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!

Posted by Jamie on Monday, August 17th, 2009 at 10:13 am.