John Hudson, of Keene Valley, paints. (Provided photo — Martha Allen)

KEENE VALLEY — John Hudson, 69, said that growing up in the town of Keene, he didn’t know he was an artist. He liked to doodle, but he didn’t consider his drawing and sketching a serious occupation; in that time and place, artistic pretensions were for girls.

Other boys in Hudson’s class at Keene Central School would have made fun of him had he ventured to develop his talent, he believed. So it wasn’t until he was in his early 30s that he learned he was an artist, and the discovery came as a revelation.

Born in Massachusetts, Hudson was 4 years old when his family moved to the town of Keene. His aunt and uncle owned land in Keene Valley, where Hudson now lives and has his studio and art tent.

When lightning struck, “I was 33 or 34, doing form work, the dirtiest construction work there is,” he said.

Around this time, his aunt and uncle were enthusiastic students of Bob Ross, a popular television painting instructor. During a visit to their home, they introduced him to Ross’s techniques.

Artist John Hudson stands by a sign at his roadside art gallery in Keene Valley. (Provided photo — Martha Allen)

That was it. Brush in hand, putting paint to canvas, Hudson immediately realized this was what he was meant to do.

“I knew I could create my own world as a painter. But it wasn’t that I wanted to paint like Bob Ross,” he said.

Hudson intended to learn to paint in a different style, more realistic than Ross’s. Inspired, he went right out and bought art supplies and books. From that day forward, he has been a committed student of painting, entirely self-taught. Depth of field, perspective, use of color — most of what he knows he has gleaned from books. Although he has also learned from talking with other artists along the way, Hudson has always followed his own path.

“Kids should explore and feel free,” he said. “Ignore criticism, because you’re going to get it. You need to learn the rules, and then you can break them.”

A childhood spent hiking, fishing and camping in the Adirondack Mountains has had a profound effect on his work. Most of his paintings are plein air. They begin on an easel.

“I start out painting the subject on location, as I see it in front of me, and then I end up painting more of what I feel about the subject,” he said.

Hudson may use photography and digital imaging on a computer screen as he continues to work on a painting.

“I don’t like to limit myself to one medium. I mostly do oils, but I also do watercolor and pastels,” he said.

Hudson recalled how his art supplies and his early paintings were ruined in 2011 when Tropical Storm Irene hit Keene, destroying his trailer. The oldest work he now owns was painted 30 years ago.

“Another medium is the iPad!” he said, laughing and showing how he can draw and create “paintings” directly on the screen.

Now working primarily as an artist, adept in photography, printing and picture framing, Hudson also worked in construction as well as art for about five decades. After Katrina, a category 5 hurricane, struck Louisiana in 2005, he and his partner, Jane Martin, joined Federal Emergency Management Agency, traveling to the nation’s South to help storm victims.

In 2010, he opened the Hudson Art Center, an art gallery and custom frame shop on state Route 9N.

This summer, six days a week, Hudson can be found at a seasonal outdoor art gallery on Holt Road in Keene Valley. Inside the big white tent are hung a wide variety of oil paintings and giclee fine art prints that Hudson produces from his originals on Epson and Canon printers, using archival ink and paper. He sells magnets with miniature prints of paintings, and will accept limited painting commissions.

“I do all my packaging, all my own everything,” Hudson said. “I don’t farm anything out.”

Paintings and prints are mostly Adirondack landscapes, although sometimes other subjects take his fancy. Some depict the Ausable Club and scenes from the Upper Lake. He’s had critics who objected to seeing people and animals represented in the paintings, he says, and shrugs. Everyone is different.

The tent’s frame is stable, securely fastened to the ground. It is separate from the tent. The tent itself is waterproof and windproof, ruling out hurricanes and tropical storms, and it zips up at night.

The outdoor art gallery at 9 Holt Road, where it meets state Route 73, is open daily, except Saturday.