Jacob Collins talks about his Eastholm Project

The Hen Islands from Eastholm, 2008
Oil on canvas, 50 x 120 inches

One of the most educational lectures we've had so far has been this presentation by Jacob Collins about his Eastholm Project. He showed us all the studies he did to prepare for the studio painting and he talked about the different questions he encountered along the way. For instance, when you do a small plein air painting, a smooshy brush stroke can describe the water in a beautiful way. But when you take that study back to the studio and try to recreate the scene on a 7 foot wide canvas, you have a lot more space to fill and need more specific information to describe the water. At the heart of this approach is an insatiable curiosity about the world around us and a desire to understand not just the way things look, but the way they are. Jacob talked about looking up topographical maps to understand the distances between land masses; studying the movement of water and how light reacts on water forms; different cloud patterns and why they form; and learning about the geology of the area to understand why the rocks all tilt at a certain angle. All the studies from this project can be viewed online at the Hirschl & Adler website.


Cloud Study II, 2007
Oil on panel, 3 1/4 x 12 inches


Ocean Waves with Storm Clouds, 2007
Oil on canvas, 9 x 12 inches


Field Study, Foggy View from the Ice House, 2007
Oil on panel, 6 x 8 inches


Maple Leaf, 2007
Oil on panel, 5 x 7 inches


Hen Islands, 2007
Graphite on paper, 8 x 13 1/2 inches

"There can be no dissent from the maxim, that a knowledge of integral parts is essential for the construction of a whole - that the alphabet must be understood before learning to spell, and the meaning of words before being able to read" --From Asher B. Durand's 1855 Letters on Landscape Painting

Kevin Avery talks about the historical context of the Hudson River School

On July 24th Kevin Avery from the department of American Paintings and Sculpture at the Metropolitan Museum of Art came to give us a lecture about the Hudson River School Painters. His talk focused on a few major artists and the historical context of their work, as well as the influences behind their ideas. He described how the industrial revolution created a nostalgia for wilderness while at the same time allowing American tourism to take off.

Asher B. Durand drew a lot of his inspiration from the writings of critic John Ruskin and poet William Cullen Bryant who believed in careful observation of nature.


Sketch from Nature (13 13/16 x 9 7/8 in.) ca. 1855 by Asher B. Durand
Graphite on gray-green wove paper (more views of this drawing here)


Interior of a Wood, by Asher B Durand

"Let [the artist] scrupulously accept whatever [nature] presents him until he shall, in a degree, have become intimate with her infinity...never let him profane her sacredness by a willful departure from truth." -- from Asher B. Durand's Letters on Landscape Painting


In the Woods, (60 3/4 x 48 in.) painted by Asher B. Durand in 1855
More detailed views of this painting on the Met Museum website here.


The Heart of the Andes (66 1/8 x 119 1/4 in) painted by Frederic Edwin Church in 1859. More close up views of this painting on the Met Museum website here.

This painting by Frederic Church was inspired by the writings of the naturalist Alexander Von Humboldt. The painting is meant to describe all the layers of the ecosystem, from jungle to arctic mountain top.


Kevin Avery curated the 2004 show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Hudson River School Visions, the landscapes of Sanford R Gifford. The book is a great resource if you are interested in this subject, check it out!

A lecture on painting the Oxbow by Thomas Locker

View from Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm—The Oxbow (51.5 x 76 in.) painted in 1836 by Thomas Cole

On July 23 local artist and legend Thomas Locker shared with us his experience painting large scale studio paintings in the spirit of the Hudson River School. Two of his most recent paintings were inspired by Thomas Cole's 1836 Oxbow. Locker visited the spot on Mount Holyoke to do sketches on site and study the scene from life. Once in the studio, he worked from memory, following Cole's belief that this approach would allow the essential characteristics of the scene to rise above the unnecessary details in the artist's mind.


Memory of the Oxbow (60 x 84 in.) painted by Thomas Locker in 2010


Remembered View from Mt. Holyoke (60 x 84 in) painted by Thomas Locker in 2010

Field Studies from the Fellowship

by Jacob Collins


by Jacob Collins


by Jacob Collins


by Jacob Collins


by Edward Minoff


by Edward Minoff


by Edward Minoff


by Lauren Sansaricq


by Lauren Sansaricq


by Lauren Sansaricq


by Steven Dolan


by Steven Dolan


by Steven Dolan


by Travis Schlaht


by Erik Koeppel


by Erik Koeppel


by Erik Koeppel


by Ken Salaz


by Ken Salaz


by Ken Salaz

Field Studies from the Fellowship

by Ken Salaz


by Thomas Kegler


by Thomas Kegler


by Thomas Kegler


by Thomas Kegler


by Thomas Kegler

Meanwhile, back in the city . . .

Join us next Wednesday when Graydon Parrish lectures on
Métier and Le Beau Ideal: the Method and Means of 19th Century Academic Art.

Date: Next Wednesday, July 28
Time: 5:30-6:30pm
Location: GCA Cast Hall

Please RSVP to grandcentralacademy@gmail.com

*Graydon Parrish is at GCA teaching a 3-week workshop on Intermediate to Advanced Color Theory.

Photos from the Fellowship

Jacob Collins painting at Platte Clove


Travis Schlaht, Edward Minoff, & Emilie Lee painting at the old Catskill Mtn. House site.


some impressive cumulus clouds


Steven Dolan doesn't mess around with his painting set-up. The table goes everywhere.


Palden Hamilton & Steven Dolan playing some tunes at Cesar Santos' birthday party


Happy birthday Cesar! hope you win big


at one of our evening gatherings where we share the work we've been doing


Edward Minoff toughing it out on a bad weather day


Palden Hamilton staying warm in the rain


Michael Klein joined us for two days of painting and filming for his American Painting Video Magazine.


Iris Schnitter, Annie Youngers, and Thomas Kegler painting in Platte Clove. On this day Michael Klein filmed a demo by Thomas Kegler for American Painting Video Magazine, which should be really fun to watch!


Jacob Collins, Edward Minoff, and Michael Klein in the clove


Cesar Santos in Platte Clove


one of the great houses we are staying in, thanks to the Catskill Mtn. Foundation


Michael Klein filming Edward Minoff painting at Sunset Rock. Stay tuned to American Painting Video Magazine to see some of the footage that Michael got up here!


Nick Alm painting at Sunset Rock


Me getting psyched about the encouraging trail side signage


Annie Youngers painting at Artist's Rock


A stormy morning looking over the Hudson River Valley


Palden Hamilton hanging out with a deer

Eric March painting through the rain