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 »

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 »

Every nine days, a new painting and drawing Scavenger Hunt begins on the Wetcanvas website. These are so much fun at times like the holidays, when you don’t have the time nor inclination to do more serious work, want to hone some drawing/sketching skills, or test drive new approaches.

I printed out this hunt’s list in red ink, and another copy in larger, green lettering. I pasted that page into my spiral-bound, heavyweight kraft paper sketchbook, and pulled out the gouache to paint in a couple of the items. The dates were stamped with a sepia stamp pad. I cut out the “GIFT” and “FRUIT” labels from the green list I’d printed out, and glued them on.

Hope I get to do more this week. I’m going upstate to spend some time with my son. He’ll be working remotely with his office this week, so that should leave me some time for artwork. I’m taking along a few unfinished paintings too. It’s hard to get work done over the holidays!

Sketches | 1 Comment »

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!

16x20 and larger, Available, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Portraits and Figures, Sketches | No Comments »

20×16″, Oils on Canvas covered hardboard
Email me at JamieWG@aol.com if interested in this painting.

You may remember two weeks ago when I sketched Troy in pastel. We had no open studio last Thursday since it was Thanksgiving, but today I went back, oils in hand, for another sketch. I used Rembrandt Ivory Black, Gamblin Torrit Grey, and Winsor Newton Artist Titanium White with a little Winsor Newton Griffin Titanium White mixed in to speed drying. I also used Weber Res-n-gel medium.

Troy will keep the same pose for three weeks, and most of the artists are keeping their spots and working all three weeks on the same painting. I waited until after the posing started for any returning artists to reclaim their previous spots before setting up in a new position, but go figure…. (Yes, you know what’s coming!)… As soon as I got set up, someone came in late and said, “You’re in my spot!”

I didn’t really care where I painted from; I just didn’t want to miss the posing time. There is never enough time with the model! Anyway, this ended up being about two hours of posing time altogether. I always seem to have difficulty getting the head situated exactly where I want it on the canvas. This time, I really took my time with placement and it ended up right where I wanted it to be! Amazing!

I like this model, Troy, very much. We’ll have him for one more week.

16x20 and larger, Available, Portraits and Figures, Sketches | No Comments »

These sketches were done on October 21, along with the one I posted that day, although they are displayed out of order. The sketch posted on the 21st is #1. The post above is #3. Below is #2, and the last is #4–my last one of the day and a real quickie.

I didn’t get a chance to finish up the writing and take the pictures until today. Normally I also type out what I’ve handwritten, but with my hand/arm in a cast, it is a long and painful process to do either (not to mention drawing and painting!) Once I’m out of the cast, I’ll edit this post to include all the text.

Bannerman Island, Sketches | No Comments »

10×10″, gouache in my kraft paper sketchbook

I had the good fortune to spend today out in the middle of the Hudson River on Bannerman Island, sketching the castle ruins. Because of my recent hand surgery, I couldn’t carry much gear. I just brought my sketchbook and some gouache. This was my first sketch of the day. The tide was very low, and the boat captain told us it was still going out. So, I walked out on a spit of land that jutted out into the river, and provided a great view looking back at the castle. Apparently the captain was wrong; the tide was coming in, not going out! It wasn’t long before my friend Laura called out to me, “Oh my gosh, Jamie, you’d better move right away!” I’d been so focused on my sketch that I didn’t notice my pathway of land had nearly vanished! I quickly threw my gear into my bag and walked back to land. I had to wade part of the way. When I’d reached shore, the spur of land was entirely underwater. I didn’t get to finish my sketch, but it’s a good thing I left the spot before it was done!

I still need to photograph the other sketches and finish the writing part of the journal pages. I’ll be posting them as they are finished.

Bannerman Island, Sketches | 2 Comments »

Gouache sketches, 11×8.5″

Handwritten text:
Palenville Overlook, Sept. 26, 2009

The colors were showing the emergence of fall. We walked to the old boarding house site and to Point of Rocks before heading home.

Catskill Mountains, Sketches | 1 Comment »

8.5×11″, Watercolor

Text (continued from yesterday’s post):
….typing, inventory lists, printing and mailing post cards, shopping for receptions….It was so great to wake up this morning and be able to just go out and sketch! I didn’t even have to be concerned about turning out a finished painting. There is so much freedom in a sketchbook!

I used a palette laid out with old paint, which I misted as I went along. But there’s nothing like truly moist pigment, freshly laid out on the palette. I think it’s time to either scrap these dried globs of paint, or at least add new color to the old. I was also finding that these old colors (at least some of them) are no longer regulars on my watercolor palette. Manganese blue hue and phthalo green definitely need to go!

Sketches, Tilly Foster Farm, Watercolor | 2 Comments »

11×8.5″, watercolor

Text:
Tilly Foster Morning

My dear friend, Jan Blencowe, has a wonderful watercolor sketchbook with thick paper, not too rough and not too smooth. Just a few days after I complimented it, a box arrived in the mail for me. Jan ordered one of these great sketchbooks for me!

It’s been sitting around, waiting patiently for me to finish my work for the shows that opened this past weekend. It takes a special kind of day to break into a big, new sketchbook. Today was that kind of day, with blue skies, some clouds, warm but mild temperature, and a hint of fall color making its way into the foliage at Tilly Foster Farm.

I’ve painted this little shed and pond from the other side, looking toward the mountains. Today was the first time walking around to the west side of the pond, to examine the potential for future paintings.

I’m exhausted from framing 50 paintings for shows,

(…to be continued tomorrow….)

Sketches, Tilly Foster Farm, Watercolor | No Comments »

3×5″, ink and watercolor on cp watercolor paper
Email me at JamieWG@aol.com if interested in this painting.

I am finally back from my painting trip! I’ll be posting those paintings during the week as they are photographed and finished. Some were completed on location, while others need some studio work to finish them up. I wanted to post them as I went about my trip, but time and imaging software didn’t allow! Much as I wanted to take photos of the paintings and scenes like I did at Boscobel, I completely forgot the rest of the time! I’d get back to the house and realize I never took out my camera while I was painting. It seems I get that one track mind once I have brushes in my hand.

I took a trip to Cedar Grove, the Thomas Cole Historical Site, with a group of 11 painters last week. I’d done the house tour before, and commented here that I saw the River Views show there a few weeks ago. But the show was so wonderful that I was happy to be able to see it again with so many of my plein air friends. Visiting the home of the father of the Hudson River School is a pilgrimage that I like to do from time to time.

The day started out overcast and drizzly, so most of us just sketched rather than setting out all our equipment and not being able to pack up fast in a downpour! A few of us sketched the Thomas Cole house together from the same angle, sitting side by side. Here’s my version.

I’m using an upgrade of my image editing software, which sizes images differently than the previous version. I hope this image comes out large enough to see!

8x10 and smaller, Available, Greene County, Hudson River School, Palenville and Catskill, Plein Air--painted on location, Sketches, Watercolor | No Comments »

Whenever I’d drive along farm roads in spring, I always admired the bright yellow fields of Alyssum. Imagine my surprise, when spring came along, to find I now have my own field of them here at the new house! I hope I get to paint them before the flowers die. I snipped one of the last of the apple blossoms to paint.

Here’s my sketching stuff out on the porch. I did the little gouache sketch of the apple blossoms first, then put the alyssum into a small pitcher and painted that.

Sketches | No Comments »

Click sketch for a larger, sharper image:

10×10″, gouache in my kraft paper sketchbook

Sketches | No Comments »

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10×10″, Cretacolor sepia and white leads in my kraft paper sketchbook

Sketches | No Comments »

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10x10", gouache in my sketchbook

Sketches | 3 Comments »

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10×10″, gouache in my sketchbook

Sketches | No Comments »

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10×10″, gouache in my sketchbook

Sketches | 5 Comments »

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10×10″, Winsor Newton and Holbein gouache in my sketchbook

Text:

Good Things Come in Small Packages
Feb 07 2009
What’s in the Box?

Few things are as much fun for an artist as that brand new box of art supplies waiting on the front doorstep when you return home. Today I was surprised by this box from Dick Blick that arrived two days early!

Inside were kneaded erasers, some Golden mediums that I’m running out of, plus a few new things to try, like these tubes of Holbein gouache. I got Viridian, Cobalt Blue and Cadmium Yellow Orange to round out my gouache assortment. There was also a great deal on Simmons Titanium brush sets, so I’m trying some of those too.

Sketches, Still Life | 4 Comments »

10×10″, Gouache in my kraft paper sketchbook

As you can see, I’m still having way too much fun with gouache in my new sketchbook. I know the text can be difficult to read when I post these pages from my sketchbook. Here’s what today’s page says:

It’s not often that I paint from photos, and it’s even less often that I paint from photos I didn’t take myself! However, this weekend’s Wetcanvas WDE (Weekend Drawing/Painting Event) had some that I just couldn’t resist. Seeing them here now in gouache makes me wonder if I should have painted them in acrylics or oils on a more archival support, or at least so they could be taken out and popped into little frames. Maybe I’ll do another version of these.

Seeing how these gouache landscapes look on this paper makes me think that this could be a fabulous way to work en plein air. I did both of these with only a single, round synthetic brush and a pre-filled Mejillo palette. Pre-cut Canson boards, or other archival matboards with a a similar color to this, would also be lightweight and easy to travel with. They dry instantly, and could be stored in a plastic zip-lock bag for protection.

You can click here to see the reference images uploaded by Wetcanvas member “Upnorthtim”. You can see that I made a lot of changes to the photos in content and composition. Sometimes I do stay more true to a photo, but I never hesitate to change elements, leave things out, or move them around to create my own vision, or to change color and sometimes values. It’s where and how we use that artistic license that creates our individual styles and preferences.

Every Friday, a Wetcanvas member is host of a Weekend Drawing Event in which they upload 16 photos. Members have a week to create art from those photos and post it to the forum. They are not supposed to spend longer than two hours on a painting. Give it a try sometime! It’s great fun to see what so many different artists can do with the same set of images.

Landscape, Sketches, Sunrise/Sunset | 3 Comments »

10×10″, Gouache sketch of a hydrangea for a future painting, coming soon!

My husband adores these colors. I’ve prepared a panel with a lighter, scrubby, warm yellow background upon which I’ll paint the blue vase and violet flowers, as my second in this little series of floral works for Valentine’s Day.

Sketches, Still Life | No Comments »

10×10″, Gouache in kraft paper sketchbook
Oil/acrylic painting of this sketch coming soon…Stay tuned!

I am having way too much fun with gouache sketches on this paper! I am thinking of ways to achieve this look with oils/acrylics on a more archival surface. I think I’m going to give it a whirl for tomorrow’s daily painting.

Edit: To see the final painting of this subject, click here.

Sketches, Still Life | 3 Comments »

I’ve always wanted one of these sketchbooks with the heavy, brown kraft paper. I have a huge roll if it, which I tear off into 24×36″ sheets for figure drawing. I was in Borders yesterday and saw this one on a “discontinued” rack for 50% off. It was “now or never”! It’s a great size at 9-3/4″ square. That’s too large to keep in my purse, but a great size for small gouache paintings, charcoal and pencil drawings, with room to write on the same page too.

Unfortunately, I don’t think this paper is archival, but sometimes the freedom to create something on “junk” leads to something special, which can then be recreated in the studio using better materials. This neutral background gives a midtone against which one can bump lights and darks very effectively. This was just what I needed to get me back into my grove of the Saturday/Sunday Sketches. I even painted my little “Bluebird of Happiness” to show how thrilled I am with the new book!

Sketches | 2 Comments »

6×8″, Sepia ink pen and watercolors

My daughter and her friend had a photography class today, so while they were in class I pulled out my sketchbook in a shady spot and did a “Saturday Sketch” at Tilly Foster Farm. I struggle with architecture, so it’s always a great challenge for me when I’m out sketching.

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Click for clearer, larger image:

I’ve made a pact with myself to start doing sketches every Saturday. I have some Saturday paintouts coming up, so there may be times when I need to do “Saturday Sketches” on a different day instead, but I’m going to try to stick to posting them on Saturdays. I’ve received so many comments from viewers who enjoy seeing my sketches, and the drawing practice is very important.

I almost always sketch from life, but today I checked into the Wetcanvas Weekend Drawing Event and couldn’t resist doing some watercolor sketches from those beautiful reference images! Check it out sometime; there is a different host every week, and the images are usually posted on Fridays, in plenty of time for everybody’s weekend enjoyment.

Sketches | 1 Comment »

Click for a clearer, enlarged image:

Sketches | 1 Comment »

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Maine, Sketches | 1 Comment »

There are many fabulous sites along the Ocean Path in Acadia National Park, but it’s hard to beat the views from the very end, when you arrive at Otter Point. I’ve done lots of paintings from this location, and I’m sure there are many more to come.

Sketches | No Comments »

During part of our trip, we stayed at the wonderful Bar Harbor Inn. The Shore Path runs right outside the hotel. I’d take a stroll along the path every day, stopping to sketch a little something along the way. I loved the shape of this bare tree (above), flanked by the bushes.

This huge yacht, The Floridian (above), anchored just offshore from the balcony of our hotel room. I sketched it as the helicopter took off. The folks on board spent a lot of time hitting golf balls into the ocean and playing with the jet skis that emerged from a huge door in the hull.

A rusty, old lobster boat anchored out there too, with one of the Porcupine Islands as a backdrop to the scene.

Maine, Sketches | No Comments »

No trip to Mt. Desert Island is complete without a visit to the Jordan Pond House for lunch or dinner. We worked up an appetite by hiking around the pond first. There’s this fabulous wooden footbridge at the far end of the pond where I stopped to sketch while my husband took some pictures.

Maine, Sketches | 1 Comment »

This second day of our trip we went to Monhegan Island for the day. All artists need to make a pilgrimage there; you’ve never seen so many artists painting in one place at the same time! We chose the wrong day to go though, with record-breaking heat, no shade in sight, and no ice nor air conditioning on the island!

We were mostly hiking, since we wanted to see as much of the island as possible in one day, but I stopped for a quick sketch from time to time. We went along the trail to Lobster Cove (first image above). I think everybody paints that house overlooking the cove! The trail continues on past the wreck of the ship, “The Sheridan”. I stopped to sketch that too:

Maine, Sketches | 2 Comments »