Fall Falls on the Local Landscape

                                                                              (C)2023 Dale DiMauro
 

Time seems precious at this time of year as the leaves fall off the tree before you know it. Also, the length of day fades fast. Yet we have had some beautiful days lately and I feel obligated to get outside and paint.

Local fields are as favorite source of inspiration for me to paint. Much of it can be attributed to the light and shadows of this time of year.

In this watercolor I like curve of the woodland edge on the upper right. A few days ago it seemed incomplete and artificial so I tweaked the contour of the field, added darks and increased the height of the trees.

This was painted on 140lb coldpress Arches watercolor paper. I have always enjoyed painting on their watercolor blocks as they are portable and tight as a drum.

Watercolor in sketchbook

                                                                                       (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro
 

Landscape painting is rewarding no matter the season or subject matter. Along the way my brushwork continues to improve. I am less hesitant over time and can achieve more with less brushstrokes. 

This picture is more a result of practicing my brushstrokes as a way of limbering up before I start painting in earnest. It is exciting when the paint runs a bit as the colors blend with each other unifying areas of the painting.

I am forever finding new pigment combinations and then experimenting with them. While painting this watercolor rapidly I kept thinking about this other combination: quinacridone gold and Winsor violet. I learned this paint combination makes a lovely neutral and am eager to put it to use.

The Brattleboro Common(Plein air)

                                                                             (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro
 

In southern Vermont we certainly have had lovely weather lately. It's refreshing after a summer of high humidity, rain and poor air quality. This has fueled me to get outside and paint when possible.

I don't usually paint outside in the early morning but on Monday I did. Often my plein air painting happens in the late afternoon. At this time of year, with the morning light and fog, the landscape is quite captivating. I don't know if this photograph captured the colors but they are quite rich and varied.

The view here is looking toward the Retreat Meadows from the Brattleboro Common with a little spit of water in the distance. This was done in one sitting from the seat of a picnic table. As I painted this watercolor I began to notice the color change of the deciduous trees before my eyes.

My Favorite Local Field

                                                                       (2023) Photograph Dale DiMauro
 

In all my travels this year I come back again and again to this local field. There is such drama in the vast open space of this field. The color change in fall, verdant green growth in spring and snow in winter all play out to such great effect in this field.

Today, a farmer was cutting down the corn stalks with his tractor. He looked very small in relation to the space. However, I like to observe whatever changes occur when I pass by whether it is birds flittering in the distance or changing shadows across the landscape.

These ephereal effects are the very thing watercolor is great at capturing. The ever-changing atmospheric qualities such as mist rising off the cornfield really capture one's attention when we are observant and tuned into the seasons.

Bratttleboro Common

                                                                            (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro
 

The Brattleboro Common is a lovely spot to plant yourself for a few hours or an afternoon when you can - when the weather is good. I have come to appreciate this small park throughout the seasons - if nothing other than the lovely trees we have.

It felt great to get outside the other day and paint in plein air with good air quality unlike during the humid summer. The afternoon sun is special at this time of year. The shadows are longer but it is the warmest time of the day.

It is good to include some structure in my picture so I had to include the monument. I didn't get to finish this painting outside but I feel good about what I did in an hours time.

Autumnal Colors Starting to Emerge

                                                                          (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro
 

This time of year is one of my favorite to paint plein air watercolors. Between the seasonal color changes, the temperature fluctuations and the fog lifting off the rivers there is a lot of atmospheric effects which are suitable to capture in watercolor.

However, this watercolor was painted in my studio due to a lack of time. But I feel the urge to get outside as the season changes so fast.

Quinacridone gold is one of my favorite pigments. I use it to mix a variety of greens and browns. 
I don't know if I could get along without it. In this watercolor I used it for the green in the field, the tree foliage, the vegetation along the shore and for the shadow on the water.

As I have stated in previous posts I really like this Master's Choice watercolor paper. The rough version of this paper has a nice feel to it. Various pigmentations leave a lovely pattern on the paper.

The End of Summer

                                                                                       (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro
 

With chillier mornings and shorter days people are talking about the changing of the seasons. It seems to come so fast because it is. The quality of the light I see out in the land is so different then it was a month ago.

At the same time I keep thinking about this painting that NC Wyeth did which was found in New Hampshire. A woman purchased it for four dollars yet it was understood to have sold for around one-hundred fifty thousand dollars at auction.

This little watercolor I painted a while back for me sums up both thoughts. For me it has a Chadds Ford feel with its tawny colors and sparse life to it. The summer season has clearly passed on.

Atmosphere and Atomizer

                                                                                       (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro
 

It is important for me to squeeze in some watercolor painting every day when possible. This continuity keeps things moving forward while keeping the mind engaged. A variety of ideas emerge while painting or reading the newspaper which is some cases, I can incorporate in one of my next paintings.

For example, many years ago I purchased an atomizer which when used properly you blow with your lips through a tube which can gently spray a film of pigment across the texture of the paper to great effect. I have not really embraced this painting device as I have not had much success with this technique.

However, on youtube I saw this being utilized to great effect. Now I am inspired to see what I can do with this tool.

The above photograph is a quick little watercolor I did recently while pressed for time. However, I like the warm neutral colors that convey the atmospheric qualities in this image. I put down a wash of brown before painting in the water along the shoreline which dictated how I would proceed.

A View From Cadallac Mountain(Bar Harbor, Maine)

                                                                             (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro

Bar Harbor, Maine is certainly a beautiful place to be - particularly in the summer. Obviously, with Acadia National Park residing on the island, it draws a lot of tourists.

Since my wife and I didn't make it up to Bar Harbor this summer, unlike most years, this watercolor is sort of a postcard or momento of years past. 

When in Maine this summer, I purchased this Rembrandt watercolor block in Portland. I really like how this paper holds the pigment and responds when the paper is wet. Previously, I was unaware Rembrandt even existed as far as manufacturing watercolor paper.

PHOTOGRAPH: Tropical Vermont

                                                                                   (C) 2023 Photograph Dale DiMauro
 

Early in the morning on Tuesday I went for a walk down into Brattleboro, VT. I saw the Connecticut River and the adjacent land shrouded in a mist reminiscent of the tropics. This experience blew my mind. It was such a dramatic event that I am still thinking about it today.

I keep thinking how I would go about capturing these elements in watercolor. After all, watercolor, to me, is the best medium for capturing atmospheric effects on paper.

Just looking at this watercolor I can feel all the moisture in the air. The cool green foliage looks so lush, too. Later on it became one of those heat advisory days with a heat index approaching one hundred degrees.

Scott Farm

                                                                                       (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro

Scott Farm, in Dummerston, VT is such a historic place. Not only was Cider House Rules filmed there but the buildings and landscape remain from a previous era. It is significant that some of the buildings and landscape have been repurposed for the time we live in.

They process from their orchards apple cider which they sell to the public. One of their buildings is rented out for wedding receptions and The Stone Trust teaches wall and patio construction on the grounds.

Also, it is a lovely spot to paint plein air landscapes. I painted this scene last year with the Saxton's River Art Group which organizes their own plein air outings. I don't know that I finished this painting but was off to a good start.

Worcester Art Museum

 

This past week my mom and I visited the Worcester Art Museum in Worcester, MA. One of the current exhibitions is titled Watercolors Unboxed, which runs through September 10, 2023. These paintings are from their permanent collections.

It is rare to see watercolors on exhibit, it seems, in a museum not far from home, in Vermont. In particular, I enjoyed studying the Winslow Homer(1836-1910) and John Singer Sargent(1856-1925) watercolors. My mom and I were lucky, timing wise, to join a group with a guide discussing aspects of many of the watercolors on exhibit.

This John Singer Sargent, above titled, Boats at Anchor, 1917, was one of my favorite watercolors from the show. It is rare to see a Sargent watercolor in person. His use of color drew me in to his watercolors. For example, I love the browns and neutrals in the foreground of this picture.

What I admired most about Winslow Homer's watercolors on exhibit, were the free-flowing brushstrokes and emotional portray of the atmospheric effects.

Plein Air Watercolor

                                                                             (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro
 

The Saxton's River Art Group had their last plein air outing of the season, earlier this week. It was the only one I was able to attend. This one was held at the historic Scott Farm in Dummerston, VT.

This was my watercolor from the outing, painted all on-site. I found a lovely spot to paint out of the sun under a big tree with the steady sound of a running waterfall.

I added the two figures above as their had been a couple sitting on the picnic table earlier.

Winsor Newton Watercolor Block

                                                                                      (C) 2022 Dale DiMauro

Landscape painting never gets old. At least for me it doesn't. I notice things about the landscape everyday in my travels. The light and shadows say so much about the time of year and characteristics of the land.

For this watercolor I tried a new painting block, one by Winsor & Newton. The paper has a different texture than I am used to but I feel good about this surface.

I like the foliage of the tree and the space within the leaves. It sort of has a life of it's own with well-defined edges. In addition, there was an interesting cloud which I was proud of, but it got buried behind the tree foliage

Diversifing My Skies

                                                                                        (C)2023 Dale DiMauro

Painting more varied and diverse skies is something I have been working on. In the past I relied heavily on ultramarine blue with some combination of blue and perhaps would add some red to get a little gray. 

However, this Summer I purchased a cerulean blue from Daniel Smith which is the best tube of this pigment I have ever used. Here I have blended from the horizon - brilliant orange/alizarin crimson and cerulean for a sky very different from what I would normally come up with. The sky sets the mood for the landscape setting so it is important to capture what it is you want to say.
 

The more I use The Master's Choice watercolor paper, the more I like it. In particular, I like this rough surface which has a lovely texture when the pigment has settled into all it's little hills and valleys.

Living Memorial Park

                                                                                       (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro
 

This has been a challenging year to paint outside. With all the rain and forecast for rain it has been very uncertain whether painting outside would be successful. 

Today, I got outside on this lovely day and did some watercolor painting. I had low expectations for what I would produce but was pleased with the experience and the result. I hadn't painted outside in months but found I was quite focused and not bothered much by all the distractions.

There is a well-used frisbee golf course in town at the local open space called Living Memorial Park. Many, many people paraded by me with frisbees but overall it was a great experience.

Clark Art Museum

                                                                                       (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro
 

Every summer my wife and I make our journey to the Clark Art Museum in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It is a beautiful museum in a beautiful setting with a state of the art permanent collection.

The last few years after the museum closes for the day we have been climbing the hill above their campus by trail to take in the view. I like the pastoral landscape up on the hill with the clusters of mature trees, open grassland and rough contours. Usually I take some photographs as the landscape is so distinct and undeveloped.

This experience inspires me to paint watercolors of this setting. This watercolor above is drawn from that experience. Since this last visit I have tweaked my palette some. To represent the warm greens and yellows I have been combining aureolin with cerulean and cerulean in my sky over ultramarine blue.

Rembrandt Watercolor Block

                                                                            (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro
 

On my recent trip to Portland, Maine I purchased a small watercolor block made by Rembrandt. I had never heard of this brand of paper but I really like how this surface receives pigment.

You can see in the photograph above how fresh the watercolor looks. This is the first time using this paper so I am optimistic about what I can do going forward.

The surface of the paper has a nice little weave to it. I purchased this in Maine at the Artist & Craftsman Supply Store. This is the best arts store I have ever been in.

West River Trail

                                                                                      (C) 2023 Dale DiMauro
 

A Summer of rain has made Vermont very green. It's like Spring in the Summer. Also, the various shades of green are so vivid and lush.

I painted this watercolor of a local trail because I have not seen it like this, at this time of year, if ever. It does make for a good scene though. These colors tweak my palette more along the cooler blues than I usually use at this time of year.

With this rain the animals seem to have returned, too. After a trip to Maine the skunks, woodchucks, squirrels and mice seem to have multiplied.

Clark Art Museum

 

Last week my wife and I visited the Clark Art Museum in Williamstown, Ma. This is basically our annual pilgrimage to see some of our favorite paintings from their permanent collection as well as view new exhibitions. 

Unlike most major museums the Clark Art Museum sits in a rural setting which makes the visit even more special. The buildings and campus were upgraded several years ago and now has walking trails and a greater environmental focus.

Since I am recovering from an eye infection and did not want to do a lot of reading, my wife and I took a tour let by a knowledgable docent and participated in a talk in their prints and drawing room. One of the drawings was a watercolor by Winslow Homer.