"Sur le Pont Couvert", 18x24, oil on linen, Strasbourg, paintings of France, impressionist painting of Le Petite France

SOLD"Sur le Pont Couvert", 18x24, oil on linen by Maryanne Jacobsen

This is the latest painting in my Strasbourg series.

If you have never been to Strasbourg, France, in the Alsace-Lorraine region, it's very scenic and fascinating, combining French with a German influence, as you can see in the architecture below.



I was standing on the bridge on the right when I took the photo which I have used as a reference for the painting above. In the distance, you can see the ancient cathedral which dates from 1200 AD. Wow! That's old!

When we were in Strasbourg, we stayed at The Hotel Gutenberg and had a great view of the cathedral from our "Rooftop" room.

Here's another photo that I took from the window of our room which shows how high up we were:



While we were there, the world cup was in progress and there was great excitement about the games in the streets. Unlike America, the Europeans are really into soccer, which they call "football".

It was a fun trip. I'd best stop here because I could go on for hours.

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"Chocolate Chip Cupcake and Giant Strawberry", 6x6, oil on gessoboard

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"Chocolate Chip Cupcake and Giant Strawberry", 6x6, oil on gessoboard

I couldn't wait to finish this painting so I could eat the cupcake! Yum!



Now I am going to go watch Cupcake Wars on the Food Network!


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"Threshold to Joy", 6x6, oil on gessoboard by Maryanne Jacobsen

Sold "Threshold to Joy", 6x6, oil on gessoboard by Maryanne Jacobsen

Happiness are friends, hugs and a sunny doorway. And if that doorway includes flowers and vines that's icing on the cake!

I think it would be hard to believe that such a sunny doorway would lead anywhere but to a home filled with joy and gladness. How often do we stop and thank the Lord for his goodness, mercy and blessings?

I try to do it on a daily basis, but inevitably I know it's not enough.

I found this lovely poem on this site, and I loved it! It reminded me of my many friends, and of the friends I have made who collect my art and have told me over and over how my art fills their home with light and love. I give thanks for all these people as I step each day over my threshold to joy.

A Simple Thank You, My Friend

Into the dim lit, bare walls of my world,
You entered, bringing light and life to me,
The vivid colors, painted with a swirl
Of wit and charm, of personality,
With tender care, you added comfort, warmth,
And images that line the now bright walls.
I look upon them fondly, bringing forth
A thankfulness that you walk in these halls
With me; our friendship has become a part
Of my world now; it has its special place,
Within my being, life, and in my heart,
Your name hangs right beside your smiling face.
Remembering just how drab these walls had been,
I have to thank you for the light, my friend.
- Warmhrt

I don't know who warmheart is, but thank-you for this lovely poem!



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"Phillippi Mansion, side view", 12x12 on board, plein air-$200 by Maryanne Jacobsen

"Phillippi Mansion, side view", 12x12 on board, plein air-by Maryanne Jacobsen

This morning the Sun Coast plein air painters painted at the Phillippi Estate Park. It's quite pretty there, with views of the bay, boats, mangrove trees, a gazebo, a rose garden, and a lovely southern-style mansion with Spanish tile roof. Being a glutton for punishment (and also because I was too lazy to walk all the way down to the boat dock), I painted this side view of the mansion, which once again included my painting nemesis- Spanish moss. It was kind of overcast at first, but then the sun came out and it was pretty glorious.

There were a lot of painters out and about, and other activity everywhere, including someone singing opera through the trees, and a poor old guy whose new car broke down in front of the mansion. I helped him out because he didn't have a cell phone and he seemed pretty stressed, and after that I decided to call it quits for the day, especially sicne the sun was changing dramatically. I put the finishing touches on it at home.

If you are familiar with Sarasota Florida and visiting the area, take some time out to visit the Phillippi Estate Park. Especially if you have a dog to walk. It's really quite pleasant. Here's my view of the mansion that I painted:





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"The Discovery", 16x20, oil on linen-final

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"The Discovery", 16x20, oil on linen

I have been working on this painting on and off for the last week, trying to refine the things about it that I didn't like.

Here is what it looked like when I posted it over a week ago:

I knew that the area around Ellie's eye was too cool and so I had to warm it up. I also refined the edges and the fleshtones in the legs and arms. I worked on her dress as well, softening the harshness of the color and muting it somewhat.

I worked on Arthur as well, softening the halftones between the light and shadow planes and refining his face a bit.

I knocked back the foliage as best as I could in order to not detract from the main figures. I'll probably take more photos in the morning when the light is better, but I am pretty happy with how this turned out!

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"Dyna Flow", 6x6, oil on gessoboard, paintings of antique cars. old cars, small affordable paintings

"Dyna Flow", 6x6, oil on gessoboard

Last week I did not post any new paintings because I took a 4 day workshop with portrait artist Mary Minifie of The Boston School of Art. Mary is an award-winning portrait artist, and I learned a great deal during the workshop. Take a moment to check out Mary's beautiful paintings here.

One of the days that I was driving to Sarasota to the workshop, I happened to see a teal-colored antique car in front of me. As usual, the first thing that always makes me want to paint something is color, and this car was the most fabulous shade of blue-green I had ever seen! I pulled up as close as I could behind it to try to see what kind of car it was and all I could see were the words "Dyna Flow". Hence the name of the painting!

When I finally saw the front of the car, I just wanted to smile. The grill of the car looked like a mouth with teeth sticking out, and I felt like the car was smiling at me. As luck would have it, the car pulled of the highway, and I managed to snag a quick picture of it in the parking lot with my cell phone. Ha!

I should have such great teeth!

Somehow I keep thinking about a cheer we learned in high school as I painted this. It went something like this:
"Dyna-Mo, let's go, Dyna- Mite, let's fight, Dyna- mo, Dyna -Mite, Let's go, Let's fight!"


Happy Valentine's Day!

"The Old Springhouse", 16x12, oil on gessoboard by Maryanne JAcobsen

"The Old Springhouse", 16x12, oil on gessoboard by Maryanne Jacobsen

This is a painting of an old springhouse that was up the road from my last house in Chester Springs, Pa. The building may be old but it has a tremendous amount of character, and with the dappled light cascading over it, I knew immediately that I wanted to paint it.

In case you are not familiar with what a springhouse is, here's a definition from Wikipedia: A spring house, or springhouse, is a small building used for refrigeration once commonly found in rural areas before the advent of electric refrigeration. It is usually a one-room building constructed over the source of a spring. The water of the spring maintains a constant cool temperature inside the spring house throughout the year. In settings where no natural spring is available, another source of natural running water, such as a small creek or diverted portion of a larger creek, may be used. The main use of a spring house is for the long-term storage of food that would otherwise spoil, such as meat, fruit or dairy products.

This painting is now available for purchase after being in an exhibit . Please send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com if you are interested in this painting.

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"Green Shutters", 5x7, oil on gessoboard

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"Green Shutters", 5x7, oil on gessoboard

Stroll down the street and smell the scent of flowers lingering in the breeze.
Toss you hair over your shoulder and smile.
The shutters are green, the sky is blue, and God is good.

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"Old Florida", plein air, 12x12, oil on gessoboard

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"Old Florida", plein air, 12x12, oil on gessoboard

Yesterday was Thursday which usually means painting with the Sun Coast Plein Air painters.
The Destination was the Manatee Village Historical Park in Bradenton which is a very cool place with old buildings depicting what it was like to live in Old Florida before the advent of tourists and snowbirds.

It was an hour drive to the site, and as I was driving I realized that I had made a mistake toning my canvas the night before with a warm color- orange! The sun was a total no-show on this cloudy morning. When I arrived I was amazed at how interesting all the little buildings were, though I realized painting any of them would be challenging as I found them looking pretty drab and lifeless under the sunless sky.

I decided to make the best of the situation and just practice what I am weak at- perspective. I concentrated on the perspective of the two little buildings only to find that my biggest challenge was not the lack of sun and the perspective, but the Spanish moss in the trees!

GRRRRRRR!

When I go back there, I may try this little house again. Hopefully by then there will be sunny skies!

"Spring Meadows"- 24x24, oil on masonite, paintings of France, Provence, flowers, fields of flowers

SOLD"Spring Meadows"- 24x24, oil on masonite

This is an older painting that I had put away for awhile because I wasn't happy with it. I took it out yesterday and tried to think about what I could do to salvage it. It needed a lot of work, which is why I consider it a fixer-upper.

Many artists will not admit it when they struggle with a painting. Many artists will not confess to the fact that they had to work at making a painting come together. Painting is hard, it's not easy. When I can take a failure and "rehab" it, I am happy. And I am not ashamed to admit it. Here is what it looked like before:



What a mess!

I think we learn a lot by re-thinking our failures. Although I would not consider the final painting a success by any stretch of the imagination, it still is an improvement upon what it was the first time around. Therefore, I know I have learned something and that makes me feel satisfied.



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