10×8″, Acrylic on canvas covered hardboard
$265.00 plus $15 shipping and insurance within the Continental United States. Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com for International purchases or with any questions.
This was painted from a photo I took during a late afternoon walk just after a snowfall.
Free, beautiful gold frame included for a limited time
8×10″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on canvas covered hardboard
$250.00 plus $15 shipping and insurance within the Continental United States. Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com for International purchases or with any questions.
This painting was started on location in the apple orchard at Lasdon Arboretum in Somers, New York. I was about a half hour away from completion when thick clouds moved in and it started to rain! I had to pack up quickly and return home. Fortunately, I got a photo while the light was still good, and finished it from the photograph.
You can click the image above to enlarge it.
These days, there are so many fabulous options for painting with water, if one doesn’t wish to use solvents. A reader made a comment on my blog, asking a question about these choices which I thought would make an interesting blog post.
From Dennis (Edited a bit for brevity. You can see his full comment in my February 25 post.):
….I am curious as to which paint you prefer to work with-artist grade water mixable oil colors or the Open acrylics by Golden? They both seem to be able to allow you the time needed to blend color. ….although I enjoy using Golden Heavy Body,{one of several brands in my paint box} for now when I need an acrylic with more open time I choose Atelier. What brand of water mixable oil do you prefer? Several years ago I tried the Artisan by W&N for plein air, and after two painting sessions, I went back to acrylics. At this time for plein air I am using pencil and/or colored pencil and those wonderful Pitt brush pens This year in addition I may choose to also use oil pastel and watercolor.
Thank you for the thought-provoking post, Dennis. My favorite medium is actually traditional oils, and I don’t mind using odor free solvents in and out of the studio. That being said, there are times when it is either wiser, or more convenient, or both to avoid solvents completely. There are also times we need other advantages of faster drying, easier to transport, quicker to work with, able to paint in a sketchbook, etc. One of the things I love about being an artist is the seemingly endless exploration of mediums, materials and possibilities. Let’s examine some of these other options.
Water mixable oils, even those labled “Artist Grade,” are never as pigment-loaded as traditional oils. They also do not handle exactly the same way. I feel I am already giving something up when I sacrifice pigment load. This is why I don’t use them all the time; I need to get something in return for what I give up — that is, the ability to paint in a place or situation where I would not be able to use traditional oils. The highest grade H2O oil paints I’ve found so far, that are of a consistency I like right out of the tubes, are Holbein Duo and Cobra. I have tried a few other brands, but these are the ones I try to keep stocked in my 5×7″ painting box, which travels with me all the time. I know I can use them anywhere, and can use my drinking water instead of a solvent.
Fishing at North South Lake
Water Mixable Oils, 5×7″
Golden Open Acrylics are also excellent for these situations where you need longer blending time and workability, and cannot use solvents. Again, I have to sacrifice significant pigment load compared with my traditional oils, but the acrylics have the advantage of drying faster, and being able to get varnished and out to buyers sooner. Disadvantage: the larger tubes and jars that acrylics come in don’t fit in my 5×7″ paintbox! Also, I need to use about three times the amount of paint compared with my oils. The small palette in my 5×7 box just isn’t big enough for the amount of paint I need to mix, even for a tiny painting. For these reasons, my little box is stocked with the water mixable oil paints.
Golden OPENs still have a place in my life. They’re wonderful in the portrait/figure studio (especially short pose sessions which generally do not allow solvents). I love painting on sized matboard, which I cannot do with oils. Golden OPENs perform very well for plein air work on hot sunny days when I want to use acrylics. I can mix my colors, and they remain workable throughout a painting session. They don’t skin over on the palette, yet thicken to the point where when I reach the end of an outdoor session and it’s time to lay on the highlights, I have nice thick paint to do so!
Old Truck at the Farm
8×10″, Golden OPEN Acrylics
Painted on a blazing hot day in the sun, these acrylics performed miraculously!
If it’s not too hot outside, or if I’m in the studio, I can use my all-time favorite acrylic paints —- Golden FLUID Acrylics. When you dilute heavy body acrylics to a more fluid consistency, it dilutes the pigment and the paint goes streaky. Golden FLUID Acrylics are made with a much higher pigment load than a diluted heavy body paint. I find them to be the perfect consistency, and combined with the use of Golden’s Acrylic Glazing Liquid, the drying time is extended so that they are perfectly blendable, yet tack up fast enough to overpaint. The 1 oz. bottles are a perfect size to take out in the field with me, and I refill them from large bottles that I leave in the studio. For plein air work, I get to travel home with a dry painting, so I don’t have to bring a wet panel carrier out into the field. They dry and cure so quickly that I can have them varnished and out the door in a week. They are also wonderful for underpainting, then using Golden OPENs over the top, and the underpainting stays perfectly in place. Disadvantages: They will dry out on your palette and on your brushes if you’re not careful. You need to be able to work quickly and mix on the fly, and spray the palette frequently to keep the paint wet.
Under the Bridge at Devil’s Kitchen
16×20″, Golden FLUID Acrylics
You mentioned the Atelier Interactive Acrylics in your comment, and as you can see from the photo, I have a set of my regular colors in that brand as well. I think they are very nice paints —- high pigment load and reasonably priced. As the Chroma company explains, these paints “interact” with the artist through a series of mediums that you can also see in the photo. These mediums can increase or decrease drying time of the paints, or even unlock dried paint to a workable consistency. What I’ve found is that without the mediums, the paints behave just like traditional, heavy body acrylics. I need to thin them to the consistency I want, and they skin over on my palette and dry quickly. No amount of spraying with water revives the dried paint, just like regular acrylics. Even though I could alter that with the Interactive mediums, I’d rather use paints that have the characteristics I need right out of the tubes. When painting out on location, the less I need to cart around with me, the better off I am. Those of you who work in the studio may find it’s no problem to deal with the adjustments of the paint.
The Phantom Tollbooth — Fall at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation
7×5″, Atelier Interactive Acrylics
This brings us to another option…..Gouache! Using just a watercolor palette, sketchbook, and a few small tubes of paint, gouache enables me to paint with all the opacity of oils and all the transparency of watercolor, in a fast-drying, water-based medium that illustrators have used for generations. Companies like Holbein and Winsor Newton have been making more lightfast, archival, artist grade versions of these paints, and they have gone from the illustrator’s desk to a fine art medium in a very short time. Disadvantages: Artist grade gouache is very expensive. When working in an opaque manner, it’s possible to go through quite a bit of paint in a short time. Although it shares the same binders as watercolor, gouache does not rewet easily. When the paint dries out on the palette, it cannot be revived to the juicy, creamy consistency necessary to work the same way as with paint just out of the tube. Some of the new palettes with seals around the edges do a pretty good job of keeping the paint moist and workable. A damp sponge left inside the palette helps to maintain the moisture.
Garrison Castle and the Hudson River
5×7″,Winsor Newton and Holbein Gouache on Fabriano Artistico watercolor paper
Watercolor remains the ultimate sketching medium for the artist on the go. Although most of us prefer fresh paint from tubes out on the palette, watercolors revive quite well if not left sitting too long. A small pan set can go anywhere, and tucks inside a purse or shirt pocket with a small sketchbook or watercolor block.
Leaning Toward Breakneck Ridge
11×15″, Winsor Newton and Holbein Watercolor
In Dennis’ post, he brings up colored pencils and Pitt pens as ideal plein air mediums. I agree with him! In addition, there are water soluble colored pencils that can bridge the gap between watercolors and colored pencils, Cretacolor color sticks in sepia, white and black for sketching on mid-tone paper, charcoal, inks in many colors, and marker sets. It seems that every time I turn around, there is something new and exciting to try in my sketchbook!
The Hickory Tree
Sepia and White Cretacolor leads in a 10×10 kraft paper sketchbook
I hope this post has left my viewers inspired to try something new, or to pick up an old favorite you’ve left by the wayside for awhile. There are so many fabulous choices out there, and each has unique benefits and possibilities.
Now, go paint! 
7×5″, Golden Acrylics on New York City map mounted to archival board
$125.00 plus $10 shipping and insurance within the Continental United States. Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com for International purchases or with any questions.
I had a great time preparing surfaces with cut up old maps. I glued the map pieces to archival, acid free foam board with Lineco acid-free bookbinding adhesive, rolled it with a brayer, and weighted it down to set. Then I applied a couple of coats of Golden Matte Medium, mainly because I love the working properties of the surface once the matte medium is applied, and it will also help to seal and protect the maps.
I painted this New York City map with roses for Valentine’s Day. What could be better than Love in the Big Apple? If you’d like to commission a similar painting of any size with your own city and choice of flowers, please contact me at JamieWG@aol.com for details.
This painting can be popped right into a standard 5×7″ frame.
7×5″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on canvas covered hardboard
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.
This is my first painting of 2011. It felt great to get back to my brushes again after a rather extended holiday vacation! This painting of Kaaterskill Falls was done from two studies done on location plus a photo reference. I think I’ll do a 20×30″ or 24×36″ version of the scene soon.
Kaaterskill Falls is the tallest waterfall in New York State, and was a favorite painting spot of the Hudson River School painters. It’s one of my favorite spots too!
While there’s still time to ship before the holidays, I’ll be bumping up some of my favorite smaller, unsold works that would be wonderful holiday gifts for that special someone. Give the gift of art — a celebration of beauty and creative inspiration. Purchase two and receive free shipping!
3×3″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on stretched canvas. Easel, gold gift box and ribbon included.
$115.00 plus $10 shipping and insurance within the Continental United States. Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com for International purchases or with any questions.
Some time ago, there was a fantastic rainbow over the lake just before sunset. I grabbed my camera and ran outside to get some photo references. This was painted from one of the photos I took. The light and colors were almost too amazing to believe.
This miniature is shipped in a gold gift box, with a gold bow. The easel is included too! It makes the ideal present for any art lover, and looks great set on a small table or shelf. Quarter is shown for size reference.
7×5″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on sealed, primed hardboard
$125.00 plus $10 shipping and insurance within the Continental United States. Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com for International purchases or with any questions.
This is a painting I did some time ago. It is seasonal and has always been one of my favorite little garden/fountain paintings, so I am reposting it today.
Although this scene was an enormous challenge to paint, I think I had an even more difficult time trying to get the photo right! I can’t seem to get the dark trees in the background light enough without bleaching out the foreground flowers. This painting will be available here on my website for only a couple of weeks.
Since this scene presented so many interesting challenges, I decided to take a few extra pictures to share.
Here is a photo of the scene:
I was immediately drawn to the strong contrasts, and the L-shaped composition created by the flowers, fountain and figure. I also love painting stone walls, so it was a plus to have that in the composition as well. Fitting all this onto a 5×7 panel didn’t prove to be easy.
Here’s my pack stool and lightweight painting box. The umbrella clamp is affixed to my stool. I was using a Pittman bag, which can hold my box flat so the paint won’t shift as I change locations. My panel carrier and extra paints fit in there too, and even the umbrella.
Here’s a closeup of the box, ready for paint. The panel is affixed to the box lid with blu-tac. It works great. The panels and paper stay put, and there are no clips or clamps obscuring parts of the painting surface. My paper towel is clipped onto the box lid to allow more room alongside the palette for paints and my sprayer.
The plastic paint storage containers were purchased in the camping section of Sports Authority. They have a rubber seal around the outside so the paint stays fresh. I find it much easier to set out paint this way, rather than having to search for a tube and open caps.
The box further to the back contains my standard plein air palette:
Cadmium Yellow Primrose
Pyrrole Red
Transparent Red Oxide
Phthalo Blue
Ultramarine Blue
Titanium White
The box in the front contains add-ons that I use in the figure studio. I bring it along for plein air too, just in case….It has
Naples Yellow
Cadmium Yellow Medium
Cadmium Red Light
Oxide of Chromium
Cerulean Blue Chromium hue
Permanent Alizarin
I also carry quinacridone magenta with me for these garden scenes.
Whoever said that every painting has to have an ugly stage sure knew what they were talking about. There’s mine! I toned the upper part of the painting with transparent red oxide, and painted the figures a dark, greyed blue. That way, even in the underpainting, I could judge the figures more carefully. Then I worked in the green background. I blocked in the area of strong yellow below to reserve it—-a useful tip given to me by wonderful plein air artist, Lee Haber.
From there, it was lots of fun getting the painting to emerge. I feel like my painting process doesn’t really get underway until after this block-in step is done and I have a layer of paint down. Getting this much done didn’t take all that long, but I forgot to stop and get more pictures once I got past this beginning stage. It did eventually get done.
I started another painting later in the afternoon, but it started to rain and I had to pack up. I’ll finish it from a photo on a rainy day later in the week. I hope you’ve enjoyed these extra photos!
8×16″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on sealed, primed hardboard
$395.00 plus $20 shipping and insurance within the Continental United States. Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com for International purchases or with any questions.
With the cherry blossoms gone at Boscobel Restoration, I turned my attention back to the Hudson River, and the channels weaving through Constitution Marsh. The afternoon light turned the marsh a beautiful, dark reddish color.
I used three of the new Golden OPEN Acrylic colors coming out this month for this painting: Diarylide Yellow, Quinacridone Crimson, and Prussian Blue Hue. I also added Raw Sienna and Cadmium Yellow Primrose. I love these new colors.
If you think you saw this painting before recently, it’s because you have! I posted it a couple of weeks ago, but decided to do some additional work on it. While I was painting on location, a wonderful ship went by out on the river. It was too early in the process to put it into the painting at the time, but the more I thought about it, the more I wanted it in the painting. I added the ship the other day from a photo, and reworked a little of the foliage too while I was at it.
Here’s a photo of my setup and the painting with the scene, before I put in the ship. It’s always fun to see the painting and vista together!
5×7″, Golden Acrylics on Ampersand Gessoboard
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.
Every once in awhile, we see something so extraordinary that we almost can’t believe it, even when witnessing the scene with our own two eyes. This pink, rising mist on the Hudson River that I saw one morning in Cold Spring as I arrived to paint, was one of those occasions. Initially, it totally obscured the mountains of the Hudson Highlands. As the pink shroud lifted from east to west, the towering hills emerged from the mist.
8×16″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on sealed, primed hardboard
Custom framed
$630.00 plus $35 shipping and insurance within the Continental United States. Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com for International purchases or with any questions.
I’ve spent a lot of time over the past couple of days looking at my photo references. Usually I set aside photos that I take that appeal to me for paintings, and place those in a separate file. From time to time, I look back through ones I did not select, and usually find many that appeal to me now, though for some reason they did not grab me at the time. This photo is one that I took a couple of years ago, but happened to stumble upon it yesterday and saw it in a new light.
I did this painting with four of the new Golden OPEN colors: Prussian Blue Hue, Cadmium Yellow Dark, Transparent Yellow Iron Oxide, and Quinacridone Crimson, plus Titanium White. In the end, I also used a little Cadmium Yellow Primrose in the greens to increase the “sparkle factor”. I love these new colors! The Cadmium Yellow Dark mixes rich, warm greens. The Prussian Blue Hue is clean enough for skies, yet muted enough to not take over the painting, and mixes very deep darks (as I was hoping). The Quinacridone Crimson is going to become the new cool red on my palette. Transparent Yellow Oxide is a color I frequently use for underpainting and glazing in both oils and Golden Fluid Acrylics. I’m so glad that I have it now in OPEN as well!
I still vividly remember this bright, late afternoon at the Vanderbilt Mansion property along the Hudson River in Hyde Park, New York. It’s one of the best sunset locations that I’ve ever encountered, and one of the few parks where you can drive right to the river (though they do close the road to the river on weekends). I haven’t done any plein air painting there for a long time, but I think I will change that soon!
12×16″, Golden OPEN acrylics on canvas covered hardboard
Email me at JamieWG@aol.com if interested in this painting.
I stood out on a sand bar off Bannerman Island at low tide to take the photo from which this was painted. I also did a gouache sketch while I was out there on the sand bar. The tide came in before I realized it, and I had to wade back to shore!
Golden Fluid Acrylics, 2″ x 1.75″, including frame
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.
This is the third time I’ve painted this little Monet copy of Red Poppies at Argenteuil in miniature format. I love doing these little jewels! There are a couple more I want to do soon. They’re such a nice change from my larger pieces. I take them as far as I can with just my glasses on, then switch to a lit magnification lens to finish, all with teeny tiny brushes!
These miniatures are always sent out in gold gift boxes and make elegant gift items for that special occasion. You can commission a scene of your choosing, a scene from one of my other paintings, or a copy of an Old Master that is no longer under copyright protection.
6×6″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on mounted linen
$125.00 plus $10 shipping and insurance within the Continental United States. Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com for International purchases or with any questions.
This vase belonged to my great aunt, who was one of the sweetest, kindest ladies I’ve ever known. She lived to be 106, and I’m sure would be thrilled to see her vase in this painting! I love this little vase with the colorful plums circling the ultramarine blue. The beautiful linen color and texture is visible, and the surface is a joy to paint on. Many artists pre-prime boards or canvas to this warm linen color, but there’s nothing like the real thing, using a clear primer.
Palette:
Cadmium Yellow Medium
Cadmium Red Light
Ultramarine Blue
Titanium White
Love is a canvas, furnished by Nature, and embroidered by imagination — Voltaire
4×2″, Golden Acrylics on gallery wrapped canvas, miniature easel included
The quote above is inscribed around the stretcher bars on the back of the canvas. Quarter is in the image for size reference only.
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.
I immediately thought of this quote when I set up to do this painting. The canvas is gallery wrapped, and the image is painted around the sides of the canvas, so that it can be viewed from all sides. The miniature easel will be shipped with the painting.
It is so difficult to get good photographs of miniatures. They always look much better in person. This one has a fairly dark background with some sheen, so it was impossible to get rid of all the glare from the lights when I took the photo. Here’s another image of it, with a Coke can for additional size reference:
For such a little painting, I used a tremendous palette! Colors:
Cadmium Yellow Primrose
Cadmium Yellow Medium
Cadmium Orange
Cadmium Red Light
Pyrrole Red
Cadmium Red Medium
Alizarin Crimson hue
Cerulean Blue hue
Cobalt Blue
Ultramarine Blue
Oxide of Chromium
Jenkins Green
Titanium White
I had a few other colors out there as well, but the ones listed above were the ones I used.
I toned the mini canvas and the sides with a mix of Transparent Red Oxide and Ultramarine Blue Golden Fluid Acrylics. Those dry quickly, so with a little help from my hair dryer, I was then able to use Golden OPEN Acrylics to paint the rest over that toned canvas.
I started working on the basic placement of shapes, and then worked more and more toward contrasts and details. I use blu-tack to adhere the mini canvas to a larger piece of foam board. That way I can hold it securely in one hand when necessary, while painting with the other.
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.
10×8″, Acrylic on canvas covered hardboard
Click her for purchase information on this painting, Sunset After the Snowfall.
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.
20×16″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on canvas covered hardboard
Email me at JamieWG@aol.com if interested in this painting.
I was eager to work in a medium that would enable me to layer quickly today, so I grabbed my Golden OPEN Acrylics and a 16×20 canvas covered board for open studio portraiture. I left most of my acrylics upstate, so had to make due with what I had: Cadmium Yellow Primrose, Pyrrole Red, Transparent Red Oxide, Ultramarine Blue, Carbon Black, and Titanium White.
These paints are just sooooo much fun. I prefer them on paper or smooth hardboard rather than canvas, so next time I’ll have to remember to size some watercolor paper or matboard before I go.
Leigh was a really great and beautiful model. We’ll have her for another sitting in January, so I’ll get to sketch her again!
Click for a clearer, larger image:
5×7″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on linen.
$125.00 plus $10 shipping and insurance within the Continental United States. Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com for International purchases or with any questions.
This was so much fun to paint!
My palette for this painting was:
Cadmium Primrose
Cadmium Yellow Medium
Pyrrole Red
Ultramarine Blue
Phthalo Blue
Titanium White
5×7″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on sealed, primed hardboard
$125.00 plus $10 shipping and insurance within the Continental United States. Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com for International purchases or with any questions.
This beautiful view of the Hudson River was painted from a photo I took. I love the look of the Hudson Highlands as the trees lose their leaves. They take on the most beautiful pinky-violet color until the greens of summer re-emerge. I have done an 18×24″ painting of this scene as well.
10×8″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on sized Canson board
Email me at JamieWG@aol.com if interested in this painting.
Painted on location in Acra, New York.
8×10″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on Canson board, custom framed (14×16″ including frame)
Email me at JamieWG@aol.com if interested in this painting.
What was I thinking? I sat in the blistering hot sun at Tilly Foster Farm for hours to paint this. Even with my large beach umbrella for shade, the heat was too much. When I was finished, I walked over to where my smart friends were painting, under the shade of a huge tree! It felt 20 degrees cooler there. The great subject matter of this old truck was more than I could resist, even in the heat. The hay bales were glistening in the morning sun, and the large barrel of flowers provided the final, beautiful touch.
My palette for this painting:
Naples Yellow
Cadmium Yellow Primrose
Pyrrole Red
Transparent Red Oxide
Ultramarine Blue
Phthalo Blue
Jenkins Green
Titanium White
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!
16×20″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on sealed, primed hardboard
$640.00 plus $25 shipping and insurance within the Continental United States. Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com for International purchases or with any questions.
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.
16×12″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on canvas covered hardboard
$440.00 plus $25 shipping and insurance within the Continental United States. Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com for International purchases or with any questions.
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!
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:
12×16″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on canvas covered hardboard
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar 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!
16×12″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on canvas covered hardboard
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.
Visiting the Hudson River School show at the Thomas Cole Historical Site last Friday made me think about many of my own paintings of the Hudson River, and how our contemporary, plein air pieces fit into the grand scheme of things. The Hudson River School paintings are filled with details, and tell a story about man’s journey—past, present and future. In the years before paint tubes, it wasn’t so easy to transport paints and equipment out into the field. As I looked over those paintings, I recognized many bits and pieces of the locations. The artists would go out into the field and sketch these bits and pieces, then come back into the studio and combine them into a grand work with a foreground, middle ground, and horizon, incorporating figures and animals representing man’s mark on the landscape and his journey.
I look at the Hudson River as a theme that flows through my work. I think those of us who paint plein air have been heavily influenced by many factors through the generations. While there are ateliers and painting schools that teach the techniques of the Hudson River School painters of past generations, there are also those who have been heavily influenced by the Impressionists, and the immediacy necessary to capture a scene on location under the conditions of changing light. It will be very interesting for those in future generations to trace back through these Hudson River styles as a more direct painting approach evolved.
As for me, I plan to go out and continue to paint my favorite river. I suppose I will leave it to the art historians to determine how we fit into the spectrum of art history!
This is a scene painted from a lovely waterfront park along the Hudson River in Nyack, New York. It faces the Tappan Zee Bridge, which was just barely emerging from the fog as I set up to paint.
6×8″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on 300 lb Saunders Waterford watercolor paper
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.
Painting along the shoreline of the Hudson River has great therapeutic value! This was painted on location at sunset.
Golden OPEN Acrylics on 100% rag board, framed
2″ x 1.75″ framed size
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.
Painting will be sent with miniature display easel and gold gift box.
You can click here to see more of “Jamie’s Jewels Miniature Gems”. If you don’t see one you like, consider commissioning one from your favorite scene! They make great gift items, and are budget-friendly original works of art.
This miniature sunrise is the perfect size to wear as a pin, or to set on the miniature easel where it can be admired. It is set in a beautifully detailed, classic gold frame. The quarter is there for size reference, so you can see what a tiny gem this is!
Here is a closer view:
On my monitor, this is about actual size. Depending on the size of your screen and your resolution, it may show larger or smaller for you:
I think this is one of the best miniature paintings I’ve done, so I’m pretty excited about it!
5×7″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on Fabriano Artistico hp watercolor paper
$115.00 plus $10 shipping and insurance within the Continental United States. Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com for International purchases or with any questions.
This was painted from the Waterfront Park along the Hudson in Athens, NY. I actually went there hoping that one of the Tall Ships would be there that will be parading up the Hudson next week. Unfortunately, no ship was there, but these red benches looking out over the river under the Chestnut Tree captured my attention. Without a ship, they became the focal point of my painting. Two women came along and sat down on one of the benches, chatting and gazing out onto the water, so I popped them into the painting too!
