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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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




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

    the-impressionists.jpg


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





Archive for the 'Palenville and Catskill' Category

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I’ve been doing a bunch of small, colorful watercolors lately. Some have been done out on location, and others in the studio during these colder or rainy days. Above are some of my favorites. The sizes range from about 3 1/2 x 5 1/2″ to 4×6″, and will arrive custom matted to 8×10″, with a backing board included. They will fit into any standard 8×10″ frame, making them perfect holiday art gifts.

Upper row, left: The Winter Path
Upper row, center: Autumn at the Riverfront Park
Upper row, right: Flamingos at Play
Middle row, center: Winter Sunrise at the Lake – SOLD
Middle row, right: Strolling at Sunset
Lower row, left: Winter in the Mountains
Lower row, center: Hudson River from Boscobel at Sunset
Lower row, right: Autumn at Marshlands Conservancy

Here’s an image you can click on for a larger, sharper view of each painting:

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You can purchase directly through the PayPal link below. Be sure to let me know which painting you’d like to receive when you make your payment.

$100.00 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.

Here is an example of one of the paintings, mounted in the custom, ivory mat:
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Questions? You can always email me at JamieWG@ aol.com. (Remove space in email address before sending!)

Artists Nest Falls and Whale Rock

Posted by Jamie on September 27th, 2018

180624 Waterfall and Whale Rock 6x12 ac 435

6×12″, acrylic on canvas panel

$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 is one of my favorite spots on the planet to paint, meditate, or just listen to the sound of the rushing water. Serene! Below is an image you can click on for a slightly larger image of the painting.

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Pear Tree in Winter

Posted by Jamie on August 7th, 2017

170601 Pear Tree in Winter 11x7 wc 435w

12×16?, watercolor on paper. Includes mat and backing board (7 1/2 x 11? painting size, matted to 12×16?).
Will fit any standard 12×16? frame, or I can frame for you for a small additional fee.

$225.00 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 graceful pear tree is in our yard. I’ve been wanting to paint it in all seasons, and finally at least got around to the winter version, which provides strong contrasts between the dark tree, sky, and snowy background.

We used to get pears every summer on this tree, and a big mama bear would visit with her cubs to take the fruit. When our second pear tree died, this one stopped producing fruit. This year, it must have found another pear tree somewhere to cross-pollinate, and once again we have fruit on the tree. No sign yet of the bears!

Springtime in Winter Clove

Posted by Jamie on June 27th, 2017

170520 Springtime in Winter Clove 16x12 ac 435w

16×12″, acrylic on Ampersand Gessoboard

$675.00 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.

At the northeastern edge of the Catskill Mountains lies Winter Clove, home to many stunning ravines and waterfalls. This one, along the Kiskatom Creek, has a beautiful covered bridge above it, and a clear, nearly viridian-covered pool at the bottom. I went for a hike here with my husband, and had to make a return trip with my paints!

Splash!

Posted by Jamie on June 20th, 2017

170523 Springtime Retreat 7x5 ac 400w

7×5″, 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.

This is one of the little waterfalls at our place in upstate NY. With all the rain we’ve had this year, my springtime retreat time has been extended, and this little gem is still running full force even though we’re almost into July!

After the Rain at the Falls

Posted by Jamie on September 29th, 2015

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16×20″, acrylic on canvas-covered board

$850.00 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 waterfall is nestled deep in the woods behind my house, so I go there to paint frequently. Following a rainfall, the sound is a roar as the water hits the base of the falls and rushes down the many cascades below.

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

Posted by Jamie on September 27th, 2015

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

Painted on location in the Catskills.

Bend in the Creek

Posted by Jamie on September 26th, 2015

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8×10, acrylic on 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.

This is one of those scenes that I had my eye on for a year or so before I had a chance to get out there and paint it. The location is very close to a dramatic waterfall, so I always ended up painting the falls instead! I went out there several days in a row, and so finally had the opportunity to sit by the quiet, meandering stream with my paints.

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You can click this image above for a larger, clearer view of the painting.

Kaaterskill Spring Morning

Posted by Jamie on July 14th, 2015

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10×8″, acrylic on linen panel
Email me at JamieWG@aol.com if interested in this painting.

This is one of a series of three Kaaterskill Falls paintings done on location in acrylic. It’s the tallest waterfall in New York State, and was a favorite spot for the Hudson River School artists. There is a lot of construction going on by the falls now to improve access for the public. In the short term, that has meant limiting access so that they can do the work! Fortunately, I did a bunch of paintings up there early in the season, so I don’t mind taking a little break from it now. I’m looking forward to checking out any new vantage points once the trail work is completed.

Spring Thaw at the Falls

Posted by Jamie on May 18th, 2015

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10×8″, oil on 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 yet another waterfall, painted out on location in early spring when the runoff from the mountains is spectacular! I call this one Mossy Falls, since the wet ledges become covered with moss as the temperatures warm.

Boulders Above Kaaterskill Falls

Posted by Jamie on April 28th, 2015

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12×16″, oil on linen board

$675.00 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 painting has been in progress for a really long time. I spent a few days out on location painting the falls, trying to capture the light very early in the morning, while the foreground was still in shadow. I worked on it in between in the studio. Finally I am considering it finished. In fact, it is varnished, framed, and hanging in it’s new space at Bistro Brie & Bordeaux in Windham, New York!

Here is an image of the painting that you can click on for a larger, clearer view:
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Maple by the Creek in Spring

Posted by Jamie on April 27th, 2015

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10×8, oil on canvas board
$250.00 plus $15 shipping and insurance within the Continental United States. For local sales, shipping charge will be allocated to NYS Sales Tax. Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com for International purchases or with any questions.

I love this old maple tree that overhangs the creek. Once the summer greens take hold, it’s much harder to appreciate the shape and structure of these stately, graceful residents. I don’t often get out here to paint before the meadow beyond it loses the golden color, but this year I was determined.

Spring Cascade

Posted by Jamie on April 25th, 2015

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12×9″, oil on canvas board

$325.00 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.

The waterfalls by my house are raging this time of year as the snow melts up on the mountain. This waterfall is always the first one to dry up, so I was determined to paint this one first! Most years, by the time I get out there, it’s already dry. It used to be a split waterfall, running in two cascades, but for some reason, that second water trail is blocked, so I just painted it as a single fall. I’ll have to climb up there to see what’s blocking the left side! The most dramatic feature to this waterfall is the large, white slab of rock that juts off to the right.

Cardinal Flowers and Queen Anne’s Lace

Posted by Jamie on April 6th, 2015

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5×7″, oil on linen panel

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

While out walking in the woods one day, I stumbled upon a clearing with these gorgeous Cardinal Flowers and Queen Anne’s Lace. I took a photo, and I’ve been wanting to do a painting from that image ever since. Now I want to do a larger version too! In the meantime, I’m happy with this little one. (And it looks so much better in person than the digital image!)

Morning Light at Catskill Creek

Posted by Jamie on September 17th, 2014

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:

Back Yard Grays and Greens

Posted by Jamie on September 9th, 2014

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:

Second Place Award at Olana Plein Air event!

Posted by Jamie on October 7th, 2013


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:

Backlit Reflections at the Beaver Pond

Posted by Jamie on September 28th, 2013

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.


This has been sitting on my easel awaiting changes for awhile now. Every time I think I’m finished, I see that “one more thing”! I spent some more time with it this week and I feel I can call it done now. It’s an 18×24″ oil painting of a scene overlooking a beaver pond at the height of fall foliage. I’ve worked off several photo references taken at our place upstate. It is a secondary pond that the furry engineers built once the first pond filled to capacity. The dam got too high to withstand much more pressure, so the clever critters built a lower pond to give it more stability. This second pond backed up the water to the primary dam to relieve pressure, and extended their food source into the woodlands along the stream. There was a little peninsula of land left in between the ponds, where I stood to take the photo references. Since then, they were trapped out due to property damage suffered by neighbors with the high water levels and runoff. The two streams that converge there have resumed their uninterrupted course through the woods, and this pond is no more. I have several paintings I’ve done there that remind me of what it looked like with the pond. Given the usual play of events, I suspect we will see another dam here within a couple of years!

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

Emerging Autumn in High Flow Acrylics 20×15

Posted by Jamie on September 10th, 2013

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!

Twilight at the Lodge

Posted by Jamie on July 20th, 2013


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:

Old Maple by the Creek

Posted by Jamie on June 26th, 2013


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:

The Studio Door

Posted by Jamie on June 18th, 2013


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:

Mossy Falls in Pastel

Posted by Jamie on June 16th, 2013

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!

Waterfall in Greens and Pinks

Posted by Jamie on June 13th, 2013

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!

Artists Nest Falls in Monochrome

Posted by Jamie on June 11th, 2013

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:

Work in Progress by the Waterfall

Posted by Jamie on June 9th, 2013

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.)

Waterfalls and More Waterfalls

Posted by Jamie on April 9th, 2013

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(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.

Autumn at Hidden Falls

Posted by Jamie on November 6th, 2012

121026-Approaching-Autumn-at-Hidden-Falls-9x12-450

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:

121026-Approaching-Autumn-at-Hidden-Falls-9x12-720

Under the Bridge — waterfall painting

Posted by Jamie on October 27th, 2012

121026-Under-the-Bridge-8x10-450

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:

121026-Under-the-Bridge-8x10-720

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.

Path to the Waterfall

Posted by Jamie on October 24th, 2012

121024-Pathway-to-the-Waterfall-12x16-450adj

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.

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Coming Home to Autumn

Posted by Jamie on October 14th, 2012

_SAM0833 copy

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.

Morning with Thomas Cole

Posted by Jamie on September 22nd, 2012

120801-Morning-with-Thomas-Cole-5x7-ga-450

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

This was at least the third time I’ve painted the home of Hudson River School artist, Thomas Cole. There’s something about the golden yellow glow and beautiful garden path that inspire me when I’m there. I did this painting for the “Postcard Show”, which is opening at the Thomas Cole House tomorrow. There was a pre-event today with about 60 of the 250 paintings displayed, and this one sold today!

Waterfall Reflections

Posted by Jamie on June 25th, 2012

120610-Waterfall-Reflections-7x11-600v

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.

Waterfall Wonderland

Posted by Jamie on May 25th, 2012

120525-Waterfall-Wonderland-wip-450

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!

Water Music

Posted by Jamie on May 15th, 2012

120505-Water-Music-7x11-wcg-550v

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.

Brook Study No 4 — Vertical with Low Horizon

Posted by Jamie on May 12th, 2012

120506-Brook-Study-No-4-vertica-low-horizon-watercolor-3x4-450

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.

Brook Study No 3 — Vertical with High Horizon

Posted by Jamie on May 10th, 2012

120506-Brook-Study-No-3-V-high-horizon-watercolor-3x4-450v

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.


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 third one — 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.

Brook Study No 2 — High Horizon

Posted by Jamie on May 9th, 2012

120506-Brook-Study-No-2-high-horizon-watercolor-3x4-450

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.

Brook Study No 1 — Low Horizon

Posted by Jamie on May 8th, 2012

120506-Brook-Study-No-1-watercolor-3x4-450

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.

Early Spring at Artist’s Nest Falls

Posted by Jamie on April 2nd, 2012

120322-Early-Spring-at-Artists-Nest-Falls-450

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):

120322-Early-Spring-at-Artists-Nest-Falls-scene-720

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

120322-Early-Spring-at-Artists-Nest-Falls-720

Ode to Spring

Posted by Jamie on March 28th, 2012

120321-Ode-to-Spring-beaver-pond-5x7-450

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.

Side View of Hidden Falls

Posted by Jamie on March 27th, 2012

120322-From-the-side-of-Hidden-Falls-16x12-600v

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.

120322-Fron-the-side-of-Hidden-Falls-scene-800

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.

Overcast Morning by the Beaver Pond

Posted by Jamie on March 26th, 2012

120326-Overcast-Morning-by-the-Beaver-Pond-5x7-450

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!

120326-Overcast-Morning-by-the-Beaver-Pond-5x7-starting-scene-720

(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.

120326-Overcast-Morning-by-the-Beaver-Pond-5x7-scene-blockin-800

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.)

120326-Overcast-Morning-by-the-Beaver-Pond-5x7-scene-800

I tend to get so involved in painting that I forget to take some photos as I go. Two days last week, I was so excited to go out painting that I even forgot to bring along my cellphone and camera! Everybody always comments that they really enjoy seeing the scene along with the painting, so I am going to try to remember to do this more often this year! I hope you enjoyed seeing some of the progress shots and location photos.

Backlit Meadow in Fall Miniature

Posted by Jamie on October 27th, 2011

111025-Backlit-Meadow-in-Fall-mini-wc-wo-border-400

3×4.25″, Watercolor on Arches 140# Rough paper
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

This painting is a miniature version of the one I posted yesterday. Watercolorist David Taylor got me into doing these tiny watercolor sketches as quick-captures of a scene, or to warm up before embarking on a larger version. They give the artist a chance to test drive some ideas and different compositions, without taking up a huge amount of time. If something’s not going to work, better to find out with less time invested! It also lets us explore ways of making improvements and testing color combinations. I’ve become quite hooked on these! They look charming matted and framed, and hung on a wall or set on a little table easel.

Backlit Meadow in Fall

Posted by Jamie on October 26th, 2011

Click image for a larger, clearer view:

111025-Backlit-Meadow-in-Fall-7x9-wc-600

About 7×9″, Watercolor on paper
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

I paint this scene at least once or twice every year as the morning sun streams through the backlit trees. I never get tired of it! This was my first time painting it in watercolor. I did a miniature first, which I’ll post tomorrow, and then this slightly larger version. I feel like I’m finally getting that sparkle in my watercolor work that I’ve been chasing for so long!

Backlit Old Maple Tree in Fall

Posted by Jamie on October 25th, 2011

111025-Backlit-Maple-in-Fall-gouache-7x11-450

7.5×11.25″, Gouache on Stonehenge paper
Painting is archivally matted (ivory custom mat) and ready to frame, with backing board, to fit a standard 12×16″ frame.
$225.00 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’ve really been enjoying observing and painting these brightly colored, backlit fall scenes. Capturing the brilliance of the color this time of year is an annual fall challenge that I always look forward to, made all the sweeter by the fact that it precedes the period of winter hibernation.

This old, convoluted maple tree has been the subject of many of my sketches and paintings this year. I’ve been watching it for years, thinking about how much I wanted to paint it someday, as I’d walk the dog past it. Finally that temptation became a reality this year, and I did it from many angles in pencil, Cretacolor leads, watercolor, and now gouache. Next year, oils and acrylics!

I’ve been posting ink lightfastness tests to my other blog, Hudson Valley Sketches. If you’re interested in seeing those results, here’s a direct link to yesterday’s post.

Three Fall Paintings from Home

Posted by Jamie on October 18th, 2011

Click image for a larger, clearer view:

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I had to wait around the house yesterday for my oil burner to be serviced. Since I didn’t know what time they’d be coming, my friend Jani said she’d come over and paint outside with me for the day. It turned out that the repair guy showed up at 8:30am and was done within a couple of hours, but we were content to stay and paint by the house anyway. Both of these are subjects that I have painted before in one form or another. I’ll discuss that more once I’ve had a chance to do some touch-ups and photograph them individually. This is a photo I snapped with my cellphone camera after coming inside at the end of the day. The paintings seemed to make a nice colorful, autumnal grouping.

Email me at JamieWG@aol.com if interested in this painting.

The Road Home in Fall

Posted by Jamie on October 8th, 2011

091209-The-Road-Home-fall-12x9-adj-500

12×9″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard

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

I set out on a beautiful sunny day with my easel. When I came to this gorgeous spot, I set up in the middle of the road to paint.

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As soon as I had my easel out and started to lay in color, the clouds thickened, shadows vanished, and colors changed!

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I decided to stay with the moody, atmospheric day it had become. Most of this painting was done on location. I had plans to paint with a friend at Olana that afternoon, so I had to pack up before I was quite finished, and added the finishing touches in the studio today.

View Southeast from Sunset Rock in Watercolor

Posted by Jamie on October 4th, 2011

You can click the image for a larger, sharper view:

110931-Southeast-from-Sunset-Rock-8x10-wc-720

8×10″, Watercolor on 140# Fabriano Artistico Cold Press paper
$175.00 plus $10 shipping and insurance within the Continental United States. For local sales, shipping charge will be allocated to NYS Sales Tax. Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com for International purchases or with any questions.

This painting was done from photos that I took on a recent hike with my husband up to Sunset Rock. The most famous view from there is overlooking North South Lake, with Kaaterskill High Peak and Roundtop in the distance. It was a popular painting location even back in the days of the Hudson River School painters. I decided to look for some alternate vistas up there, and it wasn’t too hard to find some that appealed to me — like this one! You can not only see west to the lakes and Catskill Mountains from this vantage point, but also southeast to the Hudson River Valley below.

Tonal Sketch of Artist’s Nest Falls

Posted by Jamie on October 3rd, 2011

Click image for a larger, sharper view:

110926-Artists-Nest-Falls-Tonal-Sketch-7x11-720

This sketch is already matted to 12×16″, with an archival custom ivory mat and backing board in an archival polybag. It will fit any standard 12×16″ frame. The drawing was done on an eighth sheet (about 7.5×11.25), colored leads on Stonehenge 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.

My regular viewers here have seen this waterfall painted from many different angles and seasons, in many mediums, and various sizes and formats. Now you can see the tonal sketch version! I am really enjoying working this way, with a light and a dark on toned paper. I sat on a gardening cushion on a rock at the water line to do this sketch, with my little dog Rondo wading in the pools of the waterfalls.

Old Maple Trunk in Watercolor

Posted by Jamie on October 2nd, 2011

110926-Old-Maple-3x5-wc-450

Watercolor on Arches 140# Rough
3.5×5″, double matted to 5×7″ to fit in any standard 5×7″ frame
$135.00 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 same old maple tree that I did the other day in a monochrome rendering, but from the other side, and in a different medium. This tree presents the most interesting study from any angle. You can also see a pencil sketch that I did of it from a third vantage point. I’m still not tired of studying this tree!

Tree and Rock Sketch from the Studio Window

Posted by Jamie on September 27th, 2011

110923-Drawing-from-the-Studio-Window-7x11-450

This sketch is available already matted to 12×16″, with an archival custom ivory mat and backing board in an archival polybag. It will fit any standard 12×16″ frame. The drawing was done on an eighth sheet (about 7.5×11.25), using colored leads on Stonehenge 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 a drawing I did from the studio window on a rainy day. I’ve been wanting to sketch or paint this view for a long time and finally got my chance! I was looking at sketches last week by Hudson River School artist BBG Stone, and became captivated by the way he would zero in on his focal point in a certain area of his drawing, leaving the rest in a more unfinished state. I liked the way it created a vignette within the scene, and I’m looking forward to exploring this style in my drawings and sketches.

Usually I use this approach of a dark and a light on midtone paper in the figure studio, but BBG Stone employed it very successfully in many of his landscape sketches, so I had to give it a go too. I loved working this way! More like this will definitely follow in the near future!

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

110923-Drawing-from-the-Studio-Window-7x11-720

Thomas Cole House

Posted by Jamie on September 7th, 2011

110905-Thomas-Cole-House-9x12-720

Click painting for a larger, sharper image.
9×12, Oils on archival linen panel
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

This is a new painting of the Thomas Cole House, done from a small plein air painting and a photo as references.

Hidden Falls

Posted by Jamie on September 6th, 2011

110902-Hidden-Falls-8x10-GF-450-c

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

Deep in the woods is a stunning waterfall with clear water, rusty colors, and striking rock outcroppings, set in a hemlock grove. I often hike there with my husband, but this was my first time going with paints and an easel. I also used the opportunity to test drive a new easel setup, which I loved. More on that coming soon!

Here is my easel and painting at the scene when I was almost finished. You can see that by then the sun had shifted quite a bit. Much is in shadow in the photo that was very visible to the human eye:

plein-air-setup-1-600v

Here’s an image of the painting that you can click on to get a larger, clearer view:

110902-Hidden-Falls-8x10-GF-720-c

Now that I know I can easily hike there with this easel, I’m looking forward to going back and taking on a bigger painting!

Story Farm

Posted by Jamie on June 22nd, 2011

110622-Story-Farm-5x7-450

5×7″, Oils on Raymar linen panel
$125.00 plus $10 shipping and insurance within the Continental United States. For local sales, shipping charge will be allocated to NYS Sales Tax. Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com for International purchases or with any questions.

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

Riding Down Spring Street

Posted by Jamie on June 16th, 2011

110616-Riding-Down-Spring-St-12x18-wc-450

12×18″, Watercolor on Fabriano Artistico
$400.00 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.

Opposite the Thomas Cole house in Catskill, New York, there is a row of beautiful Victorian homes. My friend Karen and I set up to paint up on the hillside, in the cool shade on the grounds of the Thomas Cole Historic Site. A couple of bicycle riders went by as I painted, and I thought it was much nicer to put them in the painting than all the cars that whizzed past!

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

110616-Riding-Down-Spring-St-12x18-wc-800

Hot Day by the Waterfall

Posted by Jamie on June 9th, 2011

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

5×7″, Oils on archival oil primed linen panel
$125.00 plus $10 shipping and insurance within the Continental United States. For local sales, shipping charge will be allocated to NYS Sales Tax. Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com for International purchases or with any questions.

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

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

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

Rip Van Winkle Sunset

Posted by Jamie on June 7th, 2011

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

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

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

Mossy Falls

Posted by Jamie on May 23rd, 2011

110523-Mossy-Falls-16x12-550v

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

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

Spring View to Kaaterskill Clove

Posted by Jamie on May 8th, 2011

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

8×10″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard
$200.00 plus $15 shipping and insurance within the Continental United States. For local sales, shipping charge will be allocated to NYS Sales Tax. Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com for International purchases or with any questions.

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

Nick Painting at the Beaver Pond

Posted by Jamie on April 29th, 2011

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

5×7″, Oils on archival oil primed linen panel
$125.00 plus $10 shipping and insurance within the Continental United States. For local sales, shipping charge will be allocated to NYS Sales Tax. Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com for International purchases or with any questions.

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

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

Artists Nest Falls

Posted by Jamie on April 28th, 2011

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

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

$135.00 plus $15 shipping and insurance within the Continental United States. For local sales, shipping charge will be allocated to NYS Sales Tax. Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com for International purchases or with any questions.

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

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

Sunset at the Beaver Pond

Posted by Jamie on January 26th, 2011

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

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

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

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

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

Beaver Pond at Sunset

Posted by Jamie on January 20th, 2011

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

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

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

Foggy with Chance of Rain

Posted by Jamie on January 5th, 2011

110105-Foggy-with-Chance-of-Rain-5x7-450

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

I opened up my little 5×7 pochade box, and nestled inside was a painting I’d totally forgotten about. It was a painting of my driveway upstate on a foggy morning, but overall the painting was too light, and didn’t convey the heavily overcast, dull atmosphere as well as I’d like. So, I took it out and completely repainted it. Much happier with it now!

Awaiting an Adventure — Catksill Marina by the Hudson River

Posted by Jamie on November 22nd, 2010

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

16×20″, Acrylics on archival board
$695.00 plus $30 shipping and insurance within the Continental United States. For local sales, shipping charge will be allocated to NYS Sales Tax. Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com for International purchases or with any questions.

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

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

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

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

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

First Warm Day at the Falls

Posted by Jamie on November 11th, 2010

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

12×12″, Acrylics on canvas covered hardboard
$425.00 plus $20 shipping and insurance within the Continental United States. For local sales, shipping charge will be allocated to NYS Sales Tax. Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com for International purchases or with any questions.

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

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

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

Adam and Eleza Falls

Posted by Jamie on November 1st, 2010

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

8×10″, Oils on sealed, primed hardboard

$250.00 plus $15 shipping and insurance within the Continental United States. For local sales, shipping charge will be allocated to NYS Sales Tax. Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com for International purchases or with any questions.

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

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

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

Orange Carpet

Posted by Jamie on October 30th, 2010

101026-Orange-Carpet-5x7-450

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

This tree in my yard is next to the bright yellow one that I posted a couple of days ago. I set up on my patio to grab the morning backlighting. The dark background and light filtering through the tree made for a bright, fall spectacle. It’s a fall version of a Christmas tree!

Autumn Golds and Violets

Posted by Jamie on October 28th, 2010

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

8×10″, Oils on sealed, primed hardboard
$200.00 plus $15 shipping and insurance within the Continental United States. For local sales, shipping charge will be allocated to NYS Sales Tax. Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com for International purchases or with any questions.

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

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

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

Through the Meadow

Posted by Jamie on October 8th, 2010

101008-Through-the-Meadow-8x10-450

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

I wanted to paint this scene backlit, but by the time I got myself out there this morning, it was a bit sidelit, and not as heavily silhouetted as my vision. Still, it wasn’t hard to motivate myself to make the most of the beautiful scene looking out through the treeline to the meadow and beyond. Pathways are always so inviting, and the fall foliage in the Hudson River Valley is nearly at peak.

I’m continuing on my journey to thicker paint application, which results in brushwork changes as well. I’m liking the three dimensional paint surface and mixing up huge piles of color!

Here’s an image that you can click on to enlarge it:

101008-Through-the-Meadow-8x10-600

Autumn at the Waterfall

Posted by Jamie on October 7th, 2010

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

5×7″, Oils on sealed, primed hardboard
$125.00 plus $10 shipping and insurance within the Continental United States. For local sales, shipping charge will be allocated to NYS Sales Tax. Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com for International purchases or with any questions.

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

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

Visiting Thomas Cole

Posted by Jamie on September 21st, 2010

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

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

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

Catskill Serenade

Posted by Jamie on August 22nd, 2010

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

Catskill Serenade
16×20″, Golden Fluid Acrylics on archival board
$695.00 plus $25 shipping and insurance within the Continental United States. For local sales, shipping charge will be allocated to NYS Sales Tax. Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com for International purchases or with any questions.

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

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

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

Click image to enlarge:

100812-Silver-Ribbon-Hudson-River-16x20-GF-800

16×20″, Acrylics on archival board
$695.00 plus $25 shipping and insurance within the Continental United States. For local sales, shipping charge will be allocated to NYS Sales Tax. Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com for International purchases or with any questions.

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

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

Red Barns Beside the Creek

Posted by Jamie on August 12th, 2010

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

9×12″, Oils on sealed, primed hardboard

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

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

Kaaterskill Creek from the Bridge

Posted by Jamie on August 10th, 2010

100807-View-from-the-Bridge-12x16-450

12×16″, Oils on sealed, primed hardboard
$495.00 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 friend Karen and I like to drive around looking for locations to paint; then we pull off the road and set up when we find something that appeals to us both. We came upon this spot the other day that we’ve been admiring. The problem has been that there is no good, safe spot from which to paint this scene. We decided to throw caution to the wind and set up in the middle of the bridge. It’s around a hairpin turn, so we figured the traffic couldn’t move too fast there anyway, and the drivers would have plenty of time to see us. Fortunately for us, we didn’t encounter a situation where two vehicles had to be on the bridge at the same time! We made sure to only take up half the road; It’s a good thing that it’s the road less traveled! The bridge up in the distance is the New York State Thruway (I-87).

Here’s an image that you can click on for a slightly larger version:

100807-View-from-the-Bridge-12x16-600

Pond and Mountains with a Limited Palette

Posted by Jamie on August 7th, 2010

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

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

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

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

Above the Clouds at the Catskill Mountain House Site

Posted by Jamie on August 5th, 2010

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

6×8″, Golden Fluid Acrylics on archival museum board (frame like an oil painting)
$165.00 plus $10 shipping and insurance within the Continental United States. For local sales, shipping charge will be allocated to NYS Sales Tax. Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com for International purchases or with any questions.

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

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

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

Gathering Storm at Story Farm

Posted by Jamie on July 25th, 2010

100725-Gathering-Storm-Story-Farm-8x12-450

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

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

Morning Peaks — Catskill Mountains

Posted by Jamie on July 18th, 2010

100718-Morning-Peaks-450

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

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

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

Cows

Kaaterskill Morning

Posted by Jamie on June 30th, 2010

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

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

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

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

Farm in the Valley

Posted by Jamie on June 28th, 2010

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

12×24, Oils on sealed, primed hardboard
$720.00 plus $30 shipping and insurance within the Continental United States. For local sales, shipping charge will be allocated to NYS Sales Tax. Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com for International purchases or with any questions.

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

100628-Farm-in-the-Valley-12x24-600

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

From the Land of Falling Waters

Posted by Jamie on March 31st, 2010

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

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

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

Afternoon by the Waterfall

Posted by Jamie on March 21st, 2010

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

9×12″, Watercolor on Fabriano Artistico
$160.00 plus $15 shipping and insurance within the Continental United States. For local sales, shipping charge will be allocated to NYS Sales Tax. Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com for International purchases or with any questions.

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

The Road Home in Early Winter

Posted by Jamie on January 21st, 2010

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

12×9″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard

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

This is my favorite place to go for a walk, so it’s not surprising that I’m turning it into a series! You can see a progress image of this painting on this post. So far, the series consists of just this painting and The Road Home in Fall. Late winter, spring, and summer versions will be coming as the seasons emerge. I’ll probably paint those on location.

Long Winter Shadows

Posted by Jamie on January 18th, 2010

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

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

I was out walking my dog through the snow-covered meadow when I spotted these long shadows leading toward the house. Fortunately, I rarely go out without my camera! Long shadows in the middle of the day are one of the benefits of winter. Although I’ve used many compositional elements to lead into my paintings, I don’t think I’ve ever used winter shadows like this. Now that I’ve given it a try, I want to do more!

Winter Cloudbreak

Posted by Jamie on January 4th, 2010

100104-Winter-Cloudbreak-5x7-450

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

I was out walking my dog on a snowy morning last week. The snow would start and stop, and there were some occasional, dramatic breaks in the clouds. I was fortunate to encounter one of those breaks as we came to where the path drops down a hill. I love this spot, with the tall evergreen sitting atop the rock outcropping as the path plunges downward. The cloudbreak added to the impact of the vista. I pulled out my camera and snapped a dozen pics! This was painted from one of those photos.

Beside the Babbling Brook

Posted by Jamie on December 16th, 2009

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

8×10″, oils on canvas covered hardboard
$250.00 plus $15 shipping and insurance within the Continental United States. For local sales, shipping charge will be allocated to NYS Sales Tax. Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com for International purchases or with any questions.

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

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

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

palette-new-450

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

091216-Mango-and-Coconut-450

Mountain Retreat

Posted by Jamie on November 22nd, 2009

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6×8″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard
$150.00 plus $10 shipping and insurance within the Continental United States. For local sales, shipping charge will be allocated to NYS Sales Tax. Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com for International purchases or with any questions.

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

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7×5″, Oils on sealed, primed hardboard
$130.00 plus $10 shipping and insurance within the Continental United States. For local sales, shipping charge will be allocated to NYS Sales Tax. Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com for International purchases or with any questions.

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

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

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12×15″, Oils on sealed, primed hardboard
Framing available upon request at additional price
$500.00 plus $30 shipping and insurance within the Continental United States. For local sales, shipping charge will be allocated to NYS Sales Tax. Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com for International purchases or with any questions.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Phlox by the Waterfall

Posted by Jamie on September 8th, 2009

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

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

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

Catskill Mountain House Vista

Posted by Jamie on July 22nd, 2009

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Catskill Mountain House Vista: Hudson River Quadricentennial Series No. 28
8×10″, Oils on sealed, primed hardboard
$250.00 plus $15 shipping and insurance within the Continental United States. For local sales, shipping charge will be allocated to NYS Sales Tax. Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com for International purchases or with any questions.

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

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

Backyard Sunset

Posted by Jamie on July 21st, 2009

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

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

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

Noon at the Beaver Pond

Posted by Jamie on June 15th, 2009

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

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

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

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

Field of Gold

Posted by Jamie on May 10th, 2009

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6×8″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard
$150.00 plus $10 shipping and insurance within the Continental United States. For local sales, shipping charge will be allocated to NYS Sales Tax. Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com for International purchases or with any questions.

The rain finally held off long enough and clouds parted to spill sunlight on the little field of alyssum through the trees. The backlit scene provided lots of contrast, adding to the warm yellow glow of the bright flowers. I sat in my folding chair with my new Guerrilla Painter 9×12″ pochade box in my lap. I love the additional palette space in this box. There’s an adapter to hold 8×10 and 6×8 panels, so I used that for the first time too, to paint this little 6×8. It worked out so well, and even carries the wet panel.

Palette:
Cadmium Yellow Lemon
Permanent Alizarin
Burnt Sienna
Ultramarine Deep
Viridian
Ivory Black
Titanium White

Catskill Spring

Posted by Jamie on April 19th, 2009

Click painting for a larger, clearer image:

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12×16″, Oils on Raymar canvas panel
$440.00 plus $20 shipping and insurance within the Continental United States. For local sales, shipping charge will be allocated to NYS Sales Tax. Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com for International purchases or with any questions.

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

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

Almost Spring on South Mountain

Posted by Jamie on March 26th, 2009

Click painting for a larger, clearer image:

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16×20″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on archival canvas panel
$695.00 plus $30 shipping and insurance within the Continental United States. For local sales, shipping charge will be allocated to NYS Sales Tax. Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com for International purchases or with any questions.

I started this painting a couple of weeks ago from a photo I took in Palenville, and worked on it a few days since then. For some reason, it seems to have taken me forever to get this one off the easel, but I think it is finally done.

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

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

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

Waterfall in Monochrome

Posted by Jamie on March 15th, 2009

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8×6″, oils on Raymar canvas panel
$85.00 plus $10 shipping and insurance within the Continental United States. For local sales, shipping charge will be allocated to NYS Sales Tax. Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com for International purchases or with any questions.

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

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

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Kaaterskill Clove from the Beaver Pond

Posted by Jamie on February 27th, 2009

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12×16″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard
$440.00 plus $20 shipping and insurance within the Continental United States. For local sales, shipping charge will be allocated to NYS Sales Tax. Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com for International purchases or with any questions.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Beaver’s Haven

Posted by Jamie on January 13th, 2009

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5×7″, Oils on Ampersand Gessoboard
$125.00 plus $10 shipping and insurance within the Continental United States. For local sales, shipping charge will be allocated to NYS Sales Tax. Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com for International purchases or with any questions.

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

Sunset from the Catskill Mountain House

Posted by Jamie on August 1st, 2008

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8×10″, Golden OPEN on Multimedia Artboard
$250.00 plus $15 shipping and insurance within the Continental United States. For local sales, shipping charge will be allocated to NYS Sales Tax. Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com for International purchases or with any questions.

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

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

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

Cedar Grove, Home of Thomas Cole

Posted by Jamie on July 30th, 2008

On the first day of our trip, we visited the home of Hudson River School painter Thomas Cole. The house was part of a 100+ acre fruit farm during his lifetime, owned by his wife’s family. She had to sell off most of their possessions after he passed away, so there are a lot of reproduction and period pieces in the house, but few that were actually there when Thomas Cole lived in the home.

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Here is a picture I took of the famous view from the porch of his home. Unfortunately, it was heavily overcast that day, and the wonderful Catskill skyline that Cole had was obscured by cloud cover.

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Adjacent to the house was a barn. Cole converted half the barn into his studio. The interior has great north light from a ground level window and one above. The walls inside it are brick and wood, so even with the cool north light, it has a warm, cozy feel. Many of his things were still there in the studio.

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Between the house and barn is an outhouse. You wouldn’t think it would warrant a picture, but I took one because it has the distinction of having three seats. Why, I can’t imagine.

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I didn’t get a chance to paint there, but they have a fabulous, small exhibit now of his plein air works in the house. Back then, the Hudson River School painters would go out into the field and do these small works to use as references for their huge paintings. One thing that struck me about the small paintings done as “field studies” is the large amount of detail incorporated into the work. I suppose that because they didn’t have small cameras to bring along, the relied only on these studies to produce their large paintings, and needed to include as much information as possible to bring back to the studio with them. They were certainly stunning, complete works in small formats. Here is an example:

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Starting at Thomas Cole’s house was a wonderful start to our trip. It set the stage for all the locations to come. I felt inspired, setting out to visit the spots where he had painted. Having seen the exhibit of his reference paintings for the studio works, I decided that I would keep whatever paintings I did on this trip, and use them as my own references, alongside photos I took, to do studio and commission paintings.