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    All images are Copyright Protected and the property of Jamie Williams Grossman. Paintings and photos displayed on this site may not be reprinted, copied, downloaded, displayed elsewhere, or used for any reason without her written permission.

    ------------------------------------- CUSTOMER REVIEWS

    "OMGGGGG, Jamie!!!! It's absolutely amazinggggggg!!!!!! I loveeeeee it!!!!!! This is sooo much more than I could have imagined!!! Thank you!!!!"

    "It's spectacular, Jamie!!! How talented you are! We absolutely love it! And you are right-the frame is just perfect for it! "

    "Happy" with it is an understatement! My sister's husband said, "Wow, it's beautiful!" That's a lot of emotion coming from him! haha. And my adult daughter said, "OMG MOM, ITS GORGEOUS!". You have added to your fan club!

    "Jamie, your painting arrived in perfect condition! And, as I expected, it looks even better ‘in person’ than on the computer screen. Thank you so much for your careful packing and wonderful painting."

    "...Today I finally surprised [my wife] with the actual painting! It is her birthday! And I just wanted to let you know the we both absolutely love it!! She was so so surprised, and just speechless.... Thank you again for being so flexible and good to work with! It was such a joy preparing for today and I appreciated your professionalism throughout the process!"

    "I love the new painting! It's actually a little more golden and fluid than it looks in the pic and I love the movement; everything in my house is a little on the warm and yellow and gold side so it could hang pretty much anywhere. It's going to the framer shortly and I look forward to having it up :-)"

    "Jamie, it's lovely!!! Thank you so much for all the time and love you've put into it! You have no idea how much joy your work is bringing to me. I'm very grateful!"

    "I just wanted to share that my father-in-law absolutely LOVES your painting. He loves the frame and said that he's never owned a real oil painting. ???? But most importantly, he loves the subject matter and he and my husband spent a lot of time reminiscing this morning about hikes they took there years ago. This part of the Hudson is, by far, their favorite! Thank you SO much for making this Christmas gift PERFECT."

    "Your paintings of my beloved Hudson Valley are stunning! I've always loved Hudson River paintings, and can't believe that I've found someone who is following in the great tradition of Cropsey and company! "

    "We received your painting yesterday and it's really very beautiful. Thank you again very much."

    "Your beautiful "Autumn at Rockwood" arrived in perfect condition two days ago. It is even more lovely in person than I ever could have imagined. Thank you so much for your artistry and your many kindnesses to me..... I will treasure both of my paintings very much ..."

    "I'm more than happy, I'm thrilled!"

    "I just wanted to let you know that I received [the painting] today! It is beautiful, thank you so much:)"

    "Your [miniature] Caillebotte arrived today. Wow, it's WAY better seeing it in person than viewing an image/photo of it. Spectacular..... Thank you so much!!"

    "It's beautiful. Thank you so much!"

    "Oh, Jamie! It is fabulous!!!!!!! I love it!"

    "Hi Jamie, I received painting yesterday. It's really beautiful! Thank you for sending so quickly. I'm sure it will give my friend hope and strengthen as she faces this battle with Parkinson's. Thank you!"

    "Jamie, My painting arrived Thursday and I love it. I will definitely order from you again."

    "[They] love the painting. They were so surprised. They really appreciate it and the thought and artistry behind it. They received many [wedding] gifts, and said this was one of their two favorites."

    "[My husband] loved loved loved the painting! It is hanging on the wall in my great room. It's just beautiful!"

    "Hi Jamie! The beautiful paintings arrived safe and sound this afternoon. I love them! (Boy you don't mess around with packing them ;) Thank you."

    "Hi Jamie –I thought you’d enjoy seeing “The Red Barge” framed. Until I give it to my husband on his birthday, I have it hanging in my office. I LOVE looking at it all day!"

    "I received the painting this morning. It is SO FANTASTIC!!!!!! I wish I would have had it done larger. Thank you! thank you!"

    "The East from Hunter Mountain painting arrived the other day. It made it through the snow and looks great. Thanks for everything."

    "Jamie, my wife and I love it. Thank you and great work. It was difficult trying to figure out a special gift for them......I'm very happy that I reached out to you. I know they will love the painting and the special touch you did with the card! "

    "Wow, it looks AMAZING! They are going to love it. I love the name too. Perfect. ... Thanks again!"

    "Your lovely painting of a sweet bird, framed beautifully, arrived last week.... I just adore it!!... I see it and injoy its beauty every day! Thank you so much!"

    "The painting is beautiful! I love it! "

    "Just a quick note to let you know your [miniature] Monet arrived in perfect condition. It looks fabulous!!! Thank you again so much."




    ------------------------------------------ If you haven't seen the two-DVD set, "The Impressionists", you don't know what you're missing!

    the-impressionists.jpg


    I rented it from Netflix and absolutely loved it. It is an enactment of the lives of Monet, Renoir, Manet, Cezanne, Degas, and other Impressionist painters living at that time around Paris. Fascinating and eye-opening!





Archive for the 'Catskill Mountains' Category

Story Farm

Posted by Jamie on June 22nd, 2011

110622-Story-Farm-5x7-450

5×7″, Oils on Raymar linen panel
$125.00 plus $10 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.

This is the farm in Catskill where I get all my fresh fruits and vegetables when I’m upstate.

Hot Day by the Waterfall

Posted by Jamie on June 9th, 2011

110608-Hot-Day-by-the-Falls-5x7-450

5×7″, Oils on archival oil primed linen panel
$125.00 plus $10 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.

It was so hot out today that my friend Mara and I were trying to decide whether to stay in the studio and paint the wildflowers I picked this morning, or venture out into the yard in the heat. We went exploring, finding shade and irresistible views at the base of the little waterfall. It was surprisingly cool there with my feet in the cold water while I painted! I was attracted to the strong contrasts of the shadow side of the rock and white of the bubbling water catching the light, combined with the transparency of the cool pool below where the light penetrated the surface.

Here’s an image you can click for a slightly larger view of the painting:

110608-Hot-Day-by-the-Falls-5x7-600

Rip Van Winkle Sunset

Posted by Jamie on June 7th, 2011

110607-Rip-Van-Winkle-Sunset-5x7-450darker

5×7″, Oils on oil primed linen panel
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

Anybody who’s ever driven across the Rip Van Winkle bridge over the Hudson River has been treated to this fabulous Catskill skyline vista. It’s even more dramatic at sunset, with the colors springing up from behind the distant mountains. I’ve been going there recently to take photos. I like the way the islands in the river enhance the composition at this location.

Mossy Falls

Posted by Jamie on May 23rd, 2011

110523-Mossy-Falls-16x12-550v

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

I’ve been wanting to paint this waterfall for such a long time! Over half of it is this beautiful rock ledge covered with the most gorgeous green moss I’ve ever seen. I finally had my opportunity when the sun broke out briefly on Saturday. I did end up having to pack up quickly in the rain and finish it up in the studio, but it was a thrill to be out there painting for awhile. As far as I know, this waterfall has no name, so I call it Mossy Falls. I’d guess it to be about 25-30 feet high.

Spring View to Kaaterskill Clove

Posted by Jamie on May 8th, 2011

110506-Spring-View-to-the-Clove-8x10-450

8×10″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard
$200.00 plus $15 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.

This was painted on location over the weekend in the Catskills. I definitely want to revisit this location a few more times.

Nick Painting at the Beaver Pond

Posted by Jamie on April 29th, 2011

110428-Nick-Painting-at-Beaver-Pond-5x7-450

5×7″, Oils on archival oil primed linen panel
$125.00 plus $10 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.

The beavers have been very industrious lately and built a second pond below this one. They backed the water up to this first dam and extended the height. It’s now probably about four feet, including what’s below the water in the foreground.

Nick made friends with a Canadian Goose that came to greet us, and put him into his painting. I was more interested in the splash of red color offered by Nick’s shirt, so I painted Nick painting the pond.

Artists Nest Falls

Posted by Jamie on April 28th, 2011

110428-Artist-Nest-Falls-5x7-450

5×7″, Oils on archival oil primed linen panel

$135.00 plus $15 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 had five artist friends over to paint a few days ago and everybody chose to paint waterfalls! Sometimes it’s hard for me to paint when I’m the hostess, but I did manage to get this little one nearly finished, and just tweaked it a bit in the studio. Today it rained really hard all day. I just walked my dog past this waterfall and it’s now extended all the way across those ledges. I just might have to go paint it again!

Yesterday I was sketching in Hudson, New York with a couple of artist friends. What a great place to draw and paint! If you’d like to see those sketches, just click here.

Through the Tunnel to Devil’s Kitchen

Posted by Jamie on April 12th, 2011

110330-Through-the-Tunnel-to-Devils-Kitchen-12x9-6-darker

12×9″, Oils on archival oil primed linen panel
$335.00 plus $15 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.

You can stand in this spot, turn in any direction, and see a scene worthy of a painting! This is in the Platte Clove area of the Catskills, known for its steep and dangerous cliffs and dramatic waterfalls.

For some reason, the foreground rocks photographed much higher in blue and purple chroma than they are in the actual painting. I wasn’t able to dull that down without killing the luminosity in the sky.

Color Study of North South Lake from Sunset Rock

Posted by Jamie on April 7th, 2011

110404-Sunset-Rock-Study-12x16-450

12×16″, Oils on archival linen panel
Email me at JamieWG@aol.com if interested in this painting.

Thomas Cole, Jasper Cropsey, and many other Hudson River School artists painted this view from Sunset Rock. It is truly one of the most spectacular places in the Catskills, and well worth the hike to get there!

Contemplation

Posted by Jamie on March 29th, 2011

110329-Contemplation-12x16-450

12×16″, Oils on archival linen panel
Email me at JamieWG@aol.com if interested in this painting.

This is one of my favorite painting locations in the Catskills. You can sit on the rocks for hours and hear nothing but rushing water. The water is crystal clear, and so transparent that the pool looks a lot shallower than it really is!

This painting was done with a lot of transparent pigments, a few semi-transparent, a couple of opaque pigments, and a little help from artist extraordinaire, David Dunlop. As plein air season gets underway, I’ll have to see if I can cart enough extra tubes with me to keep a transparent palette for at least part of the process. You can see how it really makes the painting glow from within.

Here’s an image that you can click on to see the painting a little larger and clearer:

110329-Contemplation-12x16-600

Fishing at North South Lake

Posted by Jamie on January 27th, 2011

110127-Fishing-at-North-South-Lake-5x7-450

5×7″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

When I saw this scene, I wondered if the person who was fishing realized that he was standing right where Thomas Cole did his famous painting, Lake with Dead Trees. Whenever I’m here at North South Lake and the surrounding area, I can feel the spirit of the land that drew the Hudson River School painters to these locations. Both Cole and Cropsey painted here beside this lake, and I’m sure many others too. That’s Roundtop Mountain in the distance, although it’s often confused with nearby (and similarly-shaped) Kaaterskill High Peak.

I painted this one in my little 5×7 box — perfect for “stealth painting” in all kinds of situations! 🙂

110127-Fishing-at-North-South-Lake-palette-600v

Sunset at the Beaver Pond

Posted by Jamie on January 26th, 2011

110125-Sunset-at-the-Beaver-Pond-16x20-450

16×20″, Oils on archival linen panel
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

This is one of my favorite places to paint. I’ve done several paintings of this beaver pond in all seasons, both from photos and on location. I never get tired of it! You can click here to see images of the painting in progress.

The subtle colors and textures are so much nicer in the actual painting. A lot doesn’t show up in the photo, but if you’d like to see a larger picture of this painting, click the image below:

110125-Sunset-at-the-Beaver-Pond-16x20-800

Beaver Pond at Sunset

Posted by Jamie on January 20th, 2011

110120-Beaver-Pond-at-Sunset-6x6-450

6×6″, Oils on Ampersand Gessoboard
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

One summer evening, I was sitting in my house upstate at sunset when the most amazing color started to form in the sky. I grabbed my camera and ran out back to the beaver pond in time to catch the blues, violets and pinks reflecting in the water. I’ve been meaning to paint from that photo ever since!

Kaaterskill Falls 7×5

Posted by Jamie on January 3rd, 2011

110103-Kaaterskill-Falls-7x5-GO-500v

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!

Awaiting an Adventure — Catksill Marina by the Hudson River

Posted by Jamie on November 22nd, 2010

101122-Awaiting-an-Adventure-16x20-GF-450

16×20″, Acrylics on archival board
$695.00 plus $30 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.

This is a painting done partially on location during the summer. I drove around with my friend Karen looking for a painting spot near the Hudson, and we finally came upon this marina view in Catskill. Around the bend in the painting lies the Hudson River. I loved the blue of this sail cover, and the colorful floats piled up on the bow, waiting for adventurous souls to go out for a sail. I didn’t have time to finish it on location and it’s sat in the studio for a few months now, just waiting for the finishing touches! I finally pulled it out this morning and finished it off.

Many of my finishing touches are done at this ArtQuest desk. The easel part adjusts to any angle, and there is a support for a monitor/laptop. I use the keyboard shelf for my palette. I love this thing!

101122-Awaiting-an-Adventure-16x20-GF-desk-800

Here is another image which you can click to see a larger view of the painting:

101122-Awaiting-an-Adventure-16x20-GF-800

These images are looking quite dark to me, but the painting is not this dark.

First Warm Day at the Falls

Posted by Jamie on November 11th, 2010

101111-First-Warm-Day-at-the-Falls-12x12-GF-450

12×12″, Acrylics on canvas covered hardboard
$425.00 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.

“First Warm Day at the Falls” might sound like a funny title for a painting that I’m posting in late autumn. This painting was actually started in the spring, on location. It needed a few touch-ups in the studio, so finally that’s been done and it’s ready to be revealed at last. It so nice to see it finally finished up. This painting will look fabulous in a warm-toned, wood frame. I have just the one!

Here is a photo of the work in progress on location:

First-Warm-Day-at-the-Falls-scene-450

Fall at Cooper Lake

Posted by Jamie on November 2nd, 2010

Click image to enlarge:

101101-Fall-at-Cooper-Lake-scene

12×24″, Golden Acrylics on canvas covered hardboard
$720.00 plus $30 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 went with a group of seven plein air painters to paint at Cooper Lake in Woodstock, New York. The lake is gorgeous, deep blue and clean, with views of the Catskill Mountains in the background. We ended up separating into two groups. Three of us went down the road and found this nice spot with a fallen tree, which added an interesting foreground element to the scene. We later found out that the other four painters had been told to leave because they’d strayed off the road, and this lake is the reservoir for the city of Kingston. Fortunately for the three of us, you are apparently permitted to paint from any public roadway, so I got to stay.

Here is an image of the finished work, which you can click to enlarge:

101101-Fall-at-Cooper-Lake-12x24-800

Adam and Eleza Falls

Posted by Jamie on November 1st, 2010

101026-Adam-and-Eleza-Falls-8x10-450

8×10″, Oils on sealed, primed hardboard

$250.00 plus $15 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.

It was a little tricky setting up my gear on an island in the creek to do this painting, but worth the trouble I think!

Here is a clickable image, so that you can see it a little larger:

101026-Adam-and-Eleza-Falls-8x10-600

Autumn Golds and Violets

Posted by Jamie on October 28th, 2010

10105-Autumn-Golds-and-Violets-8x10-450

8×10″, Oils on sealed, primed hardboard
$200.00 plus $15 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.

The trees here have been unbelievable this week! This bright yellow maple laid down a carpet of golden leaves, and the purple mountain behind it made it all the more striking. The weather has been warm and beautiful. I wish fall would hang on for a couple more months.

Here’s a clickable image which will take you to a slightly larger photo:

10105-Autumn-Golds-and-Violets-8x10-600

Under the Bridge at Devil’s Kitchen

Posted by Jamie on October 27th, 2010

101026-Under-the-Bridge-in-Devils-Kitchen-16x20-450

16×20″, Golden Fluid Acrylics on archival Canson board
$750.00 plus $35 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.

This is another painting from one of my favorite locations in the Catskills. The chasm to the right, “Hell’s Hole”, goes down over 100 feet. My friend Tarryl was standing to my right as I painted this, and I wanted to tether her to a boulder to be sure she wouldn’t take a tumble!

I loved the way the strong light illuminated the foreground rock ledge, and drew the eye through the tunnel to the waterfall beyond. I feel like I could paint this scene a hundred times and not get tired of it.

Here’s another image that you can click on to see a larger version:

101026-Under-the-Bridge-in-Devils-Kitchen-16x20-800

Autumn at the Waterfall

Posted by Jamie on October 7th, 2010

101007-Autumn-at-the-Waterfall-5x7-450

5×7″, Oils on sealed, primed hardboard
$125.00 plus $10 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.

What a gorgeous fall day it turned out to be today, following a few days of dismal, rainy weather. Our waterfalls are gushing and the foliage is nearly at peak. My dog sat beside me, impatient as usual when I’m painting instead of paying attention to him.

I’m trying to constantly remind myself to put down more paint, more paint, more paint. I’m reminded of quotes I’ve heard here and there, such as, “Put out twice as much paint as you think you need and use it all!” A quote I’ve heard attributed to Robert Gamblin (of Gamblin Oil Paints) is, “Paint like you own a paint company!” I’m eager to add more of that third dimension to my work in oils. My paintings will be taking a little longer to dry, but it will be worth it!

Gateway to the Catskills

Posted by Jamie on September 23rd, 2010

100923-Gateway-to-the-Catskills-9x12-450

9×12″, Oils on sealed, primed hardboard
$335.00 plus $15 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.

There is an old cemetery and arboretum up in the mountains with a fabulous overlook of the Catskills. I couldn’t resist this garden gate with the bright green field inviting me in for the view!

Here is an image that you can click on to get a slightly larger picture:

100923-Gateway-to-the-Catskills-9x12-600

Visiting Thomas Cole

Posted by Jamie on September 21st, 2010

100920-Visiting-Thomas-Cole-5x7-450

5×7″, Oils on sealed, primed hardboard
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

I’ve been wanting to paint this view of the Thomas Cole house from the garden path for years! I had some friends visiting from out of town, so I finally got to do it while they took the house tour and strolled around the grounds. The flowers were so gorgeous, and the yellow exterior of the house glowed, even under the porch roof! That honey locust tree really is that huge; it’s 200 years old! There were a dozen on the property in Cole’s time, hence the name of the estate— Locust Grove.

Kaaterskill Cascade

Posted by Jamie on September 15th, 2010

100914-Kaaterskill-Cascade-5x7-450

5×7″, Oils on Ampersand Gessoboard

$135.00 plus $15 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.

At the top of Kaaterskill Falls, the stream descends from South Lake and cascades over the edge. Along the way, there are these beautiful cascades, with pools of deep rusts in the shallow areas, and blue-greens in the deep sections gouged out by the waterfalls at peak flow. They are the most challenging things I’ve ever painted. I keep on going back again and again in an attempt to capture what I see, but this is the first time that I felt the result was worth sharing! I think all those attempts are finally starting to pay off. Perhaps it also has something to do with all the waterfalls I’ve been painting in Platte Clove lately.

This was also painted with my 5×7″ Guerrilla box. I laid in my composition and somehow the little waterfall migrated right to the center of the painting, all by itself! I had to wipe it out and go at it again, and this was the result.

100912-Bridge-Over-Devils-Kitchen-5x7-450

5×7″, Oils on sealed, primed hardboard
$125.00 plus $10 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 went back to the waterfalls in Platte Clove; I can’t seem to stay away from there for long! This time I was test driving my brand new baby — the 5×7″ Guerrilla Painter pochade box. It’s so small and light, and I can take this everywhere for stealth painting on the go! I got it with the palette extension to give me a little extra space to hold my palette cup, brushes, and a clipped on rag. The palette is still small, but then again, so is the painting. For 5×7 size it worked just fine. It holds two wet panels instead of the four that their 6×8″ box holds, but the 6×8 is deeper and heavier. This one fits right into the pocket of my pack stool!

I’ve been so busy this week. My fellow Daily Painters Laurie Pace and Kimberly Conrad are visiting from out of town with their husbands. We’re all having a grand time. My Daily Painter friend Gretchen Kelly also came to join us yesterday. We toured some of the “Hudson River Art Trail”, managing to visit Olana, Locust Grove, North South Lake, and Kaaterskill Falls in a single day!

Tonight I’m cooking dinner for everybody — fresh corn from the local market, chicken breasts with pesto sauce, carrots, a huge salad, and stewed fruit with whipped cream for dessert. Mmmmmmm…..

Over the Edge — Kaaterskill Falls

Posted by Jamie on September 7th, 2010

100906-Over-the-Edge-8x10-GF-6501

8×10″, Acrylics
$260.00 plus $15 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.

This was painted at the top of Kaaterskill Falls, which is the tallest waterfall in New York State. The stream comes down from South Lake and disappears here over the edge of the cliff.

Click to enlarge image:

100830-Greens-and-Rusts-in-Devils-Kitchen-11x15-P-600

10.5×13.5″, Soft pastels on UArt 600 archival, sanded paper
$295.00 plus $10 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 back up in Platte Clove today, painting the exquisite waterfalls in Devil’s Kitchen. We finally got a good, long rainfall a week or so ago, and all the waterfalls have been running strongly since then.

I haven’t broken out the pastels for a really long time, and this was so much fun! Can’t wait to do more pastel work.

The new studio is coming along. Expect a studio tour here on my website in the near future!

Porch Painting — Sailing Past Poets Walk

Posted by Jamie on August 27th, 2010

Porch-Painting-800

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

Sailing-Past-Poets-Walk-12x16-450

It was a gorgeous day today, and even though I was finishing up this painting from a photo instead of on location, at least I got to do it out on the patio and enjoy the gorgeous weather! This is a scene from Poet’s Walk in Rhinebeck, New York, along the Hudson River. It’s very close to where Chelsea Clinton got married recently. The mountains on the other side of the river are the Catskills.

I enjoyed all the layers of color in this painting. They add so much depth, and it’s always a great challenge to keep so much warm color and contrast in reserve for the foreground as I work from back to front and push the distances.

Here is an image you can click on to see a slightly larger photo of the painting:

Sailing-Past-Poets-Walk-12x16-600

A Day at Colgate Lake

Posted by Jamie on August 23rd, 2010

100819-By-the-Dam-at-Colgate-Lake-6x8-450

6×8″, Oils on sealed, primed hardboard
$160.00 plus $10 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.

My husband and I went on a picnic last week to Colgate Lake. We brought the dog along and had a wonderful day lazing by the lakeshore. I brought along my little 6×8″ Guerrilla pochade box and painted this while we chatted and he looked through a book of hikes in the area. On the right of the painting is the bridge that crosses the outlet and the dam. Rondo was most interested in lunch!

Catskill Serenade

Posted by Jamie on August 22nd, 2010

100820-Catskill-Serenade-16x20-GF-450

Catskill Serenade
16×20″, Golden Fluid Acrylics on archival board
$695.00 plus $25 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.

Here a clickable image, if you’d like to see a larger version of the painting:

100820-Catskill-Serenade-16x20-GF-650

This painting features a view of the famous of Kaaterskill High Peak and Round Top mountains as seen from the Hudson Valley, where one enters Kaaterskill Clove. I did a small, 6×8″ version of this scene a few weeks ago and liked it so much that I returned to do a larger version.

100819-Star-Light-Star-Bright-South-Lake-6x8-450

6×8″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard
$150.00 plus $10 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.

My husband and I went to North South Lake to catch the sunset. There were streaks of red and golden yellow, and the first star appeared in the western sky. I tried to catch what I could with my brushes while he busied himself with camera and tripod.

The red in the painting is much, much softer than it appears in this photo, but I can’t seem to get the adjustments right to show it the way it is. I’ll just say that in this case, the image really does not do the painting justice! It looks a lot better in person, and is much more subtle.

The Red Kayak

Posted by Jamie on August 16th, 2010

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8×12″, Oils on sealed, primed hardboard
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

I was painting this beautifully serene scene at North South Lake in the Catskill Mountains, when a bright red kayak appeared as a perfect splash of complementary color! That’s Round Top mountain in the distance, painted from a different vantage point along the lake than my usual location. I found this new spot when my husband and I went for a hike around the perimeter of the lakes last week. Usually I paint near the tip of that peninsula on the right, but this new location enables me to add that point as a nice compositional element in the painting.

Click image to enlarge:

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16×20″, Acrylics on archival board
$695.00 plus $25 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 went back up to the Catskill Mountain House site, eager to do a larger painting overlooking the Hudson River Valley from up there. It was a fairly overcast morning, and looking out from the cliff’s edge, the most striking feature below me was the silver ribbon of the Hudson River off in the distance. The Berkshire Mountains merged into the sky beyond the river. Bits of farms and buildings peeked up from below as the morning went on and the haze started to lift, so I put some of those in too as they came into view.

This Canson MiTientes board has a fabulous surface texture, varnished to a beautiful sheen, and can be framed without glass like an oil painting. It’s my favorite surface for acrylics. Stay tuned for a special series on this surface sometime around November!

Red Barns Beside the Creek

Posted by Jamie on August 12th, 2010

100812-Red-Barns-by-the-Creek-8x12-450

9×12″, Oils on sealed, primed 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.

This was another painting done pulled off to the side of a country road while out exploring. I love this scene and definitely want to go back to do a larger version sometime. I’ll bet it will be even more beautiful in fall, but then again, winter would be gorgeous with the red barns against the white snow. This time of year, I’m usually so tired of the green, green, green of summer; but this summer I seem to have found lots of elements to balance the greens in my paintings, and I will actually be sad to see summer come to an end.

Pond and Mountains with a Limited Palette

Posted by Jamie on August 7th, 2010

Lindas-Pond-Limited-Palette-6x8-450

6×8″, Oils on sealed, primed hardboard
Email me at JamieWG@aol.com if interested in this painting.

After painting the pond and mountains in monochrome, which you can see in yesterday’s post, I did painted it again using a limited palette of colors. This was done with just Transparent Yellow Oxide, Transparent Red Oxide, Ultramarine Blue, and Titanium White. Most of the lights were pulled out with a rag rather than painted in with white or a tint. Light colors portrayed this way have more luminescence.

I’m looking forward to revisiting this scene for a full color version, especially in fall!

Above the Clouds at the Catskill Mountain House Site

Posted by Jamie on August 5th, 2010

100805-Above-the-Clouds-6x8-GF-2-450

6×8″, Golden Fluid Acrylics on archival museum board (frame like an oil painting)
$165.00 plus $10 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.

This painting was done on location on the cliff of the former site of the Catskill Mountain House on South Mountain. On a clear day, the view overlooks 60 miles of the Hudson River and a vista that extends all the way to Massachusetts. However, on this day, we were treated to a spectacular display of atmospheric clouds both below and above us, with occasional peeks through to farmland below and glimpses of the river. I love revisiting this location. It always has something special and new to offer. I guess that’s why Thomas Cole and Frederic Church kept coming back here too!

Another thing that made this day so special was that I was accompanied by friends L. Diane Johnson from North Carolina, and Ruth Ann Sturgill from Ohio. It’s not often that I get to paint with friends from so far away! We spent a wonderful couple of days together, and I’ll be posting more about what we did and painted as I have a chance to finish up and photograph the paintings.

I’ve been so busy painting up a storm out on location over the past couple of weeks that it’s been impossible for me to keep up with photographing work, blogging, and putting on finishing touches. Now things are settling down, and I’m hoping to get all these things up for you to see!

Old Mills Falls

Posted by Jamie on July 27th, 2010

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6×8″, Oils on sealed, primed hardboard

$160.00 plus $15 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’m still continuing on with my exploration of the waterfalls in the Catskill Mountains. Old Mills Falls is exquisite, with a beautiful, large, transparent pool at the base. I really want to go back and do a larger version of this as well. It’s a pretty steep descent to the falls, so I just stuck my little painting box in my backpack and went hands-free.

Platte Clove Waterfall

Posted by Jamie on July 26th, 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.

Yep, back to Hell’s Hole again in the Devil’s Kitchen area of Platte Clove to do what I seem to enjoy most these days — painting waterfalls! This eastern section of the Catskills is so loaded with waterfalls. Many of them are challenging to get to, but some are roadside and easily accessible.

Gathering Storm at Story Farm

Posted by Jamie on July 25th, 2010

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8×12″, Oils on sealed, primed hardboard
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

This is the farm where I buy all my fresh produce. Nestled in the Hudson Valley just to the east of the escarpment of the Catskills, they have acres and acres of strawberries, corn, zucchini, and all other kinds of vegetables. The beautiful setting against the mountains is an artist’s dream, and it makes for a dramatic scene under any weather conditions. I happened to catch it this time just as a storm was getting underway. I took a picture and then painted it from the photo, under the roof of my patio in the rain.

Waterfall and Moss

Posted by Jamie on July 23rd, 2010

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6×8″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard
$130.00 plus $15 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.

This waterfall in the Catskill Mountains provided the perfect cool, comfortable spot to go painting on a hot day last week! The water was crystal clear and glistened against the moss-covered rocks.

Morning Peaks — Catskill Mountains

Posted by Jamie on July 18th, 2010

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6×8″, Oils on sealed, primed hardboard
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

It may seem like I’ve fallen off the face of the earth lately, but actually I’ve been so busy painting that I haven’t had a chance to post the paintings! This painting of Kaaterskill High Peak and Round Top was done very early one morning. The contractor who is building my new studio wanted to beat the heat and cut through a masonry doorway at 6:30am! That gave me good incentive to make the most of the early light in the mountains.

There were cows out in the field. I was hoping they’d come close enough for me to be able to see them well enough to put them into the painting, but they stayed way off in the shade. Of course, as soon as I was finished, they all sauntered over to the fence to say hello and see the finished product!

Cows

East from Huckleberry Point — Catskill Mountains

Posted by Jamie on July 5th, 2010

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

This past weekend, my husband and I hiked out to Huckleberry Point in the Catskill Mountains. From the vantage point of these rocks, you can see east over the Hudson Valley to the Hudson River and beyond, south across Platte Clove, and west toward the Catskills and through the clove. It is truly one of the most spectacular places I’ve encountered in these mountain meanderings. We found the hike to be more strenuous than what the guide books described, so if you go, be prepared! We brought our walking sticks along, plenty of water, and lunch to have a picnic — things I’d definitely recommend to others who venture out there.

The painting above was done from one of the photos I took there. You can see the Hudson River near the horizon, working its way southward, and disappearing behind the Gunks.

I pulled out the acrylics this morning. Every time I paint with acrylics I ask myself why I ever paint in oils. These are just too much fun to be legal. I used Golden Fluid Acrylics today, with plenty of Golden Acrylic Glazing Liquid to keep the paint workable. My palette for this painting was:
Hansa Yellow Opaque
Diarylide Yellow
Pyrrole Red
Cerulean Blue Deep
Prussian Blue Hue
Jenkins Green
Titanium White
I loved this palette!

Kaaterskill Morning

Posted by Jamie on June 30th, 2010

100630-Kaaterskill-Morning-5x7-450-dk-adj

5×7″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

This was one of those mornings with more atmosphere than I could dream for. The conditions kept changing dramatically every few minutes, so I picked out what I could of the sky, ground and water, and challenged myself to try to make a cohesive whole out of all those bits!

The highest peak in the painting is Kaaterskill High Peak, and to the right is Round Top. These two peaks dominate the landscape of Kaaterskill Clove, home to the Hudson River School painters…and me!

Farm in the Valley

Posted by Jamie on June 28th, 2010

100628-Farm-in-the-Valley-12x24-450

12×24, Oils on sealed, primed hardboard
$720.00 plus $30 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 think you already saw this recently, you did! I decided to work on it more in the studio, so above is (hopefully!) the final image of the completed painting. These long, horizontal formats show so small on the blog page, so here is another image that you can click on to enlarge it a bit:

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I love this view of the barns against the eastern escarpment of the Catskill Mountains. This was painted on location, on this warm, breezy day of changing clouds and moving light. I loved the contrast in color temperature between the orangy fields and blue-green mountains, with the red spots of color contributing a nice focal point.

From the Land of Falling Waters

Posted by Jamie on March 31st, 2010

100331-From-the-Land-of-Falling-Waters-16x12-done-500v

16×12″, Oils on sealed, primed hardboard
Email me at JamieWG@aol.com if interested in this painting.

I posted the red oxide underpainting start of this work a few days ago. Today I finished it up in the studio. Hopefully it conveys at least a little of the magic that I feel beside this waterfall below the mountain. It is not an exact depiction of the location, but rather an attempt to capture the essence of the elements that lure me to this spot time after time. Pretty soon the foliage will be in full bloom and the scene will change dramatically, providing an opportunity to capture the vista in its newly-transformed state.

View from Hunter Mountain — large oil painting

Posted by Jamie on March 27th, 2010

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28×42″, Oils on stretched canvas
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

Finished at last! This was such a great painting to work on. Those of you who have been following along may remember that my client for this painting sent me samples of her carpet colors to work into the landscape. They were gorgeous rusts, ochres and muted greens. Selecting a specific color palette is a great way to commission a painting that you know will go with your decor!

Here’s a link to the painting’s beginnings, if you’d like to see how I started it.

Here is a link to the color/compositon study for the large painting.

Lastly, here is a link to the plein air painting I did on location. I took my painting gear up on the chair lift!

Afternoon by the Waterfall

Posted by Jamie on March 21st, 2010

100320-Afternoon-by-the-Waterfall-9x12-wc-450

9×12″, Watercolor on Fabriano Artistico
$160.00 plus $15 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.

This was my first go at painting this particular waterfall, but it won’t be my last for sure! I had to tiptoe across stepping stones to a little island in the creek to arrive at the ideal vantage point. The painting location was shaded by an overpass while the waterfall was in sunlight, so this will be a fabulous spot on a hot day! There’s been a lot of rain, and combined with the snow melt off South Mountain, the waterfalls were gushing this weekend.

A Walk in Platte Clove

Posted by Jamie on February 22nd, 2010

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8×10″, Watercolor on 300# Fabriano Artistico hp
$125.00 plus $10 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.

This is one of my favorite areas of the Catskills to go hiking, picture-taking, and painting. The mountains are so dramatic, and there are places where the road winds through the clove and drops off so steeply that it takes your breath away! This one was painted from a photo. Doing this made me eager to get back there again. I can’t wait till spring arrives!

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.

carpet-1b

carpet-2b

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

100126-Hunter-color-study-1-450

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

100121-Road-Home-Early-Winter-12x9-500v

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.

Long Winter Shadows

Posted by Jamie on January 18th, 2010

100114-Long-Winter-Shadows-8x10-450

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!

Winter Cloudbreak

Posted by Jamie on January 4th, 2010

100104-Winter-Cloudbreak-5x7-450

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.

Fire in the Sky — Sunset over Olana

Posted by Jamie on December 20th, 2009

091220-Fire-in-the-Sky-Olana-6x8-450

6×8″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard
$160.00 plus $15 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.

This began as a plein air painting this past October. Just as the sun sank below the horizon, the sky lit up like a fireball. As often happens (especially with sunsets), color and light are just too fleeting to finish on location. I’m so busy painting outdoors at that time of year, trying to catch the last bit of fall color, that many of these don’t receive their finishing touches until winter sets in and I’m working in the studio.

I was so happy to pull this one out today and finally get to finish it up. I never get tired of painting these Olana sunsets. Every night there is so different; I can understand why Hudson River School painter Frederic Church chose this location for his exquisite Moorish castle on the hilltop. One of my favorite Frederic Church paintings is a winter view from Olana that he painted en plein air. I’ve never painted from there in winter, but I am determined to brave the cold and do it this winter!

Beside the Babbling Brook

Posted by Jamie on December 16th, 2009

091216-Beside-the-Babbling-Brook-8x10-450

8×10″, oils on canvas covered hardboard
$250.00 plus $15 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.

This is one of my plein air paintings that hung around the studio for months waiting to be finished. Well, today was the day!

There is a magical, little brook that comes down from South Mountain and through our property upstate. It flows under a bridge that spans our driveway, and cascades down moss-covered rocks in a small waterfall. I didn’t even know it was there until after we’d bought the house, but I’ve been entranced by it ever since. It seems to be compositionally perfect from nearly any angle. So far in addition to this one, I’ve done one gouache sketch of it from the other side, a monochrome painting sitting on one of the rock ledges where the water cascaded past me, and an oil painting from the other side of the brook while the phlox was blooming in fall. In spite of all these views of the scene, I feel I’ve barely scratched the surface of the hundreds of fantastic compositions possible from this special little place. There are numerous other waterfalls in and around the property, and although this one is the smallest, I feel it is by far the most beautiful.

I lost my favorite old palette and had to replace it this week. I went over to Jerry’s Artarama in Norwalk to check out what they had, and came away with this wonderful new palette. Today was my first opportunity to test drive it; I love it to bits! Now I’m glad I misplaced the old one.

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The birds got to take turns coming out to play today. I love that I have more time with them during the winter months when I’m working more indoors. Here are the adorable ones: Mango and Coconut. They are extremely sweet and gentle. Mango goes to anybody and loves to socialize. Coconut is extremely handsome, but is not so well endowed in the brains department. LOL

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Hudson River Splendor

Posted by Jamie on December 11th, 2009

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Hudson River Splendor — Hudson River Quadricentennial Series No. 22
5×7″, Oils on Ampersand Gessoboard
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

This is the gorgeous Hudson River view from Olana, home of Hudson River School artist Frederic Church. I was there one night when there was a stupendous sunset, and took as many photos as I could! This is a color study for a larger painting I’d like to do. It gave me a chance to see if the sky colors and values would work, and I’ve decided that they do!

Olana is one of my favorite places to paint, with this stunning overview of the river and the Catskill Mountains in the distance. On the right evening, the scene lights up like a torch.

In celebration of the Hudson River Quadricentennial, I am doing a special series of Hudson River paintings. This one is Number 22 of that series.

Athens Lighthouse from Hudson — Miniature Painting

Posted by Jamie on December 2nd, 2009

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1.5×2″, Golden Acrylics on 4-ply Rag Bristol, framed
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

These miniature gems are too much fun to be legal! This is a miniature version of an 8×10″ painting that I did en plein air in the spring. You can see that painting by clicking here. I enjoy doing different size versions of the same scene. It gives me a chance to play with the composition and colors and try to turn out something even better each time. In this case, I shortened the peninsula so that the eye has a path around it to travel to the lighthouse.

My miniature paintings come with a gift box and buyer’s choice of either a little table easel, or a golden thread affixed to the back and a tack for hanging salon style.

Here’s a slightly larger, cropped photo so that you can see the painting better. I wish this camera had a better lens so you could really see all the teeny tiny brushstrokes in there!

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So much goes into doing one of these miniatures. They take me longer than paintings many times the size. The first step in the process is to cut the support for the painting. In this case, I used four-ply Strathmore rag bristol. It’s a very expensive support, but at this size I could probably get 100 paintings from a sheet! I size that with Golden Matte Medium, because I love the way acrylic paint takes to that sized surface.

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Using a template previously cut to size for that frame, I place it on the new support and draw the rectangle around it. When I finish the painting, I’ll cut to the lines and will have a painting that will fit perfectly into the tiny frame.

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I put a tiny dot of blue-tack on the back of each corner, and affix my support to a piece of black foamcore that has also been sized with matte medium. The black helps reduce glare as I work, and makes it easier to support the tiny painting.

I set up my painting reference next to my easel, and put a photo reference of the scene up on the computer. I can zoom in and out of the photo reference to help me with the details, while using the color from my plein air piece.

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I sketched in my composition with just a few pencil lines, the coated the whole surface with Transparent Yellow Iron Oxide. That served the dual purpose of sealing the drawing and killing the white of the support.

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This is as far as I was able to get without magnification! I have a goose neck lamp with a flourescent bulb and a built-in magnifying glass. I brought that over and worked a couple more hours to finish off the painting. The painting was then cut with an Xacto knife to fit in the frame.

For the sake of the photo of the finished painting, I put it into the frame temporarily. It will actually have to come out to be sealed and then varnished in a week or so. Once that is dry, it will be glued into the frame, and a backing put on that will cover the painting and frame from behind, so it will look like it came straight out of a high end frame shop!

Hopefully you now have an idea of what goes into turning out one of these little gems. They make great gift items.

West from Hunter Mountain — vertical composition

Posted by Jamie on November 29th, 2009

091129-West-from-Hunter-V-Comp-Study-8x6-450

8×6″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard
$150.00 plus $15 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 love this scene from the top of Hunter Mountain. I’ve painted horizontal landscapes from up here, but wanted to see if I could get something to set up well as a vertical. I think this works!

Mountain Retreat

Posted by Jamie on November 22nd, 2009

091122-Mountain-Retreat-6x8-450

6×8″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard
$150.00 plus $10 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.

All the leaves are down now, and the temperature has dropped substantially. I fear that we won’t be seeing anymore 60+ degree days until spring emerges! I sat outside with my little pochade box this afternoon and painted this with just three colors (and white):
Winsor Newton Cadmium Yellow Pale
Winsor Newton Bright Red (Pyrrole)
Utrecht Ultramarine Blue Deep
Utrecht Titanium White

Acra Waterfall No 2 (from below)

Posted by Jamie on November 10th, 2009

080921-acra-waterfall-2-10x8-done-600

10×8″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on sized Canson board
$250.00 plus $15 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.

Painted on location in Acra, New York.

Acra Waterfall No 1 (from above)

Posted by Jamie on November 9th, 2009

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8×10″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on sized Canson board
$250.00 plus $15 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.

Painted on location in Acra, New York.

Fall Atop Kaaterskill Falls

Posted by Jamie on October 20th, 2009

091020-Fall-Atop-Kaaterskill-Falls-6x8-425

6×8″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard
$150.00 plus $10 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.

This painting was started a couple of weeks ago on a very chilly morning at the top of Kaaterskill Falls. It just needed a few minutes of studio touch-ups to call it done. This is one of my favorite painting spots, and I go there often to paint the stunning cascades as they spill over the rocks before plunging down the 279 feet of Kaaterskill Falls. It is the tallest waterfall in New York State.

This was a favorite spot of the Hudson River School painters as well. Back in those times, there was a dam up here to hold back the flow of water. A bucket would be lowered to the viewers below, who would each pay into the bucket for a water release to view the falls. Snack and drinks would also be lowered down to complete the attraction.

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7×5″, Oils on sealed, primed hardboard
$130.00 plus $10 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.

My friend Claire came to visit a few weeks ago. We both set up our easels in my driveway to catch the dramatic foliage against the cooler blue-greens of the mountain. The late day light was fleeting and the mosquitoes were fierce! I didn’t quite have time to finish on location, so I finished this up in the studio today.

The leaves are already gone from that bright foreground tree on the top of the rock. Fall always passes so quickly!

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12×15″, Oils on sealed, primed hardboard
Framing available upon request at additional price
$500.00 plus $30 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.

Today I brought my new Beauport easel down to the beaver pond. I tried to send progress images to my Facebook page from the painting location, but it doesn’t look like they arrived there. I’ll have to get help from my daughter the expert! I don’t have my imaging software here, so the photo above is shown without any adjusting of the image.

Below are images I took with my camera phone and attempted to email to Facebook. It’s not the greatest camera, but at least I remembered to take progress images this time! My viewers are always asking for them, and I never remember to take them.

Just as I got this easel set up, it started to sprinkle. The Beauport sets up easier than you’d think. It can hold a really BIG canvas! Look at how small this 12×16 looks on this big easel! LOL

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Fortunately, the sprinkles were short-lived. The sky was looking better and better, though it doesn’t show up in the photo. That’s one of the wonderful things about painting plein air. We see so much better than a camera lens. I started blocking in my darks and then local color.

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I waited to put in the sky because it kept on improving. I was glad I waited, because by the time I decided to put it in, it was much better than it was when I started the painting. I was surprised by how much fall color there was out by the pond. The rest of the property is barely showing hints of fall. Here is the painting nearly finished.

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I am really loving this easel. I used a covered Masterson palette with a pad of 12×16″ palette paper in it. That and a 12×16″ panel carrier fit into a Creativo backpack, along with my paints, brushes, camera, paper towels, and brush washer. I was surprised by how quickly and easily the easel set up and broke down. The lid of the Masterson palette worked out well to hold my turp container and some paper towels. I found the holes in the easel legs to be handy brush holders!

Phlox by the Waterfall

Posted by Jamie on September 8th, 2009

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5×7″, Oils on sealed, primed hardboard
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

This little waterfall presents a nearly perfect composition from any angle. I think I’ve painted it from five different spots now, and I feel I’ve only just begun to explore it’s potential as a painting subject. This past weekend, its charm multiplied as the phlox bloomed profusely along the shoreline of the creek.

With all the rain we’ve had this season, the mosquitoes have been out in full force. I doused myself with heavy-duty bug repellent and stayed out painting for as long as the mosquitoes would let me!

East from Hunter Mountain

Posted by Jamie on September 7th, 2009

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6×8″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

This painting was also done from the top of Hunter Mountain, this time facing eastward toward Kaaterskill Clove, made famous by the Hudson River School painters. The mountains you see in this painting are the easternmost mountains of the Catskill range. Beyond them stretches the Hudson River Valley. Through that cleft in the mountains on the left lies the former home of Thomas Cole, and across the river is Olana, home of Frederic Church. Many of their most well-known paintings were of scenes between here and there.

West from Hunter Mountain

Posted by Jamie on September 6th, 2009

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6×8″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

On Friday I took the Hunter Mountain “Skyride” (read “chair lift”!) up to some spectacular vistas from all sides of the mountain. My husband went off to hike to the fire tower while I returned to a favorite spot to paint. The weather was gorgeous, and hints of fall were evident in the foliage.

I always forget to stop and take photos while painting outdoors. I get so wrapped up in what I’m doing that I don’t even think about it until I’m already home! I just happened to remember to snap a shot of this painting alongside the scene.

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Catskill Mountain House Vista

Posted by Jamie on July 22nd, 2009

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Catskill Mountain House Vista: Hudson River Quadricentennial Series No. 28
8×10″, Oils on sealed, primed hardboard
$250.00 plus $15 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.

When I arrived at the site of the Catskill Mountain House atop South Mountain early in the morning, I was above a heavy cloud cover. It felt like I was in outer space looking down at the earth! As I painted, more and more of the clouds gave way to the rolling fields below, and the Hudson River appeared out of the hazy covering.

It is from this exact spot that Frederic Church did his famous painting, Above the Clouds. This was a popular painting location for many of the Hudson River School painters.

Backyard Sunset

Posted by Jamie on July 21st, 2009

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6×8″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

We packed up at Olana amidst the thunder and lightning and crossed the Rip Van Winkle Bridge, heading to my Palenville house. Once we arrived there at the foot of South Mountain, we were greeted by a beautiful sunset even though we were facing east from the back porch. I pulled out a panel and set down colors and shapes, then finished this in the studio on Sunday.

A week before, my husband saw a bear back here in the late afternoon! No signs of Smokey while painting this!

Layers of Blue Mountains

Posted by Jamie on July 20th, 2009

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Layers of Blue Mountains: Hudson River Quadricentennial Series No. 27
6×8″, Oils on sealed, primed hardboard
Email me at JamieWG@aol.com if interested in this painting.

After visiting the Thomas Cole Historic Site, we crossed the Hudson River to tour the home of another famous Hudson River School painter: Frederic Church. A fabulous guide led us through his Moorish-style home, where we admired the eclectic collections and intricate wall stenciling. A second tour there brought us to a show of his works done on site at Olana, which just opened recently on the second floor of the estate.

Following that dose of inspiration, Gretchen Kelly and I wandered down a trail near the parking lot and came upon this beautiful view of the Hudson River and Catskills. We set up to paint in the strong, warm, late day light, but it wasn’t long before these beautiful, billowy clouds turned into thunderheads. I don’t think I’ve ever packed up my gear so quickly in my life!

Noon at the Beaver Pond

Posted by Jamie on June 15th, 2009

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6×8″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

The DEC said that we couldn’t build a pond along the stream in the woods, but the beavers kindly did it for us! I set my stool out there yesterday and enjoyed listening to the frogs and birds as I painted this. Occasionally, a duck would come in for a landing, plunking down into the water.

I used my little 6×8″ Guerrilla Painter Thumbox. I love that thing! With the palette extension on, there is enough mixing space for 5×7, 6×6 and 6×8 paintings.

Palette:
Rembrandt Transparent Oxide Red underpainting
Cadmium Yellow Lemon
Cadmium Red Medium
Ultramarine Blue
Viridian
Ivory Black
Titanium White

Marcia’s View

Posted by Jamie on June 1st, 2009

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6×8″, oils on canvas-covered hardboard
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

I went to my friend Marcia’s house for lunch the other day. Next door to her, there’s a fabulous view with a red barn and distant mountains. It was very overcast in the morning, and raining later in the day. However, in between there, while I was painting, the weather was picture-perfect! Somehow I got that ideal window of opportunity. I knew the wet weather was supposed to move in, so I just did this little one. It started to rain just as I was finished and packing up to leave!

Take It from the Top — Above Kaaterskill Falls

Posted by Jamie on May 31st, 2009

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8×10″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on sized archival matboard
$250.00 plus $15 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.

My friend Nancy and I went up to the top of Kaaterskill Falls yesterday morning. We didn’t expect it to be so cold and blustery out there on the ridge at the mountaintop! We weren’t dressed for those kinds of conditions. We thought we’d been there for hours because we were so chilled, but when we asked a passing hiker what time it was, we learned it was only 9:39am!

Back in the days of the Hudson River School painters, there was a dam constructed near this site. Tourists would pay to see the falls (from the bottom), and water would then be released from the dam for a spectacular display. The dam is no longer there, but there was still plenty of water rushing over the edge while I was painting!

For this venture, I used the foamcore pochade box I made. It weighs almost nothing, fits in my backpack, and even holds four wet panels. When I’m painting in the Catskills, I know I can always find a rock or fallen tree trunk to sit on, so instead of a stool, I carry a very light closed cell foam cushion in my backpack. They can be found in gardening centers; they’re actually made for gardeners to kneel on as they work.

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8×10″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard panel
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

This charming lighthouse sits on a cement platform in the middle of the Hudson River between the towns of Athens and Hudson. I had the pleasure of viewing it from both sides recently. On this occasion, I chose to paint it from the Hudson side, but I’d like to go back and paint it from the Athens side soon too.

In case any of you think you saw this a few days ago, it’s not your mind playing tricks on you! I saw a bunch of things I decided to change. I added more darks into the foreground water, glazed the rocks there with some cooler color, popped in some extra darks in the tree, added greens and blues into the background, and popped the lighthouse a bit more. It was only about 20 minutes of touch-ups, but I feel it made a significant enough difference in the image to repost, and delete the old image.

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8×6″, Oils on Raymar canvas panel
$150.00 plus $10 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 went to paint with a friend up in Clermont, New York along the Hudson River. Jan provided the perfect focal point for my painting, with her painting umbrella glistening in the strong morning light, and her rust-colored shirt against the spring greens. Clermont is a nice painting spot with mature trees, a lovely garden, and the Catskill Mountains rising beyond the river.

Jan and I have a show coming up in Rhinebeck, New York from June 5-July 15 with two other artists. The opening is on June 5 from 5:30-7:30pm. I’ll post more about it soon…Save the date if you can come! If you’re in the Rhinebeck area and interested in attending the event, I’d be happy to send you one of our show cards with images and location details. Please email your full name and surface mail address to me, and I’ll be sure you get one.

Catskill Spring

Posted by Jamie on April 19th, 2009

Click painting for a larger, clearer image:

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12×16″, Oils on Raymar canvas panel
$440.00 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.

For the past several days, I’ve been craving a painting day up in the Catskills. I loaded all my gear into my car this morning and drove up to do this painting this afternoon, then turned around and drove back. It was worth the trip for the exquisite weather, spring buds on the trees, and beautiful mountain views. The grass was shimmering in the sunlight, and I could hear the rushing of a waterfall as I painted.

I need to get better at tree identification. I don’t know what kind of tree this is in the foreground. I know it’s not a maple because it doesn’t have those rich, red spring buds. I love the twists and turns of the branches, and the trunk glistened where the light hit. That’s South Mountain in the background.

Almost Spring on South Mountain

Posted by Jamie on March 26th, 2009

Click painting for a larger, clearer image:

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16×20″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on archival canvas panel
$695.00 plus $30 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 started this painting a couple of weeks ago from a photo I took in Palenville, and worked on it a few days since then. For some reason, it seems to have taken me forever to get this one off the easel, but I think it is finally done.

Fifty years or so ago, you’d have seen the grand Catskill Mountain House looming on the escarpment to the right of the peak of South Mountain. Today it’s just an amazing view from up there that extends for hundreds of miles, and takes in over sixty miles of the Hudson River. The spring melt cascades down the mountain in streams and waterfalls that gave Palenville its nickname as “The Village of Falling Waters”.

This painting was done with a limited palette of Raw Sienna, Cadmium Yellow Primrose, Red Iron Oxide, Ultramarine Blue, Phthalo Blue, and Titanium White.

For some reason, the left side of the sky looks darker than the actual painting. It’s always impossible to get the digital image to exactly match. The room lighting must have been darker on that side when I snapped the picture!

Hudson Valley Dreams

Posted by Jamie on March 16th, 2009

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8×6″, oils on Raymar canvas panel
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

This magnificent spot, with the red barns nestled in the valley below the Catskills, is about five minutes from our house. There are mountains and rolling fields everywhere you look. Locations like this one are what make me realize why the Hudson River School painters were so drawn to this area!

It was only 26 degrees yesterday morning when I painted this, so it was done from the warm comfort of my car, parked off on the side of the road!

Waterfall in Monochrome

Posted by Jamie on March 15th, 2009

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8×6″, oils on Raymar canvas panel
$85.00 plus $10 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.

Monochrome studies are such a great way to work on values. When I don’t have time to do a full-color painting, a monochrome sketch is always a good way to spend the time. I mixed together leftover paint from a morning painting to create this reddish-brownish-purplish mix, took a seat on the nearest rock, and used that with titanium white for an oil sketch of a small waterfall.

Here’s a photo of my Guerrilla thumbox at work with this painting! Isn’t it the cutest thing? It holds everything I need for small paintings.

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Kaaterskill Clove from the Beaver Pond

Posted by Jamie on February 27th, 2009

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12×16″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard
$440.00 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.

Kaaterskill Clove was one of the favorite painting locations for many of the Hudson River School artists. Thomas Cole, Frederic Church, Jasper Cropsey and many others painted these mountains in centuries past. It’s easy to see why they were drawn to this dramatic location. The Hudson River provided easy access upstate from New York City and the Lower Hudson Valley. The mountains are only 10 miles inland from the river.

Here is an image of the work in progress, after the underpainting and initial color layer:

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Here’s how I set up to paint from the computer for works larger than 8×10″. I prefer this to using printed photos.

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The colors I used are:
Titanium White
Cadmium Yellow Lemon
Cadmium Yellow Medium
Raw Sienna
Cadmium Red
Cerulean Blue
Cobalt Blue
Ultramarine Blue
Viridian
Ivory Black

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These are the mediums I planned to use for the painting. It’s the first time I tried the Weber Res-n-gel, but it didn’t tack up as quickly as I’d hoped. I think I prefer just turp, or turp and a tiny bit of Liquin for the underlayers.

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I use a glass palette in the studio with a sheet of brown kraft paper below it. It is so easy to clean. I had a glass store cut this 16×24 piece of 1/4″ glass for me and grind the edges.

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I hope you enjoyed seeing some of the steps and materials used along the way.

Catskill Dreams

Posted by Jamie on January 15th, 2009

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5×7″, Oils on Ampersand Gessoboard
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

This painting is done from a photo I took along Platte Clove Road, between Saugerties NY and Tannersville. The road is narrow and winds around the mountain, with sheer cliffs alongside, and is so dangerous that this portion is closed in winter. The views are breathtaking. My husband and I pulled off to the side of the road to take some pictures. After years of looking for a vacation home, it was this drive around Kaaterskill High Peak that narrowed our search to this dramatic area of the Catskills.

Beaver’s Haven

Posted by Jamie on January 13th, 2009

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5×7″, Oils on Ampersand Gessoboard
$125.00 plus $10 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.

Welcome to my new backyard! As you can see, it’s going to be a pretty exciting place to paint. It felt great to pull out the oils again and get back to my favorite passion—landscape painting.

Schoharie Creek

Posted by Jamie on October 30th, 2008

Click to enlarge:

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16×20″, oils on sealed, primed hardboard
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

From this spot nestled in the Catskill Mountains, there are gorgeous views from every angle. I can’t wait to go back in different seasons to experience the changes. This was painted from a photo I took while vacationing there with my husband, though I have painted here en plein air as well.

Threatening Catskill Skies

Posted by Jamie on October 21st, 2008

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8×10″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

At the workshop today, Kenn spoke about hard and soft edges and did a beautiful painting demonstrating the topic. Then it was our turn to try our hand. It was freezing cold outside and raining on and off. Sometimes on those overcast days, the skies can be grey and dreary, but today there was lots of variation and color in the sky as the rains came and went from west to east. I had my painting umbrella, so I fared better than most.

I don’t have my light box setup here to photograph my paintings. The lighter clouds are much warmer in color. I’ll get a better photo once I get home and will then swap the images.

Red Barn Off Platte Clove Road No 3

Posted by Jamie on October 5th, 2008

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8×10″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on Canson board
$250.00 plus $15 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 love this spot in the Catskills with the little red barns. I’ve been doing a bunch of compositional and color studies to select a composition for a large painting of the scene. This is the third one I’ve done. It was painted mostly on location, and touched up a bit in the studio.

Little Pond in Acra No 1

Posted by Jamie on September 24th, 2008

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12×12″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

The Catskill Mountain area has some of the most exquisite vistas in the Hudson River Valley. Roads that wind through woodlands suddenly open up to fields with tremendous, breathtaking blue mountains looming in the distance.

This scene fell so perfectly into a square format that I considered myself very fortunate to have a 12×12″ panel with me! I started this painting in early afternoon, and the light on the scene got better and better as the afternoon went on.

Little Pond in Acra No 2—Plein Air Painting in the Catskills

Posted by Jamie on September 22nd, 2008

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6×8″, Oils on board (sealed, primed hardboard)
$150.00 plus $10 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 just got back from a plein air painting trip to the Catskill Mountains. This little 6×8″ oil painting was done beside a charming pond in Acra, New York. As I approached the pond from the far side, it didn’t look all that interesting. Then I turned around and saw that huge mountain looming in the distance! Wow! I’m told it is Windham High Peak.

It felt wonderful to pull out the oil paints again! I’ve gotten really hooked on the Golden OPEN paints, but oils sure are great too.

Backlighting at Kaaterskill Falls

Posted by Jamie on September 16th, 2008

Click to enlarge:

080916-backlighting-at-kaaterskill-falls-24x18-800

24×18″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on canvas covered hardboard
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

This large painting was done using my plein air study, “The Base of Kaaterskill Falls”, as a reference image, along with a photo I took at the scene. I did a value underpainting in Transparent Red Oxide before going in with local color. One of the things I love about the Golden OPEN paints is the way the underpainting shows through without mixing and muddying the color. I would have had to wait for my oil paints to dry before continuing in order to achieve some of the effects I got here with Golden OPEN.

This was one of the spots painted by many of the old Hudson River School painters, and many of the new ones too! This painting is just the bottom tier of the falls; there is another tier above!

Red Barn by the Stream No. 2

Posted by Jamie on August 11th, 2008

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5×7″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on Fabriano Artistico 100% rag watercolor paper
$125.00 plus $10 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 am painting a number of views of this charming red barn in the Platte Clove area of the Catskills. One of them will become a large painting at some point this year. I’m testing out a number of vantage points, crops of the scene, and colors on my palette on small paintings to decide which I like best. I am liking this one a lot!

Beckoning Mountain Road

Posted by Jamie on August 7th, 2008

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8×16″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on canvas covered hardboard
$395.00 plus $25 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.

This is the third in my series of paintings from Platte Clove in the Catskills. This road to the distant mountains, with the tall post entryway, in the strong, late day light, provided a view that was truly irresistible to paint!

Stream in Platte Clove

Posted by Jamie on August 6th, 2008

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6×8″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on Raymar smooth canvas panel
Custom framed
$290.00 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.

Anybody who’s taken a drive through the Platte Clove area of the Catskills understands the incredible beauty that abounds at every turn and offshoot along the road. This was one of the spots where my husband and I just had to jump out of the car to take photos! I didn’t have time to paint on location there, but I’ll be doing more from my photo references for sure, and plan to make it a point to allow time for plein air work there next time around!

Red Barn by the Stream

Posted by Jamie on August 5th, 2008

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8×6″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on Raymar smooth canvas panel
$115.00 plus $10 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’ve finished posting the plein air paintings from my Hudson River School trip, and am now beginning to work from the photo references I took. Many of these are deserving of large canvases. I’ll be doing these small ones now, then selecting from these scenes to do big paintings once the weather turns cold and I’m in the studio for the winter.

This charming red barn by the stream in the Platte Clove area of the Catskills yielded lots of potential paintings, so there will be more to come from different vantage points of this charming little burst of color amist the greens. The stream there was the icing on the cake!

Morning at Sunset Rock—Hudson River School site

Posted by Jamie on August 3rd, 2008

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8×10″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on sized, “Pearl” Canson board
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

Many Hudson River School painters, including Thomas Cole and Jasper Cropsey, painted from this spot high above North South Lake. I can see why they derived so much inspiration from this location.

Although the view faces west and offers spectacular sunsets, my husband and I opted to make the one mile climb up there in the early morning to beat the heat. I sat on a large rock slab in the shade provided by the huge Sunset Rock, and used my small, foamcore pochade box, which was a real godsend on this trip!

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Sunset from the Catskill Mountain House

Posted by Jamie on August 1st, 2008

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8×10″, Golden OPEN on Multimedia Artboard
$250.00 plus $15 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.

When Hudson River School artist Thomas Cole painted from this very spot, he had both eastern and western views. Now the western view is overgrown, but the eastern view still goes all the way past the Hudson River to the Berkshires.

The Catskill Mountain house was a popular resort back in the early 1800s, but like most of the Catskill resorts, later fell into disrepair as tourism in the area declined. All that remain are two stone pillars leading to the site, and of course the awesome view.

My husband and I set up by this ledge overlooking the valley. I was painting and he was taking photos. What a peaceful way to end the day.

Afternoon at South Lake—Hudson River School site

Posted by Jamie on July 31st, 2008

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8×10″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on “Pearl” Canson board
$250.00 plus $15 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.

Hudson River School artist, Thomas Cole, painted from this very spot for his painting, Lake With Dead Trees. All those dead trees around the lakeshore are now gone, and if anything, the lake looks even more pristine than it does in his painting! North and South Lakes used to be separated by an earthen dam, and South Lake was private property. Eventually the land went to New York State. The dam was removed, and the area has since been referred to as North South Lake.

This spot was, gratefully, very easy to get to. It’s right near the Recreation Center for the Catskill Park, run by New York State. Visitors can rent kayaks, rowboats and paddle boats to use on the lakes. There are swimming beaches and campsites. Although there was plenty of activity, there was also a beautiful serenity there.

After our strenuous hike up to Kaaterskill Falls, my husband and I found a shady, quiet spot along the lakeshore to spend a quiet afternoon.

Late Morning at Kaaterskill Falls

Posted by Jamie on July 30th, 2008

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10×8″, Golden OPEN Acrylic on “Pearl” Canson Board
Please email Jamie at JamieWG@aol.com if interested.

This is the second painting that I did at Kaaterskill Falls in my quest to follow the trail of the Hudson River School painters. Just as I was completing the first, the sunlight began to hit the falls. Tempted as I was to move on to another location at that point, I decided to stay and paint the falls from the top while I had the light. There were lots of hikers climbing up at this time. I was surprised that most of the hikers didn’t go early to beat the heat like I did!

The Base of Kaaterskill Falls

Posted by Jamie on July 29th, 2008

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10×8″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on “Pearl” Canson board
This scene is available as a studio/commission original painting in any size/price range. Please email Jamie at JamieWG@aol.com if interested.

What is the tallest waterfall in New York State? Niagara? Nope, guess again. It’s Kaaterskill Falls!

My first opportunity to paint on our trip, following in the footsteps of the old Hudson River School painters, was after climbing a half mile up to the base of Kaaterskill Falls. You wouldn’t think one would have to climb so far uphill to get to the bottom of a waterfall, but it is indeed far up the mountain. I don’t think I would have made it without my new ultralight painting box in my backpack. I didn’t have to carry a thing, and my pack was nearly weightless. Here’s a photo of the new painting box and my palette for this painting. I’ll be posting more photos of how the box was constructed in the week to come. You can see that I’ve added an extension to it, which can hold my brushes and palette cup.

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In the early morning light, most of the fall was in shadow, so I chose a scene that focused on the waterfall/cascade right at the base, where the light was strongest. By the time I was finishing up this painting, a little light was just beginning to hit other parts of the falls. I stayed to do a second painting that included the top tier of the falls as well. I’ll be posting that one tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Thomas Cole and many of the Hudson River School painters painted from this very spot. There are beautiful cascades all the way up the trail to the base, inviting a series of paintings. In fact, the beautiful Bastian Falls is right at the bottom before the trail even starts to ascend, but it’s definitely worth it to make the climb to the top to experience Kaaterskill. I’m sure I’ll be coming back here many times in the years to come to take advantage of other locations along the way.

We intentionally went the day after a heavy rain, figuring that there would be a significant increase in the amount of water coming over the falls and the drama it created. We were right! Most of the paintings and photos I’ve seen of this waterfall display a far narrower stream of water. We chose the right time to go, even if the way up was a little wet and slippery!

Edit: I just checked the image above on a different monitor and it looks a little too light, so depending on your monitor, this image below may be more accurate:

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Hudson River and the Catskills

Posted by Jamie on June 23rd, 2008

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6×6″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on sealed, primed hardboard
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

A month or so ago, I went to Poet’s Walk along the Hudson River near Rhinebeck. I did a couple of watercolor sketches and took some photos as reference images. It was raining out today, so I pulled out one of those photos and painted this little color study. You have to hike about a mile along the dirt path to arrive at the Hudson River with this magnificent view of the Catskills.