12×16″, oil on linen panel
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

On Saturday, October 5, I had the great honor of receiving the Second Place award at the Olana Plein Air event. Entry into the event was highly competitive and they only took 25 of us to begin with, so I was especially grateful to receive the award among such an accomplished group of artists. Olana is the homestead of Hudson River School painter Frederic Church. His 250 acre property and Moorish style mansion are a painter’s haven at any time of year, but especially in fall.

We had two and a half days to paint. I was feeling stressed by time factors because I had my dogs at home and knew I would not be able to spend as much as I’d like on location. I had a petsitter walk them at noon, but that still didn’t give me until sunset, and of course sunset is The time to paint at Olana!

This is a view off Ridge Road at Olana, and it’s one of my special favorite spots. It features Kaaterskill Clove in the distance, which was one of the areas painted by many of the Hudson River School painters. Knowing I was pressed for time, I set my easel out at the site at 7:45am on the first day, and then went to the 8am breakfast orientation/registration meeting. When the meeting broke, I was all set to paint. As I was nearing the end of the painting, this fabulous barge and tugboat went by! Sometimes they appear at the wrong time in the painting process, but I pretty much had that area completed and was able to pop them in as they passed.

I did five paintings during the two and a half days, and in the end, was torn between two of them in deciding what to submit for the juror and auction. Each artist had to select just one painting. Everybody’s paintings were beautiful!

Many thanks to the Olana and Columbia County Council for the Arts staffs for their hard work before, after, and during the event, and to all the art lovers who came to the auction and bid on paintings. I’d also like to thank my fellow painters for making it such an enjoyable event and being so supportive of one another.

Here is an image you can click on for a larger view:

Posted by Jamie on Monday, October 7th, 2013 at 2:15 pm.