Cortes Study, 5x7

"Pastoral Scene after Cortes", 5x7 after Eduard Leon Cortes

From Wikipedia: Édouard Leon Cortès (1882–1969) was a French post-impressionist artist of French and Spanish ancestry. He is known as "Le Poete Parisien de la Peinture" or "the Parisian Poet of Painting" because of his diverse Paris cityscapes in a variety of weather and night settings.

I discovered Cortes a few months ago through a post on Facebook, and fell in love with his country landscapes. Although he is predominately known for his cityscapes of Paris, it was those rustic country scenes that really charmed me. I know a lot of artists who copy the Old Masters in order to learn from them. I haven't done much of this, but yesterday I decided to try my hand at doing a little copy of one of Cortes's country scenes. I learned a lot from this study and will certainly do more of these practical little studies in the future.

Here is the image of the painting that I saw on Facebook. Unfortunately, I don't know the title.

Untitled- Eduard Leon Cortes

"Purple Haze", 10x8, oil on panel, paintings of baots, sailboats, colorful boats, riviera boats, purple

"Purple Haze", 10x8, oil on panel

I made a conscious effort to make sure that the drawing on this painting was correct. After watching Calvin Liang's demo last week, it re-enforced to me the neccesity of good drawing skills in order to have a successful painting. So I took my time with this painting and carefully sketched out the compostion in a sketch book. That actually gave me a lot of confidence because there's a lot of perspective and foreshortening going on in this scene.

Then I did exactly what Calvin did, I sketched the whole composition out again on my panel with soft charcoal before beginning the painting. I do think the painting would have been much less successful if I had not taken these initial steps. I also tried my best to soften edges, as I saw him do. I was happy with the result and the photo does not do justice to the painting.

If you read this blog, please drop me a comment about what you think my painting style is predominantly- realism, expressionism or impressionism. I am just curious what you think so please let me hear from you!

"Sleepyheads with fruit", 12x24, oil on hardwood by Maryanne Jacobsen

SOLD

"Sleepyheads with fruit", 12x24, oil on hardwood by Maryanne Jacobsen

Note: Please click on the photo for a better view of the brush strokes and impasto

Sometimes all it takes to awaken my creative juices is a bouquet of sunflowers in the supermarket. I lucked out today when I spied an unexpected display of fresh sunflowers in the local market, while shopping for lunch.

I took them home and decided that they would look perfect painted in a long format, which I just happened to luckily have on hand. I rummaged through the fridge, found some fresh fruit, and went to town.

When I took the flowers out of their wrapping and placed them in the vase, their little heads were drooping and they looked like they were nodding off. Hence the title!I do love sunflowers. They always make me feel happy, even when their heads are bowed.

SOLD through Gallerie Unique, Ft. Myers, Florida.

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Purple Meets Orange". 16x12, oil on linen, orange, tangerine, purple vase, grapevine, grapes, still life, Maryanne Jacobsen art

SOLD

Purple Meets Orange". 16x12, oil on linen

I think this is one of my all-time favorite still lifes that I have yet painted. I loved the way the tangerine looked against the purple vase and how fluid the grape leaves came out. This painting won a People's Choice award and just sold through Gallerie Unique.

In other news, the opening gala of The Light Chasers Exhibit was a grand success. At least 500 people attended the gala on Friday night and every single painting in the show was a winner! I was proud to be part of such a talented group of plein air painters!

On Friday morning, I drove to Naples and had the opportunity to watch Calvin Liang do a wonderful demo at The Naples Pier. I had a few questions as did the other people in the workshop and Calvin was helpful in answering our questions. He stressed the four basics for a successful painting over and over again: form, color, values and edgework. He also stressed the importance of excellent drawing skill and he took a good deal of time to map out his composition with charcoal before actually starting to paint. Calvin is one of my all-time favorite artists and to watch him work was a thrill for me. It was an extremely hot and humid day, but it was worth standing on the beach to see this master at work!

"The Owl and the Pussycat", 8x8, original oil on museum -quality gessoboard-nursery rhymes, paintings of owls, pussycats, moon, love songs, nocturne

SOLD S"The Owl and the Pussycat", 8x8, original oil on museum -quality gessoboard


Don't ask me what possessed me to paint this today. Other than the fact that I had runcible spoons on my brain, I have been thinking that I have been way too serious about my paintings recently and needed a little break from the world of serious.

So today I decided to delve into a place of whimsy, fantasy and memories of childhood nursery rhymes in order to create a new painting.

"The Owl and The Pussycat" was an all time favorite nursery rhyme of mine growing up, and I must say that I was duly appalled when I found out on a recent walk with my hubby that he had never heard of it. I was reciting the poem to him as we walked and he thought it was just plain funny.

"Funny?" I said. "I beg your pardon! I think it's a first rate love song!" I shrieked.

"Beg your pardon", he said quite humbled by my seriousness.

Although I always thought it was a bit suggestive for a kid's nursery rhyme, I'll always love it anyway.

Now wouldn't you just love to dine on mince and slices of quince and eat from a runcible spoon? I'd be happy just to dance by the light of the moon! (Not to mention those bong trees!)

If you are unfamiliar with this delightful little piece of prose, by Edward Lear, here goes:

The owl and the pussycat went to sea
In a beautiful peagreen boat
They took some honey and plenty of money
Wrapped up in a five-pound note.

The owl looked up to the stars above
And sang to a small guitar,
"O, lovely pussy, o pussy my love,
What a beautiful pussy you are, you are
What a beautiful pussy you are!"

Pussy said to the owl, "You elegant fowl,
How charmingly sweet you sing.
O, let us be married, too long we have tarried,
But what shall we do for a ring?"

They sailed away for a year and a day
To the land where the Bongtree grows.
And there in a wood a Piggywig stood
With a ring at the end of his nose,
His nose, his nose,
With a ring at the end of his nose.

"Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling
Your ring?" Said the Piggy, "I will."
So they took it away and were married next day
By the turkey who lives on the hill.

They dined on mince and slices of quince
Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
And hand in hand on the edge of the sand
They danced by the light of the moon,
The moon, the moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.

Postscript: a friend sent me this video today of a barn owl that looks a lot like my guy above. This video is just amazing- you've got to see this friendship between an owl and a pussycat!

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"Amazing Grace", 16x20, oil on linen, award winning paintings, Maryanne Jacobsen art, form and figure

"Amazing Grace", 16x20, oil on linen by Maryanne Jacobsen

This painting won a First Place ribbon on Saturday at The Englewood Art Center's Form and Figure Exhibit. It also won a Second place ribbon in January at The Venice Art Center's Portrait and Figurative exhibit!

The reception was lovely with a string quartet and poetry readings throughout. Many people came up to me afterwards and said they loved the painting. I went on to explain the reason for the title. Eirinn Abu came to church for a Christmas concert and he played "Amazing Grace" on his saxophone. It gave me chills when I heard it, and I loved the musician's gesture as he played. So I asked permission to paint him and he said "Yes!" If you would like to hear Eirinn play "Amazing Grace, here is a link to it.

I was beyond delighted to receive my third first place ribbon in less than a year's time!



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"Best Friends", 8x8, oil on panel, paintings of cats, black cats, tabby cats, impressionist cats

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"Best Friends", 8x8, oil on panel

I have had black cats as pets for the past 20 years and I've loved them and they are incredibly intelligent. I currently have two in the house, yet I've been afraid to try to paint them. Tonight I decided to give it a shot and "Best Friends" is the result.

I actually love the contrast of the black cat against the tabby- it's that push and pull of warm and cool, dark and light that somehow pulls it all together. I hope that you like it, too.

By the way, I saw CATS on Broadway three separate times, so one of these days I am going to sing "Memories" for you!

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Berry Pickin', 5x7, oil on panel, yellow, purple, berries, yellow bird, red berries

SOLD
"Berry Pickin' ", 5x7, oil on panel

A collector friend sent me a photo of this yellow bird with a red berry in its mouth. I have been wanting to paint it for a while now and finally had a chance to attempt it the other day. It took me two days to paint a 5x7! Needless to say, I really struggled with this one. I suppose it was the bird's angle on the branch that made it hard. I'm also trying to adjust to progressive lenses in my glasses. Every time I looked down at my palette the room would tilt on its side and I'd go to grab the palette because I thought it was rolling off the table. Because I am extremely near-sighted and far-sighted, I had thought these glasses would help my art, but now I am not so sure.

"Portland Head Light", 12x9, oil on canvas, palette knife, impressionism, Maryanne Jacobsen award-winning painting, impasto

SOLD

"Portland Head Light", 12x9, oil on canvas

This painting just came back to me after being in the Paint America Top 100 tour. I painted it well over a year ago and it has thick impasto throughout. If you are interested in purchasing this painting, please send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com.

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This beautiful light house off the coast of Portland , Maine has been immortalized on canvas, in photography, as well as in poetry for many centuries. It is truly a magnificent site to behold what with the beautiful lighthouse perched atop the rocky cliffs overlooking a wild Atlantic Ocean crashing frenetically at its feet.Historian Edward Rowe Snow wrote, "Portland Head and its light seem to symbolize the state of Maine -- rocky coast, breaking waves, sparkling water and clear, pure salt air."

The hundreds of thousands of people who visit Portland Head each year would agree; this is one of the most strikingly beautiful lighthouse locations in New England.

My hubby and I took at least a hundred pictures of this lighthouse. This one, with the foliage in the foreground, was the inspiration of today's painting.

I painted it with palette knife and tried to feel the motion of the waves as I attempted to interpret the scene on the canvas.

If you would like to read more about the lighthouse, please go here.

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"Gail's Old Florida Garden", 12x16, oil on canvas, plein air, Florida gardens, banana trees, Old Florida, Azaleas, Florida foilage, palms

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"Gail's Old Florida Garden", 12x16, oil on canvas, plein air, alla prima by Maryanne Jacobsen

Today I painted at a lovely private residence in Nokomis, Florida. It's not often you can find azaleas in this neck of the woods, but Gail's property has plenty of them, in every color and variety! The weather was beautiful and it was easy to paint for three hours in such a lovely setting.

I also finally got to meet Karen Hitt's studio assistant "Bonnie Blue", and a bonnie lass she certainly is!

Karen also introduced me to Wet-Case, and the Wet Canvas Carrying system and it definitely came in handy today with all the wet paint I was slinging around! Here is how beautifully neat and clean you can keep your car, even if you are an avid plein air painter that exudes paint the way most people exude air!

The thing that is really cool about the Wet Case carrying system is that it has two separate layers, so if you are painting all day, or at a paint-out, you have ample storage room for your wet canvases on the way home. The system comes with clamps that clamp right into the canvas, elevating it away from the sides of the box and keeping everything clean and neat! Here's Karen with her Wet-Case at her easel, as Bonnie Blue enjoys a pine cone snack.

To learn more about the Wet Case Carrying System, or to order your own online, here is the link: Wet Case Carrying System.

Karen caught this pic of me painting, and just in case you can't read the sign on the tree it says "Armadillo Crossing". Now wouldn't you just love to paint here?

"Spring Roses", 12x16", oil on canvas

"Spring Roses", 12x16", oil on canvas

Have you ever thought about the fact that it is impossible to make a rose open before its time? Roses are gorgeous , incredibly complex creatures. It is always a humbling experience to try to paint a rose and I can only marvel at God's greatness as I ponder the intricacies of His creations.

Please send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com if you are interested in purchasing this painting.

"Diagonal Trees, Myakka State Park", plein air, 12x12, oil on board

"Diagonal Trees, Myakka State Park", plein air, 12x12, oil on board

After feeling seriously under the weather for the past couple weeks, I am finally starting to feel better! That being said, I wasn't sure that I had the energy to drive to Myakka State Park today and brave the bugs and humidity in order to paint with the Sun Coast Light-Chasers.

In the end, I was glad that I did. It was a beautiful day and didn't start getting really hot until noon, when I left. The alligators were everywhere, and although I didn't see it myself, a friend said they had been jumping out of the water earlier in the morning to catch fish.... or something other than fish! Here is the view of the water from the first bridge after the park entrance:






If you look closely you can see at least three gators in the water. There was also one sunbathing on the shore. On the other side of the bridge were two huge gators hanging out together. I do believe it's mating season right now. Man those suckers were huge! These two were definitely enjoying each other's company...



There were plenty of beautiful birds in view, but way too many vultures for my taste. There were notes posted warning you not to park your car in the parking lot in the early morning, because the vultures eat rubber and love to chew on tires and windshield wipers!

BY now you are probably wondering why anyone in their right mind paints en plein air in Florida!

Anyhow, nature was calling after the long ride so even though I had set my sights on painting the water with the rest of the group, I went down to the end of the road, where there are facilities, a brand new cafe and the boat launch for the Myakka River nature tours. As luck would have it, I headed for the old rest rooms, only to find they had been closed after the new ones had been built. But these really cool bent threes caught my eye, and I said "bingo" right out loud. It's always kind of exciting when you find something that captures your eye, that you really, really want to paint.

If you think I am kidding when I say they are bent, check it out yourself:



Once again I had the Spanish moss to deal with, but I figure that one of these days, I'm gonna find Spanish moss as easy to paint, as well..... rocks. That's a pun, of course, since I struggle with rocks, too.

Anyhow, I lucked out and was able to stand in the shade to paint the entire time...


By the way, The Light Chasers of the Sun Coast are having their first plein air show in only two weeks! We are all very excited about it and there will be paintings from over 40 nationally known and local artists from the Sarasota Area! The food is going to be quite extravagant, and the paintings will be just beautiful- all for sale! If you are in the area, please plan on joining us on March 16th for our gala opening reception at The Celery Barn in Towles Court!