and then clean it at home. By then I find the pigments have dried and I avoid making a mess if I put it in my painting bag. For me the most important area to clean is the hinges which can accumulate paint and the upper areas around the wells.

This palette has sixteen wells which hold pigment. One of the things I like most about this palette is that it has deep wells. I fill the wells with Holbein paint from the their pigment tubes.

I have learned to embrace and depend on this palette as painting outside can be a challenge. I like that I can paint standing up or sit down and even rest this palette on my thigh.

Brattleboro Common

                                                                        (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro

For most of the year, the Brattleboro Common is a lovely spot to hang out. In particular, I like the quality of the trees and the picnic tables. I have painted here many times in all kinds of weather. I seem to notice something different every time I am at the Common. 

Since summer I have been meaning to paint the statue on the war memorial. There is something about this figure and it's location that has captured my imagination. Maybe it's the updated plaque by the memorial - I don't know.

For me this watercolor captures some of the characteristics I think of when I think of the Brattleboro Common. The edge of meandering trees is special with the additional specimen trees scattered about the space. Also, the ribbon of a path is inviting.

BROWN in the Landscape

                                                                                     (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro
 

More browns are entering my watercolors which I think is a good thing. In some cases browns may dull the image but they are such a natural element in the landscape. We see browns in the coloration of beaches, the bottom of rivers and in the meandering flow of things. Particularly, with the combination of greens we see such a natural or organic quality.

Yellow ochre and burnt umber makes a lively, smooth, warm brown. Cadmium red with permanent sap green and winsor violet makes a truly mud brown pigment. These pigmentations make me think of spring or summer.

I painted this watercolor on a rough scrap of watercolor paper. I don't think I have ever painted a watercolor which seemed to come out so dark. Or is it that the photograph is so dark. Anyway, I like the ribbon of a path criss-crossing in the foreground.

Hooker's Green

                                                                             C) 2022 Dale DiMauro
 

Hooker's green is not a pigment I have used in some time. However, I read recently, how useful it is in making a greater range of greens. Since then I have put a dollup on my palette to experiment with.

As you can see in the above photograph, hooker's green adds a cool temperature to your watercolor painting. Here, I have added burnt sienna to hookers green. It has been said that hooker's green has the pigmentation of apple leaves.

Many pigments right out of the tube seem flat and unexciting. Hooker's green I definitely would concur is one of those pigments best when used in mixes with other pigments.

Stretcher Board

                                        (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro

Recently, I started a painting on a full sheet of watercolor paper. Now that I am primarily painting inside, it seemed like the time had come to paint big. It is not that I haven't painted large because I have, but there are certain issues you need to contend with at the increased scale. One is the sheet takes up most of my desk and the palette seems to get in the way.

Actually, I was eager to paint large since I got this stretcher board for my birthday, in April. I am impressed that the paper(140lb) remains as tight as a drum even when the paper is wet. I am comfortable stretching smaller sizes when needed, but it is frustrating to have watercolor paper buckle on me, particularly with the the larger sizes.

This paper stretcher is marketed as the KEBAartmate. For me it is an aid in getting me to paint larger watercolors on a more frequent basis.

A New Brown to Explore

                                                                                      (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro
 

Recently, I discovered a new lovely brown. For some time I have been searching for a rich, lively brown and finally I have arrived at one. When yellow ochre is mixed with burnt umber it creates this soft brown.

As you can see in the above photograph(of a watercolor) this brown has the color of beach sand. It certainly can be tweaked by making it cooler with an ultramarine blue or warming it up with a yellow or red, if needed.

When I learn of a new color combination I get real exited because I can begin to experiment with other colors on my palette, with a fresh approach. This begins to change how I view and thus paint the landscape.

Higgins Beach(Maine)

                                                                                       (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro
 

Painting the sky can be a real challenge. It is the first area I focus on when starting a watercolor. For me the real challenge is not so much the sky as painting clouds in the sky. With a little more practice I believe I am progressing.

Last summer while in Maine my wife and I experienced stunning sunsets on a daily basis. It was incredible to see the sunset across the ocean but when we turned around the estuary would be just as stunning. And this is the largest estuary in Maine, not far from Winslow Homer's residence in Prout's Neck.

Also, painting the sunset pushes my palette farther than I would normally pursue. That brilliant orange you see along the horizon is a combination of quinacridone gold and cadmium red.

Fall Foliage

                                                                           (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro
 

It really warmed up this afternoon. It was nearly seventy degrees in Brattleboro, VT. It definitely didn't feel like November. However, the sun and natural light was great.

This pleasant weather inspired me to get outside and squeeze in some plein air painting. I noticed a lot of oranges and russet colors today. I painted this at a picnic table at Fort Dummer Park. 

A few touches done in the studio will finish off this picture. There ended up to be too much repetition on the left side of this picture. All the trees and limbs seem to be of a similar size and the coloration is monotonous. I will add in some larger tree trunks and pockets of stronger color. 

I missed much of the peak foliage this season, as I have been recovering from COVID-19.

Northampton Rail Trail

                                                                                       (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro
 

When I can I like to bike or even walk along the Northampton Rail Trail in Hadley, MA. It is a well kept up rail trail with lovely scenic views of agricultural land for the most part. It has quality signage and areas where you can pull over to make adjustments to your bike or drink from your water bottle out of the flow of other cyclists.

This watercolor was inspired from one of my more recent trips on the rail trail. The strong light and warm ground plane really left an impression on me.

This was painted on this Masters' Choice watercolor paper which I have taken a liking to. This is a rough-textured paper which conveys a nice quality to the image.

COVID-19 & Other Thoughts

                                                                             (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro
 

It has been a difficult process to go from painting outside to inside this year. The actual act of painting is not what has been difficult but all the stuff going on in the perimeter.

The days have gotten short so fast I have not been able to paint much of the lovely fall colors or autumnal scenes. At the same time it seems like it rains a lot or is at least damp well into the day.

Along the way I have been thinning out stuff in my studio to get in the right mindset for winter painting. I usually thin out stuff at this time of year, but this year, it seems to involve more areas of the house.

On top of all this I tested positive for COVID-19 last night. Based on the symptoms I have exhibited over the last eight days or so such as fever, chills, and sore throat etc., I have been self-isolating already.

When it was raining yesterday afternoon I was able to paint this figure study. I like the warmth of the colors.

Late Summer

                                                                                      (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro
 

It always feels good to push watercolor and pigments around. Certain colors I associate with places or the time of year. That experience is strong for me just as smell is said to conjure up all kind of associations.

This watercolor screams of late summer with the dark canopy before the leaves change color and fall off. Likewise, the gray New England hills and the dappled light across the lawn speaks to me of the lazy days of Summer.

After a week of being ill and away from the brush I needed to paint a little cheery scene.

Watercolor sketch

                                                                        (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro
 

I don't like to waste paper and since I am under the weather with a nasty cough this watercolor came about. You can always learn something when mixing up different pigments.

I am not sure if this is a finished picture but I like how the viewer is drawn into the picture. Alizarin crimson and permanent sap green made a nice lively brown which I put at the base of the shrubbery.

On thing I have learned is that you need to get the drawing correct. If the drawing is right the colors can make the drawing sing.

Rough Paper

                                                                                       (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro
 

Often I will paint on a scrap of watercolor paper I have laying around. More so, if the opposite side has a painting that didn't turn out so well. Sometimes I just didn't carry the picture further for some reason, usually because of a lack of time.

This is one of those cases. In addition, I didn't realize how rough the surface of the paper was. The roughness of the paper I don't find as a hindrance as much as an opportunity. It is important to try not to fill in all the valleys of the paper with paint. Thus, I need to lay down my brush stroke and then move on to the next area to paint. I have learned to appreciate the 'sparkle' characteristic of where the paper is absent of any pigment.

As a side note I have been introducing more browns into the colorations of the structure of my trees. I don't really know if this development I am conscious of or not. Many tree trunks from my observation have a gray or purplish coloring depending on the light or time of year, however, there is a warmth when in the light.

Living Memorial Park

                                                                          (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro
 

When I go to our local park, Living Memorial Park, in Brattleboro, VT, often I experience great vistas of the landscape with dramatic contrasts in light. This was one of those days. Even the road had interesting color patterns.

What I do like about this watercolor is that it was painted in around one and a half hours. I was locked in with few distractions enabling me to move across the page with no real hesitancy.

I find myself learning and experimenting with each watercolor, regardless of the topic. It has been said that painting is about seeing. I concur with that insight. 

The West River

                                                                                       (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro
 

Recently, I walked along the West River in Brattleboro, VT. It was a late afternoon and the sun was shielded by the clouds for a period of time. So I took a photograph which appeared as if it were a black and white image.

Days later this made think I should consider painting a monotone watercolor or a sepia-colored painting.

Well this is what I came up with and I kind of like it. It is a stark image but strong in conveying the tree, river and distant landscape. To me it appears timeless as if it could have been painted one hundred years ago.

I only used three pigments to paint this scene: sepia/ultramarine blue and permanent sap green.

The Upper Field

                                                                            (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro
 

It is always satisfying to paint the landscape whether it is outside or in the studio. To observe the colors out in the environment is a noble activity. Or at least I think, so as they are constantly changing.

This is the upper field at the Brattleboro Retreat. I hadn't walked through the trails, forest or fields in quite some time. I acknowledge the colors are going to change soon and a majority of the foliage will fall.

I prefer to combine quinacridone gold with either ultramarine blue or viridian for the yellow-green or green of fields.

Plein Air Painting

                                                                             (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro
 

On Saturday I was fortunate to attend a free, local, watercolor workshop with my mom. It was a little less than three hours in length. However, it was great to paint outside, as the seasons are rapidly changing. When we arrived at the painting location the temperature was still in the forties with a few drops in the air and much cloud cover.

I got off to a rough start with my painting as I was sitting on the edge of an uncomfortable stone wall which had a lovely vantage point. My original location was occupied by two other people so I had to adjust on the fly.

I only got so far with my picture but it seemed like I was heading in the right direction. In the distance are New Hampshire mountains with Mount Monadnock just off the page to the right. Compositionally, I like the idea of framing the picture with the tall tall birch tree on the left and the evergreen towards the right.

Every painting experience is different but I seem to look at the sheet of the paper and the pigments differently all the time. I seem to paint more direct all the time with little hesitancy. However, at least when painting, I often feel pressed for time.