Sunday, March 25, 2018

"Summer Reverie", 16x20, oil on panel, garden party, wine, flowers, garden scenes, Maryanne Jacobsen art


"Summer Reverie", 16x20, oil on panel



I was very pleased to receive a First Place award recently in the North Port Art Center's "Garden Party" exhibit.

To paint the scene, I set up  a table with some flowers and a glass of wine out on my lanai, near the pool.

I then did a 12 x16 inch plein air sketch out doors and used the sketch and the photo to create the larger painting.

If you would like purchase information about this painting, please send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com.

Happy Spring!

Saturday, March 24, 2018

A Walk in Central Park, 9x12, oil on panel, palette knife paintings, Central Park, impasto, Maryanne Jacobsen art, sale, small studies


"A Walk in Central Park", 9x12, oil on panel

Spring is here and in spite of a dreadful winter, the trees will soon be filled with blossoms in Central Park, and couples will best rolling arm in arm.

I haven't painted with a palette knife in a long while, but yesterday I was in the mood, so I revisited a scene I had painted years ago.

It was fun.

This was a quick study, and I am offering it today for only $99, with free shipping. Just click the "Buy Now" button at this link.

Friday, March 23, 2018

"Autumn Reflections", 12x16, oil, Birchrunville Pennsylvania, autumn landscapes, Impressionism, French Creek, Sheeder Hall Bridge, Maryanne Jacobsen art

SOLD
"Autumn Reflections", 12x16, oil

Another study- this time I was working on reflections. Reflections can be tricky and although I am an all prima painter typically, I had to wait until the painting dried in order to get the reflections the way that I wanted them.

This is one of those impressionist paintings that look great from across the room, and then when you get close, it's just a bunch of color notes.

I have painted this beautiful scene before. It is French Creek near the Sheeder Hall Bridge in Birchrunville, PA.

Feel free to send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com if you would like to have pricing information on this painting.

Thursday, March 22, 2018

"Misty Riverbed", 12x16, oil study, chicken coop, Clifton Tennessee, riverbed, morning mist, small studies




"Misty Riverbed", 12x16, oil study

I struggled with this piece for sometime before finally calling it quits. Although not satisfied with it, I did learn from my struggles! I don't have much occasion to paint at misty riverbeds. A friend let me use her photo of a chicken coop in Tennessee to tackle this difficult misty scene.

This study is available. Please email me at maryannejacobsen@aol.com if you are interested.

Friday, March 09, 2018

"The Dream House", 16x20, oil, California impressionism, Santa Barbara homes, dream house, road trips, palette knife paintings, MAryanne Jacobsen art

SOLD
"The Dream House", 16x20, oil (Note: click on the image to see the detail)

This was painted over ten years ago, after I had visited California for the first time. We took a road trip up the coast , starting in San Diego and ending in San Francisco, and oh what a road trip it was!

One of my best memories was a short stop at Santa Barbara for lunch overlooking a harbor and then a ride up into the mountains where the vistas were beautiful and the homes were opulent.

A brief stop at a tiny monastery, found us staring at this statue and engraving which read,

"I am a man. No men are foreigners to me. Of one blood are all nations."



Further up the mountain , the roads became steeper and more narrow and the scenery even more dramatic. I stopped and snatched a photo of this lovely home, nestled under the shadow of the mountains :



So that home became the subject of my painting, "The Dream House".

This painting is available, please send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com if interested in this work.

Wednesday, March 07, 2018

"Windows to the Past", 16x20, oil on panel, historic yellow springs, art school road, Washington Building, The Inn at Yellow Springs, Pennsylvania Impressionism, Maryanne Jacobsen Fine Art, mineral springs, Philadelphia area art, dappled light, weddings at The Washington, Wedding venues

"Windows to the Past", 16x20, oil on panel

This is a side view of the Washington Building in the historic village of Yellow Springs, about 30 miles west of Philadelphia. Although once called Yellow Springs, the village is located in what is now known as Chester Springs, Pa.- an area of rolling hills and underground springs and beautiful gentlemen's farms. I once lived in this gentle area, and it holds many beautiful memories for me, which is why I often come back and paint here whenever I am visiting Pennsylvania.



In times past, wealthy Philadelphians would travel by coach or train to vacation in the village of Yellow Springs, where they could bathe in the iron springs that still permeate much of the area, and from which the village derived its name. Supposedly the iron springs were a boon to one's health, and so the village became a spa of sorts. But the spa era was long after the Revolutionary war, when General Washington used the old tavern as a temporary headquarters for his troops.

Originally a tavern, the Washington Building has gone through numerous transitions and additions over the centuries. When I lived in Chester Springs, the Washington Building was known as The Inn at Yellow Springs, and it was a favorite haunt of the locals for fine food and great wine. Speaking of haunts, the building was also reputed to house a few ghosts left over from the years when the grounds supported a hospital for the wounded troops. My son worked as a weekend waiter at the Inn when he was in high school, and he would come home with firsthand stories of the ghostly noises that were heard by the staff on any particular evening.

Front view of the Washington Building

Spooky, yes. Old and historic- yes as well. But the architectural beauty of the building is what enchants me most and brings me back time after time for a new painting session. The view I captured on this particular occasion is a side view at late afternoon, showing the long porch that connects the Washington Building to its neighbor, the Lincoln Building. The little courtyard  has a bench for musing, and  a sculpture of a blue heron, which I've also painted before. Directly up the path from this view is a small herbal medicinal garden, dating from the days when it provided medicine of sorts for the sick and wounded. Just beyond that is the ruins of the old hospital, and directly across the street is the gazebo that housed the iron springs where the wealthy and healthy bathed.

View of gazebo that housed the iron springs

View of steps leading from courtyard to the old hospital ruins

Quixotic as the springs were, I suppose it was their dark, orangey-colored waters that attracted the attention of General Washington in the first place! I can attest to the fact that in the 14 years that I lived directly up the road in Chester Springs, my hair was orange from the well water that I bathed in!

Up the road a short distance is the art school, where famous painters and students from the Academy of Fine Arts would travel in the summertime to take advantage of the beautiful surroundings and paint en plein air. Indeed, the tiny road that houses all this history is called Art School Road, and residents have worked hard to preserve the quaint beauty and historic significance of the tiny village.

Well, if you enjoyed learning about the historic village of Yellow Springs, do visit the village's website here where you can learn about tours and art lessons and much more history!

This painting is available for purchase for $1500. Please send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com, if interested in purchasing this window to the past.

Monday, March 05, 2018

"Gibson Girl",16x16, oil, first place, award-winning paintings, figurative, portrait, Gibson Girl, Maryanne Jacobsen art, paintings of women, Venice Art Center

"Gibson Girl",16x16, oil

I was so very delighted to receive a first place award last week for my painting, "Gibson Girl", 16x16, oil on wrapped linen. Out of over a hundred entries, mine was chosen for the top award at the Venice Art Center's Spring Member's show in Venice, Florida.

According to Wikipedia, "The Gibson Girl was the personification of the feminine ideal of physical attractiveness as portrayed by the pen-and-ink illustrations of artist Charles Dana Gibson during a 20-year period that spanned the late 19th and early 20th century in the United States and Canada.[1] The artist saw his creation as representing the composite of "thousands of American girls."

Here is a picture of Gibson's pen and ink sketch, "Gibson Girls at the Beach".

I was happy with the way the  painting turned out, but it is always a special thrill when another artist recognizes its merit as well. A special thank-you to artist Ron Goulet , who is a wonderful artist in his own right, and who was the juror for the event. His comments about the painting were the following: “Remarkable handling of color and composition calls you across the room and does not disappoint up close; excellent collectible piece of art.”

Here is a better photo of the painting:


This painting is available for purchase for $1600, framed as shown above. Please send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com, if you are interested in purchasing this painting.