15×20″, acrylic on illustration board
Custom framing available at extra charge
$750.00 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 painting began on a beautiful early fall day at Muscoot Farm. I was out with some friends looking for a spot to paint and we came upon this beautiful hillside with wildflowers and a gazebo. There were so many great vistas from this location that all three of us ended up painting from totally different vantage points and directions. I selected the view up the hill, where the path lead through fields of wildflowers and grasses in violets and deep yellow-orange hues, interspersed with bits of green. It was heaven. Here’s an image you can click on for a larger view of the painting:

I tried to make the most of the beautiful autumn days by starting as many paintings during that time as I could, even though I knew it would leave me with a huge pile to complete in the studio. After all, I’ll have all winter to do that! And believe me when I tell you that the pile is big. So, some of the paintings I post during the winter will bring you back to those warmer times when I started them out on location. We can all use a little of that warmth during the winter season! I’m not terribly fond of winter and so I don’t enjoy painting it. It’s not a memory I want to have hanging on my walls when the weather finally improves! Yet, the winter gives me that opportunity to play with new ideas, take my time finishing up the uncompleted works, and exploring other subject matter. You’ll be seeing some interesting things emerge. Stay tuned!

16x20 and larger, Acrylic paintings, Available, Color Inspirations, Fall, Farm Scenes, Flowers, Gardens and Flowering Trees, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Westchester | 1 Comment »

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

I painted this during the winter, when all the blizzards, snowstorms, and ice storms in the Northeast got me thinking about summertime sails in Maine! I pulled out some of my photos that I took up in Bar Harbor and around Acadia National Park to get a color fix! I remember this sail out in Frenchman’s Bay at sunset so well. The blues and pinks were to die for, and they reflected off the water and anything white. This boat went by with all of its white sails hoisted. They became a rainbow of colors as the sun went down.

8x10 and smaller, Boats and Ships, Landscape, Maine, Ocean Views, Oil paintings, Sold, Sunrise/Sunset | 4 Comments »

20×15″, Acrylic on illustration board, custom framed
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

Come see this painting and 16 others that I just dropped off at RiverWinds Gallery, 172 Main Street, Beacon, New York. The opening reception is this Saturday, November 8, from 5-8pm. I’d love to see you there! Bring a friend and do some early holiday shopping. The show will remain up through the holiday season. If you can’t make it this Saturday, you can check out RiverWinds during their regular business hours. You can find directions and their hours on their website.

My friend Johanne and I went on a hunt to find out how folks were getting up to the top of the bridge over Croton Dam. We were surprised and delighted to find out that although there is very limited parking, there is an easy paved path and fantastic views from all angles. We went back with our paints and some more friends last Friday and had a wonderful day here, up on top of the world. The weather was picture-perfect, and the slight mist created by the wind and waterfalls kept my acrylics from drying out too fast! I have really fallen in love with this location, both from the bottom facing the dam, and from here at the top.

16x20 and larger, Acrylic paintings, Current Special, Gallery, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold, Waterfalls, Westchester | No Comments »

18×24″, Acrylic on archival linen panel
$1,150.00 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 one of those kinds of fall scenes I love to paint — with color, transparency, and reflections. It’s the type of subject that seems to draw me no matter where I am, but this time I happened to be at North South Lake. The early morning light showcased the transparency in the water in the foreground, but quickly gave way to sky reflections and windy turbulence. I went back a few times to finish the painting. It’s one of my favorites of the year!

Below is an image you can click on for a larger view of the painting:

16x20 and larger, Acrylic paintings, Available, Catskill Mountains, Fall, Greene County, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Trees | No Comments »

6×8″, oil on canvas panel
$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.

The late afternoon light along the Hudson River is so engrossing. I was drawn to the glow of these leaves against the dark background of Crow’s Nest Mountain. The lower the sun got over the western sky, the darker the hillside became. The sun lit up the translucent leaves from behind. I was so captivated by the changes in contrast that I forgot to watch out for the rising tide! I’d positioned my chair close to the water line, and before I knew it, the chair legs were in the water and waves were washing over my sandals! I ended up having to move my chair three times before I finished the painting.

8x10 and smaller, Available, Cold Spring and Garrison, Fall, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Plein Air--painted on location, Trees | No Comments »

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

This was painted overlooking the Hudson River from the clifftops of Little Stony Point in Cold Spring, NY. It was cold and windy that day. I bundled up and held onto my painting box for dear life. The last time I painted up here, my easel blew over and broke. Painting from up here can be an expensive undertaking!

8x10 and smaller, Bannerman Island, Beacon, Cold Spring and Garrison, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | No Comments »

12×6″, oil on canvas board
$275.00 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 possibly my last fall hike up to the base of Kaaterskill Falls, one of the Hudson River School painters’ locations that I love the most. It was a cold day, and I was the last of my painting group to leave the spot. One of the park rangers was up there with me, with occasional hikers coming along to view the magnificent waterfall. I was glad to see they finally had a ranger there to try and dissuade hikers from venturing up the sides of the falls, where two have already died this year.

I’ve done so many paintings up here, but I think this was the first time I did a 2:1 ratio at this spot. I really like the way it works with these proportions. I think this layout gives a truer impression of how tall the falls are.

8x12 to 12x24, Available, Catskill Mountains, Fall, Greene County, Hudson River School, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Plein Air--painted on location, Waterfalls | 1 Comment »

9×12″, oil on archival canvas panel
$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.

This time of year, one of my favorite painting adventures involves taking the ski lift up Hunter Mountain with all of my painting equipment, and painting the magnificently colored Catskills from the top. The ski trails create openings in the tree line, revealing mountains and valleys beyond, with paths winding down the mountain. What struck me for this particular painting was the way the brilliant orange-yellow foliage on the near hillside lit up against the dark, backlit mountain beyond. Below is an image you can click on for a larger view of the painting:

8x12 to 12x24, Available, Catskill Mountains, Fall, Greene County, Landscape, Oil paintings, Plein Air--painted on location, Trees | No Comments »

6×8″, oil on archival canvas panel
$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 arrived early in the morning at the North South Lake beach to paint with some friends and it was cold and windy. Fall was well underway already. I decided to search for a place from which I could paint in the comfort of my car until the temps warmed up a bit. I found this superb location near the beach, and started the painting in the car, with my little dog BB curled up in the passenger seat. Love the colors! I think I need to also do a larger version of this one.

North South Lake is another of the sites along the Hudson River School Art Trail, where Thomas Cole and his fellow painters spent much of their time painting and sketching on location. I think you can see why!

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

8x10 and smaller, Available, Catskill Mountains, Fall, Greene County, Hudson River School, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Plein Air--painted on location, Trees | No Comments »

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

This was painted at the Hudson River School site known as Sunset Rock. It is a site on the “Hudson River School Art Trail” and one of my favorite hiking destinations. Every visit here is different. The vista changes with the seasons, clouds, winds and temperatures. I never get tired of painting at this magical location, and neither did the Hudson River School painters!

8x10 and smaller, Catskill Mountains, Fall, Greene County, Hudson River School, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | No Comments »

6×12″, oil on archival canvas panel
$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 a morning scene from the beach at Little Stony Point, in Cold Spring NY, where the Hudson River wraps around the peninsula, creating magnificent views to Breakneck Ridge (shown here) and Storm King. I’ve been spending some exquisite, warm fall days here, painting away to my heart’s content.

Since this is such a long horizontal format, it’s hard to see it in this small space on my blog. I love painting these panoramic vistas. They look magnificent on walls, though not so great on computer screens due to the way they format on websites. Below is an image you can click on to get a larger view of the painting:

I have at least three more paintings to post from Little Stony Point, all finished within the past few weeks, but it will be several days before they are all photographed and posted. I apologize for the delay to those folks I met on the beach who are eager to see them! I’ll try to get them up here on the site within the next week.

8x12 to 12x24, Available, Beacon, Cold Spring and Garrison, Dutchess County NY, Fall, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Plein Air--painted on location, Trees | No Comments »

5×7″, oil on linen panel
$135.00 plus $12 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 driftwood tree trunk has been lying on the beach for ages at Little Stony Point, along the shores of the Hudson River in Cold Spring. I was looking for a challenge one afternoon, and took this on to explore the values, subtle color shifts, and twists and turns of the form. The longer I worked on it, the more I enjoyed the puzzle, as the pieces wove together to create what I saw before me. As the sun traveled westward, the driftwood got darker, and the water brighter. It was one of those stellar fall days that we never have enough of!

Here’s a photo of the scene with my painting, as I was painting it. You can click on it to get a larger image.

I’ve been painting at Little Stony Point quite a bit lately. I have four or five more paintings to post from this spot. The other ones feature the Hudson River, northern beach at Little Stony Point, and surrounding mountains — Storm King and Breakneck Ridge in particular. I still need to photograph those paintings, but I’ll be posting them in the coming days as I get a chance to adjust the images. Stay tuned!

Below is an image you can click for a slightly larger view of the painting:

8x10 and smaller, Available, Cold Spring and Garrison, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Plein Air--painted on location, Still Life, Trees | No Comments »

7×11″, acrylic on watercolor paper, matted to 12×16 and framed (included in price)
$250.00 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 love the Hudson River views from Dennings Point in Beacon. There are great downriver views of Storm King Mountain and Bannerman Island, usually with lots of atmosphere. I’ve only been to this spot a couple of times, but I enjoy using the photos I’ve taken there to create drama and atmospheric conditions that I’ve witnessed elsewhere on the Hudson River. It’s an interesting challenge to create something new. I’m working on some ideas for a larger painting, and this is one of them.

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

8x10 and smaller, Acrylic paintings, Available, Bannerman Island, Beacon, Dutchess County NY, Fall, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape | 1 Comment »

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

This sweet old tree overlooks the Hudson River at Olana, home of Hudson River School artist Frederic Church. I did two little paintings of this tree on site, in different formats, in order to decide how I’d like to compose a large version.

8x10 and smaller, Columbia County, Fall, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River School, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Olana and Hudson NY, Plein Air--painted on location, Shows and News, Sold, Trees | No Comments »

5×7″, oil on board
$135.00 plus $12 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 my friend Marianne suggested we paint in Kingston, I was thrilled. I hadn’t been there for a long time. The Kingston waterfront area, where the Rondout Creek meets up with the Hudson River, is always a bustling place — filled with restaurants, the Maritime Museum, Trolly Museum, and boats coming in and out of the harbor.

We scouted up and down the brick-lined walkway with subject matter all around us, but when we came upon this tugboat, I knew I’d found my spot for the morning! Most of the tugs I see along the Hudson are brightly colored, or white with colorful trim. There was something about the earthy tones of this one, and the way the buckskin color glowed in the morning light, that stole my attention. I’d never seen one quite like it. I wonder if it’s still down there; I’d like to go back and do a larger version!

Below is an image you can click on for a larger, clearer view of the painting:

8x10 and smaller, Available, Boats and Ships, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Plein Air--painted on location | No Comments »

5×7″, oil on linen 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.

This is one of my favorite river vistas — the Hudson River looking south from Plum Point to the Hudson Highlands. In addition to the towering Storm King Mountain, there is always interesting river boat traffic and that famous Hudson River atmosphere.

Below is an image you can click on for a larger view of the painting. It’s a little brighter than what is showing in my images.

8x10 and smaller, Available, Boats and Ships, Fall, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River School, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Plein Air--painted on location | No Comments »

12×16, acrylic on board
$535.00 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.

Pratt Rock has a gorgeous view that overlooks a valley in the Catskills, with Schoharie Creek running through the farmlands between the mountains. I climbed up with all my painting gear, and set up on one of the rock ledges above the cliffs, facing east. I’ve been wanting to get back her to paint for a long time. It was such a thrill!

I started out working with just monochrome values in acrylic:

Later, I added transparent glazes of color to arrive at the finished painting. I compensated for all the blue-greens in the scene by pushing some yellows and reds for more varied color. You can click the image below for a larger view of the painting:

8x12 to 12x24, Acrylic paintings, Available, Catskill Mountains, Farm Scenes, Greene County, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Monochromatic Paintings, Plein Air--painted on location | No Comments »

12×16″, acrylic on linen panel
$535.00 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 spot along Catskill Creek is one of the locations frequented by Hudson River School artist Thomas Cole and others. I was drawn to the brilliant morning light flashing off the enormous rock formation along the creek, creating strong contrasts with the dark greens alongside it, and the warm colors in the water. I used a combination of different types of acrylics for this painting, starting with the new Golden High Flow paints and transparent drips and splatters, and gradually moving to heavier bodied, opaque paints to solidify the forms and bring the work to completion. This is one of my favorite ways to work. I love the complexity it yields, with so many different techniques working together in harmony, yet maintaining a looseness and some abstract qualities.

Below is an image you can click on for a larger view of the painting:

8x12 to 12x24, Acrylic paintings, Available, Catskill Mountains, Greene County, Hudson River School, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Palenville and Catskill, Plein Air--painted on location | No Comments »

7×5″, oil on board

$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.

Bash Bish Falls is one of those spots that’s been on my Must See list for several years. Nestled just over the state border in Massachusetts, the waterfall is in a park that straddles the state line. My husband and I went hiking there, entering from the New York side, and hiking up along the cascading stream, with its gorgeous green pools. When we arrived at the main attraction here, I found a perfect rock to sit on and do an oil sketch of the scene, while my husband tested his photography skills with different angles of the falls. It’s a great waterfall to visit, and the pool at the base is a beautiful teal color that shows in the painting, but refused to present itself in the photo of the painting! It’s a challenging scene to paint because the waterfall is only visible at the very bottom of this high, steep hillside. You can show some of the mountaintop and sky for depth, but that makes the waterfall appear tiny! Or you can paint just the visible part of the waterfall, which makes the scene lack depth. I tried to compromise by intentionally shrinking the height of the mountain in order to show a bit of the sky on top!

8x10 and smaller, Available, Columbia County, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Plein Air--painted on location, Sketches, Waterfalls | No Comments »

Ridge Road Vista
5×7″, oil on linen panel, unframed
$150.00 plus $12 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 spot at the Olana estate of Frederic Church, Hudson River School painter. I’ve painted from this location many times, at all times of day and evening, and it never ceases to thrill me. I think Frederic Church felt that way about it too, and did many paintings from this hillside above the Hudson. This little 5×7″ oil painting takes in the expanse of the Catskill Mountains overlooking the Hudson River, and some of the old houses and barns down along the near shoreline. There were a few sailboats off in the distance that I popped into the painting too!

Below is an image you can click on for a larger view of the painting:

8x10 and smaller, Available, Boats and Ships, Catskill Mountains, Columbia County, Fall, Farm Scenes, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River School, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Olana and Hudson NY, Plein Air--painted on location | No Comments »

3×6″, oil on stretched canvas, display easel included
$150.00 plus $12 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 panoramic sunset miniature painting of the Hudson Highlands, as seen from Cold Spring, was painted on location on a miniature stretched canvas. I painted the sides too, so it looks perfect set on a miniature easel on a desk or side table. The wooden display easel is included in the price of the painting. It’s a perfect gift item for somebody who loves the Hudson River! Storm King Mountain is on the left, with Little Stony Point jutting out into the river, and Breakneck Ridge on the right.

Here is an image you can click on for a slightly larger version of the painting:

8x10 and smaller, Available, Cold Spring and Garrison, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River School, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Miniature Paintings, Oil paintings, Plein Air--painted on location, Sunrise/Sunset, Uncategorized | No Comments »

4×2″, oil on canvas board, display easel included
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

I haven’t done many miniatures for awhile, and I find I’m really missing them! They are wonderful gift items, and make a beautiful display set on their miniature easels on a side table or desk. This is a painting I did on location at Hudson River School artist Frederic Church’s estate, Olana. This tree overlooks the Hudson River along one of the carriage roads. I’ve done a few paintings of this tree and just can’t seem to get enough of it! A lovely wooden display easel is included with the painting. No framing needed!

8x10 and smaller, Columbia County, Fall, Gallery, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River School, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Miniature Paintings, Oil paintings, Olana and Hudson NY, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold, Trees | No Comments »

5×7″, oil on 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.

A couple of weeks ago, I went painting at this beautiful cascade that feeds into the Hudson River. Although I’d planned to do a Hudson River painting, it was raining when I arrived. The mountain views across the river were obscured and this more intimate scene was ever so much more appealing on a low-light day! I ended up falling in love with this spot by the creek, and I definitely want to come back soon to capture the Hudson River vista too.

Here’s a photo from the spot along the creek. (You can click it to enlarge, and it should rotate when clicked.)

Below is an image you can click on for a larger view of the painting:

8x10 and smaller, Available, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Plein Air--painted on location, Waterfalls | No Comments »

5×7″, acrylic on board
$135.00 plus $12 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 using Neutral Gray paints that are made by Golden. After doing the sketch in monochrome, I decided to glaze color over some of it. I covered the painting with plastic wrap and experimented with a few different ideas by painting over the top of the transparent covering. Once I decided to bring some greens into the focal area of the painting, I removed the plastic wrap and glazed directly onto the painting. I liked the minimal burst of color added to the monochrome painting, though I like leaving these just monochrome too.

Below is an image that you can click on to get a larger view of the painting:

8x10 and smaller, Acrylic paintings, Available, Catskill Mountains, Greene County, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Monochromatic Paintings, Palenville and Catskill, Plein Air--painted on location, Trees | No Comments »

6×8″, acrylic on board
$150.00 plus $12 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.

A few weeks ago, my friend Melissa came over early in the morning, and we painted beside the brook that runs behind my house. The warm colors of the creek contrasted with the cool greens of foliage. Just as I was almost finished, one of our resident swans came sailing over to check us out. I popped him into my painting before he swam around the bend, and he gave the perfect title to the piece. We saw lots of bird activity that morning; several warblers visited along with a Great Blue Heron, and a deer suddenly splashed across the brook, startling us! The wood duck box up on the tree on the right has housed everything from wood ducks to Screech Owls over the years. We’re never really sure what’s in there at any given time!

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

8x10 and smaller, Acrylic paintings, Animals, Available, Birds, Brewster and North Salem, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Peach Lake and Brook, Pets Wildlife Animals, Plein Air--painted on location, Trees | No Comments »

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

Rain threatened on the day I ventured out to do this painting, but we hiked up to Newman’s Ledge anyway, and then settled in for lunch and some painting time at Sunset Rock. This was a favorite painting spot of the Hudson River School artists, and I think you can see why. Kaaterskill High Peak and Round Top mountains are in the distance, with North South Lake stretched out below. We figured we’d be able to spot the rain coming in from the west before it got to us, and we headed down the mountain when the front started moving in.

Here’s an image I took at the scene that day:

You can click the image below to get a slightly larger view of the painting:

8x10 and smaller, Catskill Mountains, Gallery, Hudson River School, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | 2 Comments »

5×7″, oil 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.

North South Lake is one of my favorite places to paint under adverse conditions. Big cloud formations over the lake, areas of breaking light reflecting in the water, and places one can get quick shelter from the elements, are among the reasons why I like it here so much. In this case, a pavilion overlooking North Lake provided shelter while painting this scene of storm clouds coming and going. The beach area quickly emptied, and I watched the distant mountaintop glow with light as the rain moved away and sunlight broke through the cloud cover. It was Catskill drama at its very best!

North South Lake is one of the sites along the Hudson River School Art Trail. It was frequently painted by Thomas Cole, Frederic Church, Jasper Cropsy, and other artists of the time. The Catskill Mountain House was situated just east of the lake, and became a favorite destination for vacationers from New York City, who would journey up the Hudson River by steamboat to get here and enjoy the cool mountain breezes, long vistas, and recreational activities.

Here is an image you can click to get a slightly larger view:

8x10 and smaller, Available, Catskill Mountains, Greene County, Hudson River School, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Plein Air--painted on location | No Comments »

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

This was painted on location, at the famous Hudson River School site, Kaaterskill Falls. It was a sticky, hot morning and a long climb up to the base of the falls with a backpack of painting gear, but well worth it to see the sunlight come up over the mountain and hit the falls in a stream of bright light, illuminating the mist at the midlevel basin. I never get tired of painting this scene and area. There is so much to paint along the waterfalls and streams on the way up the trail, that I sometimes end up painting one of the less famous views en route to Kaaterskill Falls.

8x10 and smaller, Catskill Mountains, Greene County, Hudson River School, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold, Waterfalls | No Comments »

Please click the image for a more accurate and larger view of the painting.

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

One of the highlights of my springtime painting excursions is always when the cherry blossoms are blooming along the Hudson River at Boscobel Restoration. It may take me ages to get the image posted, but I always try to get the painting done while the blossoms are there. Last year I missed my window of opportunity, and I almost missed my chance this year. Fortunately they bloomed very late and I was able to get over to Boscobel before they were gone.

8x10 and smaller, Cold Spring and Garrison, Flowers, Gardens and Flowering Trees, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold, Spring, Trees | No Comments »

5×7″, oil on Ampersand Gessoboard
$130.00 plus free 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 scene in my back yard. I painted it from life in early spring, while watching the wood ducks swimming, and enjoying that short time of spring color before the entire landscape goes green. I think the colors of early spring are my favorites. They have a subtle beauty that goes overboard in fall. In spring they feel balanced, natural, and calmingly subdued. Of course, that could just be the way I feel after the bleak starkness of winter!

8x10 and smaller, Available, Brewster and North Salem, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Plein Air--painted on location, Spring, Trees, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Click image to enlarge

Watercolor on Arches Rough 140#
7×11″, matted to 12×16″, with gold frame (included in price)
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

I’ll bet you were all expecting to see the conclusion of the oil painting I’ve been working on from this very vantage point! Well, I decided to meet an old friend for an early lunch today, so couldn’t get out on location in the morning to finish that one up. However, I was thinking that one very effective way to study the scene many more times would be to do it in several different media. While examining the vista on location yesterday morning, I was thinking about how I’d approach it in watercolor. This painting is the result, which I painted last night from a photo I’d taken earlier in the day.

I painted this with the new QoR watercolor paints by Golden Artist Colors. I sampled some from the Golden factory a couple of months ago, before they were sent out to stores, and subsequently bought a boatload of tubes when they became available. I just love these paints! They are really vibrant and intense, and most importantly, they rewet very easily when they dry out in my palette. For a multi-media artist who’s not doing watercolors every day and thus keeping the paints moist, they are ideal. Most of the painting was done with a #6 squirrel mop, and then I did the fine lines and details with a #6 sable round.

As for the oil painting, I’m hoping to go back on Friday morning and hopefully finish that one up. But if I’m not able to finish it then, it gives me a good excuse to return yet again to this amazing spot high above Kaaterskill Clove, and contemplate all the Hudson River School painters who stood there before me.

8x12 to 12x24, Bannerman Gallery, Gallery, Hudson River School, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Sold, Watercolor, Waterfalls | No Comments »

Click image to enlarge.
12×16″, oil on Ampersand Gessoboard

I made a lot of progress today, but by 9:30am, the sun had come around the tree line and illuminated the foreground. I am determined to catch it in shadow in the painting, but it might take one more visit to be able to finish this off so early in the morning, unless I finish it from a photo. The scene beyond the painting is bleached out because the painting was upright and not catching as much light as the vista beyond. But notice how light the foreground is in the actual scene above, which was photographed around noon. Now compare it to the image below, which is how I find the view early in the morning, with the dark foreground I crave!

So I guess it will be awhile longer before I can post the finished painting. But I’m determined to get it done this week!

If you’d like to see what it looked like after my first session, click here to see my previous post.

8x12 to 12x24, Catskill Mountains, Demos/Work in Progress, Greene County, Hudson River School, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Plein Air--painted on location, Waterfalls | 1 Comment »

Click image to enlarge
12×16″, oil on hardboard, work in progress

When I arrived at the top of Kaaterskill Falls early this morning, the scene looked nothing like it does in the image above. In fact, the values were completely reversed, with the foreground completely in shadow! Heres the view I started with:

(Click image to enlarge.)

I really liked that dark foreground pulling the viewer into the light beyond. Within a couple of hours, the sun poked above the tree line and spilled light all over the delicious darks. It happened in an instant, and although I like the light foreground too, I decided to stick with my game plan, and return early tomorrow morning to complete the painting the way I had intended. The light foreground painting will have to wait for another day! With a little luck, this one will get finished tomorrow.

Click here to see the following day’s progress on the painting.

8x12 to 12x24, Catskill Mountains, Demos/Work in Progress, Hudson River School, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Plein Air--painted on location, Waterfalls | 2 Comments »

Click image to enlarge.
9×12, oils on board
$325.00 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.

A couple of weeks ago, I went to paint at a private estate in Platte Clove. There were beautiful mountain views, colorful marsh scenes, and a serene spring-fed pond, but what really captivated me was the graceful arc of this apple tree leaning over the view.

8x12 to 12x24, Available, Catskill Mountains, Greene County, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Plein Air--painted on location, Trees | No Comments »

Click image to enlarge.
6×8″, oil on board
$170.00 plus $12 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.

On the day we planned to go to Frederic Church’s Olana estate, it rained all morning. Honestly, I was so tired by that point that I was grateful for a morning to sleep in a bit later and tend to some things around the house, like laundry! I headed to Olana when the rain stopped and painted until a couple of hours before sunset. This was my second painting of the day, done from my favorite area of the 250 acre property. It affords the best Catskill skyline on the site, as well as direct western views to take full advantage of late day backlighting and sunsets. The evaporating moisture from the earlier rainfall created a mist in the valley of the mountains, softening edges and throwing light in between the slopes and hills. The strong western sun illuminated the edges of the foliage as it streamed across the river. It was a stunning scene, and I wish I’d painted it larger! Since I’d done a 12×16 earlier in the afternoon, I was happy to give my broken foot a rest and paint this one from my comfy chair in a smaller size.

8x10 and smaller, Available, Catskill Mountains, Columbia County, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River School, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Olana and Hudson NY, Plein Air--painted on location | 1 Comment »

Click image to enlarge.
6×8″ Oil on board
$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.

Last week I painted up above Kaaterskill Falls with a few friends. In fact, I spent the entire week painting at some of my favorite spots with a fabulous group of artists from New York Plein Air Painters. This is the top of Kaaterskill Falls, right where Lake Creek goes over the edge and drops 269 feet to the base of the two-tiered waterfall. I try to stay away from the edge and spare myself the vertigo! Many of the Hudson River School painters did famous works from this very spot. The light up there is fantastic at any time of day, with beautiful colors and strong values. It’s a challenging scene to paint, which hopefully I’ve come to handle better over time! This was painted very directly with oils, and then I added a few final touches and made a couple of adjustments in the studio — like picking out the bugs!

8x10 and smaller, Available, Catskill Mountains, Greene County, Hudson River School, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Plein Air--painted on location, Spring, Waterfalls | No Comments »

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

This is a spot that was one of Hudson River School artist Thomas Cole’s favorite places to paint. I visit here frequently at sunset with a small pochade box to paint studies and take photos. Last year, I experimented with some color palette ideas in watercolor and acrylic from many of the photos I took here. This morning I pulled out all those color studies and some of the photographs, and explored those ideas in oils. I think I feel a series coming on!

8x10 and smaller, Catskill Mountains, Color Inspirations, Greene County, Hudson River School, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Sold, Sunrise/Sunset | 1 Comment »

10×8″, in ornate gold frame with linen liner (frame included in price)
Acrylic on archival board
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

I’ve been working a lot lately on capturing glow with multiple layers of transparent color. This allows the light to bounce off the white of the painting support and through the pigment, rather than mixing color with opaque white paint to produce a tint. I felt that the way the strong light hit the castle wall in the late afternoon light would be most effectively rendered with the sparkle of transparent layering.

8x10 and smaller, Acrylic paintings, Bannerman Gallery, Bannerman Island, Beacon, Cold Spring and Garrison, Gallery, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Sold | No Comments »

Please click image for a clearer, larger view
9×12″, acrylic on paper, matted to 12×16″ and framed (included in price)
$275.00 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.

My husband and I rented a rowboat over the summer at North South Lake. As we were rounding a bend in the lake, we spooked this Great Blue Heron. I managed to capture a quick photo of him just as he was about to take flight. In looking through my images the other day, I thought this would make a great abstracted painting, with lots of movement, color complements, and contrasts. This 9×12 acrylic will probably be the predecessor to a larger version in the near future!

8x12 to 12x24, Acrylic paintings, Animals, Available, Birds, Greene County, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Pets Wildlife Animals | 1 Comment »

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

My husband and I took a boat tour of Bannerman Island a couple of months ago, and I took a ton of photos. It was a gorgeous day with beautiful cloud formations. This was painted from one of my photo references. Bannerman Island has fascinating castle ruins, and sits at the entrance to the Hudson Highlands out in the river. The tower showing in the water is Margaret Tower — one of the three that sit guard around the island.

8x10 and smaller, Acrylic paintings, Bannerman Gallery, Bannerman Island, Beacon, Boats and Ships, Cold Spring and Garrison, Dutchess County NY, Gallery, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Sold | No Comments »

12×24″, oils on Ampersand Gessoboard
$750.00 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.

After the three day Olana event, we had to select one painting to turn in for the jury and the auction. I was undecided about whether to submit this one or the other. My husband liked this one better, but I decided to turn in the other. Usually I paint the big overview scene with the Catskill Mountains showing on the right side, but this time I decided to shift the scene the other way, so that I could include Frederic Church’s pond, with the river out in the distance. This was a nice change from the way I usually paint this view, and one that I think I will revisit from time to time!

For some reason, the orange in the sky is showing stronger in the photos than in the painting itself, so take that into consideration when viewing the images. Here is one you can click on for a larger view:

16x20 and larger, Available, Catskill Mountains, Columbia County, Fall, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River School, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Olana and Hudson NY, Plein Air--painted on location | No Comments »

15×20″, acrylic on illustration board
$350.00 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 another in my series of large acrylic sketches on illustration board. They are really fun to paint, and I’ve found that calling them “sketches” sets me free to experiment with brushwork, drips, colors, compositions, and other boundaries that I might be hesitant to explore if I call them “paintings” from the outset. I go into it thinking “sketch”, and whatever emerges is what it is!

Below is an image that you can click on for a larger, clearer view of the painting:

16x20 and larger, Acrylic paintings, Available, Boats and Ships, Brewster and North Salem, Fall, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Peach Lake and Brook, Sketches | No Comments »

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

8x12 to 12x24, Boats and Ships, Catskill Mountains, Columbia County, Fall, Farm Scenes, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River School, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Olana and Hudson NY, Palenville and Catskill, Plein Air--painted on location, Shows and News, Sold | 3 Comments »

8×10″, oils on archival canvas panel
$230.00 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 at a farm on an overcast day. Rain threatened, and there was not much activity, but I loved this curving farm road, which drew my attention to the tractor peeking out from within the darkness of the barn. Below is an image you can click on for a larger view:

8x10 and smaller, Available, Catskill Mountains, Farm Scenes, House portraits, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Oil paintings, Plein Air--painted on location | No Comments »

12×16″, oils on archival linen panel
$525.00 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 painted here in Cold Spring on a gorgeous day with a group of artist friends. I was in the mood to do a tree portrait, but didn’t want to ignore the fact that I was also along the Hudson River. When I came upon this beautiful, leaning willow tree near the pier, I knew I’d found my spot for the day. Beyond the pier is Storm King Mountain. Below is an image you can click on for a larger view of the painting:

8x12 to 12x24, Available, Cold Spring and Garrison, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Plein Air--painted on location | No Comments »

5×7″, oil on archival linen panel
$135.00 plus $12 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.

Sunlit paths in fall are among my favorite painting subjects. The contrasts with the shadows across the path, combined with the bright colors of the sunlit foliage, always put a smile on my face!

8x10 and smaller, Available, Fall, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Oil paintings | No Comments »

9×12″, oils on archival canvas covered hardboard 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.

This painting was started on location and finally finished up in the studio this week. It was one of those cold, overcast, pre-winter days that generally lack excitement, but the falls were spectacular and made all the drama.

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

8x12 to 12x24, Available, Beacon, Fall, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Plein Air--painted on location, Waterfalls | 1 Comment »

18×24″, Oil on archival linen panel
$1,050.00 plus $45 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 is an image you can click on for a larger, clearer view of the painting:

16x20 and larger, Available, Catskill Mountains, Fall, Greene County, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Palenville and Catskill | No Comments »

7×5″, oils on archival linen panel, beautifully framed
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

Some scenes I paint over and over again and never get tired of them. Occasionally, I need a couple of years “off” from one of those vistas, and then I return with renewed appreciation for nature’s majesty. This famous scene at the top of Kaaterskill Falls is one of those magical spots. The Hudson River School painters frequented this spot too. When viewed from the top, it’s hard to believe that this little creek going over the edge is actually the top of the tallest waterfall in New York State!

Below is an image of the painting in progress. As you can see, somebody was taking advantage of a quiet afternoon to catch a little snooze on the rock across the creek. I was worried that he’d roll over in his sleep and go right off the edge!

8x10 and smaller, Catskill Mountains, Gallery, Greene County, Hudson River School, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold, Waterfalls | 1 Comment »

The creek that comes from South Lake in Haines Falls includes a series of gorgeous cascades before the water arrives at the huge drop of Kaaterskill Falls. One area has striking red rocks that are covered in green moss. My friend Athena and I decided to go paint there after a big rainfall. When we arrived at the location, there was so much water that the red rocks were completely obscured by churning, spurting flourishes of water and spray. It was a striking scene even though we didn’t get the red rocks we went there to capture. We’ll go back another time for those!

Here’s an image of just the painting:

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

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

8x10 and smaller, Catskill Mountains, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold, Waterfalls | No Comments »

20×15″, Acrylic on sealed illustration board
$400.00 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 out on the patio with my paints on this gorgeous, nearly-Autumn day, enjoying the sounds of birds nearby and waterfalls in the distance while I painted. The fall colors were just starting to creep into the landscape. I love this time of year!

8x12 to 12x24, Acrylic paintings, Available, Fall, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Palenville and Catskill, Plein Air--painted on location, Sales and Specials | No Comments »

6×8″, acrylic on archival, sealed artboard (frame without glass like an oil painting)
$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 spent a few days teaching a workshop at Olana in the area of the Wagon Wheel Education Center. This elderly, elegant tree looked down at me from its hillside perch all week. When the class ended, the first thing I did was pull up a chair into the shade and paint its majestic form. I love doing tree portraits, and I’d like to do this one again in a larger format, when I have more time.

8x10 and smaller, Acrylic paintings, Available, Columbia County, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Olana and Hudson NY, Plein Air--painted on location | No Comments »

8×10″, oil on canvas panel
$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 at a farm in upstate New York.

Below is an image you can click on for a larger, clearer view:

8x10 and smaller, Available, Farm Scenes, House portraits, Landscape, Oil paintings, Plein Air--painted on location, Uncategorized | No Comments »

8×10″, oil on canvas panel
$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 play of light and shadow on the side of a building is one of those endlessly fascinating things, and seems to be even more so when the building is white! Out on location, the colors and patterns change quickly with the moving sun.

The fence in this scene actually went all the way across, so I used that famous Artistic License to change the scene, and created the pathway to draw in the viewer.

Can you spot the two figures up on the porch in the shadows?

Below is an image you can click on for a larger, clearer view:

8x10 and smaller, Available, House portraits, Landscape, Oil paintings, Plein Air--painted on location | No Comments »

15×20″, acrylic on sealed illustration board
$400.00 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 was painted from a photo I took along the Maine coast. I love the weaving design, and the many layers of atmospheric distance.

When you look at the painting as a whole, you don’t really see the drips and spatters until you have a closer look. They add so much to the painting! Here’s a closeup of a drippy area:

Here is part of the pebble-strewn shoreline with the spatters:

You can click the image below for a larger, clearer view:

I’ll still me doing my more traditional work in acrylics and other mediums, so I’m not ready to give up that style yet! But I’ve been enjoying the exploration of this style over the past year or so and plan to do more of it.

So, what do I think of the new Golden High Flow acrylics? Well, here’s my personal opinion of the good, the bad, and the beautiful. I’ve been working with them for awhile now and have had a chance to do several paintings. I also had the advantage of working with the Golden Airbrush paints for a year or so previously. They are the predecessors to the High Flow line, so I had an idea of how they would handle. Sort of.

These paints handle similarly to the Airbrush paints, but not exactly the same. The good news is that the High Flow line has a more robust, durable binder. The bad news is that the High Flow line has a more robust, durable binder. It’s funny how that can happen! In the long run, I think this will prove to be a good thing for me. It really does make the paints more archival, and they will be easier to varnish. In the short term, I have some technical things to work out to adjust for the difference, since the paint will not lift as easily nor for as long.

The colors are exquisite. I missed a lot of my favorite colors in the old line, but the High Flow line has Ultramarine Blue, Pyrrole Orange, some real earth colors, and other colors that I like a lot. I do wish there was a Pyrrole Red instead of Napthol. I’m using Quinacridone Red mixed with Pyrrole Orange instead. I’m sure that more colors will come along over time, as I can’t imagine this not becoming a very popular line.

The good news for collectors is that these paints dry to a durable finish. They varnish beautifully and can be framed without glass, just like other acrylics and oil paintings.

16x20 and larger, Acrylic paintings, Available, Landscape, Maine, Ocean Views, Sales and Specials | 1 Comment »

8×10″, acrylic on archival artboard
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

There is so much to paint at Olana, and yet I never get tired of painting the big vista. Every sunset is different. This one was dramatic! I was there with my friend Patti. We were initially painting from another spot, but were afraid we’d have trouble getting back down the trail in the dark. So we stopped there well before sunset, and went on to this spot, where we remained until the sun fell below the horizon.

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

8x10 and smaller, Acrylic paintings, Catskill Mountains, Columbia County, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River School, Landscape, Olana and Hudson NY, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold, Sunrise/Sunset, Uncategorized | No Comments »

8×10″, varnished acrylic on sealed, archival artboard (frame without glass like an oil painting)
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

This is a painting I did as a plein air demo during the three day workshop I taught at Olana a couple of weeks ago. I did it to show participants some indirect painting techniques. The path was actually paved, but I wanted to turn it into an inviting path through the trees that was more welcoming for a lazy afternoon walk than a drive along a paved road. The scene was overwhelmingly green, which is another reason why I wanted to have a warm-colored path.

We were using a three color palette of slow-drying Golden OPEN Acrylics, so I mixed the basic color for the path from the three primaries, then used OPEN Gloss medium to create a glaze. I laid down a thick layer of the orangy glaze over the whole panel, and sketched in my composition by drawing in the glaze with the wooden handle tip of a brush. I then pulled out lights and added darks, subtracting and adding paint until I was done.

Below is an image that you can click on for a larger, clearer view:

We’re into Labor Day weekend, so I’ll resume posting on Tuesday. Best wishes for a wonderful weekend to you all!

8x10 and smaller, Acrylic paintings, Columbia County, Demos/Work in Progress, Farm Scenes, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Hudson River School, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Olana and Hudson NY, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold, Uncategorized | No Comments »

7×5″, 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 is an older painting that I hadn’t seen for awhile, so I decided to pull it up to the top. Every once in awhile, it’s good to look back. 🙂

This little brook runs behind my house, from its source on the lake to the reservoir. It is the favorite hunting ground of this Great Blue Heron, who is never far away, and often perched on our lawn as you see him here, enjoying his latest meal. It sure was hard to paint him tiny enough to be in scale in this small painting! This was a test drive for a larger version that I’m considering.

My palette:
Titanium White (RGH + Griffin)
Cadmium Yellow Lemon (Rembrandt)
Cadmium Yellow Deep (RGH)
Cadmium Orange (WN Artist)
Bright Red (Pyrrole — WN)
Ultramarine Blue Deep (Utrecht)
Transparent Red Oxide (RGH)

8x10 and smaller, Animals, Available, Birds, Brewster and North Salem, Fall, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Peach Lake and Brook, Pets Wildlife Animals | 2 Comments »

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

This was painted on an atmospheric day along the Hudson River at the Hastings-on-Hudson Waterfront Park. I could just barely make out the George Washington Bridge and New York City skyline on this hazy day, but the mood was wonderful!

8x10 and smaller, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Oil paintings, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold, Tarrytown and Hastings Area | No Comments »

8×10″, acrylic on sealed Arches hot press board
$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.

Whenever I haven’t been to Olana for awhile, I have to do at least a couple of paintings from the top overlooking the Hudson River. This one was done in the late afternoon, just as the warmer color started moving into the atmosphere. Every day tells a different story here at the top of the hill. The clouds are always moving, and the landscape changes with the time of day and the seasons. The spot always has a freshness to it, even if I’ve painted it a hundred times.

If you’d like to see a larger view of the painting, you can click on the image below:

8x10 and smaller, Acrylic paintings, Available, Catskill Mountains, Columbia County, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River School, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Olana and Hudson NY, Plein Air--painted on location, Sunrise/Sunset | No Comments »

8×10″, acrylic on Arches board
$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.

I have big news! Jurors have gone through the artist applicants for the three day Olana Paintout and Art Auction on October 3-5. They have selected twenty-six artists for the event, and I am one of them! So I’ve been spending some time strolling the grounds there and doing lots of small plein air pieces at different times of day, to help familiarize me with vistas both old and new on the 250 acre estate.

This view of the Hudson River and Catskills is not one I’ve painted before. The Hudson River appears as a streak in the foreground amidst farmland and low hills, before arriving at the dramatic skyline of the Eastern Escarpment of the Catskills. It’s quite different from the south-facing view we’re all accustomed to seeing from the front of the mansion. I’d like to revisit this spot a few times.

Below is an image you can click on to get a larger, clearer view of the painting:

This painting was done with Golden Open Acrylics. They were such a pleasure to work with, staying juicy and blendable all through the painting process. I used them on an Arches hot press board that I sealed with two coats of Fluid Matte Medium. The painting can then be varnished and framed like an oil painting. I love this surface for acrylics! It’s one of my current favorites, and the varnished paintings look absolutely stunning.

8x10 and smaller, Acrylic paintings, Available, Catskill Mountains, Columbia County, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Greene County, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River School, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Olana and Hudson NY, Plein Air--painted on location, Shows and News, Sunrise/Sunset | 1 Comment »

5×7″, acrylic on linen panel
$135.00 plus $12 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 gathered with a group of painter friends one morning out by the lake in front of my house. We had a wonderful time together chatting and relaxing while painting the lake in the morning light. This little boat gave the scene a nice focal point. I wondered for awhile how the owner got to the boat. Upon closer inspection, I saw that he had devised a clever pulley system from the shore, which could draw the boat to the land for boarding, and then pull it back out to the post in the water after disembarking. I considered putting those rope lines into the painting, but decided instead to leave the viewer guessing about how the boat could be accessed, just as I had to when first encountering the scene!

On a side note, it never ceases to amaze me how far behind I can get on photographing, adjusting and posting images of my paintings. I thank my lucky stars every day that I am a painter and not a photographer! (Though I often wish I had a better photography skill set.)

8x10 and smaller, Acrylic paintings, Available, Boats and Ships, Brewster and North Salem, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Peach Lake and Brook, Plein Air--painted on location | No Comments »

6×6″, Oil on Ampersand Gessoboard (archival panel)
$150.00 plus $12 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 can’t even count how many sunsets I’ve witnessed at Frederic Church’s homestead, Olana. Sometimes the sun just drops like a stone and the lights go out. Other times, I’m treated to a magnificent festival of light and color. Photos from those occasions become the inspiration for many paintings in various sizes, formats, and mediums. Such was the evening of this particular sunset. The yellow light blazed behind the Catskill Mountains, and there was a red rim of fluting along the edge where land meets sky. On these evenings, one can feel Frederic Church’s passion for the view that he was fortunate enough to call “home”.

8x10 and smaller, Available, Catskill Mountains, Fall, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River School, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Oil paintings, Olana and Hudson NY, Shows and News, Sunrise/Sunset | 4 Comments »

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.

I drove up the mountain to South Lake, where Thomas Cole did his famous painting, Lake with Dead Trees, and many other Hudson River School painters did their renditions of Round Top Mountain’s peak looking down upon the lake. It was my intention to finish a painting I’d started there on Friday. However, the light was totally different, and I saw a beautiful sunset emerging. I decided to do this new painting instead, and chased the sunset to the very end.

8x10 and smaller, Available, Catskill Mountains, Greene County, Hudson River School, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Plein Air--painted on location, Shows and News, Sunrise/Sunset | 2 Comments »

12×16″, oil on linen panel
$535.00 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 painting depicts one of those clear, cool cascades in Platte Clove, where I spent many hot summer days painting. It has the feeling of being deep in the refuge of the shaded mountain forest. Most of the painting was done on location, and some finishing touches were added in the studio. It is one of my two entries for the Twilight Park show this year, which is August 10 and 11, at the Twilight Park Clubhouse. This show brings out the best artists of the Catskills, and many from the Hudson Valley journey up to submit works as well.

If you’re interested in attending my Olana workshop from August 13-15, don’t forget to register asap so that you can be included for supplies! Olana has grants to subsidize this workshop, so it’s a great opportunity to paint at one of the dramatic Hudson River School sites, receive some painting tips, and have supplies covered at an extremely reasonable cost. Information about the workshop is on their website. (Scroll down below the cancelled writing workshop for the Landscape Painting workshop!)

Here is an image of the Platte Clove Cascade painting that you can click to enlarge for a better view:

8x12 to 12x24, Available, Catskill Mountains, Greene County, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Plein Air--painted on location, Waterfalls | 1 Comment »

12×16″, acrylic on archival Canson board
(You can frame this painting without glass.)

$525.00 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 my converted barn artist’s retreat, which sits at the base of the Eastern escarpment of the Catskill Mountain range. At twilight, the mountainside and tree line have the sun behind them, throwing light up toward the sky, and the lights in the house glow yellow-orange from the reflection of the warm wood interior. The long row of windows at the bottom is my studio.

This painting makes me feel like I’m coming home at the end of a day out hiking in the woods, which is exactly what I was doing when I took the reference photo from which I did this painting. I hope you can also feel like you’re stepping off the woodland trail, and welcomed by the glimmering lights from within the house.

This painting was done with the brand new Golden High Flow acrylics, which I just got a few days ago. I’ll be posting a review of them this week once I’ve had a chance to work with them a bit more, so stay tuned!

Below is an image you can click on for a larger, sharper view of the painting:

8x12 to 12x24, Acrylic paintings, Available, Catskill Mountains, Greene County, House portraits, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Palenville and Catskill, Sunrise/Sunset | No Comments »

9×6″, pastel on Art Spectrum paper
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

Sometimes a scene that we see every day can become extraordinary. I’ve had my life enriched by pink morning mist on several occasions, and was fortunate to have my camera with me for some of them! It’s quite a site to behold, and doesn’t seem to stick around for long. As they say, the early bird gets the worm, and I’ve only seen this around sunrise! I think I need to get up early more often.

A couple of weeks ago, I was at Jerry’s Artarama in West Hartford. I saw a box of 48 Charvin “Water-Soluble Pastel Painting Sticks” at a price I couldn’t resist. My friend Melissa came over the other day and we pulled them out to play. I used the Art Spectrum paper because it behaves so well with wet media. I used the pastels to lay in the underpainting, and then used a wet brush to liquify the color. Melissa and I were both impressed with how pigment-rich they were.

My initial plan was to do this little pastel start to finish using those Charvin sticks, but I ended up needing to amplify the selection with more muted colors, better and less chalky darks, and softer pastels. I finished it with a combination of Faber-Castells, Mount Visions, Giraults, and Senneliers, and Conte pastel pencils for a few sharp lines and details.

8x10 and smaller, Boats and Ships, Brewster and North Salem, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Pastels, Peach Lake and Brook, Sold, Sunrise/Sunset | No Comments »

6×8″, acrylic on archival Canson artboard (can be framed without glass)

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

This painting was done from a reference image that I took a long time ago. I find it fascinating how we can see so many different ways to approach a painting using the same image, or even return to the same scene and capture an entirely different mood on a different day. Sunsets provide me with an interesting mix of relaxation and excitement, and I never get tired of painting them or experiencing them!

The boat belongs to my friend Mary. Thank you, Mary, for the nice foreground element, and for providing a strong vertical to break up a horizontal composition!

Below is an image that you can click on for a slightly larger, sharper view:

8x10 and smaller, Acrylic paintings, Boats and Ships, Brewster and North Salem, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Peach Lake and Brook, Sold, Sunrise/Sunset | 1 Comment »

Acrylic, 11×15″, custom framed to 16×20″ in beautiful gold frame with archival ivory mat (Framing included in price.)
$450.00 plus $40 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 scene along the Hudson River in Cold Spring, New York. I’m really enjoying doing splashy acrylic paintings on watercolor these days. I treat it like a transparent watercolor to start, using thinned Golden Airbrush paints in just a few transparent colors, splattering paint and working into it, and working light to dark in a traditional watercolor fashion. Then I go to opaque color where I want a less transparent effect. I’ve been working on this approach with acrylics for about a year now, and I feel like it’s finally starting to come together on a more consistent basis. I’m liking this one a lot!

Here’s an image you can click for a larger, clearer view:

I’ve been working in the studio more lately and have noticed that I’m feeling even more exhausted than when I was traveling to locations. Yesterday the thought occurred to me that maybe the glare from working off references on my computer screen is bothering my eyes and brain, resulting in that tired feeling. Last night I decided to print out a bunch of large photos to work off of instead of staring at the screen. I feel so much better! Maybe working off printed photos will help some of you other artists out there, if you’ve had similar reactions to long days of painting while staring at a reference image on a computer screen.

8x12 to 12x24, Acrylic paintings, Available, Boats and Ships, Cold Spring and Garrison, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Shows and News | No Comments »

3×5″, acrylic on canvas panel, framed in a beautiful wide, gold, wood frame (included)

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

A couple of weeks ago, my husband and I went on a boat tour of Bannerman Island. Although I’ve been there several times to paint for Bannerman Island Gallery, I’d never gone on the tour before. It was my husband’s first time setting foot on the island! It was nice to relax and enjoy his company, and to spend the time taking photos instead of lugging painting equipment and feeling so rushed to complete something.

I took loads of pictures. It was a day with fabulous cloud formations and good light. While at the peak of the island, facing south toward the Hudson Highlands, this boat cruised along heading downriver, and the sun beamed a yellow pathway on the water. I painted this miniature from the photo I took at that moment.

It’s always tough to get a good image of a painting in a frame, but I tried! You can click this image to enlarge it a bit:

8x10 and smaller, Acrylic paintings, Bannerman Gallery, Bannerman Island, Beacon, Boats and Ships, Cold Spring and Garrison, Dutchess County NY, Gallery, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Miniature Paintings, Sold | 2 Comments »

5×7″, oils on archival linen panel
$135.00 plus $12 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.

Last weekend, my husband and I went to the lakeshore to photograph the “supermoon”. We had a wonderful time chatting with neighbors while waiting for the full moon to make its appearance. In the meantime, I pulled out my little pochade box and painted this 5×7″ sunset until the light had changed too much to continue with it. Then I pulled out my camera and tripod and got ready for The Main Event. It was quite spectacular. I will definitely be doing some paintings from the reference images I took!

Below is an image that you can click on for a larger view of what I was painting. By the time I finished my pre-Supermoon painting and took this photo, the light had pretty much gone out of the scene:

Click below to see a larger, clearer image of the painting alone:

8x10 and smaller, Available, Brewster and North Salem, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Plein Air--painted on location | No Comments »

5×7″, Oils on linen panel
$135.00 plus $12 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 wonderful old maple tree sits beside the creek in my yard, just downstream from the waterfall. That’s why I haven’t painted it until now! I always mean to paint this downstream view, but end up giving into the temptation to face in the opposite direction to paint the waterfall. In fact, there is so much painting potential from this one spot that I could probably do an entire show of paintings by just rotating a few degrees every couple of days and painting what lies in front of me.

Now that I’ve done this one, I’d like to do three more facing this way. One would be a larger version of this scene. A second would be this scene, but with a high horizon, so it could focus on the water reflections in the foreground and the transparency of the crystal clear pool there. A third would be a painting of a closer view of the tree trunk, in a vertical orientation. I’d best get busy!

Here is an image of the painting that you can click on for a slightly larger, clearer view:

8x10 and smaller, Available, Greene County, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Palenville and Catskill, Plein Air--painted on location, Spring | No Comments »

11×15″, Acrylic on watercolor paper (140# Fabriano cold press)
$295.00 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.

Sunsets at Frederic Church’s Olana estate are always dramatic. Although the Hudson River overlook does not face due west from the top of the hill by the mansion, there is always wonderful color in the sky and spectacular views of the Catskill Mountains. Like Boscobel, it’s one of those Hudson Vistas that one never grows tired of! (I suppose Frederic Church didn’t tire of it either!)

Below is an image that you can click on for a larger, clearer view:

8x12 to 12x24, Acrylic paintings, Available, Catskill Mountains, Columbia County, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River School, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Olana and Hudson NY, Plein Air--painted on location | No Comments »

20×14, Acrylic on Arches Rough 140# watercolor paper
Price unknown, since it’s still not finished!

Some paintings almost paint themselves. They are Gift Paintings. If several of those happen in a row, you may even start to feel like you’re getting a grip on this “painting” thing. The painting above is not one of those.

Most paintings present enough challenges to me to not fall into the Gift Painting category. They are satisfying puzzles to solve, that leave me hungry for the next challenge. This painting is not one of those either.

Then there are the paintings that totally humble us. Now we’re talking about this painting! They are also tremendous growth opportunities. Whether they end up in frames or not, they become their own reward through their ability to teach us something new, and it doesn’t come easily!

This painting began one recent afternoon at Manitoga in Garrison, where I sat at the base of this massive waterfall. I have painted more waterfalls than I can count, but I didn’t count on the number of challenges this particular one would present. This series of cascades is is more like 100 waterfalls than one waterfall, and I have never painted 100 waterfalls in a single painting. Plus:
1. I had already done a painting in the morning;
2. It was hot out;
3. I was short on time;
4. I had a broken toe to contend with;
5. There were massive numbers of biting Black Flies. (Two days later, I counted 72 black fly bites on my arms and legs!)

So, why did I take on such a complex scene that afternoon? I have no idea. Not only did I take on a complex scene in a short time frame, but I had to go and do it 20 inches tall! What was I thinking?

I did what I could on location, shot a couple of reference images, and figured it would go in the large Unfinished pile at home, many of which never again see the light of day. But this one kept beckoning to me. It’s on a watercolor block, so I can’t use the rest of the block until I finish the darn thing! I pulled it out one day and decided some areas needed to be totally repainted, and some shadow areas better unified. I took out a container of white Gesso, and painted over the shadow areas that were bothering me. That way, I could rework them with transparent color, and better unify the shadow sections that I didn’t like. I put the painting away for the gesso to dry, and that was that.

Until today! It beckoned me again. I reworked some of the shadow areas, better defined some of the rocks, got some forms to turn, and resolved what I was going to do with the bottom section of the painting, even if I didn’t wrap it up yet. My daughter thinks it’s coming along, so that gives me hope. I’m thinking one more day just might do it for this one. Or not. Here’s where it stands now:

This is a battle I’d really like to win. While painting, I think about ways I could have approached this subject differently. Perhaps with a different game plan, I could have gotten to this point much sooner, without so many detours and reroutings. These paintings that make us think outside of the box, and force us to look at our subjects or techniques in a different manner, are the best learning opportunities and experiences that we have. This one may never go into a frame. It might be one of those paintings that I pull out every couple of months or years, and work with a bit more, to see what I can gain from the experience, and learn what the painting can teach me about the process.

I have paintings that have been in that pile of unfinished works for years. Every so often, I pull one out and I’m able to do what the painting needs right away. That tells me how far I’ve come, while some of the others in the pile remain an enigma, and tell me how far I have to go. I continue to let them teach me as I try to solve their mysteries. I think it’s a good idea to always keep a pile of mysteries in the studio.

8x12 to 12x24, Acrylic paintings, Cold Spring and Garrison, Demos/Work in Progress, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Spring, Waterfalls | 2 Comments »

5×7″, acrylic on archival rag board
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

This was painted 99% on location at Olana, the estate of Hudson River School artist Frederic Church. Often after plein air painting, I get the painting home, and when I see it with indoor lighting, there is something that needs adjusting. Initially, the yellows in this painting were too cool compared to what the painting and scene looked like on location. It needed a glaze of warmer color. The image below is what it looked like when I brought it home. It looks a little anemic, don’t you think?

Glazes are quick to do, but can be tricky. Because acrylics dry so fast and cannot be removed when dry, laying on too much color while working transparently can suck all the light out of a painting. To be certain that I laid down the right color in the proportions I needed, I first covered the painting with clear plastic food wrap, and set it on the easel. With a mixture of Acrylic Glazing Liquid and transparent color, I tested the glaze color and result on top of the plastic-covered painting. If I wasn’t happy, I wiped it off and tried a different proportion or mix, until I got it looking the way I wanted while it was covered in the plastic wrap (click to enlarge):

Then I removed the plastic wrap from the painting, and set it against a white surface. This gave me a guideline of color and proportion of paint to glazing liquid, in order to achieve my desired result. It always surprises me how little color is needed when I see the glaze I used against a white surface! This is all that was needed to glaze this particular painting, so you can see how easy it would be to mix in way too much color (click to enlarge):

I then mixed the color and glazing liquid on a white paper palette to match the color on the plastic wrap, and painted it over the surface of the actual painting. It’s a pretty foolproof way to get exactly what you want! All that was left to do was to sign my name. Testing the glaze layer this way does take a few extra minutes, but it is well worth it in the end. It enables me to test many different options before making a commitment.

Acrylics have some truly wonderful properties, and definite advantages over oil paints. If I want to glaze an oil painting, I have to wait until the paint is quite dry. That’s a long time compared with the nearly instant glazing capability of acrylics. Plus, each additional layer of oil glaze is problematic. Oil painting mediums can darken, yellow and crack over time. The more oil and resin enter the paint film, the worse it is for the painting. One only needs to stroll through a museum to see first-hand how true that is. Restoration is expensive, and most private buyers don’t have a huge art conservation budget!

Acrylics, on the other hand, can be glazed forever with no compromise to the paint film. The acrylic medium is flexible and archival, and will not yellow, darken, nor crack over time. That means that if I decide to darken or intensify a glaze, I can always add another layer.

Here is an image of the finished painting that you can click on for a slightly larger, clearer view:

8x10 and smaller, Acrylic paintings, Catskill Mountains, Columbia County, Demos/Work in Progress, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River School, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Olana and Hudson NY, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold, Sunrise/Sunset | No Comments »

9×12″, oil on archival linen panel
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

I few weeks ago I spent a glorious day painting with friends at Bear Mountain, overlooking magnificent views of the Hudson River. This vista to the south featured Iona Island, warm and cool color shifts in the water, and atmospheric distance effects. I want to go back again, and again!

Below is an image you can click on to get a larger, clearer view of the painting:

8x12 to 12x24, Appalachian Trail, Bear Mountain and Iona Island, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River School, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold, Spring | 1 Comment »

12×16″, Acrylic on archival canvas panel (hardboard)
$295.00 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.

One afternoon, I was walking toward my studio door when I was struck by the light shimmering on the lawn and doorway, with the surroundings in shadow. I thought it would make an interesting value study, so I returned to the spot the next day with my Golden Neutral Gray acrylics. (As I’ve explained and showed previously, these are already premixed, so they make it very convenient to do the value studies that we all know we should be doing!)

I had a tough time getting the values to show correctly in the photograph. It’s ever so much easier to adjust the highlights and shadows in a photo than it is to do midtone adjustments. It looks so much better in person! In any case, I’m quite happy with the way the actual painting turned out. I am trying to use all my willpower to leave it as it is and not glaze it with color! Perhaps I will also do a color version in the future, and definitely there will be more monochrome paintings coming too.

Below is an image you can click on to get a larger, sharper view:

8x12 to 12x24, Acrylic paintings, Available, House portraits, Landscape, Monochromatic Paintings, Palenville and Catskill, Plein Air--painted on location | No Comments »

15×11″, pastel on Rives BFK rag paper
$295.00 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 posted a photo of this scene the other day with the waterfall in progress. I keep thinking it’s done, and then end up reworking sections of it. Maybe it is done now, but if not, you’ll see it posted again with revisions!

It sure does seem like “Waterfall Week” here on my blog. Actually, only two of the ones I’ve posted this week were done this week. For some reason, the others just didn’t make it up on my website until this week. However, it is true that I never seem to tire of the challenge of painting waterfalls. We’ve had tons of rain this week, and they are predicting a lot more over the next couple of days, so I think it’d be a safe bet that more waterfall paintings will be coming off my brushes in the near future!

8x12 to 12x24, Available, Catskill Mountains, Greene County, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Palenville and Catskill, Pastels, Plein Air--painted on location, Spring, Waterfalls | No Comments »

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

Tucked away in the woods, behind an old red cabin in the heart of Platte Clove, is a serene waterfall with a beautiful pool at the base. It’s the perfect place to beat the heat with paintbrushes in hand on a hot summer day!

8x10 and smaller, Catskill Mountains, Landscape, Oil paintings, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold, Waterfalls | No Comments »

7×5″, oils on 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’d posted an image of this painting with the scene quite awhile ago, promising to eventually get up an image of just the painting. Here it is! It’s been on my drying rails and is now ready to varnish and go off to a new home! I love those early spring colors. I appreciate it that much more, now that the summer greens have overtaken the landscape!

8x10 and smaller, Available, Catskill Mountains, Greene County, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Palenville and Catskill, Plein Air--painted on location, Spring, Waterfalls | No Comments »

Watercolor on Rives BFK rag paper
16×12″ includes custom ivory mat and backing board for standard frame, image size is 11×7″
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

Kaaterskill Falls, the tallest waterfall in New York State, is one of my favorite spots to paint. It was one of the favorite spots for the Hudson River School painters as well. It’s not easy to get to the base of the falls with painting gear. Sometimes the hardest part is getting a parking space, but even if you do, it’s about a quarter mile from the lot and then about a half mile climbing up the mountainside. Without gear it’s not a hard climb, but you don’t want to do this one loaded down with equipment!

This one was done on location last summer, but for some unknown reason, it never got posted. I think I just never got it up before the camera to take the picture, so here it is at long last! Please note that this painting comes already custom-matted and with an archival backing board, so all you’ll have to do is pick out a standard 12×16″ frame for it and it’s ready to hang.

8x12 to 12x24, Catskill Mountains, Greene County, Hudson River School, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold, Watercolor, Waterfalls | No Comments »

8×10″, Acrylic on archival canvas panel
$175.00 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.

Every so often, I really enjoy working in monochrome. Often that means sketching in sepia tones, or painting with a specific color base. But I also really like working in grays. Golden Acrylics makes that easy to do with their Heavy Body Neutral Gray series. I keep them loaded in this sealed container with dividers. Any time I want to work in black and white, I just grab the container and I’m good to go.

Here’s an image of my painting in progress at the scene. )This image should be clickable if you want to enlarge it.)

Even though these are traditional, fast-drying acrylics, I was amazed by how much working time I had with them while sitting by rushing water! The air must have been heavily laden with mist, because I could blend and blend to my heart’s content. It was like working with oils. I generally keep one of those sections in the container for Acrylic Glazing Liquid, which extends drying time, but I didn’t need to dip into it.

One of the best things about working this way out in the field is that I don’t need a palette! With all the values premixed, and no color mixing to do, I can dip right into whatever value I need as I go. Generally I’ve done these as studies in my sketchbook, but I absolutely loved doing them on panels, so you can expect to see lots more monochrome paintings on archival surfaces coming off my brushes. It’s the complement to my Color Inspirations series!

If you’d like to see a slightly larger view of the painting, here’s a clickable image of the painting:

8x10 and smaller, Acrylic paintings, Available, Catskill Mountains, Greene County, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Monochromatic Paintings, Palenville and Catskill, Plein Air--painted on location, Spring, Waterfalls | 1 Comment »

15×11, Pastel on Rives BFK Tan
Email me at JamieWG@aol.com if interested in this painting.

I started a large painting on paper, and while waiting for my first layer to dry, I decided to do a monochrome sketch using some Cretacolor Sepia Powder. This just arrived with my last art supply order. It looked like lots of fun and I couldn’t wait to give it a try! I started laying in tone by brushing the powder onto the surface of a pristine sheet of beautiful Rives BFK — a 100% cotton rag paper that is one of my favorite toned surfaces. It wasn’t long before I needed to work in some lights, and realized that I didn’t have a white Conte in my sketch box with the powder! Uh oh!

I remembered that I had some pastels in my car, so I figured I’d take the white from that pastel kit. Well, you know me — the color junkie! With all those gorgeous pastels in front of me, there was no way I was going to resist adding some splashes of color, and then some more. Before I knew it, I was way engrossed in creating a pastel painting instead of the monochrome sketch I’d intended as a time-filler while my other painting dried! I wasn’t all that happy with the way the other one was turning out, so I persevered for awhile with this one and really liked where it headed. I went back this morning and tweaked it a bit to finish it off. I’ll post that image as soon as I can get a photo of it.

As for the other painting, it only went from bad to worse. I went back at it again today, but couldn’t save the beast! Plein air painting can be a very humbling experience. However, I’m pleased with this one. I never would have thought to use Rives BFK for pastels, and I hadn’t initially intended to do this as a pastel piece. It turned out to be a pretty awesome pastel surface. I might even do it again on purpose sometime!

Occasionally, a painting or a sketch will go in unexpected directions due to unforeseen circumstances. When that happens, it can be disastrous. But sometimes, when we get lemons, we can make lemonade. I’m really glad that I let this become a pastel painting instead of a monochrome sketch. (And to make up for that, I did monochrome work in the afternoon.)

8x12 to 12x24, Available, Demos/Work in Progress, Greene County, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Palenville and Catskill, Pastels, Plein Air--painted on location, Waterfalls | No Comments »

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

This vista of the Hudson River from Bear Mountain is spectacular. I had one of those days of perfect spring weather to paint outside — not too cold, not too hot, not too windy, and shade! What more could a painter ask for?

It seems that everywhere I look lately, I’m stepping on or looking at the Appalachian Trail. Although I wasn’t thinking about it when up atop Bear Mountain painting this scene, the Appalachian Trail goes right across this very bridge over the Hudson River. I can’t even imagine the thrill that it must give to all those weary hikers to arrive at this spot and be walking across the Hudson at the entrance to the Hudson Highlands. Surely it must be one of the highlights of the entire trail. Through this section of the River, dramatic mountains rise up on either side, with bends and twists of the Hudson around the steep banks. The Highlands section runs from this area between Bear Mountain and Anthony’s Nose, up to Breakneck Ridge and Storm King to the north. This southern portion of the Hudson Highlands is quite a haul for me by car, so I don’t get down this way nearly often enough.

I broke my toe a few weeks ago, and spent the entire morning standing up and painting. By the afternoon I was sore, and took the easy way out. I sat in the shade of my big umbrella, painting comfortably with my little 5×7″ Guerrilla pochade box on my lap, and a Diet Coke by my side. Perfect!

8x10 and smaller, Appalachian Trail, Bear Mountain and Iona Island, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River School, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold, Spring | 1 Comment »

16×12″ with custom ivory mat and acid free backing board to fit a standard 12×16″ frame. (Painting size is 11×7″.)
Acrylic on Arches paper
$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 painting of a scene along the Appalachian Trail is the fourth in my Color Inspirations series. It was painted from the same reference image as the one I posted yesterday, where the Appalachian Trail goes through the Great Swamp, but with a different selection of colors. This painting has great transparency, which is what gives the sky such a luminous glow. I made sure to use transparent pigments that would maximize the effect. We don’t always end up with exactly what we were hoping for, but for me, this one did give me the effect I was after!

This paper is Arches 90# rough. The wonderful watercolor artist, David Taylor, told me that it’s a paper he likes to use from time to time, so I thought I’d give it a try. It’s not one I’d have thought to use because of its lighter weight. It certainly does need to be taped down while painting to avoid buckling, and actually, the first batch of it that I ordered was buckled when it arrived at my doorstep. Thank goodness Dick Blick is such a reputable retailer, and they replaced all the paper right away. I’m enjoying the responsiveness of this lighter paper, and can see why David finds it appealing.

8x12 to 12x24, Acrylic paintings, Appalachian Trail, Available, Color Inspirations, Dutchess County NY, Farm Scenes, Great Swamp, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Spring, Sunrise/Sunset | No Comments »

8×10″ with ivory and gold mat included to fit a standard 8×10 frame. (Painting size is 5.5×8″.)
Acrylic on rough watercolor paper
$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.

I’ve been working on some color-inspired paintings lately, and this is the third of my Color Inspirations series. This scene from the Great Swamp lent itself to a golden sky, bringing out the colors of the marsh grasses and warming up the scene. My goal with this series is not so much to portray a specific place as to create a special drama or mood, using inspiration from the scene before me and a color palette that I feel complements the scenery. The tonal values at the location become more important than the actual colors. In this case, the trees contrasted strongly with the other elements in the scene. For that reason, I felt it was an ideal composition of tonal values, while shifting the color imaginatively. I think I’ll be doing several from this reference, exploring different color possibilities.

This also happens to be another scene along the Appalachian Trail in Pawling, New York. It is close to where the trail crosses Route 22. I seem to find a lot of inspiration along the AT these days.

I am doing these Color Inspiration paintings in assorted media. This one is acrylic on paper. I will mat it like a watercolor, but the versatility of acrylic also enables me to varnish and frame them like oil paintings. Very cool!

8x10 and smaller, Acrylic paintings, Appalachian Trail, Available, Color Inspirations, Dutchess County NY, Farm Scenes, Great Swamp, Hudson River Valley, Landscape | 1 Comment »

Click image for a much larger, clearer view
14×20″, Acrylic on Arches watercolor paper
$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 medium-size painting was done on location at Boscobel Restoration, overlooking Constitution Marsh along the bluff above the Hudson River. I’ve painted this scene so many times, so I opted for something different this time around and pulled out some Golden Airbrush paints. I used them with traditional brushes rather than an airbrush, and let the colors spatter and run, the way I love to do with watercolors. It has a wonderful transparent glow, which is exactly the effect I was after. I think I want to do more of these!

In case you’re having a “deja vu” moment, yes, I did post this painting a couple of weeks ago! My intention was to possibly work on it a bit more. I decided to go ahead and do that, so now I’m reposting it as a definitely finished piece, which is a little more refined than it was before, and I’ve deleted my previous version of the painting.

8x12 to 12x24, Acrylic paintings, Available, Cold Spring and Garrison, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Spring | No Comments »

16×12″, Acrylic on Arches board
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

Usually when there is water to be found at a location, it becomes at least a small portion of my painting. But in this case, I was mesmerized by the beautiful light in the distance filtering through the trees, and the splotches it created along the trail. This section of the Appalachian Trail is in Pawling, New York, about a quarter mile southwest of the intersection with Route 22.

I used Golden Airbrush acrylic for most of this painting in order to make the most of the transparent glow in the distance. Nothing quite captures that effect like transparent paint on a white support!

Most of my early spring work, including this one, has already been claimed by RiverWinds Gallery in Beacon, NY. You’ll be able to see this painting and more at RiverWinds starting the Second Saturday in July. The painting can be purchased at the gallery, here through my website, or by calling RiverWinds during their regular business hours.

8x12 to 12x24, Acrylic paintings, Appalachian Trail, Great Swamp, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold, Spring | No Comments »

15×11″, custom matted (ivory mat) to 20×16
Acrylic on rag paper

$400.00 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 was painted in The Great Swamp, which runs through Putnam and Dutchess Counties. I painted it on location in Pawling, New York, beside the Appalachian Trail. It was one of those times when I really felt like exploring the possibilities of acrylic paint with drips and spatters, which seemed quite appropriate as spring was bursting all around me in scattered leaf forms and brilliant yellow-greens.

I did this on watercolor paper to take advantage of the color blending capabilities in the initial stages. I also happen to love acrylic on paper more than anything else. There is something about water media that just adores paper supports. The advantage using acrylic on paper is that it can still be varnished and framed without glass just like an oil painting or an acrylic on canvas. In this case though, I really liked the look of the painting with the mat surrounding it to give it some breathing room, so it is being matted to 20×16″ and framed with glass and a beautiful gold wood frame to bring out the sparkle of spring. Acrylic is the most archival material out there, so I love working in this versatile medium that I know will last for generations to come.

16x20 and larger, Acrylic paintings, Appalachian Trail, Available, Dutchess County NY, Great Swamp, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Spring | No Comments »

$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.

Double matted to 5 x 7″ and framed, Acrylic on Arches hot press 100% rag paper

I remember so well the vividness of the sunset on the night I took the photo for this painting. We were returning from a sunset cruise on one of those perfect Maine evenings. This painting is 3×4.5″, and is hinge-mounted to a backing board, and double matted to 5×7″. The backing board and double mat are included in the price within the US. The photo makes the mat appear a little grey, but it is actually an ivory colored outer mat.

8x10 and smaller, Acrylic paintings, Available, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Maine, Ocean Views, Sunrise/Sunset | 3 Comments »

Click Image for a larger, clearer view.
Acrylic on watercolor paper
7×11″, matted and framed to 12×16″, in a gold frame with archival ivory mat and backing board.

$320.00 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 started this painting on Tuesday morning, overlooking the Quarry Pond at Manitoga. It’s hard to imagine a more beautiful and serene spot, with the sounds of waterfalls and singing birds.The light on the far cliff, contrasted by the dark mass of foliage and rock in the right foreground, immediately drew my attention. I was planning to do this smallish painting as a sketch to test drive colors and composition, and then do a large version; but as usual, I got carried away and this became a full-fledged painting rather than a sketch! I tweaked it a bit in the studio today, and now I’m calling it done. I still do plan to do a large version of this scene. In fact, having done this small one, I am now even more enthusiastic about the potential of a large one. It really captures the transparent glow and value contrasts that I was after when I arrived at the location.

This painting is the latest in my experimental meanderings with acrylic paint. I love the archival integrity of acrylic. Add to that its tremendous versatility, and it is truly a medium without equal. There are so many different kinds of acrylic paints that they have the ability to mimic virtually any other media. This painting displays the transparent glow of watercolor, and the opacity of oils.

The painting was done using the Golden Acrylic Airbrush paints. No, I am not using an airbrush! I’m using them with traditional synthetic brushes. The colors I used were Hansa Yellow Medium, Diarylide Yellow, Yellow Oxide (Transparent), Red Oxide (Transparent), Quinacridone Red, Phthalo Blue (Red Shade), and Titanium White. I also used some Ultramarine Blue from the Golden Fluids line, and diluted that with their Airbrush Medium. It didn’t behave quite the same, but I was desperate for that color! I am loving the results I’m getting with these paints, as well as the process. They enable me to spatter, drip, paint transparently, mingle colors on a wet surface, and lift like watercolors. Then I can go 180 degrees in the opposite direction, and paint with great opacity, like gouache or oils. I think I’m in love!

8x12 to 12x24, Acrylic paintings, Available, Cold Spring and Garrison, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Spring | 6 Comments »

12×16″, oils on oil primed linen panel

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

This painting was actually started over a year ago along the Appalachian Trail in Pawling, New York. I put in one day on it last spring, and intened to finish it from a photo. I did a little work in the studio with it over the winter, but decided to get back to the location to finish it instead. When I returned, I worked until the light changed. Once the sun started to come from the other direction, I had to call it a day, in spite of the fact that it still wasn’t done! A week later, I returned to the scene of the crime to finally finish the painting! I’m so pleased with the way it turned out. Since it takes so long for oils to set, you can really pump up the colors and values by working on a piece in a few sittings.

This view of the Swamp River is actually the opposite direction from the little 5×7″ painting that I posted the other day. I painted from nearly the same spot, but sat up on a bridge overlooking the river, and facing the other way.

I hadn’t signed the painting by the time I took the photo, so that’s why my name is typed across the image. That lettering does not appear on the painting, and I’ll be signing it before it gets its final varnish.

8x12 to 12x24, Appalachian Trail, Dutchess County NY, Great Swamp, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold, Spring | 2 Comments »

5×7″, oils on oil primed linen panel

$135.00 plus $12 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 can’t get enough of this painting spot! It has really grown on me this year. There’s a long boardwalk along the Appalachian Trail, and loads of migrating birds passing through.This little oil sketch was painted on location just before the greens took over the landscape, so there was still a lot of color variation in the distant hills. Now they are all green! The Appalachian Trail runs through the Great Swamp at this spot, and I always get to chat with lots of hikers. It’s a great section of the AT.

8x10 and smaller, Appalachian Trail, Available, Dutchess County NY, Great Swamp, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Plein Air--painted on location, Spring | No Comments »

5×7″, acrylics on rag board, custom framed in a gold plein air style wooden frame

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

This field leading up to Frederic Church’s Olana estate is a constantly-changing palette of colors and patterns. In late spring/early summer, the purple flowers vanish from the landscape and are replaced by weaving carpets of yellow and gold leading up to the mansion. Whether looking down at the Hudson River from the top, or up at the residence of one of the greatest Hudson River school painters, there is no shortage of subject matter here for a landscape artist. I’ve painted this scene a number of times, but I have to say, I am especially happy with this particular rendition!

Speaking of Olana, I have some big news! I’ll be teaching a three day workshop there for teens in August. The dates are August 13, 14 and 15, from 9:30-12:30. We’ll be painting the Hudson River School landscape with Golden OPEN Acrylics — the perfect medium for those hot summer days. There is also a great air conditioned studio space if the temps get brutal or we have a rainy day. This is the perfect introduction to painting for teenagers with some time on their hands during the summer, and Olana will provide the paints, brushes, and painting panels. Please pass the word along if you know anybody who might be interested.

8x10 and smaller, Acrylic paintings, Columbia County, Flowers, Gardens and Flowering Trees, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Hudson River School, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Olana and Hudson NY, Sold, Spring, Workshops | No Comments »

5×7″, Acrylic on rag board
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

A friend came over a couple of weeks ago and we sat in the back yard and painted by the stream. It was that perfect time in spring when there is enough foliage to give some texture to the landscape, and enough color to give it variety. The summer greens take over so quickly after that. I always try to get out as much as I can before that happens!

8x10 and smaller, Acrylic paintings, Brewster and North Salem, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold, Spring | No Comments »

3×5″, Acrylic on rag board, beautifully framed (Size with frame is about 6×8″.)
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

This painting is available for purchase at Adams Fairacre Farm in Newburgh NY. I have 20 paintings on display there as a United Way fundraiser until the end of December. You can see the paintings, help United Way, do some holiday shopping, and buy your fresh produce and groceries all at the same time!

I had a beautiful, gold wood frame for a 3×5″ painting, and decided to do this scene of sailboats out on the Hudson River, below the Palisade Cliffs. There is a lovely, late day glow above the cliff line past the horizon, and soft fall colors abound in the foreground tree, distant hillside, and water reflections. The image above was taken in daylight, so the color is much cooler. The image below was taken with warmer indoor lighting at night, so you can see how much the color changes depending on the room lighting at the time. It sure does make image adjustment a challenge!

I took a quick cellphone snapshot of the painting in the frame (below), but hopefully you can at least get an idea of how lovely this frame is. It looks great on a small table easel. I have also included hanging hardware, in case you have a special, small wall space that you want to brighten up. It would make a great Father’s Day gift for that Dad who loves sailing!

(You can click the image above for a clearer, larger view.)

8x10 and smaller, Acrylic paintings, Available, Boats and Ships, Fall, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Miniature Paintings, Nyack Area, Palisades, Sold, Tarrytown and Hastings Area | 3 Comments »

2×4″, Acrylic on canvas panel
Miniature easel included with painting
$100.00 plus $12 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 went to paint Cherry Blossoms at Boscobel. It is an annual ritual for me, and I look forward to it all winter. So, you can imagine my disappointment when I arrived on the scene only to find that the Cherry Blossoms had come and gone in the past two weeks! I guess the wind and rain a few days ago brought down whatever was on the trees. They were all green leaves, with pink petals strewn on the ground.

I wasn’t going to let a beautiful day go to waste though! There wasn’t much of the morning light left, so I pulled out this tiny panel, pulled up a chair along the bluff overlooking the Hudson River, and did one of my “Jamie’s Jewels Miniature Gems” paintings to catch what I could of the morning light over Constitution Marsh. In the afternoon, the marsh darkens and cools, and the contrast between land and water increases as the sun shifts to the west. You can see that already starting to happen in the scene behind the painting, though I think there must have also been a cloud obscuring the light from the marsh area when I snapped this picture!

I’ll be getting up a better image of this one in the days to come. I am just so thrilled that my image uploader on this blog seems to be working again, so even though I only have this little image that I snapped with my cellphone camera, I just had to post it! I do have quite a backlog here to photograph and get up on my site. Thank you for coming back to look at my work. I know it’s been a long time since I’ve been able to show it, but there will be a lot more coming now that the site is running again.

Acrylic paintings, Available, Cold Spring and Garrison, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Miniature Paintings, Plein Air--painted on location, Spring | 1 Comment »

(Click image if you’d like to enlarge it)
5×7″, Oils on oil primed linen panel
$130.00 plus $12 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 can’t seem to get enough of waterfalls, and spring is usually the best time to capture them. The heavy spring rains, combined with snow melt from the mountains, usually causes them to run heavily this time of year. This year has been relatively dry, so they are not as full as they usually are in April. I’m hoping for some of those “April Showers” to come along soon! Still, there was plenty there for my painting purposes. I loved the greens and yellows in the shallow, clear water, so I chose a composition to showcase those elements. I used a limited palette of Cadmium Yellow Medium, Pyrrole Red, Ultramarine Blue, and Titanium White. Once I get a better photo of just the painting, I’ll add it to this post. That could be awhile though. You may have noticed that I haven’t posted any paintings for quite some time. We’ve had deaths and illnesses in the family over the past few months. What little time I’ve had for my art I’ve spent painting rather than photographing images and posting. I have several more paintings to post and will try to get them up over the next week. Hopefully, with the good weather upon us now, I’ll be able to venture out with my brushes more and take in the natural beauty that inspires me. Thank you all for checking out my work here.

8x10 and smaller, Available, Catskill Mountains, Greene County, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Painting/Pochade Box, Palenville and Catskill, Plein Air--painted on location, Spring, Waterfalls | 1 Comment »

5×5″ (7×7″ with frame), Acrylic on board
Framing included!
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

This is a nocturnal scene of Bannerman Castle over the Hudson River, with a full moon reflecting in the water and backlighting the castle. I painted this from a photo that I took before the collapse of much of this side of the tower a couple of years ago. Fortunately, restoration efforts are underway to try to save the remainder of the structure from a similar fate.

In order to add a little more sparkle to the painting, I used some Golden Iridescent paints along with traditional acrylics. I wanted the glimmer to be subtle, so that one would see it when walking by the painting as the angle of light changes. This sometimes causes paintings to have odd areas of glare and milkiness in photo images of the work, but adds a lot to the experience of seeing the piece in person, or owning it! I used two references for this painting. One was a plein air piece that I did on the night of a full moon over Peach Lake. The other was a daytime photo I took of this scene from a boat on the Hudson River. I used the landscape elements from the photo, and combined them with the color and light effects from the lake painting.

A portion of the proceeds of this painting will be donated to Bannerman Castle Trust for their continuing construction on the site. Although nobody is allowed on the island unaccompanied, the Trust conducts boat tours of the island and its structures. They go from Beacon and Newburgh to Bannerman Island, where visitors disembark, tour the seven acre island and castle ruins, and hear about the history.

Below is a larger file that you can click on for a slightly expanded view of the painting:

Acrylic paintings, Bannerman Island, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Sold | No Comments »

18×24″, Oil painting on archival linen panel
$1,050.00 plus $40 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 large oil painting is based on an acrylic sketch I did a couple of months ago. I had taken a photo of a Great Blue Heron while my husband and I were out on North Lake in a rowboat. I had seen the heron fly around a peninsula from a distance. When we rounded the bend in the lake, I was ready with my camera, and captured the Great Blue just as he was taking off. He became silhouetted against the bright, peach-colored background, which brought out the blues in his coloring.

You can see the acrylic sketch here. (The smaller sketch is also for sale.) I wanted to maintain the loose, spontaneous feel and the motion in the larger painting. Since there is more space to fill, I gave the rocks along the shoreline and the tree trunks more definition than in the sketch.

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

This oil painting has been sitting on my easel unfinished since before the holidays. It was so nice to get back to it several times in the past week and finish it up! I can’t wait to see this one in a frame.

16x20 and larger, Animals, Available, Birds, Greene County, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Pets Wildlife Animals | 1 Comment »

8×16″, Acrylic on sealed, primed hardboard
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

Below is an image that you can click on for a larger, clearer view of the painting:

I love painting the Palisades section of the Hudson River. For some reason I can’t quite fathom, this is the first time I’ve painted the cliffs in a panoramic format! I really like the way the 1:2 ratio turned out. It enabled me to add trees and foliage without obscuring so much of the cliffs. I think that come spring, I need to go back with a larger panel and do another!

8x12 to 12x24, Acrylic paintings, Fall, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Palisades, Sold, Tarrytown and Hastings Area | No Comments »

Painting is matted with 12×16″ archival custom ivory mat and backing board in polybag (9×12″ painting size). It will fit any standard 12×16″ frame. Painting is acrylic on paper.
$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.

This was painted from one of the many gorgeous photos I was able to get during my trip to the Adirondacks this fall. We had a lot of rain during the few days I was there, but the day we arrived was absolutely stellar! I made the most of it. This was one of the spots we visited on our first day up there. I can’t wait to do a large painting of this scene!

Below is an image you can click on for a larger, clearer view:

8x12 to 12x24, Acrylic paintings, Adirondacks, Available, Fall, Lakes and Streams, Landscape | No Comments »

5×7″, Oils on linen panel
$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.

Over the summer, I visited the new Golden Foundation property in New Berlin, New York. It’s a gorgeous tract of land featuring old barns, pastoral fields, walking paths, overviews, streams, and golden hillsides. I did some sketches on location, and took a bunch of photos. I’m starting to explore that collection of images now. This is my first painting from the site.

8x10 and smaller, Available, Catskill Mountains, Farm Scenes, House portraits, Landscape, Oil paintings | No Comments »

9×12″, oils on linen
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

This was painted on location at a favorite spot deep in the woods. Last year when I was at the Vedder Library going through sketches by Hudson River School artists BBG Stone, I came upon a sketch he’d done from this very spot! I recognized it immediately because of the shape of the huge boulder at an angle at the base of the falls, and also a rock outcropping that is just out of the view of this painting. It was very exciting for me to know that he’d been here also.

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

8x12 to 12x24, Catskill Mountains, Fall, Greene County, Hudson River School, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Palenville and Catskill, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold, Waterfalls | No Comments »

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

This was painted before sunset at the Hudson River School “Olana” site, former home of painter Frederic Church. The long shadows, high contrast, and captivating color of the light were what drew me to this scene looking north above the Hudson. Below is an image that you can click on to get a slightly larger view:

8x10 and smaller, Catskill Mountains, Columbia County, Fall, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River School, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Olana and Hudson NY, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold, Sunrise/Sunset | No Comments »

8×10″, Oils on archival linen panel
$265.00 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.

Below is an image you can click on for a larger view of the painting:

I had a large group of artists over to my house to paint a few days ago. It was a cool, overcast day, which presents artists with opportunities to look outside of the box for subject matter, as well as giving us the gift of more consistent light throughout the day. I selected a fairly complicated composition for this scene, which I might not have chosen on a day when the sunlight and shadow patterns would race across my scene in wildly conflicting directions!

I’ve been pretty much sticking to the “Kenn Backhaus palette” lately, with the occasional additions of transparent red oxide (for convenience) and cerulean blue (to feed the blue gene of the color junkie within me). This painting contained both of those. I so enjoyed doing this piece while having time with my artist buddies. Great fun.

8x10 and smaller, Available, Catskill Mountains, Fall, Greene County, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Palenville and Catskill, Plein Air--painted on location, Waterfalls | No Comments »

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

This sheet contains three small acrylic paintingsj on a 9×12 sheet of multi-media paper. They are views from Olana, which is the estate of Hudson River School painter Frederic Church. Below is an image that you can click on for a larger, clearer view:

These were painted with a split primary palette of Golden Fluid Acrylics:
Hansa Yellow Opaque
Diarylide Yellow
Pyrrole Red
Quinacridone Crimson
Cerulean Blue
Ultramarine Blue
Titanium White
For the bottom painting, I also used Nickel Azo Yellow, Quinacridone Burnt Orange, and Golden Acrylic Glazing Liquid to get a nice transparent glaze on the paper, then I worked into that glaze with the rest of the paints.

8x10 and smaller, 8x12 to 12x24, Acrylic paintings, Catskill Mountains, Columbia County, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River School, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Olana and Hudson NY, Sold, Sunrise/Sunset | No Comments »

12×16″, Oils on archival linen board
$525.00 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 couldn’t resist stopping in my tracks to paint this pathway leading to a waterfall. The fall foliage was nearly at peak, and the water gushed down the cliff face following a recent storm.

Here is an image you can click on for a larger, clearer view.

8x12 to 12x24, Available, Catskill Mountains, Fall, Greene County, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Oil paintings, Palenville and Catskill, Plein Air--painted on location, Waterfalls | 1 Comment »

6×8″, Oils on archival linen 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’ve been painting up a plein air storm these last several weeks. I’ve been outside so much that it’s been hard for me to get into the studio to finish up the final tweaks on the paintings, photograph them, and get them posted here. This is one I did from my patio a couple of weeks ago, with an on and off drizzle happening outside, and I put in a few final strokes this morning. The trees were displaying such a wide variety of fall colors, and I used the opportunity to study the colors and contrasts to the back of the property, where a path winds through the tree line.

8x10 and smaller, Available, Fall, Greene County, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Oil paintings, Palenville and Catskill, Plein Air--painted on location | No Comments »

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

It is from this exact spot that Thomas Cole painted his famous Lake With Dead Trees, and Jasper Cropsey created his beautiful sunset scene. In fact, it is one of the sites along the “Hudson River School Art Trail”. I love returning to this location at all times of day and under different atmospheric conditions. Today I was drawn here by the strong cloud formations. It’s a very cool-toned landscape in the spring and summer, so I selected a spot with some warm foreground colors, and threw some of that warmth into the sky as well.

8x10 and smaller, Catskill Mountains, Greene County, Hudson River School, Landscape, Oil paintings, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | 1 Comment »

7×5″, Golden Acrylics on sealed museum board
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

This painting was done on location at the tallest waterfall in New York State — Kaaterskill Falls. It is one of the sites made famous by the Hudson River School painters.

8x10 and smaller, Acrylic paintings, Catskill Mountains, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Greene County, Hudson River School, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold, Waterfalls | No Comments »

2×4″, oils on canvas panel. Price includes a mini easel.
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

I have such a wonderful time painting these little miniatures! This one was painted on location at Olana, former home of Hudson River School painter Frederic Church. It was another beautiful day overlooking the mighty Hudson, which has inspired artists for generations. It was painted in a completely different way than the oil sketch from the same location, which I posted yesterday. There is no one “right way” to do things when it comes to painting!

8x10 and smaller, Catskill Mountains, Columbia County, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River School, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Miniature Paintings, Oil paintings, Olana and Hudson NY, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold, Sunrise/Sunset | No Comments »

16×20″ custom framed with an archival ivory mat and classic gold frame (included in price). Oils on sealed rag paper. Painting image size is 1/4 sheet (11×15″) in a 16×20 mat. It looks especially elegant with the mat and frame!

$675.00 plus $40 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 overlooking Hudson River School artist Frederic Church’s estate, Olana. It is the famous Hudson River classic view from the property. This started out as a monochromatic oil sketch on location, but as the it progressed, I was unable to avoid the temptation to start putting in color!

Below is an image you can click on for a slightly larger view of the painting:

16x20 and larger, Available, Columbia County, Farm Scenes, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River School, Landscape, Oil paintings, Olana and Hudson NY, Plein Air--painted on location, Sketches | No Comments »

1.75×2″ including frame
Acrylic
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

This is another of my “Jamie’s Jewels” miniatures fresh off the easel. It is a tiny copy of Monet’s painting titled The Artist’s Garden at Vétheuil. This colorful gem was so much fun to paint!

8x10 and smaller, Acrylic paintings, Flowers, Gardens and Flowering Trees, Landscape, Miniature Paintings, Sold | 1 Comment »

(You can click the image above for a larger view.)

This painting was done on location last week at Hudson River School Painter Frederic Church’s estate, Olana, in Hudson NY. The field glows in the morning light with oranges, greens and purples as fall approaches. This is one of my favorite spots to paint at Olana. I was able to spend a few days there last week and enjoyed every second!

Click image for a larger, clearer view
12×16″, Oils on linen panel
$525.00 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.

Last year, I did a series of small watercolor sketches from the same location, which are also still available for $100-$175 each depending on size (or make me an offer for the set of four). They are already archivally matted and with backing boards to pop into standard frames.
Mount Merino from Olana No. 1
Mount Merino from Olana No. 2
Mount Merino from Olana No. 3
Mount Merino from Olana No. 4

8x12 to 12x24, Available, Catskill Mountains, Columbia County, Farm Scenes, Hudson River School, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Oil paintings, Olana and Hudson NY, Plein Air--painted on location | No Comments »

Many thanks to Jacob Sound for producing this wonderful video of my paintings, set to music I recorded with my duo partner, Andrew Lafreniere. The piece we play in the video is titled The One by California composer Peter Madlem. The paintings were all selected from my website by Jacob. I love the way he zooms and pans with the camera, leaving me feeling like I’m strolling through the landscapes. Some of these works are for sale and some have already been sold, so some of you collectors out there might see a painting in this short flick that is up on your wall! Feel free to contact me if you see a painting you’d like to purchase.

You can contact Jacob or see more of the videos he has done on his Facebook page or via email at jacoburi306@gmail.com.

Landscape, Shows and News | No Comments »

5×7″, watercolor and gouache on Stonehenge kraft-colored rag paper
$100.00 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 last of the series five paintings done at the lakeshore. As you can see, there was still plenty of drama in the sky! I got tired of working so small, so moved up one size to 5×7″. Price above is for just the painting without a mat. It is a standard size and can go right into an 8×10 frame with a standard 5×7″ mat opening. (Matting available upon request at an additional charge.)

8x10 and smaller, Available, Catskill Mountains, Gouache, Greene County, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Watercolor | No Comments »

5×7″ with archival custom mat and backing board (painting size is 3.5×5″)
Watercolor/gouache on Stonehenge rag paper
$100.00 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.

One beautiful day the cloud formations were so gorgeous that I packed up my gear and headed up to North South Lake to do cloud studies. I taped up a sheet of beautiful Stonehenge Kraft-colored rag paper to serve as a mid-toned ground, and worked in gouache and watercolor. After doing a few sketches of the sky, I turned my focus to the beach and lake for this one. A woman in a bright pink shirt caught my eye as she waited in the rowboat for her family to arrive.

It is a series of five. Four of the five are this size and have identical custom mats to fit in standard 5×7″ frames.

8x10 and smaller, Available, Catskill Mountains, Gouache, Greene County, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Watercolor | No Comments »

5×7″ with archival custom mat and backing board (painting size is 3.5×5″)
Watercolor/gouache on Stonehenge rag paper
$100.00 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.

One beautiful day the cloud formations were so gorgeous that I packed up my gear and headed up to North South Lake to do cloud studies. I taped up a sheet of beautiful Stonehenge Kraft-colored rag paper to serve as a mid-toned ground, and worked in gouache and watercolor as the clouds moved swiftly. This big dark cloud moved across the hillside and I tried to snatch it into my painting before the raindrops fell!

This is a series of five paintings. Four of the five are this size and have identical custom mats to fit in standard 5×7″ frames.

8x10 and smaller, Available, Gouache, Greene County, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Watercolor | No Comments »

5×7″ with archival custom mat and backing board (painting size is 3.5×5″)
Watercolor/gouache on Stonehenge rag paper
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

One beautiful day the cloud formations were so gorgeous that I packed up my gear and headed up to North South Lake to do cloud studies. I taped up a sheet of beautiful Stonehenge Kraft-colored rag paper to serve as a mid-toned ground, and worked in gouache and watercolor. It is a series of five, so stay tuned for the next four to come! Four of the five are this size and have identical custom mats to fit in standard 5×7″ frames. The clouds moved quickly, so it’s a good thing I was prepared to do a series of small pieces!

8x10 and smaller, Catskill Mountains, Gouache, Greene County, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold, Watercolor | No Comments »

5×7″ with archival custom mat and backing board (painting size is 3.5×5″)
Watercolor/gouache on Stonehenge rag paper
$100.00 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.

One beautiful day the cloud formations were so gorgeous that I packed up my gear and headed up to North South Lake to do cloud studies. I taped up a sheet of beautiful Stonehenge Kraft-colored rag paper to serve as a mid-toned ground, and worked in gouache and watercolor. It is a series of five, so stay tuned for the next four to come! Four of the five are this size and have identical custom mats to fit in standard 5×7″ frames.

8x10 and smaller, Available, Catskill Mountains, Gouache, Greene County, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Watercolor | No Comments »

2.5×4″, Acrylic on board, edged in gold, easel is included
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

This miniature painting was done on location as a color study for the larger painting that I posted yesterday. I had done it on nice Canson board and was so pleased with the way it turned out that I varnished it and edged it in gold to set on this miniature easel. It’s a charmer!

Here is a view of the painting from the side, to better show the gold edging:

8x10 and smaller, Acrylic paintings, Catskill Mountains, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Greene County, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Miniature Paintings, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | No Comments »

12×16″, Matted with backing board for a standard frame
(Painting size is 7×11″)
Acrylic
$195.00 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 plein air painting has been done on Saunders 300 lb rough watercolor paper, and varnished so that it can be framed like an oil painting. However, I am also including a custom, acid free mat and backing board, so you’ll be able to pop it right into a standard 12×16″ frame. This vista shows the reservoir on a hot summer day, where I enjoyed the breeze under the shade of the pine trees along the shore while painting.

Due to the beautiful gloss varnish on this painting, there are some whitish glare spots on the image that are not on the painting; that’s just the light reflecting off the varnish when I took the picture!

8x12 to 12x24, Acrylic paintings, Available, Catskill Mountains, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Greene County, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location | No Comments »

Click image to enlarge
12×16″, Acrylic on Raymar Canvas Panel
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

This painting was done from old and new photo references combined with verbal descriptions of how the house and property used to look over 75 years ago. It was an interesting journey back through time, and I loved the challenge of recreating this old homestead.

8x12 to 12x24, Acrylic paintings, Farm Scenes, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, House portraits, Landscape, Sold | No Comments »

10×8″, Acrylics on Multimedia Artboard, mounted on board
$265.00 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 was instantly drawn to the strong reds and greens in this scene, at a time when the greens are overtaking the landscape. The tree growing around the large boulder is a pretty common sight along the woodland streams in the mountains, and provided some interesting textural elements. It was a really hot day, so painting by water was a must!

8x10 and smaller, Acrylic paintings, Available, Catskill Mountains, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Greene County, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Waterfalls | 1 Comment »

8×10″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on primed archival canson board (Frame without glass like an oil painting)
$265.00 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’s been so little rain here in the northeast that I’m trying to paint as many waterfalls as possible before they dry up completely. Every time I go out to paint, there is less water out there, and the falls on my property are already gone. Old Mills falls is one of those exquisite summer spots that can usually be counted on to provide some comfort on brutally hot days. It’s still running, though not at its usual clip. I always find the colors to be so striking here, with the green moss and warm-colored pool of water, and the light dancing on the waterfall.

Below is an image you can click on for a slightly larger version:

8x10 and smaller, Acrylic paintings, Available, Catskill Mountains, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Greene County, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Waterfalls | No Comments »

11×7″, Oils, with custom ivory mat and backing board to fit a standard 12×16″ frame.

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

Before doing this oil painting, I did four small watercolors of the scene out on location to study various options:
A vertical orientation with low horizon
Vertical with high horizon
Horizontal with low horizon, and
Horizontal with high horizon.

My plan was to pick the one I liked best, return to the “scene of the crime”, and do a large oil painting of that one. That large one is actually still in progress, but before I embarked on that one, I wanted to test drive a new support I planned to use. This is done on the new Arches Oil Paper. It is a 100%, 140 lb., archival rag paper. Artists have painted oils on prepared rag paper for many hundreds of years, and it is one of the most archival surfaces that exists for oil painting. The fibers in this case have been internally sized for oil painting. The painting can then be mounted to board, varnished, and framed without glass like any other oil painting, or matted and framed with glass and a backing board like other works on paper.

Since I love painting on paper, this support seemed a good match for me. I love the luminosity that becomes possible by using layered washes of mineral spirits, mediums, and oil paint, followed by opaque work like a traditional oil painting. It was great fun doing this one, and I’m happy with the huge potential of this surface for handling many different effects.

8x10 and smaller, Catskill Mountains, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Oil paintings, Palenville and Catskill, Sold, Waterfalls | 2 Comments »

Acrylic on Arches CP 140#
Painting sent in archival mat and backing board in polybag, all ready to go into any standard 16×20″ frame. Painting alone is about 11×15″. (Painting can be sent mounted to board and varnished at no extra charge, to be framed without mat and glass, if you prefer.)
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.
I love the variety of painting with all types of media on a large selection of supports. But there’s nothing like the glow of transparent pigments on white paper! This painting really captures the shimmering golden fields at Frederic Church’s Olana estate. I went there in the morning and the purple flowers I’d seen just a week or two before were completely gone, replaced by bright yellow flowers blooming profusely. I took a bunch of photos before it started to rain, then headed back to the studio, where I painted this from one of the photos.

8x12 to 12x24, Acrylic paintings, Columbia County, Farm Scenes, Flowers, Gardens and Flowering Trees, Hudson River School, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Olana and Hudson NY, Sold, Spring | No Comments »

16×20″, Oils on archival linen panel
Email me at JamieWG@aol.com if interested in this painting.

This is a painting that I’m still working on, but it’s nearing the finish line. I spent two days working on it out on location, hiking 3/4 of a mile back into the woods with my painting gear. The light changed quickly. I think what I’ll have to do at this location in the future is to work on several paintings over a period of several days, so each time the light changes, I can switch to another painting done during that time frame. I’ll either finish this one up in the studio, or make another return trip to the falls.

It was great fun to paint this, using transparent layers, pulling out lights and adding darks, then building to opaque sections. I love painting this size and larger. It’s mainly transporting all that gear, plus the limited time factors, that keep me painting smaller on site most of the time. I’ve resolved most of the setup issue by using light tripod easels and clamping a light palette to the easel itself, rather than carting my Soltek easel (which weighs a ton but handles large panels with ease) or one of the popular box/tripod solutions. Although the box/tripod setups are touted as being “light”, they aren’t light for me! I guess “light” is a relative term.

I’ll be reposting this once it’s finished. With all the rain expected over the next week, it might be sooner rather than later if I have studio time to fill!

16x20 and larger, Available, Catskill Mountains, Demos/Work in Progress, Greene County, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Oil paintings, Palenville and Catskill, Plein Air--painted on location, Waterfalls | No Comments »

16×12″ mat size (included) to fit standard frame (Painting size is 1/8 sheet — about 11×7″)

$195.00 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.

Yep, another waterfall! Spring is the best time of year to paint waterfalls. It’s not long before they either dry up during the summer, or are far less dramatic as the flow diminishes. This one was also painted out on location. It’s watercolor on 1/8 sheet of Stonehenge Fawn paper. It’s a 100% cotton rag printmaking paper — very high quality, not too much tooth, and I love painting watercolor and gouache on it.

This is one of my favorite sizes to paint. It works so well for both vertical and horizontal compositions, and allows me to tear down a page with no waste. What I end up with is not a standard frame size, so to make it easier for buyers, the price includes a custom, ivory-colored archival mat, acid free backing board, and will arrive sealed in a polybag for protection and gift-giving. You’ll be able to just buy an inexpensive, standard frame into which you can pop the already-prepared painting, or take it to your local framer and you won’t have to purchase a mat and backing board.

8x12 to 12x24, Available, Catskill Mountains, Gouache, Greene County, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Palenville and Catskill, Plein Air--painted on location, Spring, Watercolor, Waterfalls | No Comments »

Custom matted to 7×5″ to fit any standard 5×7″ frame, with acid free foamcore backing board and acid free ivory mat, in a polybag. Mat is ivory color.
Watercolor and gouache on Arches Rough 140# rag paper.

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

This little stream runs through our property, cascading over rocks and waterfalls. This is the fourth in my series of compositional studies — a vertical orientation with a high horizon line.

I’ve had custom, archival mats and backing boards made for all the sizes I generally paint when working on paper. The good news for my collectors is that from now on, my non-standard size paintings and sketches on paper will come to you already matted and ready to frame in standard sizes. They are beautiful ivory-colored archival mats, acid free backing boards, and will arrive sealed in polybags for protection and gift-giving. You’ll be able to just buy an inexpensive, standard frame into which you can pop the already-prepared painting, or take it to your local framer and you won’t have to purchase a mat and backing board.

8x10 and smaller, Catskill Mountains, Gouache, Greene County, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Palenville and Catskill, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold, Watercolor, Waterfalls | 1 Comment »

12×16″, oils on archival linen panel
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.
This painting can be purchased at auction tomorrow at 4:30 at Garrison Art Center. The painting looks far better than this photo, which was taken with my cellphone camera. The blues are not so intense and of course the painting is in focus!

I hiked up to the peak of Little Stoney Point in Cold Spring-on-Hudson this morning to do this 12×16″ oil painting for the Garrison Art Center’s famous event, Artists on Location. The painting will be auctioned tomorrow afternoon at the Art Center along with works by 75 other artists. I’m sorry about the awful photo, taken with my cellphone camera in dim room lighting after I framed and delivered the painting. I didn’t bring a better camera because I didn’t want to lug one to the top of the cliffs! But all the paintings for the event will be there for you to see in person.

The painting depicts the northern entrance to the Hudson Higlands section of the Hudson River, between Breakneck Ridge on the right, and Storm King Mountain on the left. The island on the right side is Bannerman Island, famous for the castle ruins located there and its history. The Highlands is to me the most dramatic section of the River. I was standing at the end of Little Stony Point, and the Hudson sweeps around and past as it makes its way down toward West Point. I could spend a month painting at this location and not get tired of it!

As I was finishing up the painting, a big wind gust came along and took down my entire easel. The easel broke and my paint, brushes and turp went everywhere! Fortunately, having feared the worst as the gusts got stronger, I had already removed the painting from the easel. After that, I forgot to even photograph the painting on site. It wasn’t until I had already delivered the painting that I realized I hadn’t taken a picture, so I dashed back in with my cellphone camera. What a day! But hey, any day painting is better than a day not painting!

Here’s an image of the framed painting, though I’m sorry to say that it’s not any better an image, also taken with my cellphone.

8x12 to 12x24, Bannerman Island, Cold Spring and Garrison, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Oil paintings, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold, Spring | No Comments »

Custom matted to 7×5? to fit any standard 5×7? frame, with acid free foamcore backing board and acid free ivory mat, in a polybag. Mat is ivory color.
Watercolor and gouache on Arches Rough 140# rag paper.

$100.00 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 had custom, archival mats and backing boards made for all the sizes I generally paint when working on paper. The good news for my collectors is that from now on, my non-standard size paintings and sketches on paper will come to you already matted and ready to frame in standard sizes. They are beautiful ivory-colored archival mats, acid free backing boards, and will arrive sealed in polybags for protection and gift-giving. You’ll be able to just buy an inexpensive, standard frame into which you can pop the already-prepared painting, or take it to your local framer and you won’t have to purchase a mat and backing board.

8x10 and smaller, Available, Catskill Mountains, Gouache, Greene County, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Palenville and Catskill, Plein Air--painted on location, Spring, Watercolor, Waterfalls | 1 Comment »

This painting will arrive custom matted to 5×7? to fit any standard 5×7? frame, with acid free foamcore backing board and acid free ivory mat, in a polybag. Mat is ivory color. Image is 3×4.5? on Arches Rough 140# rag paper.

$100.00 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 little stream runs through our property, cascading over rocks and waterfalls. It gives me endless enjoyment to paint there on a beautiful day. I wanted to explore some compositional ideas, each of which brings out different elements in the landscape, so I did a series of small watercolors, setting the horizon at different points, with vertical and horizontal orientations. This was the second one — horizontal orientation with a high horizon line.

I’ve had custom, archival mats and backing boards made for all the sizes I generally paint when working on paper. The good news for my collectors is that from now on, my non-standard size paintings and sketches on paper will come to you already matted and ready to frame in standard sizes. They are beautiful ivory-colored archival mats, acid free backing boards, and will arrive sealed in polybags for protection and gift-giving. You’ll be able to just buy an inexpensive, standard frame into which you can pop the already-prepared painting, or take it to your local framer and you won’t have to purchase a mat and backing board.

8x10 and smaller, Available, Catskill Mountains, Gouache, Greene County, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Palenville and Catskill, Plein Air--painted on location, Spring, Watercolor, Waterfalls | 1 Comment »

This painting will arrive custom matted to 5×7″ to fit any standard 5×7″ frame, with acid free foamcore backing board and acid free ivory mat, in a polybag. Mat is ivory color. Image is 3×4.5″ on Arches Rough 140# rag paper.

$100.00 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 little stream runs through our property, cascading over rocks and waterfalls. It gives me endless enjoyment to paint there on a beautiful day. I wanted to explore some compositional ideas, each of which brings out different elements in the landscape, so I did a series of small watercolors, setting the horizon at different points, with vertical and horizontal orientations. This was the first one — horizontal orientation with a low horizon line.

I’ve had custom, archival mats and backing boards made for all the sizes I generally paint when working on paper. The good news for my collectors is that they can now buy my non-standard size paintings and sketches on paper already matted and ready to frame in standard sizes. They are beautiful ivory-colored archival mats, acid free backing boards, and will arrive sealed in polybags for protection and gift-giving. You’ll be able to just buy an inexpensive, standard frame into which you can pop the already-prepared painting.

8x10 and smaller, Available, Catskill Mountains, Gouache, Greene County, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Palenville and Catskill, Plein Air--painted on location, Spring, Watercolor, Waterfalls | 1 Comment »

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

Usually I do a large painting on site when the cherry blossoms are blooming along the Hudson River overlook at Boscobel. This year I didn’t plan well enough and ended up short on time to catch the blooms before the rain was predicted to take them all down! I dashed over there and set myself down along the path with my little 5×7 Guerrilla box, so I could at least get in a small one before they vanished. I wish the season were longer. I can never get enough of these amazing trees while they’re in bloom.

Above is a photo of the scene and my painting. (You can click that image to see it larger.) By the time the painting was done, the sun had shifted all the way around, so the light in the scene at the time of the photo is not the same as the light in the painting.

Below is an image that you can click on for a slightly larger view of the painting:

8x10 and smaller, Cold Spring and Garrison, Flowers, Gardens and Flowering Trees, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River School, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold, Spring | No Comments »

5×7″, Oils on archival linen panel
$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.

I went to Boscobel Restoration in Garrison, NY this morning to paint with a group of artist friends. I was thinking that I’d do a bunch of watercolor sketches, and then go back later in the week to do an oil painting. Just in case I changed my mind, I brought my little 5×7″ Guerrilla box along. I’m so glad I did, because when I saw this scene with the pond and huge masses of blooming daffodils, I had to paint it in oils!

It wasn’t long before the clouds moved in, the wind picked up, and raindrops started to fall. I had just finished up when that happened, so it’s a good thing I worked small. I’m grateful for being able to get outside to paint on a beautiful spring morning.

I was the first artist to arrive there today, and Boscobel is closed to the general public on Tuesdays. The Executive Director, David Krol, came out to greet me, and asked me if I’d like a tour of the newly renovated and stocked gift shop. It has been transformed into a beautiful, airy space with some really fun items, including high end picnic wares, beautiful pads of printed place mats (and really fun ones for kids!), books about the Hudson River and Hudson Valley, packages of potted herbs and lots more. Be sure you stop in there if you go to visit. The Hudson River overlook is always stunning, and Constitution Marsh is about to turn that beautiful reddish-gold color that it does for a couple of weeks in spring and fall. The cherry trees were heavily budded, and I expect they’ll be bursting with blooms any day now. In the meantime, you can check out the beautiful display of daffodils by the pond. Bonus: David told me that the Cold Spring Farmer’s Market will now be there on Saturdays, and grounds passes will be free during that time! So go stock up, and check out the famous view and the gift shop. You can do a house tour too. (The decor is to die for.)

8x10 and smaller, Available, Cold Spring and Garrison, Flowers, Gardens and Flowering Trees, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Spring | 1 Comment »

7×11, Watercolor and Gouache on Stonehenge rag paper
Painting is already matted with ivory archival mat, backing board, and archival polybag. It will fit any standard 12×16″ frame.

$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.

This was painted a week or so ago out on location, sitting with my feet in the water on a gorgeous, unseasonably warm, early spring afternoon. My little dog Rondo waded in the water while I painted. It’s hard to know which of us enjoyed it more!

Here’s a photo of the scene with the painting (click image to enlarge it):

If you’d like to see a larger image of the painting, you can click the one below:

8x10 and smaller, 8x12 to 12x24, Available, Catskill Mountains, Gouache, Greene County, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Palenville and Catskill, Plein Air--painted on location, Spring, Watercolor, Waterfalls | No Comments »

5×7″, oils on linen panel
$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.

This was painted last week on an exquisite spring day, with the Piliated Woodpeckers dancing around in the trees, flashing their red crests and bright white markings. This vista faces Kaaterskill High Peak way in the distance, which is one of the major Catskill landmarks. The red maples were just starting to bud. I’ll bet by the time I get back there in a few days, the scene will already look totally different.

8x10 and smaller, Available, Catskill Mountains, Greene County, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Palenville and Catskill, Plein Air--painted on location, Spring | No Comments »

16×12″, Oil on archival linen panel
$535.00 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 hiking with my friend Gretchen to this spectacular waterfall. The light was perfect and conditions ideal, with record-breaking March temperatures and no bugs! I found a spot to set up my easel that was high up, next to the falls. Generally I view it from below, so it was great to find this additional vantage point.

Here’s a photo of my painting in progress at the scene. You can click the image to enlarge it if you’d like.

It’s been so warm this winter that I’m getting concerned about the potential for drought. That could mean a severe waterfall shortage for my paintings too! I’m trying to get in as much water painting as possible before all the streams and creeks coming down from the mountainside run dry. Hopefully we’ll get abundant rain in April and that won’t happen, but just in case, at least I’ll have gotten in a few of them early on this season.

8x12 to 12x24, Available, Catskill Mountains, Demos/Work in Progress, Greene County, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Oil paintings, Palenville and Catskill, Plein Air--painted on location, Spring, Waterfalls | No Comments »

5×7″, oils on archival linen panel
$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 Jani came over a couple of days ago to paint. In spite of a decent weather forecast, it looked like we were going to get rained out! So, I opted for a small painting close to home. We walked back behind my house to where the beaver dam used to be, and I set up to paint on a small island in the stream. Here’s what the scene looked like when I began, so you can understand why we thought rain was on the way!

(You can click that image to enlarge it.)

I did my block-in while it was still pretty overcast, but slowly that gave way to clearing skies.

Light started to pour into the scene as the sun rose above the tree line and the clouds started breaking up. It’s hard not to chase the light in a painting when this happens. The photo below was taken when it was almost finished. (You can click to enlarge the image.)