Mountain Goats at Night

Hello Everyone,

I have always been intrigued by nocturnal paintings, especially the western nocturnal paintings of artists like Frank Tenney Johnson. However, nocturnal wildlife paintings seem to be rare, and I have never seen a nocturnal painting showing mountain goats.

These two paintings show mountain goats traveling through extreme alpine country on a starlit night. While mountain goats do roam at night, hardly anyone gets to witness this. These two paintings give us a glimpse into a rarely seen world.

Midnight Descent

oil on linen panel, 14x11

$1,200, framed.

Night Travelers

oil on linen, 18x24

$3,000, framed.

See more at www.JasonTako.com

Reaching Great Heights

Hello Everyone,

Below is the largest painting I have done to date, and one that I am very happy with, both because of the way it turned out and because of the experience it invokes.

Lake of Glass was my the primary destination in Rocky Mountain National Park. I trained all summer, and once in Colorado I packed my gear and hiked for over 4 miles, with an elevation gain of over 1,500 feet, until I reached Timberline Falls. At this point, one must climb almost completely vertical wet rocks for about 30 feet and then climb another 70 feet at slightly less of an incline to reach the lake. It may not sound that bad until you consider that I had over 30 lbs of painting equipment on my back. After some hesitation, I emptied my pack of all immediate non-essentials, hid them under a bush, and made the climb.

When I arrived at the top of the falls, I walked onto the shore of a beautiful emerald-colored lake lined with rocks and boulders, surrounded by a wall of mountain peaks. It was one of the most beautiful places I had ever been. Looking behind me, I could see how high I had climbed which this produced in me a paradoxical feeling of fear and exhilaration. The wind was incredibly strong but the skies were almost perfectly clear. One thing I enjoy about the mountain peaks is hearing the wind as it blows through the tops of the peaks. After some looking around, I set up and created two field studies, the second of which resulted in this painting.

Ascension-Lake of Glass shows the height and grandeur of the mountain peaks as they tower over the lake. The detail and clarity of the foreground rocks, contrasted by the cooler tones of the peaks emphasizes the feeling height, as well as the large size of the painting. Up close the painting is composed of many bold and thick strokes of color which meld into a realistic image as you view the painting from a distance. This painting is unique given its vertical format and the emphasis on the peak. If you love the west; if you love mountains and have a large wall space, this painting is for you.

Ascension-Lake of Glass

Oil on linen, 48x36

$15,000, framed.

Contact Jason@JasonTako.com to inquire.

Jason working on Ascension

The final painting.

See more at www.JasonTako.com

New Painting!

Hello Everyone,

I have been busy these last few months working on paintings from my September trip to Colorado. One of the places I painted was in Mt. Evans, in central Colorado. Mountain goats can be found at the top of this mountain. When I arrived there I set up my easel to plein air paint, despite the fact that the winds were incredibly strong. Mountain goats have no problem with this, but painting in strong wind always gives me a feeling of urgency and even slight anxiety. However, I was able to get a quick sketch of one goat that was bedded down for a time. This sketch proved invaluable for capturing the colors and glow that the camera missed.

This new painting, "Mountain Glow" depicts a trio of mountain goats bathed in afternoon light. The tundra grasses display a slight autumn color, yet the goats still maintain some of their previous winter coat which will soon be replaced by their new winter coat. The dark shadow side of the more distant mountain side emphasizes the glow on the coats of these beautiful and rugged creatures.

Mountain Glow

Oil on Belgian Linen, 18x36

$6,000, custom distressed wood frame with gold liner.

Contact Jason@JasonTako.com to inquire.

April Workshop

Hello Everyone,

I will be teaching three workshops this year. The first one will be a five-day plein air painting workshop, April 18-22 in Cary, North Carolina. See full description below...

This workshop will focus on learning and developing the techniques and philosophy of plein air painting. Plein air painting is the best way to not only gather accurate colors and values in a landscape, but it is the primary way to grow as a landscape painter. However, as they say, "It ain't easy." How to paint fast? How much detail do you need? How to determine colors and values? How do you deal with constantly changing light, wind, rain, bugs, etc.? These questions will be answered and the answers demonstrated. This will be more than just the typical demo then pat the student on the back workshops that are so prevalent these days. I am always very generous with information that will help the artist grow.

The cost is $550 per artist, and artists can register by contacting the Cary Arts Center at 919-469-4069. My last workshop in Cary sold out and there was a waiting list. Spots are already filling up, so this workshop will most likely sell-out quickly. See more information on my upcoming workshops at www.JasonTako.com/Workshops.html

"Well balanced between lecture, demonstration and individual guidance. A Five-Star experience!" -Margie Rodman, Cary, NC.

"The workshop was fantastic!I cannot think of a concept he did not cover in-depth. My sense of color mixing has vastly improved. I feel I have grown tremendously as an artist in just one week." -Bettina Lewicki, Cary, NC

Preserving the Past

Hello Everyone,

I hope you had a blessed Christmas and a wonderful start to the New Year! For many of us, the new year marks not only a new beginning, but also the passage of time. And we may ponder different memories of these times now past. For me, certain locations can represent a feeling of nostalgia and tell a story about the past. When I paint certain locations I will sometimes think about the stories that might have occurred there. Old barns definitely fit into this category. Who built the barn? What kind of animals where kept there? Did children play in there? Where barns dances ever held there? Sometimes I will meet the owner of the barn and hear these stories. Sometimes the barns are lovingly cared for, other times they are abandoned and left to fall apart. In some cases I wonder if the owner will tear the barn down so they don't have the liability of kids getting hurt while playing in a dilapidated barn under their ownership. In any case the stories are there and when I paint I like to think that in a certain way I'm preserving these untold stories.

The barn in this painting no longer exists. I painted it from a small field study and not long afterwards it was torn down, only to leave an empty lot. I don't know if this area will be developed or if the field will be left empty, but in any case I know that barn had some stories attached to it. For me, painting is a way of preserving these stories, and preserving a part of American history. Someday most barns like this will be gone, but I hope painting them will keep them alive for many generations.

Tree Shadows

Oil on linen, 24x36

$6,000 framed.

Contact Highlands Art Gallery at 908-766-2720 to inquire.

Looking back and ahead

Hello Everyone,

2015 is almost over. At this time a lot of people like to look back on the past year and recount the events and decisions that were made while they look forward to the New Year. My faith teaches that this is a time to be thankful for what we have been given while we look forward to a New Year.

I want to take this time to thank all of you. Some of you are collectors, some are artists, some are followers of my work. You help make my work and career possible and more meaningful. And I thank you for that.

Blue Barn and Hay Bales
12x24 (Sold)

2015 has given me many blessings. Among them have been awards at plein air events, featured exhibits, having the honor to teach sold-out workshops, an incredible painting trip to Colorado (you can't beat having a massive bull elk run right past you only to clash antlers with another bull less than 100 feet away), and an increase in sales of my work from previous years.

The Overlord
18x36

I'm currently working on a new group of paintings for 2016. Most of these are from my trips out west these last two years, and I'm really pleased with the results. I'll be posting them sometime in the near future.

I will be teaching two workshops in Cary, North Carolina this coming year. The first one will be a plein air painting workshop in April; the later, in August, will focus on studio painting. More details will follow, but if you are interested please let me know. Last years workshop sold out, and given the very positive feedback and excitement of the students, I expect these workshops to sell out quickly.

I have also been asked to be the featured instructor in the Paint Along with Great Artists-Montana painting trip this coming September. Artists spend their days painting the surrounding area. In the evening everyone meets together and the featured instructor gives instruction and critique in a relaxed setting. This will be a fun, relaxing and informative event for any artist who desires to paint the beauty of Montana and grow as an artist at the same time. Contact Joanna at animldoc@comcast.net to inquire about more details or to sign up.

Duckweed and Breeze
24x18

My next exhibition will be at the Southeastern Wildlife Expo (SEWE) in Charleston, SC this coming February. This last SEWE was my best show ever with my 12 Days of SEWE Christmas exhibit selling out before the show even opened.

I will also be having a solo exhibition at the Pennsylvania Arts Experience Gallery in York, PA this coming May. More details will follow.

I wish everyone a Happy 2016 and I hope to see you at an upcoming event.

Sincerely,

Jason Tako
www.JasonTako.com

Merry Christmas!

Hello Everyone,

I want to wish all my collectors and followers of my work a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I'm working on some new paintings based on the reference material I got on my trip to Colorado. I will be posting these sometime in the new year. In the meantime enjoy the paintings below, which express my longing for a white Christmas.

Country Snow

Oil on linen, 18x24

$3,000, contact Highlands Art Gallery at 908-766-2720 to inquire

Ozark Mountain Barn

Oil on linen, 12x24

$2,500, contact Highlands Art Gallery at 908-766-2720 to inquire

Soft & Silent

Oil on linen, 18x24

$3,000, contact Art & Soul Gallery at 717-761-1270 to inquire.

See more at www.JasonTako.com