Imaginary Landscape

                                                                           (C) 2021 Dale DiMauro
 

Sometimes the best paintings develop when I am tired. When I am tired direct painting takes over. I become too impatient for contemplating which colors to use or fussing over which brush to use and simply paint.

Also, there is a freshness to this method of painting. Watercolors can become overworked but not with this approach.

If something catches my eye out in nature and I need to record the colors or image, this is the way I paint. This is basically a study. Regardless, there is much to be said for this way of painting. This is sort of a recording which can jog my memory at a future point in time. 

The Brattleboro Common

 

                                                                           (C) 2021 Dale DiMauro

Plein air painting can be a wild ride of unpredictability. Late this afternoon I painted this watercolor from a picnic table on the Brattleboro Common. It was exciting to work on this picture when the paper and pigment were still wet and juicy. 

Of note, I took a very direct approach to painting this scene. I kept painting areas while other areas were still wet. Also, I did minimal drawing prior to painting. Thus, I worked out the composition as I painted.

However, as it dried it looks a bit flat while the photograph is not kind to the subject matter. It is a challenge and rare to completely finish a watercolor in one sitting.

What really drew me to this perspective were the two women sitting on the park bench. It is great to have a human presence in your paintings. However, they clearly do not dominate the scene. I like the sense of depth in the picture and the layers of foliage.

It goes to show every once in a while you come up with a dud. However, I learn the most from these experiences.

Watercolor Painting

                                                                                       (C) 2021 Dale DiMauro
 

In the summer when the days are long, there are many distractions to keep you from painting. Continuity is essential to continued progress. Observing, recording and painting the colors out in nature I find valuable. This process seeps into your developing palette.

When outside you must learn to simplify your composition. You can't cram every little detail into your paintings. With the changing light you develop a greater connection with the natural flow of life. Ultimately, I find this experience relaxing.

I hope my paintings in my watercolor-bound book express some of these qualities. It has sixty-four pages to paint on and I have painted on four pages thus far. There are portraits in addition to landscapes and color studies. However, the portability of this painting surface is most appealing, particularly as time is limited in the busy summer months. Also, it fits neatly in my bag without taking up much space.

Color Studies

                                                                           (C) 2021 Dale DiMauro

Just as pencil sketches are great aids in finalizing your compositions, color studies can be helpful in figuring out which pigments you will use. Even quick little studies can jog your memory when you are back in the studio. If painted out in the field you may match colors you would not normally combine which can really broaden your horizons and palette.

In landscape painting I prefer to convey depth in my watercolors. I try to achieve this through color saturation in the foreground and by utilizing drawing skills. If you can convey sunlight on the land or conversely shadows cast from trees or buildings it adds much to your painting.

It is always fun to see how the paper reacts when the pigment is applied. These color studies were done on rough Fabriano watercolor paper. The warm orange color on the image to the right is burnt sienna. I try not to waste paper so there is an image on the back, too.

Plein Air & Unleashed Dogs

                                                                                      (C) 2021 Dale DiMauro
 

This morning I was painting outside by the Pleasant Valley Reservoir, in Brattleboro, Vermont. And it truly was a beautiful morning to be outside and painting. 

My watercolor was rapidly developing when I was accosted by two unleashed dogs. One was a black Labrador who showed me his teeth and circled around me for twenty minutes while the other was an older dog who was of no threat. After some time had passed, a woman walked by apologizing for not having any control of her dogs. 

I find this behavior absolutely inexcusable and becoming a real problem. Dogs are required to be leashed in public and this is a town property. Nevertheless, I was ready to tie that woman on a leash to a tree. 

In the last eighteen months I have been accosted by unleashed dogs on four separate occasions. Twice I have been bitten by dogs and each time the 'master' was an unscrupulous woman.

After this experience I could not resume painting, so I packed up my stuff and left. I have since added a coaches whistle and pepper spray to my plein air bag and am considering other lines of defense.

Arches-Bound Watercolor Book

                                                                                      (C) 2021 Dale DiMauro
 

Yesterday I received this Arches watercolor-bound book in the mail. Today I did this painting on the first page. 

I purchased this book, which has sixty-four pages, so I could develop more color swatches. This way instead of having loose sheets of paper they could all be contained in one area. This is not unlike a writer expanding their vocabulary. Also, it happens to be a good travel size.

The first page is stained with a wash of burnt sienna and ultramarine blue. I did this landscape on top of that initial wash. The combination of burnt sienna and ultramarine is a useful pairing for watercolor painters, as one can develop a wide range of coloration with these two pigments alone. 

I have learned that it is always good to experiment with the pigments, media and brushes. This practice gets your juices flowing. As the water and pigments dry the paper is left with marks which suggest atmospheric affects or even subject matter. If you are flexible in your approach you can achieve much satisfaction in your painting.

Living Memorial Park

                                                                            (C) 2021 Dale DiMauro
 

The plant kingdom all around us outside is growing rapidly. Trees, shrubs, and vines are taking off. I planted a tree on my property last month and it has already grown nine inches in height. It is ironic because we have had a relatively dry spring.

This watercolor was originally started outside in our local park. However, it just had not developed enough to my liking so I put in the time and it has more color than most woodlands scenes that I can recall.

I even put in some of the old agricultural relics which you can see in the foreground. This implement reminds me how much the fields have filled in with woodlands since it was once open farmland.

PLEIN AIR: Stickney Brook

                                                                          (C) 2021 Dale DiMauro
 

Last week during the heat wave I painted this watercolor on my way home from work. It felt great to sit with my feet in the water while the sound of the falls were quite soothing. It was a plus to be in the shade too.

I spent about one and a half hours on this watercolor. Often I feel a bit rushed at the end of my session due to other time commitments but this seemed about right.

Reflecting back on this painting - it has a Neil Welliver feel to it. Neil Welliver(1929-2005) is known for painting large scale oil paintings of river scenes found deep in the woods of Maine. He would take his backpack and hike into the woods where he would paint plein air watercolors which were the basis for his oil paintings.

Green on Brown

                                                                                      (C) 2021 Dale DiMauro

Returning to a painting I have set aside for a period of time can be a challenge. Often it is not an issue at all, but this one I had not had the time to return to. Regardless, I returned to the painting earlier in the evening. I was not so excited about it while working on it, but after I had stepped away for a period of time I was rather pleased.

I like the glint of water through the trees on the left and the edge of the contour on the right before the distant hill. Recently, I have been combining quinacridone gold with manganese blue for spring tree foliage. I think it works. 

I was pleased that I matched the color of the dirt in the foreground. Brown can be an elusive color to mix and when it dries it can lose some of it's charm. Browns and greens seem to be an important color found out in the natural world, at least here in Vermont, in spring.

West River Trail(Watercolor Study)

                                                                                      (C) 2021 Dale DiMauro

John Singer Sargent used wax resist as one of his watercolor techniques. After studying up on some of his watercolors I figured I would give it a try.

It dawned on me that I had four wax resist pencils in my studio. On my desk I have white, ultramarine, black and burnt sienna. You can see that I used the white and ultramarine in the upper left corner. I am still figuring out how to best use them but for the right application they look promising.

Wax resist can be used to preserve the white of the paper in some areas or to provide texture or to strengthen your drawing. I think they are best used as an accent in your painting but I suspect other uses will reveal themselves.

Richard Schmid

 

Richard Schmid(1934-2021) passed away just as I started to read his book, ALLA PRIMA: Everything I Know About Painting. This timing added value to my reading. In particular, I admired Schmid's work, primarily for his artistic skill but at times because he featured local subject matter.

In fact earlier today, in the local used bookstore, this very same book I saw displayed on sale by the checkout counter. His books always seem to be in great demand and thus hard to find and pricey.

Schmid, certainly well known for his oil paintings, did paint in watercolor and gouache. However, of the few watercolors from him, that I have seen, look like his oils with vibrant colors and such a painterly touch. I suspect he used a palette knife in his watercolors as well.

Several years ago I took an oil painting workshop in Putney, Vermont where a group called the Putney Painters would gather, along with other fine artists from across the country and globe. It was not a workshop that he offered but his presence dominated the experience with samples of his drawings and oil studies on hand and discussions of his techniques.

Spring Landscape

                                                                                      (C) 2021 Dale DiMauro
 

After a month of developing paint swatches I feel like it is starting to pay off. The sand color in the foreground I would not have come up with a month ago. It is not that I wouldn't have arrived at that color so much as my thinking about the palette is much broader now. When one can intuitively draw upon a color combination it is much more satisfying. When working outside painting with clear direction is important.

I just started this painting this afternoon, during the heavy rain, but am excited in the direction it is going. It is best, I find, when a watercolor moves along sequentially, at a decent pace,

The subject of this landscape is the lower field area of the Harris Hill Ski Jump in Brattleboro, VT.

Thoughts & Reflections on Painting Watercolors

                                                                            (C) 2021 Dale DiMauro
 

Watercolor I find is the most versatile medium for experimenting. One can scratch the surface to remove pigment or build up layers of paint and achieve subtle or strong value changes. In addition, you can paint freely or very exacting. Not to mention all the textures waiting to be expressed.

Arches watercolor paper is my preference to paint on. I have evolved from painting on blocks, to full sheets or painting a quick study on the back of a random sheet. In fact, I tilt the paper in all directions and watch gravity direct the pigment as I see fit.

This watercolor is one of those test sheets that gets my juices flowing before I dig in on a painting. It is best not to think too much and let your intuition thrust you forward.

Browns & more Browns

                                                                                       (C) 2021 Dale DiMauro
 

Brown may not be a color we think of when painting watercolors. However, when I am on walks in the spring I notice many browns along with shades of green in our river valleys and lowland areas. 

There is such a range of brown from reddish pigmentation all the way to heavier sepia coloration. Browns can really set a mood in a picture which are unmistakeable. Also, some browns can add a naturalistic and calming feel to the landscape. For this sky I mixed an unknown red someone oozed onto my palette with sap green. For me, this image has attained a mid-summer-like quality with it's lush foliage and rather dry, deserted beach. A storm may even be brewing in the distance.

John Singer Sargent used lovely browns with a warm feel to them in his Venice canal scenes which I greatly admire.

South Pond: Quick Sketch

                                                                                      (C) 2021 Dale DiMauro
 

Today was my first day on the water in a long time. The heat of the day drove me to South Pond. Even though the docks weren't out yet, there was much activity on or along the pond.

There were many paddlers in kayaks, on paddle boards and in those light weight canoes, made by the Hornbeck boat company.

Along the shore there were quite a few fisherman. While paddling I saw many colorful fish which I usually don't see and they let me come quite close to them.

I have already missed several scheduled paddles with the Brattleboro Outing Club because I am not yet fully vaccinated. However, it was great to be on the water again.

Painting in the Rain

                                                                            (C) 2021 Dale DiMauro
 

This is what a watercolor may look like after you are caught painting in the rain. Earlier this afternoon I had a good start on this watercolor. I had established good edges on my watercolor washes with much variation - a desired state when painting in watercolor.

I had set-up my stuff at a picnic table in a local park and the picture was developing quite well when big drops fell out of the sky. It was still sunny out and there was a blue sky above with some clouds moving about. Well, this shower kept up for a good half hour when I heard a distant thunder making itself known. At this point the whole watercolor block was wet and the paint was no longer drying. By now I decided enough was enough and headed out. At this point, the park had become pretty much empty of people.

When I got home I did some more brush work which will bring the watercolor to a finished state. However, all those dots in the foreground I have no control over. 

When painting outside I have learned to keep things simple from my supplies to my work approach. Also, it is important to be flexible as you do not know what may come at you. However, this kind of experience tells you to cut your losses and move on. Ninety percent of the time I can make due with the circumstances but this was not one of those days.

Greening Up

                                                                   (C) 2021 Photograph Dale DiMauro
 

The landscape is starting to become green. After a dry period, the plants are becoming more lush by the day. In fact, I can't believe how green the natural environment has become in the last few days. 

Over the weekend I climbed Black Mountain, a local hiking area with my wife. Along the hike the trees in the woods were all a yellow-green haze. Now many of these trees are starting to become a blue-green as more trees leaf out.

These observations are important as I often seek to paint the colors I see out in the natural world. It makes me question which colors I would mix to arrive at a given color. At this time of year I have observed many browns and greens particularly along the local rivers.

This photograph was taken on the edge of one of our many fields bordered by volunteer trees and overgrown stone walls.

One-Pigment Landscape

                                                                              (C) 2021 Dale DiMauro
 

Every time I work with watercolor I learn something. Actually, I learn a lot. 

This imaginary landscape reminds me or even is inspired from the Maine coast. In essence, this is a one-pigment landscape. The other colors were pools of pigment on my mixing dish which I drew upon to strengthen the perspective. In many instances it doesn't take many layers of paint to convey a landscape. 

I am even beginning to look at the white of the paper differently. The lack of pigment on the paper is one 'layer' of the painting and the whole paper doesn't have to be covered in paint. In the above watercolor, the horizontal bay reads as water without any paint on that area of the paper. 

That is the thing with drawing and painting. You begin to see more clearly the more practice and better judgement one acquires.

Quick Sketches

                                                                            (C) 2021 Dale DiMauro
 

Quick sketches really get the juices flowing. When an artist is unsure what they want to work on next it is a valuable exercise to simply put something down on paper. Before long this sketch evolves into a stronger and more simpler composition. 

For quite a while I have been breaking down paintings in my mind, into thirds, horizontally and vertically. During this process I decide if I want a high or low horizon. Likewise, I determine whether the focal point is on center or off to the side. These value studies help determine how the foreground, mid-ground and background are represented.

This process of sketching and resolving the composition on paper prepares me for the upcoming painting and how I want to proceed. The clearer the composition the quicker it moves along. 

Living Memorial Park

                                                                              (C) 2021 Dale DiMauro
 

Last year during the COVID-19 shutdown I spent more time than I ever had at Living Memorial Park during the summer season. I started to realize there may be some good subjects to paint around the grounds and in the woods.

So I painted a couple plein air watercolors, one above the upper softball field and the other towards the main field where the ski tow sits. 

This watercolor I started from a photograph I had taken at the end of winter. In warmer weather it is good to perch on the Shakespeare Stage and paint looking across the fields with the distant mountains in the background.

I don't consider this watercolor complete but I have made good progress on it lately.