Following the Bead

                                                                              C) 2023 Dale DiMauro

Watercolor is such a diverse medium. You can apply paint or mark the paper in such diverse and numerous ways. You can paint in watercolors outside, in the studio or in your car.

The paint can be applied wet on wet, wet on dry or with a dry brush. You can paint on smooth, textured or rough paper.

Recently, I have taken to following the bead of wet paint down the paper as I go along. In essence, the painting is or can be done in one wash. However, you can go back and add a wash here or there after the paper has dried.

LOCAL FIELD

                                                                             (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro

Since I have upgraded my computer I have scrolled though photographs of watercolors painted many years ago. I have to say I am impressed. On some paintings another wash here or there may clarify the values or convey better depth but in total there is a lot to take in.

This is a watercolor painted in the fall many seasons ago inspired from a local field I walk through often, even recently. I love the warm colors and distant hills.

Increasingly I nudge myself to paint larger, with bigger brushes and a larger palette.

The Brattleboro Common

                                                                          (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro
 

Painting the Brattleboro Common en plein air has developed into a ritual for me. Sometimes it is hard to know when it is warm enough to paint outside, at least, at the beginning of the summer season. I use the Brattleboro Common as my test run as it is a reliable painting spot with picnic tables and the snow often melts first here.

I like the abstract quality of this watercolor. There is a minimalistic quality to this image but I like the simplicity and flow to the colors.

Apologies to all for not able to post yesterday. I upgraded my computer two weeks ago and had all kind of glitches navigating the blog and my email.

Sketchbook Paintings

                                                                                       (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro
 

When all else fails it is best to draw or paint in the sketchbook. Whether it is testing out color studies or improving on capturing the human form it is always good to go back to the old friend - the sketchbook. 

It has a record of what you have done and an indication of what you can do in the future. There is much more life in a sketchbook than in a final painting. It has a soul and fluency in technique, colors and approach than your ever find on the wall of a gallery. 

I always try to carry a sketchbook everywhere I go but other demands and obligations interfere. One's skills can really develop if they persist and are allowed to develop.

PLEIN AIR SEASON

                                                                                       (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro
 

With the temperature reaching the seventies, locally, it feels like summer is not far off. Today, I dug out my summer clothes and tick apparel. 

I even painted my first plein air of the season. However, this plein air painting is from last summer. 

Recently, I bought a new mac computer and am getting up to speed. I am yet to master the new photograph application. But, boy the colors of summer are so enticing.

Missing Painting

                                                                            (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro
 

The Saxton's River Art Group is exhibiting for the month of May, in the Crowell Gallery, at the Moore Free Library, in Newfane, Vermont. 

In the past I have exhibited with this group and as a solo exhibit in this same space. I wanted to exhibit this particular painting above which I cannot find. It is framed and ready to go.

I have searched in every closet space and storage area and have come up empty handed each time. 

Hopefully, it turns up soon. It is beginning to feel like the missing Vermeer painting. A lot of frustration with zero results.

GATORBOARD

                                                                                       (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro
 

Years ago I purchased this Gatorboard from Cheap Joes, a mail order company well known for selling art supplies. It had been used a bit in the past and had acquired pigment stains and some dirt accumulated on the edges.

Well, today I cleaned it up and taped a watercolor sheet down and started a watercolor. The board looks likes it is brand new again.

I will say it is tricky to prevent the paper from buckling. I am always experimenting with different methods of keeping the paper taunt. I prefer it stretched tight like a drum.

Cropping Your Watercolor

                                                                                 (C)2023 Dale DiMauro
 

When I need to step back from my watercolor painting to gain a greater perspective I often grab one of these pre-cut mats to see how the picture is coming along. They help to crop the edges and determine which areas need further refinement.

Sometimes it reveals two pictures in one.  The area below the mat is of the cloud pattern reflected in the water - a painting in of itself.

I have many of these mats in different sizes in my studio. These mats seem to guide me in determining where I should sign my painting, too.

West River Field

                                                                             (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro
 

It is always rewarding painting the landscape as the creative process makes you observe the land. That curve which marks the edge of the field I would say is significant in this painting. It gives the field character and draws the viewers attention.

I introduced some brown into the sky which I had not done before. This provides some warmth and creates a mood of calm.

What strikes me about this picture are the clear washes of color. All the landscape elements seem well defined. 

New Color Combination

                                                                                                (C) Dale DiMauro
 

Discovering new color combinations and imagining how I would put them to use is an endless fascination. We have such strong associations with color going back to childhood that it can move you in ways you can't fathom. For instance, this coloring reminds me of attending a wedding reception in Boulder, Co., in late summer, when the drought turned the foliage and earth to a similar hue.

The pairing of red cadmium and burnt umber gives you a western or dry feel that is distinct from all the greens I normally experience or paint. To me this pairing is more of an earth color than I thought.

The backdrop of orangey-red makes the browns come forward. I particularly like the reflection along the water.

Imaginary Landscape

                                                                             (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro
 

It is amazing how far you can develop your landscape painting with one wash of watercolor. This is an arches bound watercolor book which I randomly use because I prefer to paint at various scales.

However, if you paint from the top down with a slight incline and follow the bead of moisture you can put down a picture from the get-go.

As it begins to dry you can go in and apply some details or strengthen your values if you feel it is necessary. Afterwards, I went in and added the upper blue for the water so the contours of the landscape read more easily.

Watercolor Studies

                                                                                       (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro

When I am pressed for time or feeling sick I revert to painting watercolor studies. This is a photograph from my multi-media, Holbein sketchbook.

There seems to be an endless array of pigment combinations available to the modern watercolor painter. However, to arrive upon a tried and true color combination for use in your watercolor painting takes patience and practice.

Currently, I like the colors used in the lower right watercolor. I used only two pigments: sepia and pthalo blue. The combination of drybrush and the cool colorations appeal to me.

Red Cadmium & Ultramarine Blue

                                                                                       (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro
 

This landscape was painted with two pigments: cadmium red and ultramarine blue. I don't believe the photograph does the image justice. However, one can recognize the fluidity of the colors and the variation within the colorations.

Dropping in more color in the foreground before the pigments dry gives the picture a greater sense of depth. The use of a rigger brush suggests dormant growth on the edges of the painting.

I often sit on the couch while watching television with a small sketchbook to jot down pigment combinations which come to mind or others that I intend to experiment with.

Late Winter in Vermont

                                                                                       (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro
 

Holbein puts out this multi-drawing book which I have fully embraced as a sort of watercolor sketchbook. It has very white, yet thin pages. However, it is lovely to paint on. They come in all different sizes. I don't believe they are intended for building up layers of washes, as such they are great for being on the go.

Along the journey of using these books I have appreciated the value in leaving the white of the paper unpainted where possible. It makes for very vibrant wet on dry watercolor painting. The edges you get can be very lively and expressive.

It can be useful for figure studies and experimenting with different pigment combinations.

BRATTLEBORO COMMON

                                                                              (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro
 

Believe it or not, this is the Brattleboro Common (Vermont) in the middle of winter, at an earlier point in February. What snow we had, had melted before it snowed again. It looks like it could be early November or early April. Go figure.

I like the contours of the landscape and the wall of trees along the edge of the lawn. There is a stillness in this picture which I find calming.

Signing one's name on a painting seems to be a delicate matter for many artists. You don't want your signature to be too big or gaudy in color, yet look professional. I believe I have improved a lot in this department.

NEW LANDSCAPE OVER UNFINISHED LANDSCAPE

                                                                                       (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro

To advance in watercolor you need to go in directions you can not anticipate. Sometimes taking a workshop can expose you to techniques that will open your eyes. Other times exploring different subject matter may change your perspective.

I am proud of the direction this watercolor has taken. Originally, I was experimenting by painting a sky with some yellows and horizontal cloud shapes. However, it looked dark and unimaginative. So this watercolor sat on my table for some time.

Recently, it occurred to me I could paint a different landscape over this watercolor. It is far from done but I am inspired to carry forth. Actually, I am painting a summer scene of the local retreat meadows onto this watercolor. 

This dark sky has become a welcome addition as this has a dramatic setting and it pushes me to paint more value in to my sky.

LOCAL FIELD

                                                                                       (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro
 

The thought of a sunny late summer day after shoveling snow for days is really appealing to me. This is the upper field at the Brattleboro Retreat in Vermont.

I have always admired how the foreground foliage frames the field and the light and shadows etc. Ironically, one would expect to run in to people from time to time in such a great space but seldom do I cross the path with others up their.

For some time I had been meaning to capture the field in watercolor with it's feathery foreground foliage. Clearly, many greens were created but in the foreground I experimented with mixes of sepia and burnt sienna.

This was painted on a 12" x 16" Arches (cold press)watercolor block.

AERIAL PERSPECTIVE

                                                                                  (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro
 

Aerial perspective reveals a lot when painting a landscape. When there is a complex topography and a wide area to cover it is fun and rewarding to paint from a bird's perspective.

This watercolor is an imaginary landscape with all these wetland inlets and massing of growth. The white of the paper makes all the horizontal surfaces pop forward.

This was painted free-hand with just two pigments: new gamboge and payne's gray. I like expressive watercolors and the foreground is charged with lucid brushwork.

WINTER LANDSCAPE

                                                                                       (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro
 

This evening we finally are getting some actual snow. Hopefully, it won't all wash away by tomorrow. 

I have cross-country skied seven times this year, which is amazing since southern Vermont hasn't had much snow to speak of. All that skiing occurred in roughly two weeks at the Brattleboro Outing Club.

This watercolor is a sort of postcard of that experience. I dropped in the figure to lend a sense of scale to the landscape. Under the snow the contours of the landscape reveal themselves which I find magical.

SUNNY LATE SUMMER LANDSCAPE

                                                                                       (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro

Every time I paint a landscape (or draw one for that matter) I learn something. It is very calming and along the way I constantly experiment with techniques, colors or paper.

I was eager to finish this landscape this weekend. However, I didn't get it done. Instead I volunteered at our local ski jump which is walking distance from my house.

It's all good. This experience made me look at the (local)landscape with a fresh perspective.

There are some backlit shrubs and tree massing in the foreground which will add a lot to the painting by framing the distant landscape. 

I included one of my matchboxes in the photograph because I resisted cropping it out. I love to sketch automobiles based on these matchboxes.