Tomorrow I will be hanging my solo show titled Hudson Valley Journeys at the Ruth Keeler Memorial Library in North Salem, NY. It will run from tomorrow through September 29. Please join me for a luncheon reception at the library on Sunday, September 13 from 12:30-2:30pm. The address is 276 Titicus Road, North Salem.

I hope many of my viewers will be able to get over there to see the show. If you cannot make it to the reception, you can see the show anytime the library is open. Here is a link to the library hours when you will be able to see the show.

The painting above is the one that appeared on the card for the show. It is a view of the beautiful Open Land Foundation property along Baxter Road in North Salem. It is available for purchase at the library or through my website at this link.

All of the paintings in that show are custom framed and also available through my website. If you click the Category on the right for “Brewster and North Salem”, you will see that some of those paintings are now listed as custom framed. Those are the ones in the show. (Works not in the show are unframed.) I do not generally offer framed works through my website, so if you’re interested in something ready to hang on that favorite wall, this is a great opportunity to pick up a custom framed piece at a great price.

Brewster and North Salem, Hudson River Valley, Peach Lake and Brook, Shows and News | 1 Comment »

5×7″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on sealed, primed hardboard, unframed
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

This was painted from a home high up on a hilltop in North Salem, New York. There were beautiful views of distant hills to the west, but when I saw these bright pink flowers against the dark foliage, I knew I’d found my painting spot!

8x10 and smaller, Brewster and North Salem, Flower Gardens and Flowering Trees, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | No Comments »

This is my first-ever video slide show! I hope you enjoy this display of some of my paintings that have been done with the slow-drying Golden OPEN Acrylics.

dailypainters_video_33wbrgg0e03bg_2.avi

Demos/Work in Progress, Shows and News | No Comments »

16×20″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on sealed, primed hardboard
For purchase information, please email me at JamieWG@aol.com.

This is one of those situations when I used the scene for inspiration, but made many changes for the sake of color and composition. Below is a photo of the scene, so that you can see what I was working with. Using elements found in the landscape, I arranged them to create my painting. I removed part of the fence so that we could enter the scene, painted in a path to draw us into the composition, gave some leaves to the bare tree, and warmed up some of the color.

Here’s a pic of my setup with the painting and the scene.

16x20 and larger, Available, Brewster and North Salem, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Tilly Foster Farm | 1 Comment »

16×20″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard
For purchase information, please email me at JamieWG@aol.com.

This is painted from a photo I took on a morning with an amazing sunrise. I saw the turquoise and pink sky, threw on my jeans, shirt and coat, and dashed out to the lakeshore to take pictures. At 16×20, this is a nice size for that special wall. In spite of the brilliant colors, it has that wonderfully serene feel to it that only a spectacular sunrise can bring.

Palette:
Cadmium Yellow Lemon
Permanent Alizarin Crimson
Cerulean Blue
Cobalt Blue
Viridian
Titanium White

16x20 and larger, Available, Brewster and North Salem, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Peach Lake and Brook, Pets Wildlife Animals, Sunrise/Sunset, Winter and Snow Scenes | 1 Comment »

16×12″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on canvas covered hardboard
For purchase information, please email me at JamieWG@aol.com.

I liked this painting from the time I brought it home from the painting spot by the lake. However, I never varnished it because I felt it needed more warmth in the water and foliage colors. I touched it up with the addition of some pinks, oranges, and transparent red oxide glazes. I am a lot happier with it now! What do you think? The original is below for comparison.

I’m one of those lucky plein air painters who has a default painting location right outside the studio door. In previous years, I painted here by the lake quite a bit. This year I seem to be traveling more and painting at home less. I think it may have something to do with the fact that my favorite tree to paint was decimated by a storm during the winter. Somehow, painting here just isn’t the same without that tree, but it made me turn my attention today to a different tree.

This little point juts out from the shoreline, with a charming willow tree at the end. I love painting willows, with their graceful clusters of leafy branches, and subtle color and value shifts. The wonderful early morning light and serenity made me realize that I need to paint here more often!

8x12 to 12x24, Available, Brewster and North Salem, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Peach Lake and Brook, Plein Air--painted on location | No Comments »

16×20″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on sealed, primed hardboard
Email me at JamieWG@aol.com if interested in this painting.

Below is the painting in its initial form, as it came home from my plein air expedition. I was always bothered by that large piling so close to the center of the painting. Adjusting the composition, in this case, was very simple. By enlarging the piling to the right, I was able to remove that focal point in the center, rebalancing the painting. I think it works very well now! Below is the original, so that you can compare. Color and value differences that you see are due to the paintings being adjusted on different computers. (That gives you an indication of how different paintings can look from one computer to another, depending on our monitors and settings.)

This was painted on location in Cold Spring, New York, facing Storm King Mountain. I paint all over the Hudson River Valley, and the Hudson Highlands region certainly rates as one of the most dramatic along the river. I had to wait a long time for the clouds to break before they struck the mountain, but once the sun broke through it was quite spectacular.

For those who like to see some of the process, here is a photo of the Quinacridone Gold underpainting that I did for this one:

16x20 and larger, Available, Cold Spring and Garrison, Currently In Gallery, Demos/Work in Progress, Fall, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Hudson River Paintings, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location | 1 Comment »

12×16″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on canvas covered hardboard
Email me at JamieWG@aol.com if interested in this painting.

This week I’ve been working on touching up paintings done previously. Often I am not 100% happy with a completed painting. I hold off on varnishing those for as long as possible, so that I can make changes to them when I get a chance.

There are things I loved about this lighthouse painting, but when I initially painted it on location, it was early April. The leaves were not yet out on the trees, and the grass had that dull, late winter color. The painting looked way too stark to me, although it was a pretty accurate representation of the scene at the time. I decided to push the season along in my reworking.

I’ve left the original below, because I thought it would be interesting to my viewers to see it and compare them. I’m interested in hearing your comments about the changes. I’ll be posting more of these altered paintings this week, along with their original versions. I hope you find it interesting!

If you’ve ever driven over the Tappan Zee Bridge, across the Hudson River, you’ve likely noticed this sparkling lighthouse near the eastern shoreline. This was painted en plein air on a very cold and windy morning, but I was inspired enough by the view to stick it out and paint. With the New York City skyline in the distance, the Palisades jutting out into the river, and the bridge behind the lighthouse, there was a lot to put into one painting. I liked including the foreground tree too, to give yet another dimensional plane to the work. I’m hoping to return many more times as the foliage emerges. Gotta love that red!

8x12 to 12x24, Available, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Lighthouses, Plein Air--painted on location, Tarrytown and Hastings Area | 4 Comments »

For purchase information, please email me at JamieWG@aol.com.

7 x 5″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard, unframed
Painting flowers always cheers me up. These should get some kind of a longevity award, having survived several days already and they’re still looking great. There’s a setup picture below for those who like to see what I’m working with. It’s a good thing you can’t see the rest of the studio; what a mess!

8x10 and smaller, Available, Demos/Work in Progress, Flower Gardens and Flowering Trees, Painting/Pochade Box, Still Life | 3 Comments »

12×16″, Oils on sealed, primed hardboard
Email me at JamieWG@aol.com if interested in this painting.

I set out before sunrise this morning, hoping for another dramatically-colored sunrise by the lakeshore. Although the colors didn’t cooperate in terms of high chroma, the beautiful, subtle shifts in value and color made the red boat spring to life in its more subdued surroundings.

I toned the panel a light pink color with Rembrandt Permanent Red Medium, then worked a lot with soft color changes within a limited value range. I used only three colors plus white for this one, and for yesterday’s painting too:
Williamsburg Cadmium Yellow Light
Rembrandt Permanent Red Medium
Utrecht Ultramarine Blue Deep

8x12 to 12x24, Available, Boats and Ships, Brewster and North Salem, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Peach Lake and Brook, Plein Air--painted on location, Sunrise/Sunset | No Comments »

12×9″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard
Email me at JamieWG@aol.com if interested in this painting.

I headed out to the lakeshore before sunrise this morning. There was a haze over the lake that created the most spectacular colors as the sun came up! It glowed yellow-orange as it emerged above the tree line, and cast its color upon the whole scene.

8x12 to 12x24, Available, Boats and Ships, Brewster and North Salem, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Peach Lake and Brook, Plein Air--painted on location, Sunrise/Sunset | 1 Comment »