1.5×2″ (unframed size), Golden Fluid Acrylics
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

Here’s another of my tiny “Micro Master” paintings, this one after a Monet favorite. Figures are especially difficult in this diminutive size, but I love the challenge! The quarter in the photo is for size reference, so you can see how small these really are.

These miniatures are so difficult and time consuming that I only do them on a commission basis. It’s a labor of love! If you either have a favorite painting by a Master in mind or would like me to choose one for you as a commission, you can email me at JamieWG@aol.com.

8x10 and smaller, Acrylic paintings, Figures, Miniature Paintings, Portraits and Figures, Sold | No Comments »

About 2×2.5″, including frame
Golden Fluid Acrylics
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

The image above is probably showing this painting at larger than real life on your screen! This is postage stamp size. The painting itself is about 1.25×1.75″. The quarter is there for size reference. I love Tolouse-Lautrec, and it so much fun to do these Micro Master miniature versions! I had to do some editing and use my own artistic license for this teeny tiny size. For instance, I’d never have been able to do the lettering that was on the painting in this itty bitty format!

These tiny master renditions are generally done only on a commission basis, so if you’ve got one in mind that you’d like to order, just drop me an email at JamieWG@aol.com.

Miniature Paintings, Sold | No Comments »

1×4″, Acrylics on Museum Board
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

The quarter in the image above is to show you how tiny this painting is! I think this is the most challenging miniature I’ve done to date, though it was also really fun to work on this!

8x10 and smaller, Acrylic paintings, Landscape, Miniature Paintings, Sold | 2 Comments »

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

My husband and I were out for a walk with our cameras and ran into some friends down by the river at Madam Brett Park. As we were talking, the sun streamed out from behind a cloud, and the distant gold lit up the horizon, silhouetting the deep blue mountains. What a sight! I was so glad I had my camera with me, and painted this from a photo.

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

8x12 to 12x24, Beacon, Dutchess County NY, Fall, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River School, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Oil paintings, Sold, Sunrise/Sunset | 1 Comment »

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

The huge, bright full moon last night received a lot of publicity! Apparently this was the largest and brightest the moon will appear for the next 19 years. They said on the news that it was approximately 14% larger and 30% brighter than usual! We had a totally clear sky here last night, so my husband and I went across the field to the lakeshore to take pictures. I brought my little pochade box along and did this small oil painting. There was a gentle breeze over the lake, scattering the reflections as they ran across the surface.

If you haven’t already done so, be sure to check out my new site where I am posting my sketches! It’s called Hudson Valley Sketches (http://hudsonvalleysketches.blogspot.com). I’m no longer posting them here, so be sure to subscribe over there on the new site if you’d like to receive them in your email box or through your newsreader.

8x10 and smaller, Brewster and North Salem, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Peach Lake and Brook, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | 1 Comment »

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

There is a huge amount of water in Fishkill Creek these days, following the heavy rains we’ve had here in the east, combined with the snow melt. Beacon Falls is located just a couple of miles before the creek empties out into the Hudson River. There’s so much water that it’s traveling along a side spillway, and you can’t even see rock where it’s cascading over the falls.

I paint a lot of waterfalls and they usually don’t give me much trouble, but I have to say that this scene presented me with a real struggle! I’m going to try to get back there to do a couple more with different compositions and in different sizes. It’s a fabulous location, and I just love a good challenge!

If you haven’t been over to my new site for my sketches at http://hudsonvalleysketches.blogspot.com, please go take a look! For those of you who are subscribed to receive my paintings in your email, you can also subscribe over there if you’d like to continue to receive my sketches in your email. You won’t be getting any more mail than you do already — just when I do an oil painting it will come from the Hudson Valley Painter address, and when I do a sketch it will come from the Hudson Valley Sketches address.

8x10 and smaller, Beacon, Dutchess County NY, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold, Spring, Waterfalls | No Comments »

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

I did a few tweaks on this one and also added the ducks. They didn’t understand why they were in the sketch and didn’t make it into the painting!

This is the painting I started yesterday on location at the Newburgh waterfront. Cold, cold, cold! I’m hoping for at least one warmer day next week! The island is Bannerman Island, home to some amazing castle ruins.

8x10 and smaller, Bannerman Island, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold, Winter and Snow Scenes | 1 Comment »

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

In case you think you’re having a deja vu moment, yes, you’ve seen this before! I painted it a couple of days ago and posted it, but as I looked at it on the drying rails over the past few days, it didn’t quite look done to me. So, I made a few changes and additions, and I’m now posting the new version of the painting.

This little inlet, weaving out to the islands and ocean from Mt. Desert Island, was a favorite spot on our last trip to Maine. My husband and I took oodles of photos there, and I’ve been wanting to paint from them ever since! My plan is to do a couple of large paintings. I enjoy starting that process off with small color studies to help me determine which compositions are most worthy of enlarging, and make some decisions regarding what I will change from the photo and what I’ll keep the same.

8x10 and smaller, Landscape, Maine, Sold | 1 Comment »

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

These little Monet interpretations are so much fun to paint! This was my first go at one of his many Haystack paintings. I wish you could all see it in person, because it looks so much better than this digital representation!

These framed miniatures come with a mini easel to set them on, or can be hung salon style from a gold thread or ribbon. They are sent in gold gift boxes with gold bows to complete the “gem” effect!

8x10 and smaller, Acrylic paintings, Miniature Paintings, Sold | 1 Comment »

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

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

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

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

16×20″, Oils on archival linen panel
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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:

16x20 and larger, Catskill Mountains, Greene County, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Palenville and Catskill, Sold, Sunrise/Sunset | 2 Comments »

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

To see the completed version of this painting, click here.

I liked the little square 6×6″ Beaver Pond Sunset so much that I did a few days ago, that I decided to do a larger, horizontal version of the painting. Above is the work in progress. You can see my photo reference taped to the top of the easel, and the small 6×6 painting on the lower left. There’s still lots more to add and adjust, but it’s off to a good start.

Below is an image showing the way I started this painting. The underpainting was done just with burnt sienna, beneath where the greens would go, and following the values and brushwork that I’ll be laying over the top with different colors.

Demos/Work in Progress, Sold | 2 Comments »

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!

8x10 and smaller, Catskill Mountains, Greene County, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Palenville and Catskill, Sold, Sunrise/Sunset | 2 Comments »

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!

8x10 and smaller, Fall, Greene County, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Palenville and Catskill, Sold | 2 Comments »

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

This is my first painting of 2011. It felt great to get back to my brushes again after a rather extended holiday vacation! This painting of Kaaterskill Falls was done from two studies done on location plus a photo reference. I think I’ll do a 20×30″ or 24×36″ version of the scene soon.

Kaaterskill Falls is the tallest waterfall in New York State, and was a favorite painting spot of the Hudson River School painters. It’s one of my favorite spots too!

8x10 and smaller, Acrylic paintings, Catskill Mountains, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Greene County, Hudson River School, Landscape, Sold, Waterfalls | 1 Comment »

1.25×1.5″ (excluding frame)
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

These Monet Minis are so much fun to paint! I loved working with the orange and blue complements he used for his sunrise painting. Since it’s so tiny, I bumped up the saturation a bit in my version. Postage stamp size paintings tend to disappear if there’s not enough color and contrast! Here’s a closer view:

These tiny copies of works by famous painters tend to get done on a commission basis, so if you’ve got a favorite you’d like done that is now within the public domain, let me know. They are sold framed and with a small easel stand, and come in a tiny gold gift box with ribbon.

8x10 and smaller, Acrylic paintings, Boats and Ships, Miniature Paintings, Sold, Sunrise/Sunset | 1 Comment »

4×6″, Oils on sealed, primed hardboard
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

Every once in awhile, I forget to post a painting. Sometimes I don’t realize until years later, when somebody requests a painting of a certain subject. In this case, I was asked if I had a painting of yellow roses. In searching through all my yellow rose paintings (and believe me, I had no idea I’d done so many!), I came across this one, which never got posted to my blog. This ended up being the chosen painting. I’m sorry about the glare in the photo. (It’s a good thing I’m a painter and not a photographer!) This one’s off to a new home tomorrow, but there are more yellow rose paintings floating around the studio if anybody else is interested!

Remember, there’s still time left to get that special someone a beautifully framed 5×7″ painting at a Holiday Special price with free shipping! Many still available. Click here to see them and for details.

8x10 and smaller, Sold, Still Life | No Comments »

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

I was painting at Rockwood again, this time from up high on the hillside, looking southward downriver. You can see the Tarrytown Lighthouse from there and the Tappan Zee Bridge, with the New York City skyline in the distance. It’s a spectacular vantage point on the river. Unfortunately, a huge development has been built along the left shoreline. I took it out of the painting so I could view the scene the way it used to be!

8x10 and smaller, Boats and Ships, Fall, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Lighthouses, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold, Tarrytown and Hastings Area | 1 Comment »

Click photo to see a larger, clearer image:

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

My friend Deborah and I went to paint at Rockwood today along the Hudson River. This may well have been the last of the Great Fall Days, and we didn’t want to miss it! The temperature was around 60 degrees, and the park was loaded with friendly people and happy dogs. Deb and I were pretty happy too!

This sailboat stuck around in the field of my painting for about a half hour, tacking back and forth in the river. Just before I finished, a couple got up on the large rocks to admire the view, and I popped them into the painting also.

Here’s a photo I took of the scene as we were getting our gear set up:

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

30×20″, Oils on stretched canvas
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

This painting was based on a small watercolor piece I did, titled Bench with a Hudson River View. You can see the watercolor version here.

16x20 and larger, Cold Spring and Garrison, Fall, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Sold | No Comments »

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!

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

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

This was painted last week, the day after the larger Boscobel painting posted previously. I was actually planning to do a large painting at Cold Spring, but when I arrived there, it was so freezing cold on that open area of the river, that I went back to Boscobel instead. Even up on the bluff overlooking Constitution Marsh and the Hudson River, it was warmer than the other location. The marsh was even more beautiful than the day before, and due to the chilly weather, I painted small and went home earlier. I’m not ready for winter!

8x10 and smaller, Cold Spring and Garrison, Fall, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | 1 Comment »

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

Today was the annual Artists on Location paintout for Garrison Art Center. I drove down from upstate at 5:50am with two artist friends and we decided to spend the morning painting in the beautiful waterfront park in Cold Spring on Hudson. There was a pinky glow on the horizon suring the sunrise, and when I was about half way finished with the painting, some beautiful, wispy pink clouds moved into the scene just at the right time to pop them in. This photo was taken about a half hour before finishing it, so it’s pretty close to done here. We had to deliver the completed paintings to the Art Center by 2pm, and they were all auctioned off in a live auction at 5pm.

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

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.

8x10 and smaller, Catskill Mountains, Flowers, Gardens and Flowering Trees, Greene County, Hudson River School, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Palenville and Catskill, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | 1 Comment »

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

Today was Artist’s Day at Boscobel, and in spite of the exquisite weather, it was surprising that only about six other painters were there. The sun glistened on the facades of the buildings at West Point on the opposite hillside, and the glow of the sky reflected in the Hudson River. I’m sure going to miss this awesome weather in another six weeks or so!

For the past few days, I’ve been very attached to my little 5×7″ Guerrilla box. I just can’t let go of this thing! It goes everywhere with me, and I’m starting to enjoy this very small format again, especially since it’s a standard frame size.

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

8×16″, Acrylics
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

My friend Melissa invited a group of us to paint at her family farm in Millerton, NY. It was hard to choose what to paint because there were so many beautiful scenes in this charming valley between two mountains, but the red mailbox flags against the blue house, with the country road and layers of fields, was my first choice.

8x12 to 12x24, Acrylic paintings, Dutchess County NY, Farm Scenes, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | 1 Comment »

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

This was painted from the boat dock during a recent trip out to Bannerman Island. Opportunities to go out to the island are so rare, and I truly cherish the painting time out there! The castle structures are exquisite. A winter storm brought down two large walls on the other side of this castle. 50% of the proceeds of the sale of this painting go to Bannerman Castle Trust for protection and maintenance of the castles on the island.

8x10 and smaller, Acrylic paintings, Bannerman Gallery, Bannerman Island, Gallery, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | 2 Comments »

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

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

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

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

8x12 to 12x24, Boats and Ships, Catskill Mountains, Dutchess County NY, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Sold | 2 Comments »

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

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

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

12×9″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

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

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

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.

8x12 to 12x24, Catskill Mountains, Farm Scenes, Greene County, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Palenville and Catskill, Sold | No Comments »

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!

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

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

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

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

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

8x10 and smaller, Acrylic paintings, Catskill Mountains, Greene County, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Sold | 2 Comments »

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

This was 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!

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

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

I didn’t quite have time to finish this today, but should be able to wrap it up tomorrow. This was painted from a photo taken along Florida’s Gulf Shore by my daughter, Sarah. It’s one of those paintings that I thought wouldn’t take nearly as long as it’s taking, but it will be worth the struggle in the end! With a little luck, the completed painting will be posted tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Demos/Work in Progress, Sold | 1 Comment »

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

While driving around Amenia, New York with Tarryl last week, we came upon this wonderful hillside with cows grazing and a converted barn at the top. We pulled our cars over to the side of the road to take photos. The cows were extremely friendly and came right up to us. The owner of the house came out and told us that this cow’s name is Mary. (I don’t remember the name of the calf.)

I love these 1:2 ratio compositions, but it can be difficult to find one that works vertically for a landscape. This one gave me the perfect opportunity, with the house set up so high on the hillside, and the cows down below.

My palette for this painting was the same as yesterday’s, with the addition of Williamsburgh Cadmium Yellow Light and some RGH Transparent Yellow Oxide.

8x12 to 12x24, Dutchess County NY, Farm Scenes, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Sold | 1 Comment »

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

There’s a little bridge that goes over the east end of Titicus Reservoir in North Salem, New York. It’s quite narrow, with a fair amount of traffic, and definitely not a good spot to try to set up an easel! The western view at sunset from that location is beautiful, so from time to time I make a quick stop to take photo references when it looks like the sunset will be especially inviting. This was painted from a photo taken on one of those evenings.

There are several brands that I use pretty much interchangeably, but I thought I’d pull out mostly Williamsburgh paints for a change. My palette for this painting was:
Cadmium Yellow Medium (Williamsburgh)
Cadmium Red (Williamsburgh)
Red Oxide Transparent (Rembrandt)
Cerulean Blue (Williamsburgh)
Ultramarine Blue (Williamsburgh)
Titanium White (Utrecht and Griffin mixed)
Medium: Liquin Fine Detail

8x10 and smaller, Brewster and North Salem, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Sold, Sunrise/Sunset | 1 Comment »

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

With the cherry blossoms gone at Boscobel Restoration, I turned my attention back to the Hudson River, and the channels weaving through Constitution Marsh. The afternoon light turned the marsh a beautiful, dark reddish color.

I used three of the new Golden OPEN Acrylic colors coming out this month for this painting: Diarylide Yellow, Quinacridone Crimson, and Prussian Blue Hue. I also added Raw Sienna and Cadmium Yellow Primrose. I love these new colors.

If you think you saw this painting before recently, it’s because you have! I posted it a couple of weeks ago, but decided to do some additional work on it. While I was painting on location, a wonderful ship went by out on the river. It was too early in the process to put it into the painting at the time, but the more I thought about it, the more I wanted it in the painting. I added the ship the other day from a photo, and reworked a little of the foliage too while I was at it.

Here’s a photo of my setup and the painting with the scene, before I put in the ship. It’s always fun to see the painting and vista together!

8x12 to 12x24, Acrylic paintings, Boats and Ships, Cold Spring and Garrison, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold, Spring | 1 Comment »

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

I dragged myself out of bed this morning with a sinus infection, ear infection and strep throat (That’s why you haven’t seen any paintings coming off my easel for a few days!) and drove to Garrison to participate in the twice-a-year Artists on Location event. It was cold and windy along the river. I didn’t want to travel far to do my painting, so I set up right on the landing behind Garrison Art Center and painted this view of West Point. I loved the way the deep shadows cast by the foreground trees set up the painting.

There were several other artists painting on the landing too. Everybody was having difficulty holding onto their stuff with the stiff gusts of wind. Several paintings blew off the easels and of course we couldn’t use our sun umbrellas. I was cold and not feeling so great already, so I just did a small panting, finished it up as quickly as I could, framed it in the car, and brought it into the auction venue.

Of course, leave it to me to forget my camera. Grrrr! I took a quick photo of the scene and painting with my camera phone, since I won’t get it back again to photograph it if it sells at the auction. The painting ended up in the shade with most of the scene in the light, so it looks dark, but is not in real life. My phone takes terrible photos; it also can’t focus on something this close, but at least you get a little idea of what I did out there this morning. The auction is at 5:30pm tonight.

Palette:
Raw Sienna
Cadmium Yellow Medium and Deep
Pyrrole Red
Prussian Blue
Ultramarine Blue
Titanium White

8x10 and smaller, Cold Spring and Garrison, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River School, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | 1 Comment »

This watercolor painting has an archival ivory mat and backing board to fit any standard 16×20″ frame, and is in an archival polybag. The painting is 11×15″ (quarter sheet), on Fabriano Artistico paper.

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

It was a beautiful evening on Friday along the Hudson River in Beacon, NY. My painting buddy, Sue, went with me to Long Dock after we left Boscobel, and I did this quarter sheet watercolor before sunset. Facing Cold Spring, this cluster of trees was leaning toward Breakneck Ridge, creating a wonderful composition.

I love my new Plein Air Pro watercolor easel. Since it has the little shelf, I’m thinking I can probably use it for smaller oil and acrylic paintings too, though I haven’t tried that yet. Here’s a photo of the scene and the easel:

16x20 and larger, 8x12 to 12x24, Beacon, Cold Spring and Garrison, Dutchess County NY, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold, Spring, Watercolor | 1 Comment »

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

This was painted from a photo I took while vacationing in Virginia and Washington DC. The magnolias and cherry blossoms were absolutely stunning! There was no time on the busy family trip to paint or even sketch, but I stopped outside The White House and some of the monuments to take some photos for spring paintings. No signs of President Obama out on the lawn that day!

My palette for this painting was:
Cadmium Lemon
Raw Sienna
Permanent Red Medium
Ultramarine Blue
Viridian
Chromatic Black
Titanium White

8x10 and smaller, Flowers, Gardens and Flowering Trees, Landscape, Sold | 6 Comments »

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

Every once in awhile, we see something so extraordinary that we almost can’t believe it, even when witnessing the scene with our own two eyes. This pink, rising mist on the Hudson River that I saw one morning in Cold Spring as I arrived to paint, was one of those occasions. Initially, it totally obscured the mountains of the Hudson Highlands. As the pink shroud lifted from east to west, the towering hills emerged from the mist.

8x10 and smaller, Cold Spring and Garrison, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Sold, Sunrise/Sunset | No Comments »

Click painting for a larger, sharper image:

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

I saw this couple walking among the cherry blossoms in Washington DC. It was the perfect photo op! Blossoms were everywhere—on the path, on the grass, and even on the trees!

Palette:
Cadmium Yellow Lemon
Cadmium Yellow Light
Permanent Red Medium
Permanent Alizarin
Phthalo Blue
Ultramarine Blue Deep
Viridian
Chromatic Black
Titanium White

8x10 and smaller, Flowers, Gardens and Flowering Trees, Landscape, Sold, Spring | No Comments »

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

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

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

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

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

16x20 and larger, Catskill Mountains, Demos/Work in Progress, Greene County, Landscape, Sold | No Comments »

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

This painting was done from a photograph I took at Titicus Reservoir in North Salem, New York, just as the sun was setting. I was hoping for more spectacular colors, but a big cloud front moved in, providing a different kind of drama that was more about mood and less about color.

I used just Transparent Red Oxide, Ultramarine Blue, and Titanium White for this painting. I contemplated putting in more color, but sometimes less is more. I think this was one of those occasions.

8x12 to 12x24, Brewster and North Salem, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Sold, Sunrise/Sunset | No Comments »

Golden Fluid Acrylics, 2″ x 1.75″, including frame
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

This is the third time I’ve painted this little Monet copy of Red Poppies at Argenteuil in miniature format. I love doing these little jewels! There are a couple more I want to do soon. They’re such a nice change from my larger pieces. I take them as far as I can with just my glasses on, then switch to a lit magnification lens to finish, all with teeny tiny brushes!

These miniatures are always sent out in gold gift boxes and make elegant gift items for that special occasion. You can commission a scene of your choosing, a scene from one of my other paintings, or a copy of an Old Master that is no longer under copyright protection.

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

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

If you’re feeling a sense of deja vu, you’re right! This is an updated version of the painting I posted a couple of days ago. The picnic bench at the park was lopsided. I thought it was kind of cute and put it that way in the painting, but then decided to straighten it out. I also popped the white sailboat in the background. Initially, I liked it subdued, so that it appeared as a surprise when noticed. As I thought about it and looked at the painting, I felt a more prominent boat would make for a better painting. I also added a few more darks in the background and reds in the foreground. I’m leaving the previous version below so that viewers can see the changes I’ve made.

Today was absolutely gorgeous. I took the opportunity to finally get out of the studio, and went to paint with some friends at the waterfront park in Hastings-on-Hudson. The colors were soft, muted cool and warm tones of spring, so I included the bright red, somewhat-lopsided picnic table to throw a spot of more intense color into the painting.

I love the way this palette of colors is working, so I think I might stick with it for awhile. I used only Prussian Blue, Pyrrole Red, and Raw Sienna (plus white of course). Raw sienna was definitely the dominating color of the landscape today, so using that as my only “yellow” played into the scene perfectly. There aren’t any strong greens or yellow-greens in the landscape yet that would require the addition of a stronger yellow.

8x10 and smaller, Boats and Ships, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Palisades, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold, Tarrytown and Hastings Area | 3 Comments »

Sunrise Footprints
5×7″, Oils on sealed, primed hardboard
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This is another sunrise view from my living room window. I really enjoy painting “plein air” from there in real time, but this one was done from a photo I took one beautiful winter morning.

8x10 and smaller, Brewster and North Salem, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Peach Lake and Brook, Sold, Sunrise/Sunset, Winter and Snow Scenes | No Comments »

Love is a canvas, furnished by Nature, and embroidered by imagination — Voltaire

4×2″, Golden Acrylics on gallery wrapped canvas, miniature easel included
The quote above is inscribed around the stretcher bars on the back of the canvas. Quarter is in the image for size reference only.
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

I immediately thought of this quote when I set up to do this painting. The canvas is gallery wrapped, and the image is painted around the sides of the canvas, so that it can be viewed from all sides. The miniature easel will be shipped with the painting.

It is so difficult to get good photographs of miniatures. They always look much better in person. This one has a fairly dark background with some sheen, so it was impossible to get rid of all the glare from the lights when I took the photo. Here’s another image of it, with a Coke can for additional size reference:

For such a little painting, I used a tremendous palette! Colors:
Cadmium Yellow Primrose
Cadmium Yellow Medium
Cadmium Orange
Cadmium Red Light
Pyrrole Red
Cadmium Red Medium
Alizarin Crimson hue
Cerulean Blue hue
Cobalt Blue
Ultramarine Blue
Oxide of Chromium
Jenkins Green
Titanium White
I had a few other colors out there as well, but the ones listed above were the ones I used.

I toned the mini canvas and the sides with a mix of Transparent Red Oxide and Ultramarine Blue Golden Fluid Acrylics. Those dry quickly, so with a little help from my hair dryer, I was then able to use Golden OPEN Acrylics to paint the rest over that toned canvas.

I started working on the basic placement of shapes, and then worked more and more toward contrasts and details. I use blu-tack to adhere the mini canvas to a larger piece of foam board. That way I can hold it securely in one hand when necessary, while painting with the other.

8x10 and smaller, Demos/Work in Progress, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Miniature Paintings, Sold, Still Life | 2 Comments »

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

Just a few miles from this location, Thomas Cole did his famous painting Lake With Dead Trees. That became one of the most important works of the Hudson River School painters. I saw this scene along Schoharie Creek nearby and snapped a dozen photos, determined to paint it at some point as an homage to Thomas Cole, who shared my appreciation of this little corner of the earth.

8x10 and smaller, Catskill Mountains, Greene County, Hudson River School, Landscape, Sold | No Comments »

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.

8x12 to 12x24, Catskill Mountains, Fall, Greene County, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Oil paintings, Palenville and Catskill, Sold, Winter and Snow Scenes | 1 Comment »

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

I had a true painting marathon on the day I did this painting, leaving the house at 7am and not returning until after 8:30pm. It was a fabulous day of great weather and beautiful scenery in Cold Spring, New York, along the banks of the Hudson River. I can well understand why some of the Hudson River School painters loved to paint from this very spot; I love to paint here too!

This was the last one of the day—attempting to catch the fleeting sunset colors during the few minutes before the light faded into darkness. There’s never enough time to “finish” one when painting sunsets on location. It’s really a matter of grabbing color as it emerges, and hoping for the best!

8x10 and smaller, Cold Spring and Garrison, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River School, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Sketches, Sold, Sunrise/Sunset | 3 Comments »

9×12″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on Arches 100% rag hot press watercolor paper, double matted to 16×20.
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

This was painted here in the Hudson Valley, by the lake next to my studio. I was so excited about getting out to paint that I ended up getting up at 4:30, while it was still pitch black. I dawdled at the computer and then all of a sudden realized it was already getting light out! Hoping to not miss my opportunity, I raced out the door just in time to catch this dramatic lighting on the lake and in the sky.

My palette for this painting was Hansa yellow opague, Ultramarine blue, Phthalo blue, Napthol red light, and Titanium white.

8x12 to 12x24, Brewster and North Salem, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Peach Lake and Brook, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold, Sunrise/Sunset | No Comments »

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.

8x10 and smaller, Catskill Mountains, Greene County, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Palenville and Catskill, Sold, Winter and Snow Scenes | 1 Comment »

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

This is another painting that was started on location and completed in the studio this week. I showed the work in progress with an image of the scene in a previous post. The humped peak in the painting is Breakneck Ridge. The marsh is where Fishkill Creek empties out into the Hudson River.

When I brought the painting back to the studio and put it up on the easel to add the finishing touches, I pulled up all my photo references from this location. I’d gone there several times during the falll, so I had photos from much of the season. I decided to go back a few weeks in time to when there was more fall in the air and leaves on the trees. I think it added a lot to the painting to be able to fill out that foreground tree.

8x12 to 12x24, Beacon, Cold Spring and Garrison, Dutchess County NY, Fall, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Quadricentennial Series, Hudson River School, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | 2 Comments »

Hudson River Splendor — Hudson River Quadricentennial Series No. 22
5×7″, Oils on Ampersand Gessoboard
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This is the gorgeous Hudson River view from Olana, home of Hudson River School artist Frederic Church. I was there one night when there was a stupendous sunset, and took as many photos as I could! This is a color study for a larger painting I’d like to do. It gave me a chance to see if the sky colors and values would work, and I’ve decided that they do!

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

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

8x10 and smaller, Catskill Mountains, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Quadricentennial Series, Hudson River School, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Olana and Hudson NY, Sold, Sunrise/Sunset | 1 Comment »

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

8x10 and smaller, Catskill Mountains, Hudson River Paintings, Landscape, Lighthouses, Miniature Paintings, Olana and Hudson NY, Sold | No Comments »

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

Painted on location at Tilly Foster Farm in Brewster, New York. I’ve bumped up this painting because it just made it into the local paper! Take a look!

8x10 and smaller, Brewster and North Salem, Farm Scenes, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Oil paintings, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold, Tilly Foster Farm | No Comments »

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

This is a scene from Ward Pound Ridge Reservation in Pound Ridge, NY. This county park is over 4,700 acres of rolling fields, beautiful trees, and hillsides with dramatic vistas. This is a 5×7″ plein air painting—done on location. The sun was in and out of the clouds and it was a real challenge to catch the light!

8x10 and smaller, Fall, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold, Ward Pound Ridge Reservation | 1 Comment »

Click image for a larger, clearer view:

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

Painted late in the day at Olana, overlooking the Hudson River.

8x10 and smaller, Fall, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River School, Landscape, Olana and Hudson NY, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | No Comments »

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

This painting was done mostly on location, with a few tweaks in the studio to finish it up. It is a scene from Long Dock (Beacon Point Park) along the Hudson River. I loved the rusty-orange trees against the distant blues of Mt. Beacon, and the brighter greens of the foliage that hadn’t yet realized fall had arrived.

8x10 and smaller, Beacon, Dutchess County NY, Fall, Gallery, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Quadricentennial Series, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | No Comments »

24×36″, Oils on stretched canvas
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

This large painting was done on location in Cold Spring, New York over a period of several days. It was pretty windy some of that time, and I thought the painting was going to act as a sail and carry off the entire easel from time to time! I was exhausted by the time the painting was completed, with the long days and long drives over to the location, but it was worth it.

16x20 and larger, Boats and Ships, Cold Spring and Garrison, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River School, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | No Comments »

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

Sunday was the Olana Paintout, an annual event at the estate of the late Hudson River School painter Frederic Church. As I drove along the road that runs through the grounds to the top of the hill overlooking the Hudson, I was immediately captivated by this brilliant red tree standing alone out on the field. I pulled my car off the road and set up my easel on the spot.

This was my first time painting since my hand surgery, and it sure was a challenge with a cast!

8x10 and smaller, Fall, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Quadricentennial Series, Hudson River School, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Olana and Hudson NY, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | 1 Comment »

12×16″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.
There is nothing for a Hudson River painter quite like standing in the yard at Frederic Church’s estate and looking up at his home, paintbrush in hand. Spending an occasional day at Olana makes me appreciate the history and drama of painting in the Hudson Valley.

This painting, done on location at Olana, needed a few studio tweaks before I could call it done. As you can probably tell by looking at the painting, the drawing of the mansion took up most of my painting time on site! The sun was moving quickly and the lighting changed dramatically before I had a chance to wrap it up. In the studio, I touched up the trees a bit and altered the slope on the left side. Now it’s ready for a special wall—maybe yours?

8x12 to 12x24, Hudson River School, Landscape, Olana and Hudson NY, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | No Comments »

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

I had the best time painting this busy, colorful French scene! All those little windows and architectural trimmings, the boats, water, reflections, people sitting in the cafes…. Such fun!

8x10 and smaller, Boats and Ships, Landscape, Sold | No Comments »

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

This was painted early yesterday morning for Artists on Location in Garrison, NY. There was a misty drizzle on and off, so I found a spot off to the side of the dirt road where I could paint in my car! Each time it started drizzling, I’d take my pochade box into the car, only to re-emerge as the precipitation paused. When I was nearly done, the police asked me to move because they were afraid I was going to get run over! I moved over to that field on the right to finish the painting.

I’d really like to go back there soon to do a larger version of this painting. If anybody wants to commission it, please email me! This one is sold.

8x10 and smaller, Cold Spring and Garrison, Fall, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | No Comments »

(Shadows along top of image are from the easel holding the painting)
24×18″, Oils on stretched canvas
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

Although there were heavy clouds overhead today, I spent another day on location with this painting to finish it up. It is such a beautiful and tranquil spot. I was entertained by a little grebe in the pond, some friendly passers-by, and a friendly chipmunk! I’d like to go back in a couple of weeks when the foliage is further along and do another painting….maybe an even larger one next time!

16x20 and larger, Fall, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | No Comments »

2.5×3.5″, oil on canvas, framed, plus easel/stand included as shown above. (Quarter is for size reference. Sorry about the glare on the glossy, varnished painting!)
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

Mary’s Boat at Sunset

This is a painting of my friend Mary’s boat, out on the lake beside our house at sunset. The clouds were especially spectacular that evening. It is painted on unstretched canvas, with artist grade oil paints, and mounted on rag board to give it a permanent, artist grade, archival support.

8x10 and smaller, Boats and Ships, Brewster and North Salem, Landscape, Miniature Paintings, Peach Lake and Brook, Sold, Sunrise/Sunset | No Comments »

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

It’s not often that you can paint fog, haze, and bright sunlight simultaneously, but that’s what was happening at Boscobel yesterday! The fog was rolling down the river from north to south, so the southernmost mountains of the Hudson Highlands were still completely obscured by the fog. The closer hills were faded by the remaining haze, and the clearing skies overhead let the sun shine through onto the marsh and water.

Constitution Marsh is just starting to turn color. I could see the oranges and shades of rust beginning. Soon they will overtake the green and the marsh will be ablaze with its fall splendor.

What a time I had with this photo….The painting is warmer and brighter than I seem to be able to adjust for. I think maybe it’s time to start using a better camera to photograph my paintings!

8x10 and smaller, Cold Spring and Garrison, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Quadricentennial Series, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | 1 Comment »

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!

8x10 and smaller, Catskill Mountains, Flowers, Gardens and Flowering Trees, Greene County, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Palenville and Catskill, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold, Waterfalls | 3 Comments »

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

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

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

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

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

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

8x10 and smaller, Catskill Mountains, Greene County, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | No Comments »

5×7″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on sealed, primed hardboard, unframed
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This was painted from a home high up on a hilltop in North Salem, New York. There were beautiful views of distant hills to the west, but when I saw these bright pink flowers against the dark foliage, I knew I’d found my painting spot!

8x10 and smaller, Brewster and North Salem, Flowers, Gardens and Flowering Trees, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | No Comments »

16×20″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard
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This is painted from a photo I took on a morning with an amazing sunrise. I saw the turquoise and pink sky, threw on my jeans, shirt and coat, and dashed out to the lakeshore to take pictures. At 16×20, this is a nice size for that special wall. In spite of the brilliant colors, it has that wonderfully serene feel to it that only a spectacular sunrise can bring.

Palette:
Cadmium Yellow Lemon
Permanent Alizarin Crimson
Cerulean Blue
Cobalt Blue
Viridian
Titanium White

16x20 and larger, Brewster and North Salem, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Peach Lake and Brook, Pets Wildlife Animals, Sold, Sunrise/Sunset, Winter and Snow Scenes | 2 Comments »

12×16″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on canvas covered hardboard
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This week I’ve been working on touching up paintings done previously. Often I am not 100% happy with a completed painting. I hold off on varnishing those for as long as possible, so that I can make changes to them when I get a chance.

There are things I loved about this lighthouse painting, but when I initially painted it on location, it was early April. The leaves were not yet out on the trees, and the grass had that dull, late winter color. The painting looked way too stark to me, although it was a pretty accurate representation of the scene at the time. I decided to push the season along in my reworking.

I’ve left the original below, because I thought it would be interesting to my viewers to see it and compare them. I’m interested in hearing your comments about the changes. I’ll be posting more of these altered paintings this week, along with their original versions. I hope you find it interesting!

If you’ve ever driven over the Tappan Zee Bridge, across the Hudson River, you’ve likely noticed this sparkling lighthouse near the eastern shoreline. This was painted en plein air on a very cold and windy morning, but I was inspired enough by the view to stick it out and paint. With the New York City skyline in the distance, the Palisades jutting out into the river, and the bridge behind the lighthouse, there was a lot to put into one painting. I liked including the foreground tree too, to give yet another dimensional plane to the work. I’m hoping to return many more times as the foliage emerges. Gotta love that red!

8x12 to 12x24, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Lighthouses, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold, Tarrytown and Hastings Area | 4 Comments »

Clouds Over the Palisades: Hudson River Quadricentennial Series No. 23
12×16″, Oils on Raymar canvas panel
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This painting was posted a few weeks ago without the barge and tug. I feel the boats change the painting enough to warrant reposting it. I think they add a lot to the painting, don’t you? When the barge and tug went by, I wasn’t far enough along with the painting to put them in. However, I was quick to grab them with my camera, and so I had the reference image to add them later. They help give scale to the scenery, and are so typical of the boat traffic that goes up and down the river in the course of a day.

I spent a great day down in Hastings-on-Hudson. This wonderful, small park is right on the Hudson River, with the cliffs of the Palisades looming over the far shoreline. The morning started out overcast, but broke into big, billowy clouds by late morning.

This is Number 23 in my Hudson River Quadricentennial Series of paintings, commemorating the 400 year anniversary of Henry Hudson’s voyage up the river.

Below is an image of the painting before I put in the barge and tugboat.

Here is a detail of the boats below the cliffs:

8x12 to 12x24, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Quadricentennial Series, Hudson River School, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Palisades, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold, Tarrytown and Hastings Area | No Comments »

Big Apple Skyline: Hudson River Quadricentennial Series No. 30
6×8″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard
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This is the New York City Skyline as seen from a park along the Hudson River in Hastings-on-Hudson. I started this on location, and completed the painting in the studio. ‘Love those skyline blues! You can see the George Washington Bridge where it spans the Hudson just north Manhattan.

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

Breaking Blues at Olana: Hudson River Quadricentennial Series No. 29
6×8″, Oils on sealed, primed hardboard
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This oil sketch was done from just outside the home of Hudson River School artist Frederic Church. He had this classic view of the Hudson from most of the terraces and many of the rooms in his beautiful Moorish-styled mansion. The land was nearly all farmland back then. The trees have taken over since he lived here, and many of the vistas he enjoyed have become obscured by the overtaking foliage. I’m told that they will be doing some clearing in the not too distant future, to bring back some of those farmland views present in Church’s time.

There were a lot of visitors to the site while I was painting this. Occasionally the blue sky would poke through the layers of clouds as I painted, and I would snatch the opportunity to include those hopeful, fair-weather breaks of cerulean in the painting. Two minutes later, it would be completely overcast again. I found myself having to explain to visitors more than once that I really, really did see that blue sky just a minute ago!

8x10 and smaller, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Quadricentennial Series, Hudson River School, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Olana and Hudson NY, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | 1 Comment »

6×8″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard
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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!

8x10 and smaller, Catskill Mountains, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Palenville and Catskill, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold, Sunrise/Sunset | No Comments »

You can click this image to see a larger view of the painting.

Summer Greens at Boscobel: Hudson River Quadricentennial Series No. 26
6×8″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard
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Today began my five day painting trip. I started out this morning at Boscobel Restoration in Garrison, New York, on the Hudson River. This was my first visit to Boscobel this year since the summer greens took over the landscape. The day has been picture perfect, and I had a wonderful time doing this painting!

I don’t have my image editing software on my laptop yet, so during this trip, I’ll have to just post the images as they come out of the camera, without any adjustments. I tried to take this picture to take in part of the scene as well as the painting, so you’d get an idea of what I was painting. When I get back to my desktop system next week, I’ll add adjusted images of all the paintings to their posts.

8x10 and smaller, Cold Spring and Garrison, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Quadricentennial Series, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Painting/Pochade Box, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | 3 Comments »

5×7″, Oils on sealed, primed hardboard
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I’m sorry that I don’t yet have my Paypal buttons reinstalled, so please just email me for a Paypal invoice if you are interested in purchasing this painting. I hope to have the buttons up again before the end of the week. Since my laptop died, I wasn’t able to work on it over the weekend! Now I’m up and running again with a great MacBook Pro.

This boat belongs to my friend Mary. It’s so convenient for me that she has her boat moored out here, as it gives me a wonderful painting subject!

I just finished preparing a batch of 65 panels using a new sealer, different gesso, and slightly different application process. This painting is the first one from the batch and WOW, I just love the way these panels are taking the paint!

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

3″x2″ visible painting size, 5″x4″ including frame. Easel stand shown is not included, since the frame has an easel back so that it can stand up on its own. It also has a hanging hook on the back if you’d prefer to hang it.
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I ran out of varnish and had to drive all the way to Norwalk CT to get the kind I wanted! I spend the remainder of the day varnishing paintings and then priming panels…..No painting for the weary!

So, today’s painting is an older work that I enjoy a lot, which has not been shown here. It’s a 3×2″ miniature painting of my friend’s boat out on the lake. The painting is already framed in this elegant, gold wood frame. It is the perfect accessory for a side table, coffee table, dresser top, or shelf.

8x10 and smaller, Boats and Ships, Brewster and North Salem, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Miniature Paintings, Peach Lake and Brook, Sold | 2 Comments »

8 x 12″, Pastels on Wallis professional sanded paper, unframed
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Below is a picture of my setup, with the painting in progress.

8x12 to 12x24, Demos/Work in Progress, Pastels, Sold, Still Life | No Comments »

11×14″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard
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This painting was a composite of two photos. Often when I work from photos, I need to find several in order to satisfy what I feel is necessary to make a good painting. When I’m out on location, painting en plein air, I can always move trees, mountains, clouds, or other elements that lie outside of the “picture frame”. Even nature needs to be moved around a bit from time to time!

8x12 to 12x24, Landscape, Lighthouses, Sold, Sunrise/Sunset | 1 Comment »

10×8″, Oils on canvas
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This is a plein air painting that I did at New York Botanical Gardens in the Bronx. It was a beautiful day, and I set up in the courtyard garden facing the conservancy building. Just as I was finished setting up, an elderly couple came along. The man took a seat on the bench behind me, while the woman went off to further explore the gardens.

I lifted my brush to make the first stroke, and a strong voice behind me said, “Aren’t you going to draw first? I think you should draw first.”

I could see that I was going to have a critic on board for this painting. The woman had done a quick disappearing act, and already I suspected I knew why.

As diplomatically as I could, I explained to the man that I do my drawing with paint. He grumbled. And so, I began. Those who paint know that we generally start with the large masses and work to the details. I started laying in the dark foliage and the form of the building.

“What about the windows? You’re forgetting the windows! Put those in now!”

He continued to try to direct my painting, but I stuck to my methods. He became increasingly frustrated as I went about my work my own way. Finally his wife came back for him. The man turned to his wife, pointed to me, and said indignantly, “This lady didn’t want to paint the windows first.”

She asked me, “How is the painting going? Has he been giving you a hard time?”

“Well, I’m getting critiqued!” I replied.

She laughed and said, “I’m sure you are!”, as she helped him up and they went on their way.

8x10 and smaller, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | 2 Comments »

12×16″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard
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This is a late afternoon, early fall scene of the Shawangunkill River around sunset. This magnificent waterway courses through the town of Gardiner, New York, near New Paltz.

8x12 to 12x24, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Sold, Sunrise/Sunset | No Comments »

16×12″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on canvas covered hardboard
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

Visiting the Hudson River School show at the Thomas Cole Historical Site last Friday made me think about many of my own paintings of the Hudson River, and how our contemporary, plein air pieces fit into the grand scheme of things. The Hudson River School paintings are filled with details, and tell a story about man’s journey—past, present and future. In the years before paint tubes, it wasn’t so easy to transport paints and equipment out into the field. As I looked over those paintings, I recognized many bits and pieces of the locations. The artists would go out into the field and sketch these bits and pieces, then come back into the studio and combine them into a grand work with a foreground, middle ground, and horizon, incorporating figures and animals representing man’s mark on the landscape and his journey.

I look at the Hudson River as a theme that flows through my work. I think those of us who paint plein air have been heavily influenced by many factors through the generations. While there are ateliers and painting schools that teach the techniques of the Hudson River School painters of past generations, there are also those who have been heavily influenced by the Impressionists, and the immediacy necessary to capture a scene on location under the conditions of changing light. It will be very interesting for those in future generations to trace back through these Hudson River styles as a more direct painting approach evolved.

As for me, I plan to go out and continue to paint my favorite river. I suppose I will leave it to the art historians to determine how we fit into the spectrum of art history!

This is a scene painted from a lovely waterfront park along the Hudson River in Nyack, New York. It faces the Tappan Zee Bridge, which was just barely emerging from the fog as I set up to paint.

8x12 to 12x24, Boats and Ships, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River School, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Nyack Area, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | 1 Comment »

6×8″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on 300 lb Saunders Waterford watercolor paper
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Painting along the shoreline of the Hudson River has great therapeutic value! This was painted on location at sunset.

8x10 and smaller, Boats and Ships, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold, Sunrise/Sunset | No Comments »

5×7″, Oils on Ampersand Gessoboard
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I’m doing a lot of small studies for larger paintings lately. This is a scene painted from a photo I took up at Garrison Castle, overlooking the Hudson River. It’s not surprising that Frederic Church of the Hudson River School painters selected this site for the Osborn family to build their castle in the sky!

This is a view straight up the Hudson River, where the currents are the most treacherous, and the river channel narrows and wraps around West Point Military Academy. Those are the buildings of West Point silhouetted in the painting in the foreground peninsula.

The scene is so complex, and takes in many of the most famous spots in the Hudson Highlands. You can see the point of Breakneck Ridge on the right, and Bannerman Island even further upriver. The mountain farthest back on the left is Storm King, and the Catskills are straight ahead off in the distance. The Hudson illuminates at sunset from this high vantage point.

I think this sunset view through the Hudson Highlands from above is deserving of a really, really big painting sometime in the not too distant future!

This painting is Number 21 from my Hudson River Quadricentennial Series, celebrating the 400 year anniversary of Henry Hudson’s travels up the river.

8x10 and smaller, Bannerman Island, Cold Spring and Garrison, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Quadricentennial Series, Hudson River School, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Sold, Sunrise/Sunset | No Comments »

Golden OPEN Acrylics on 100% rag board, framed
2″ x 1.75″ framed size
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.
Painting will be sent with miniature display easel and gold gift box.

You can click here to see more of “Jamie’s Jewels Miniature Gems”. If you don’t see one you like, consider commissioning one from your favorite scene! They make great gift items, and are budget-friendly original works of art.

This miniature sunrise is the perfect size to wear as a pin, or to set on the miniature easel where it can be admired. It is set in a beautifully detailed, classic gold frame. The quarter is there for size reference, so you can see what a tiny gem this is!

Here is a closer view:

On my monitor, this is about actual size. Depending on the size of your screen and your resolution, it may show larger or smaller for you:

I think this is one of the best miniature paintings I’ve done, so I’m pretty excited about it!

8x10 and smaller, Brewster and North Salem, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Landscape, Miniature Paintings, Peach Lake and Brook, Sold, Sunrise/Sunset | No Comments »

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

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

5×7″, Oils on sealed, primed hardboard
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This was yesterday’s sunrise over the Hudson River, painted on location in Nyack.

8x10 and smaller, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Quadricentennial Series, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Nyack Area, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold, Sunrise/Sunset | No Comments »

6×6″, Oils on sealed, primed hardboard
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I painted down in Nyack this morning. The skies were mostly overcast, but periodically there would be a break of brilliant sunshine that flooded the landscape with bright light. One of the Tall Ships was sailing off in the distance. I think it was the Mystic Whaler. It didn’t make it into my painting, but was a wonderful accompaniment to my morning by the shore!

These are the same trees that have those beautiful purple blossoms in spring. I was so sorry that they were no longer blooming, but I did put some hints of the violets into them as a hint of what they are.

8x10 and smaller, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Quadricentennial Series, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Nyack Area, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | No Comments »

8×10, Watercolor on Fabriano Artistico 140#cp
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I’ve been so eager to work with watercolor this week, perhaps because of all the rain we’ve been having. This is painted from a photo of a tree out on a peninsula on the lake here at home. I loved the reflections of the colors and tree in the water, and the large, brooding clouds way above.

8x10 and smaller, Brewster and North Salem, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Sold, Sunrise/Sunset, Watercolor | 2 Comments »

6×8″, oils on canvas-covered hardboard
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I went to my friend Marcia’s house for lunch the other day. Next door to her, there’s a fabulous view with a red barn and distant mountains. It was very overcast in the morning, and raining later in the day. However, in between there, while I was painting, the weather was picture-perfect! Somehow I got that ideal window of opportunity. I knew the wet weather was supposed to move in, so I just did this little one. It started to rain just as I was finished and packing up to leave!

8x10 and smaller, Catskill Mountains, Greene County, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | No Comments »

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

While painting this yesterday in Nyack in the cold and intense wind, many people stopped to chat and admire the painting. One woman, after commenting on the diversity of the New York landscape, said, “I love New York! I love the Hudson River, the fall colors, the skies, and even the snobby New York City folks!”

Aside from any snobby New York City folks (and I haven’t encountered many!), I have to agree with her. So, I named the painting I Love New York. It’s hard to beat a view of Paulownia Trees along the Hudson River with dramatic skies!

8x10 and smaller, Flowers, Gardens and Flowering Trees, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Quadricentennial Series, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Nyack Area, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | No Comments »

10×8″, Oils on Raymar canvas panel
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My plein air painting buddy, Sue, wanted to go paint at Nyack Beach State Park this morning. Conditions were freezing cold, very windy, and overcast. I was honestly not thrilled about this idea, but didn’t want my friend to have to go alone. I packed my winter coat, a thermos of coffee and lunch, and hit the road at 7am.

Imagine my joy upon arriving there and seeing these exquisite Royal Paulownia Trees along the path beside the Hudson River as it wound through the park. (I confess that I didn’t know what they were, but I asked the Park Ranger!) We didn’t get much sunshine, but the skies were a lot more interesting than just those silvery, heavily overcast days. I’m so glad I went. In fact, I’m going back tomorrow!

8x10 and smaller, Flowers, Gardens and Flowering Trees, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Quadricentennial Series, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Nyack Area, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | No Comments »

6×8″, oils on canvas covered hardboard
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Today was the big Artists on Location event in Garrison, NY. I was expecting the skies to clear, but that didn’t happen, and this was painted in the rain. Fortunately, I had my big “ShadeBuddy” umbrella with me, and the winds were calm enough that I could use it!

The huge sailboat off in the distance came by at just the right time, and provided the perfect element to scale the painting and give it a focal point.

8x10 and smaller, Boats and Ships, Cold Spring and Garrison, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Quadricentennial Series, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | 1 Comment »

8×10″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard panel
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This charming lighthouse sits on a cement platform in the middle of the Hudson River between the towns of Athens and Hudson. I had the pleasure of viewing it from both sides recently. On this occasion, I chose to paint it from the Hudson side, but I’d like to go back and paint it from the Athens side soon too.

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

8x10 and smaller, Catskill Mountains, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Quadricentennial Series, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Lighthouses, Olana and Hudson NY, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | No Comments »

8×10″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on 8 ply 100% rag board
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The Cherry Blossoms at Boscobel wind around this little path. It goes along the Hudson River, and then circles around behind the herb garden, where the Cherry Blossoms are joined by dogwoods in bloom and apple trees.

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

5×7″, Oils on Ampersand Gessoboard
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….Back to my favorite subject this time of year! Not to worry….The season for Cherry Blossoms is so short-lived. In a week the blossoms will probably all be gone, and I’ll have to wait another year to paint beside them again.

There are five Cherry Blossom trees in this arc by the Hudson River at Boscobel Restoration in Garrison, NY. Each one has such character, and although they all have those bushy, bright pink blossoms, their shapes are quite unique, and the light hits them differently. I enjoy picking out different ones to feature in each painting, exploring their similarities and differences, and the way they fit into the total scene with the Hudson River and Constitution Marsh behind them.

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

10×8″, Oils on mounted Multimedia Artboard
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Here’s a little break from all those Cherry Blossoms! I’ve painted this Dogwood overlooking Constitution Marsh in its bright red, fall splendor nearly every year, but never in the spring flowering stage. The real challenge for me was to decide how I could best display those white blossoms against the very light blue sky.

This painting is done on the new, mounted Multimedia Artboard. It is an archival support that can be framed just like a hardboard panel. I’ve enjoyed painting on this surface from time to time because of the way it takes both oils and acrylics. As the support itself is brittle, I back it with acid free foamcore for framing. They have just come out with a new version of the product which is already mounted on the foamcore, making it more durable for travel purposes while maintaining the lightweight benefit.

For small paintings, I sometimes feel the weave of canvas interferes with the painting. As you can see here, the smoother surface of Multimedia Artboard allows me to work without that concern. I don’t feel I need to fight with unwanted texture.

I tend to like fairly absorbent surfaces. I can put more paint onto them, and avoid some of the streakiness of slick surfaces. I give the Multimedia Artboard a coat of Golden Matte Medium diluted 20% with water to cut down on just a bit of the absorption. The paint applies beautifully to the surface.

I’ve used it now for both oils and acrylics, and highly recommend this archival material. You can read about the product at www.multimediaartboard.com. You can order it by writing to the company through the link on the website. I’ve put up a link to the site from the right sidebar on my blog too, so you’ll always be able to find it here.

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

6×8″, Oils on Raymar canvas panel
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Today began with a light haze, giving a silvery glow to the atmosphere over the Hudson River. The cherry blossoms are in full swing at Boscobel, and the reddish color is coming into Constitution Marsh as it springs back to life from winter dormancy.

Palette:
Cadmium Yellow Lemon
Permanent Red Medium
Permanent Alizarin
Transparent Red Oxide
Cerulean Blue
Ultramarine Blue Deep
Chromatic Black
Titanium White

My apologies for the slight glare on the left side of the painting. I’m a terrible photographer. That glare is only in the digital image, and not on the painting.

8x10 and smaller, Cold Spring and Garrison, Flowers, Gardens and Flowering Trees, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Quadricentennial Series, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | 2 Comments »

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

I didn’t feel like straying far from home today, so I set my chair outside in the yard and took in the first blooms of spring under the stand of evergreens. My little dog kept me company, the temps were in the high 40s, and the sun was shining. It’s hard to ask an early spring day for more than that! I’ve been peeking at these hyacinths from the window for a week or so, and I’m glad I got to paint them before they disappeared for another year.

Palette:
Cadmium Yellow Lemon
Cadmium Yellow Light
Permanent Red Medium
Permanent Rose
Ultramarine Blue Deep
Venetian Red
Chromatic Black
Viridian
Titanium White

8x10 and smaller, Brewster and North Salem, Flowers, Gardens and Flowering Trees, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | No Comments »

3×5″, Oils on Multimedia Artboard
This painting will be sent beautifully framed in a gold, wood frame and ready to hang. If you’d like the painting unframed, please contact me.
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

I found four gorgeous gold wood frames for miniatures in an art store, and am doing some paintings for these beautiful frames. It may sound a little bit backwards, but it works! The painting size is 3×5″, and with the frame it is about 6×8″.

This painting was done from a photo I took on a Lake George sunset cruise. The colors were just magnificent, and the little islands in the lake provided the perfect silhouetted foreground elements for the colorful backdrop.

Here is what the frame looks like with the painting, though I think the painting colors above are more accurate.

8x10 and smaller, Adirondacks, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Miniature Paintings, Oil paintings, Sold, Sunrise/Sunset | No Comments »

5×7″, Oils on Ampersand Gessoboard
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This is the 400 year anniversary of Henry Hudson’s voyage up the Hudson River. I am doing a series of Hudson River paintings to commemorate that event, and this is the first! This fabulous, huge yellow ship came down the river past West Point as I stood on the shoreline in Garrison snapping photos. Some of the works for this series will be done en plein air and some will be from photo references.

My palette for this painting:
Cadmium Yellow Lemon (Winsor Newton)
Raw Sienna (Williamsburg)
Venetian Red (Classic Artist Oils)
Ultramarine Blue Deep (homemade from Lukas pigment and alkalai-refined linseed oil)
Cerulean Blue (Classic Artist Oils, drained on a paper towel)
Titanium White (Winsor Newton)

8x10 and smaller, Boats and Ships, Cold Spring and Garrison, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Quadricentennial Series, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Sold | No Comments »

8×6″, Oils on Raymar canvas panel
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I painted at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation today, admiring the subtle spring colors by the trout stream. My palette consisted of:
Titanium White
Cadmium Yellow Light
Pyrrole Red
Transparent Red Oxide
Raw Sienna
Cerulean Blue
French Ultramarine
Ivory Black
Viridian

I’m sure I didn’t need so many colors to portray this subtle landscape, but they were already on my palette, so I figured I’d put them to work!

8x10 and smaller, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold, Ward Pound Ridge Reservation | No Comments »

8×6″, oils on Raymar canvas panel
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This magnificent spot, with the red barns nestled in the valley below the Catskills, is about five minutes from our house. There are mountains and rolling fields everywhere you look. Locations like this one are what make me realize why the Hudson River School painters were so drawn to this area!

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

8x10 and smaller, Catskill Mountains, Hudson River School, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | No Comments »

5×7″, oil on linen, mounted on hardboard
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A couple of years ago, there was an amazing sunrise over the lake on a winter morning. I grabbed my camera, dashed out the door, and took hundreds of photos for future paintings. Here is another painting of the “Majestic Morning” series, just off the easel.

My palette for this painting was:
Titanium White
Cadmium Yellow Lemon
Cadmium Yellow Pale
Cadmium Yellow Medium
Raw Sienna
Cadmium Orange
Cadmium Red
Permanent Rose
Cerulean Blue
Cobalt Blue
Ultramarine Blue Deep
Ivory Black
Viridian

I didn’t really need all those colors to do this painting, but since I’d put them all out on my palette, what the heck! I dipped into everything.

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

5×7″, oils on canvas covered hardboard
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8x10 and smaller, Boats and Ships, Brewster and North Salem, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Peach Lake and Brook, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | 2 Comments »

7×5″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on linen, framed in a lovely silver wooden frame (included)
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My husband came home today with a beautiful bouquet of flowers for me! These purple carnations are so gorgeous; I had to paint one right away.

Palette:
Quinacridone Magenta
Ultramarine Blue
Cadmium Primrose
Titanium White

The linen is clear-sized, so the beautiful color and texture remain visible.

8x10 and smaller, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Sold, Still Life | 1 Comment »

6×6″, Oils on Ampersand Gessoboard
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I watched President Barack Obama’s inauguration today. It is the Dawn of a New Day.

My palette for this painting:
Raw Sienna
Cadmium Orange
Cadmium Red
Permanent Alizarin
Cerulean Blue
Cobalt Blue
Ultramarine Blue Deep
Ivory Black
Titanium White

8x10 and smaller, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Sold | 1 Comment »

5×7″, Oils on Ampersand Gessoboard
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This painting is done from a photo I took along Platte Clove Road, between Saugerties NY and Tannersville. The road is narrow and winds around the mountain, with sheer cliffs alongside, and is so dangerous that this portion is closed in winter. The views are breathtaking. My husband and I pulled off to the side of the road to take some pictures. After years of looking for a vacation home, it was this drive around Kaaterskill High Peak that narrowed our search to this dramatic area of the Catskills.

8x10 and smaller, Catskill Mountains, Greene County, Hudson River School, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Sold | No Comments »

11×13, Watercolor on Saunders Waterford 300#cp
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I’m taking a watercolor workshop this week with the amazing Charles Reid! I have many of his books and videos, so it’s a real treat to watch him paint and receive his critiques. The class is great, but unfortunately there is no spot-lighting for the still life setups. He did a wonderful demo this morning. We’ll be doing still life paintings again tomorrow, followed by three days of figures with a model. Stay tuned…..

Sold, Still Life, Watercolor | No Comments »

18×24″, oils on stretched canvas
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I used a smaller, plein air version of this scene as a field study to paint this larger work inside the studio. This painting is still wet, and since it’s too large to fit in my light filtering box, there’s some glare on the image. I’ll try to get a better photo of the painting before it goes off to its new home!

16x20 and larger, Fall, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River School, Landscape, Olana and Hudson NY, Sold | 2 Comments »

8 x 6″, Oils on Canvas covered hardboard, unframed
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A couple of times a year, I go on photo expeditions with my painting buddy Sue to collect painting references. I painted this from one of the photos I took at Muscoot Farm. I love painting there en plein air, but since they don’t open until 10, it’s hard to catch the light and shadow on location before the sun is directly overhead. This beautiful path winds around behind the fields, with old trees and huge rock outcroppings.

This was painted with a limited palette of cadmium yellow lemon, venetian red, burnt sienna, and ultramarine blue, plus white. This is one of my favorite landscape palettes when I don’t need a bright red or strong violet. It yields nice greens and earth tones, and a lovely soft violet.

8x10 and smaller, Fall, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Sold | No Comments »

1.5×2″, Golden Fluid and Golden OPEN acrylics on rag bristol
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This little gem is just off my easel. My tiny paintings, which I fondly refer to as “Jamie’s Jewels”, make ideal holiday gifts. You can commission a favorite scene, or choose one of the unsold miniatures already available. They are only $100 and come gift-boxed. Take a look at some of them by clicking here and then scrolling down the page beyond this post.

You’ll see that they can be either on tiny, unframed, gallery-wrapped stretched canvases, or I can paint these postage stamp size minis and put them in beautiful gold frames. I ship them in gold gift boxes with gold ribbons, so they are ready to put under your tree or in Somebody Special’s Christmas stocking. They can be prepared to be hung on a wall, or set on a miniature easel like this one. Surprise a loved one this holiday season with a creative gift from the heart!

I took a photo of this painting with a tape dispenser so that you can better see the scale of this tiny work. The paintings are done under a magnification lamp with very small brushes, and actually take longer to do than paintings many times the size. Plus, they come beautifully framed!

8x10 and smaller, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Landscape, Miniature Paintings, Sold | No Comments »

5×7″, oil on canvas covered hardboard, unframed
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This painting was done on location at Peach Lake in the Hudson Valley of New York State.

8x10 and smaller, Brewster and North Salem, Fall, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Peach Lake and Brook, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | No Comments »

12×12″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on canvas covered hardboard
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I don’t paint still lifes very often this time of year, but the Three Muses and apples were hard to resist!

8x12 to 12x24, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Sold, Still Life | 1 Comment »

Click to enlarge:

16×20″, oils on sealed, primed hardboard
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From this spot nestled in the Catskill Mountains, there are gorgeous views from every angle. I can’t wait to go back in different seasons to experience the changes. This was painted from a photo I took while vacationing there with my husband, though I have painted here en plein air as well.

16x20 and larger, Catskill Mountains, Greene County, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Sold, Uncategorized | 4 Comments »

8×10″, Oils on Raymar linen panel
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Palette: Cadmium Yellow Lemon, Permanent Rose, Ivory Black, Titanium White
Painted on location at Olana in Hudson, New York.

8x10 and smaller, Fall, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River School, Landscape, Olana and Hudson NY, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | No Comments »

8×10″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard
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At the workshop today, Kenn spoke about hard and soft edges and did a beautiful painting demonstrating the topic. Then it was our turn to try our hand. It was freezing cold outside and raining on and off. Sometimes on those overcast days, the skies can be grey and dreary, but today there was lots of variation and color in the sky as the rains came and went from west to east. I had my painting umbrella, so I fared better than most.

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

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

6×8″, Oils on sealed, primed hardboard
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Although I go to Boscobel several times every year in fall, I never get tired of painting Constitution Marsh as it turns from the greens of summer to the blazing colors of fall. The Hudson River was shimmering brightly this morning despite the clouds, as if the sun somehow sought out the river in spite of the overcast skies. It was another fabulous fall day to be out painting.

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

12×24″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on canvas covered hardboard
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This painting was done this morning at sunrise at Cold Spring waterfront park along the Hudson River. It was sooooo cold. Brrrrrr!!!! Storm King mountain was initially shrouded in fluffy pink clouds. It was an awesome sight, but the clouds had risen by the time I was set up to paint.

8x12 to 12x24, Cold Spring and Garrison, Fall, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Hudson River Paintings, Landscape, Sold, Sunrise/Sunset | No Comments »

1 3/4×2″ framed, Golden OPEN Acrylics on rag bristol, gold gift boxed
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FREE SHIPPING special on this piece for limited time only!

The Micro Master series of my “Jamie’s Jewels” paintings have been among my most popular sellers. Always a perfect gift item, they are sent out, fully framed, in little gold boxes with gold bows as shown below, complete with hanging hardware attached and a brass tack from which to hang your gem. (Quarter is for size reference only.)

This painting is a copy of the famous painting, Van Gogh’s Chair. The chair was a symbol of stability in his world of continual crisis. He painted this in December of 1888 through January 1889.

I love doing these tiny copies, as it makes me closely examine paintings that I so admire in terms of their composition, rendering style, and color harmonies.

8x10 and smaller, Miniature Paintings, Sold | No Comments »

12×16″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard
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This 12×16 oil painting was started on location, and finished up today in the studio. It highlights the strong oranges present in the landscape in fall. Nowhere is that more apparent than on the blazing orange-red fields at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation, where the brilliant tree in the foreground is lit up with additional rusty and orange tones.

8x12 to 12x24, Fall, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold, Ward Pound Ridge Reservation | No Comments »

12×12″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard
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The Catskill Mountain area has some of the most exquisite vistas in the Hudson River Valley. Roads that wind through woodlands suddenly open up to fields with tremendous, breathtaking blue mountains looming in the distance.

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

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

Click to enlarge:

24×18″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on canvas covered hardboard
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This large painting was done using my plein air study, “The Base of Kaaterskill Falls”, as a reference image, along with a photo I took at the scene. I did a value underpainting in Transparent Red Oxide before going in with local color. One of the things I love about the Golden OPEN paints is the way the underpainting shows through without mixing and muddying the color. I would have had to wait for my oil paints to dry before continuing in order to achieve some of the effects I got here with Golden OPEN.

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

16x20 and larger, Catskill Mountains, Fall, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Greene County, Hudson River School, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Sold, Waterfalls | 2 Comments »

11×15″, Pastel on LaCarte sanded pastel card
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This used to be my favorite tree along the lakeshore here. It had such an interesting shape, and the colors were beautifully vibrant as they changed with the seasons, leaving the intricate branchwork in winter. The entire left part of the tree came down in a storm last winter, and I miss it! It was one of my favorite painting subjects. Now the fullness of the leaves is gone, and the shape is not as inviting. This one was done from a photo taken before the tree’s mishap.

8x12 to 12x24, Brewster and North Salem, Fall, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Pastels, Peach Lake and Brook, Sold | No Comments »

6×6″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on Ampersand Gessoboard
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Above is the completed painting, and below is an image of the work in progress. I’d initially planned to put in foreground grasses, but after doing that, I felt the painting was more effective without them. So, I worked on it yet a third time, and took the foreground grasses out!

It’s interesting how much the color of light affects what we see. The image of the finished painting was taken with the corrected light of my photo box, but the progress image was taken in cool daylight. The actual colors in paintings vary according to the lighting conditions where we view them.

I did the underpainting for this work with a color I’d not tried before from the Golden OPEN line—Quinacridone Gold. I love the warm glow that it brings to the work. I could get hooked on this color!

This is painted from a photo I took down in Constitution Marsh on the Hudson River. It’s been in my file of things I want to paint for a long time! With fall on the way, it seemed the right moment to pull out this lively autumn scene.

I’m still using an expanded palette because the paint is still wet from yesterday, and I’ve even added a few colors to the large assortment I was working with. So far for this painting I’ve used:
Titanium White
Cadmium Yellow Primrose
Cadmium Yellow Medium
Naples Yellow
Cadmium Red Light
Pyrrole Red
Ultramarine Blue
Transparent Red Oxide
Quinacridone Gold
Carbon Black
Jenkins Green

8x10 and smaller, Acrylic paintings, Boats and Ships, Cold Spring and Garrison, Demos/Work in Progress, Fall, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Sold | 5 Comments »

5×7″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on Ampersand Gessoboard
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A few weeks ago, my husband and I drove to the other end of the lake to get western views of the sunset. We took loads of photos. This is my first painting from that series of images. I managed to stop myself a few times along the way to take some photos and post a demo.

I set up to paint with more colors on my palette than usual in order to get the more highly saturated sunset colors.

As you can see above, I used a more expanded palette for this painting than usual. My color choices were:
Titanium White
Cadmium Yellow Primrose
Cadmium Yellow Medium
Cadmium Orange
Cadmium Red Light
Pyrrole Red
Quinacridone Magenta
Ultramarine Blue
Jenkins Green
Phthalo Blue
Carbon Black

When I paint on a small board like this 5×7″ Gessoboard above, it’s hard to hold it and paint edge to edge. I use “blu tack” and affix it to an 8×10″ board. Then I can hold the larger board and be able to paint all the way to the edges without getting paint on my fingers, or I can set it down on a little tabletop easel.

My computer monitor yields stronger, more accurate color and chroma than a printed out photo, so I like to set up like this for small works and paint right off the computer screen. I use the old telephone book on the right to wipe my brushes before rinsing. It’s a great way to conserve paper towels and simultaneously recycle and old phone book. When the page gets filled with paint, I just tear it off, toss it, and go to the next page.

When a painting has areas of light, highly saturated color, I always put that down first. That holds the chroma, and then I can paint into it. It’s a lot easier to dull down strong color than it is to get this kind of brilliance on top of a grey or dark color. You can see how I reserved all the areas of strong color here:

Once the base colors and values have been laid down, I can start painting into them, creating variation, adding details, and adjusting edges. From the step above, it isn’t a long way to the finish line:

8x10 and smaller, Brewster and North Salem, Demos/Work in Progress, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Peach Lake and Brook, Sold, Sunrise/Sunset | 3 Comments »

Click to enlarge:

24×30″, oils on stretched canvas
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This painting was done over a period of several days on location from one of my favorite painting spots at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation in Cross River, NY. It is a view of an old farmhouse currently occupied by one of the preserve managers. The fields turn brilliant colors starting in late summer and continuing through the fall.

16x20 and larger, Fall, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold, Ward Pound Ridge Reservation | 7 Comments »

8×10″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on Canson board
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Sand Beach is one of the most beautiful spots in Acadia National Park, on Mount Desert Island, Maine. We settled in for a morning of bright sunlight and strong wind—too strong to use my beach umbrella for shade. The rocky slope and blue-green water were a challenge to paint of the very best kind! I set my painting chair in the sand and used my lightweight painting box to capture the scene.

8x10 and smaller, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Landscape, Maine, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | No Comments »

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6 x 6″, Oils on sealed, primed hardboard, unframed

Every summer, my husband and I go up to Acadia National Park in Maine. We spend at least one day strolling along the beautiful ocean path , enjoying the scenery and ocean breeze while chatting and taking pictures. This painting was done this morning from one of the photographs I took there. I used a couple of paintings that I’ve done on location there as color references, since pictures never tell the whole story.

My palette for this painting was:
Cadmium Lemon
Permanent Rose
Ultramarine Blue Deep
Viridian
Burnt Sienna
Titanium White

8x10 and smaller, Maine, Sold | No Comments »

6×8″, Oils on canvas covered hardboard, unframed
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Acadia National Park in Maine is by far my favorite vacation spot. This was painted from a photo I took during one of my annual excursions there. I never get tired of visiting Acadia, and I never get tired of painting it either!

8x10 and smaller, Landscape, Maine, Sold | 2 Comments »

8×10, oils on canvas
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Painted en plein air on Mt. Desert Island, Maine.

8x10 and smaller, Landscape, Maine, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | No Comments »

5×7″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on clear-sized Old Holland linen
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One of the summers I was in Maine, I looked all over Little Cranberry Island for the perfect scene to paint. I finally came upon these wonderful boathouses, set in fields of Queen Anne’s Lace, just before the boat was to leave and I had to head back to Mt. Desert Island. It was too late at that point to pull out my paints and capture them en plein air, but at least I was able to get some nice photos to work from. Painting this scene brings back wonderful memories of my time there.

This linen is wonderful to paint on. I sealed it clear, and leave some of it exposed beneath the paint surface. The texture and color make me not want to paint on anything else!

My palette for this painting:
Titanium White
Titan Buff
Naples Yellow Hue
Cadmium Yellow Primrose
Pyrrole Red
Ultramarine Blue
Transparent Red Oxide

8x10 and smaller, Boats and Ships, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Landscape, Maine, Sold | No Comments »

8×10″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on sized, “Pearl” Canson board
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Many Hudson River School painters, including Thomas Cole and Jasper Cropsey, painted from this spot high above North South Lake. I can see why they derived so much inspiration from this location.

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

8x10 and smaller, Catskill Mountains, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Greene County, Hudson River School, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Painting/Pochade Box, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | 1 Comment »

5×7″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on sealed, primed hardboard
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Today is one of those unbearably hot and humid summer days, so I set out early for Boscobel Restoration in Garrison to beat the heat, and did just one small painting. The Hudson was shrouded in more than its usual share of haze with the high humidity. I found Golden’s Titan Buff color to be the perfect palette addition to capture that atmosphere. I painted the entire panel that color, then painted into it with my other colors. I love the effect it gave!

8x10 and smaller, Cold Spring and Garrison, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River School, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Sold | 1 Comment »

1.75×2″ including frame, Acrylics on 4-ply 100% rag bristol
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This tiny Monet copy of his famous painting, Poppy Field Near Argenteuil, is set with a Coke can for size reference! These little ones can sometimes take longer than a much larger painting, and this one definitely fell into that category. I’ve painted this Monet scene before; it’s one of my favorite Monet paintings, and looks fabulous in this diminutive form! Here’s a picture of the painting alone, about actual size. Unfortunately, my camera doesn’t photograph these tiny paintings very well:

Here’s a slightly larger version too. I had to use a magnifying glass while painting to get some of the details in on the figures and the house!

The beautiful gold frame is actually a dollhouse frame. I cut the board to fit the frame, and then did the painting to size. It will be sealed and varnished, and will look just like a tiny oil painting in a frame. These miniatures can be purchased with a pin back so you can wear your art, or a gold thread for hanging from a brass tack, or a miniature easel to stand on a table. I ship them in gold gift boxes (as shown in the first image). They are often done on a commission basis, and you may commission any painting that no longer falls under copyright protection, or I can do an original for you.

8x10 and smaller, Landscape, Miniature Paintings, Sold | 2 Comments »

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

The other day, I stayed at Olana until sunset to paint the Hudson River overview from the top of the hill. The river has a very distinctive shape from here. You can always spot a painting of the Hudson done from Frederic Church’s home.

8x10 and smaller, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River School, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Olana and Hudson NY, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold, Sunrise/Sunset | 2 Comments »

6×6″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on sealed, primed hardboard
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A month or so ago, I went to Poet’s Walk along the Hudson River near Rhinebeck. I did a couple of watercolor sketches and took some photos as reference images. It was raining out today, so I pulled out one of those photos and painted this little color study. You have to hike about a mile along the dirt path to arrive at the Hudson River with this magnificent view of the Catskills.

8x10 and smaller, Catskill Mountains, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Sold | 1 Comment »

Double matted as shown to 5×7″ to fit any standard 5×7 frame
Golden OPEN Acrylics on Rag Bristol Board
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When our family went to Lake George last summer, we took a sunset cruise on the lake. Little did we know that we’d not only be treated to a spectacular sunset, but also to a full moon rising above the distant mountains. I painted this one from a photo that I took on the boat.

8x10 and smaller, Adirondacks, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Lakes and Streams, Landscape, Sold, Sunrise/Sunset | 2 Comments »

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

This is a work-in-progress image of my second painting from Nyack. I had to move my spot when the tide started coming in and lapping at the feet of my Soltek easel! I took the photo before I changed painting spots, then worked on the painting a little more and signed it. I forgot to take another picture when it was completed, and now it’s sold!

Like the first one, the colors are a bit off due to being photographed outside with all that blue reflected light. Memorial Park in Nyack was a great spot to paint. I’m sure I’ll return there someday to do some more.

8x10 and smaller, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Hudson River Paintings, Landscape, Nyack Area, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | 1 Comment »

5×7″, Gouache on Fabriano Artistico hp watercolor paper
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

I was back up painting at the castle today. Since I did so many paintings of the Hudson River overview from up there last week, I decided to do a smaller view of part of the castle today. You can see the river peeking from below in the background. It was a beautiful day, but very cold up there on top of the world! The castle blocked the wind and I was sitting in the sun, soaking up the warmth.

8x10 and smaller, Hudson River Paintings, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | 1 Comment »

8×10″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on Saunders Waterford 300lb cp
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

This is an afternoon scene painted on location from The Castle in Garrison, overlooking the Hudson River and the sharp curves around West Point. What a location! Breakneck Ridge was occasionally thrown into deep shadow by clouds overhead. I thought it very dramatic! The light is quite different from the morning view that I posted yesterday.

8x10 and smaller, Bannerman Island, Cold Spring and Garrison, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River Valley, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | No Comments »

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

I went back up to the castle today and finished this one finally! You can see the work in progress and a photo of the scene I was painting on this thread.

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

SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.
I was able to get permission to paint at the old Garrison Castle today. I stood out on an upper floor balcony, with a straight shot above West Point, upriver, through the Hudson Highlands and beyond. You can even see Bannerman Island next to Breakneck Ridge from here. The river does a complete, tight “S” curve at this point between West Point and Constitution Island. It must be quite the navigational nightmare for a large ship. It is a staggeringly beautiful view.

It started out as a sunny day, but quickly changed over to cloudy, and then the rain showers moved in. (The photo above, painted toward the end of my session, was clearly after the light had changed!) This is a very complex scene, with layers of hills and mountains extending all the way through the Highlands, to the cliffs of the Shawangunks, and even to the Catskill Mountains beyond the Gunks. Plus, all those buildings at West Point! The shifting weather made a tough scene even harder. I had to pack it in before I could finish. There’s not too much left to do on this; I’ll either finish it from a photo I took, or else try to get permission to return.

Here it is in its current unfinished state. It’s 12×16″, oils on canvas covered hardboard. I’ll post it again when it’s finished.

8x12 to 12x24, Bannerman Island, Cold Spring and Garrison, Demos/Work in Progress, Hudson River Paintings, Hudson River School, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | 4 Comments »

5×7″, Golden OPEN Acrylics on Fabriano Artistico rag watercolor paper
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

This painting was started en plein air in Cold Spring, New York. There was a lot of construction noise from the site next to this one, so I ended up leaving the location and finished this in the studio from a photo. It was about 80% completed on location. I love this spot in the Hudson Highlands, with the purple mountains looming over the river.

8x10 and smaller, Boats and Ships, Cold Spring and Garrison, Golden OPEN Acrylic Paintings, Hudson River Paintings, Landscape, Plein Air--painted on location, Sold | 2 Comments »

16 x 20″, Oils on Canvas covered hardboard
SOLD! Please email me at JamieWG@aol.com to inquire about a similar painting.

This is a painting I did on location in springtime at Boscobel Restoration, enjoying the beautiful cherry blossoms along the path above the Hudson River. The painting is varnished, framed, and ready to hang on your wall!

16x20 and larger, Cold Spring and Garrison, Flowers, Gardens and Flowering Trees, Hudson River Paintings, Landscape, Sold | 1 Comment »