This is a progress image of the 28×42″ commission I’m working on. It all started when my client and her dear hubby met at Hunter Mountain in New York State! She saw this painting on my website, which I did from the top of Hunter Mountain, and purchased it through RiverWinds Gallery, where I had it displayed.

She decided that she wanted a large version to take up a wall of her dining room, and wondered if I’d be willing to incorporate some of her room colors in the painting, and omit some of the colors of that smaller version that didn’t go with her decor. She sent me these color photos of her carpets which displayed rich earth tones perfectly suited to landscape work, but far different from my usual palette.

Because both the color palette and proportional ratio of the painting were to change for the commission, I decided to do this third painting using the same ratio and colors as the commisioned work, which I posted the other day. (See below the previous post below or click the link.)

From there, I moved onto the full size version of the painting. Here’s the large, white canvas looming before me in the studio:

The first steps were to tone it, place the compositional elements, add the dark areas and pull out the lights.

Then I started going in with color. The first photo in this post shows the current state of the painting. From here I’ll be pushing the lights and darks, adding in more of the colors from my client’s samples, and making adjustments as I go. I’d like to drop that foreground horizon line a touch too….It keeps on creeping up all by itself when I’m not looking!

16x20 and larger, Catskill Mountains, Demos/Work in Progress, Greene County, Landscape | 2 Comments »

8×12″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard
Email me at JamieWG@aol.com if interested in this painting.

If you like this painting, please cast your vote for it in the Art Guide competition! You can do so by clicking the “like” button on this link.

This is a color and composition study for a 28×42″ painting that I’ll be starting soon. I wanted to keep the palette as limited as possible, and also to keep the colors a bit more muted and earthy than is typical for me. My colors for this painting were:
Raw Sienna
Venetian Red
Prussian Blue
Cadmium Yellow Pale (just a very small amount)
Titanium White

I tried to do the painting with just the first three colors, but in the end it really needed a bit of Cad Yellow Pale, so I gave in based on sheer need!

8x10 and smaller, 8x12 to 12x24, Available, Catskill Mountains, Fall, Greene County, Landscape | 2 Comments »

5×7″, Acrylics
Email me at JamieWG@aol.com if interested in this painting.

Just a few miles from this location, Thomas Cole did his famous painting Lake With Dead Trees. That became one of the most important works of the Hudson River School painters. I saw this scene along Schoharie Creek nearby and snapped a dozen photos, determined to paint it at some point as an homage to Thomas Cole, who shared my appreciation of this little corner of the earth.

8x10 and smaller, Available, Catskill Mountains, Greene County, Hudson River School, Landscape | No Comments »

12×9″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard
For purchase information, please email me at JamieWG@aol.com.

This is my favorite place to go for a walk, so it’s not surprising that I’m turning it into a series! You can see a progress image of this painting on this post. So far, the series consists of just this painting and The Road Home in Fall. Late winter, spring, and summer versions will be coming as the seasons emerge. I’ll probably paint those on location.

8x12 to 12x24, Available, Catskill Mountains, Fall, Greene County, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Palenville and Catskill, Winter and Snow Scenes | No Comments »

Some of you may recall my recent painting, The Road Home in Fall. I liked that painting and the location so much that I’ve decided to make a series out of it. My plan is to do a 12×9″ painting in each season, possibly selecting one or two of those to do larger paintings as well. I am calling this “Early Winter” because I hope to do a late winter version too. I just can’t seem to get enough of this magical location! The winding, uphill path, evergreens on the right, and steep hill on the left offer a good composition with lots of variety.

This one is not yet completed, but shouldn’t take too much longer. I think I’ll have a finished version up this week.

Demos/Work in Progress | 2 Comments »

8×10″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard
For purchase information, please email me at JamieWG@aol.com.

I was out walking my dog through the snow-covered meadow when I spotted these long shadows leading toward the house. Fortunately, I rarely go out without my camera! Long shadows in the middle of the day are one of the benefits of winter. Although I’ve used many compositional elements to lead into my paintings, I don’t think I’ve ever used winter shadows like this. Now that I’ve given it a try, I want to do more!

8x10 and smaller, Available, Catskill Mountains, Greene County, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Palenville and Catskill, Winter and Snow Scenes | 1 Comment »

6×8″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on sealed, primed hardboard
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

I had a true painting marathon on the day I did this painting, leaving the house at 7am and not returning until after 8:30pm. It was a fabulous day of great weather and beautiful scenery in Cold Spring, New York, along the banks of the Hudson River. I can well understand why some of the Hudson River School painters loved to paint from this very spot; I love to paint here too!

This was the last one of the day—attempting to catch the fleeting sunset colors during the few minutes before the light faded into darkness. There’s never enough time to “finish” one when painting sunsets on location. It’s really a matter of grabbing color as it emerges, and hoping for the best!

8x10 and smaller, Cold Spring and Garrison, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River School, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Sketches, Sold, Sunrise/Sunset | 3 Comments »

9×12″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on Arches 100% rag hot press watercolor paper, double matted to 16×20.
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

This was painted here in the Hudson Valley, by the lake next to my studio. I was so excited about getting out to paint that I ended up getting up at 4:30, while it was still pitch black. I dawdled at the computer and then all of a sudden realized it was already getting light out! Hoping to not miss my opportunity, I raced out the door just in time to catch this dramatic lighting on the lake and in the sky.

My palette for this painting was Hansa yellow opague, Ultramarine blue, Phthalo blue, Napthol red light, and Titanium white.

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

Click image to enlarge:

These Wetcanvas Scavenger Hunts are so much fun that I can see how participants could become addicted. I enjoy participating whenever I can. This page was done with a Lamy Safari extra fine ink pen, filled with Noodlers Bulletproof Black Ink, and Winsor Newton watercolors. My dog was Not Happy that I took his squeaky toy away in order to paint it!

If you’d like to check out the other entries to the Scavenger Hunt or participate, click here. Below is a photo of what I was working with. (You can click to enlarge this image too.)

Sketches | No Comments »

I have six paintings going up to Kaaterskill Fine Arts for this show in Hunter, NY. Hope some of you can make it there!

Click image to enlarge:

Shows and News | 2 Comments »

7×5″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

I was out walking my dog on a snowy morning last week. The snow would start and stop, and there were some occasional, dramatic breaks in the clouds. I was fortunate to encounter one of those breaks as we came to where the path drops down a hill. I love this spot, with the tall evergreen sitting atop the rock outcropping as the path plunges downward. The cloudbreak added to the impact of the vista. I pulled out my camera and snapped a dozen pics! This was painted from one of those photos.

8x10 and smaller, Catskill Mountains, Greene County, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Palenville and Catskill, Sold, Winter and Snow Scenes | 1 Comment »

10×8″, Acrylic on canvas covered hardboard
Email me at JamieWG@aol.com if interested in this painting.

It’s hard to believe that 2010 has arrived. Where did the year go? Each year seems to go faster than the next. You’d think I’d get tired of doing all these paintings, or run out of ideas, but I seem to feel more motivated as the years go by. I have so many exciting projects in mind for 2010; I can’t wait to get started!

You’ll be seeing some portraits as well as large commissioned paintings, and a number of larger landscapes, coming off my easel in the next couple of months. I want to get back to doing some of my “Jamie’s Jewels” framed miniatures too. Those are so exciting to paint and favorites among my collectors. I can’t seem to keep any of them “in stock”. I have some ideas for new working methods in acrylics too, so you will see a return to some acrylics over the winter as I experiment with new ideas, and large ones will emerge from outdoors when the weather warms up in the spring. I keep meaning to get some more paintings done of my pets — Lulu, Lucy, Mango, Coconut and Rondo. Then of course there are all those landscape locations that I’ve recently discovered; can’t wait to get back to those come the spring, and to do some larger studio works of those places during the winter. So, that should give you an inkling of what’s to come on these Hudson Valley Painter pages in the near future. I’m excited!

If you’d like to follow me around a bit more as I paint and share thoughts on the process, you can visit me here on Facebook. Just send me a friend request there, and let me know that you follow my blog. I often send mobile uploads from my painting locations, converse with my Facebook friends, and share my blog posts.

Occasionally I post on Twitter as well, with information not posted to Facebook or here on my website. You won’t find yourself flooded by tweets by me, but if you’d like to receive the ones I send, you can follow me @JamieArtist. I hope to be making more use of Twitter technology in the coming year for sharing art tips and pictures.

I wish all my viewers and followers and collectors a joyous and fulfilling New Year. Keep those New Years’ Resolutions coming!

The painting above will be at Kaaterskill Fine Arts Gallery on Main Street in Hunter, NY, from January 16 through February 7. I have five more going there too. The show opening is on Saturday, January 16 from 4-6pm.

8x10 and smaller, Available, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Peach Lake and Brook, Shows and News, Sunrise/Sunset, Winter and Snow Scenes | 2 Comments »