Archive for January, 2010

Work in Progress — Hunter Mountain Commission

Posted by Jamie on January 29th, 2010

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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.

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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:

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

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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!

Hunter Mountain Vista

Posted by Jamie on January 26th, 2010

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8×12″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard
$350.00 plus $20 shipping and insurance within the Continental United States. For local sales, shipping charge will be allocated to NYS Sales Tax. Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com for International purchases or with any questions.

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!

Creek with Dead Tree — Ode to Thomas Cole

Posted by Jamie on January 22nd, 2010

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5×7″, Acrylics
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar 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.

The Road Home in Early Winter

Posted by Jamie on January 21st, 2010

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12×9″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard

SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

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.

Work in Progress — The Road Home in Early Winter

Posted by Jamie on January 19th, 2010

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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.

Long Winter Shadows

Posted by Jamie on January 18th, 2010

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8×10″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard
$260.00 plus $20 shipping and insurance within the Continental United States. For local sales, shipping charge will be allocated to NYS Sales Tax. Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com for International purchases or with any questions.

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!

Sunset Sketch Over Storm King Mountain

Posted by Jamie on January 14th, 2010

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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!

Serene Sunrise

Posted by Jamie on January 13th, 2010

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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.

Kaaterskill Fine Arts Juried Member Show

Posted by Jamie on January 7th, 2010

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:

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Winter Cloudbreak

Posted by Jamie on January 4th, 2010

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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.