“Rooster Rock” was the second plein air version painted from this location.The enjoyment was in the tranquility of the area. In the two hour period it took to execute this 12” x 16” panel, only two fisherman disturbed the silence as they put their boat into the water at the nearby boat ramp.
As is usually my custom, the highlights in the painting were applied back in the studio when the painting was tacky dry (I am not a plein air purist). All in all, it was a very enjoyable day as the weather and early midday sun cooperated with the effort of the artist.

“Way to Ardara” is another painting based on my “03” trip to Ireland. It was one of those days where the “greens” were of multiple hues and values, overcast but still bright. I stopped my rental car along the edge of the narrow road and took a number of bracketed reference shots to bring back home with me. The good thing about high resolution digitals over paper photo reference shots is that they look almost as good on the backlit computer screen as in reality, but not quite as exciting. This is a small 8” x 10” painting on canvas board. Giclee prints are still available by going to www.FineArtAmerica.com  or clicking on this link.
http://fineartamerica.com/featured/way-to-ardara-ireland-jim-gola.html

The main objective in this exercise was the challenge of painting the textures and shapes of everyday objects. Scroll down to see the other two versions of “Daily Bread”. Prints are available of all three of these paintings prepared using Giclee archive inks on paper or canvas. Go to my print website, http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/jim-gola.html
Scroll to the appropriate thumbnail to enlarge. Matting and framing is also available from Fine Art America. Thanks for looking.

“Daily Bread” number one of a three part series utilizing basically the same articles in the set-up.

The main objective in this exercise was the challenge of painting the textures and shapes of everyday objects. Scroll down to see the otherversion of “Daily Bread”. Prints are available of all three of these paintings prepared using Giclee archive inks on paper or canvas. Go to my print website, http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/jim-gola.html Scroll to the appropriate thumbnail to enlarge. Matting and framing is also available from Fine Art America.
Thanks for looking.

“Daily Bread” one of a three part series utilizing basically the same articles in the set-up.

The main objective in this exercise was the challenge of painting the textures and shapes of everyday objects.
Prints are available of all three of these paintings prepared using Giclee archive inks on paper or canvas.
Go to my print website, http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/jim-gola.html Scroll to the appropriate thumbnail to enlarge. Matting and framing is also available from Fine Art America.
Thanks for looking.

“Hills of Jackson” was a scene I returned to several times. The starkness of the adjacent hills near the wooded lake area really was a contrast. This day was cloudy and overcast and the light breaking through to the nearby rocky hill captured my interest. Although the lake was teeming with swans and ducks this day, I felt like avoiding any detail that would detract from the light effect of the moment.

 Fresh Air” is one of a series of still life paintings I have been working on during the last several months along with a few new unposted landscapes.  The old pipe in the painting was given to me by my wife. She saw it in an antique store and thought I could add it to my still props. I actually did hang the pipe over the “Fresh Air” paper you see in the picture. It hung there unnoticed for about two years. One day recently, I spun around in my chair and finally noticing the pipe for the first time as a  piece of art, I was off and running doing some still life painting again. I have painted another four still life paintings since Fresh Air. I will post some of them shortly.

This and other still life paintings can be seen on Fine Art America at: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/jim-gola.html?tab=artwork

During my beginning experiences with Plein-Air painting, I was naive to think I could handle a larger format painting in a limited amount of time. This one was started on an18″ X24″ stretched canvas. Needless to say I was not able to finish it in the window of light I had available to me.
The outdoor work proceeded back at my studio as an indoor work. Still, I was pleased with the finished result.
The motivation behind this view lay in the small crevasse centered between the trees in the background across the lake.
I wanted to create a bit of mystery as to what was behind the small dark passage way between these trees. As it turned out, the trees themselves became the dominant part of the image.

For colored Giclee prints of this painting, go to:

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/nature-walk-jim-gola.html

“Sailor’s Delight” This painting is part of my “painting a day” series in which I produced 30 paintings during the month of August, 2007. The exercises were designed to allow me to think in terms of a limited palette while executing the paintings with a loose abandon, the end result being more spontaneity in the series. You may order prints of this painting in various sizes by going to Fine Art America at:
http://fineartamerica.com/featured/sailors-delight-jim-gola.html

Painted directly from a reference digital while visiting the Grand Tetons.
A 12” x 16” Oil on board. Mountain scenes are not particularly one of my specialties. This view was one that a painter like Richard Schmid could complete with just a few strokes of his brush and make it extremely convincing. It was a good exercise for me. I felt what the painting lacked in being realistically convincing could still be fun experimenting with color. Realizing there are different strokes for different folks, a print is still available form Fine Art America.

If interested, you may visit there by clicking on the link below.

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/daddy-teton-jim-gola.html