"Boca Beauty", 12x16, oil, Boca Grande, Our LAdy of Mercy Catholic church, wedding gifts, art as gifts, Maryanne Jacobsen fine art, bougainvillea, queen palms, little white church, Old Florida

SOLD

"Boca Beauty", 12x16, oil

Over the weekend I took a ride to Gasparilla Island, a pretty little island in Southwest Florida and home to Boca Grande, an upscale community on the Gulf where life is fashionable and golf carts are the transportation of choice. It didn't take me long to settle on a place to paint.

Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church is a favorite haunt of plein air painters there, mostly because of the six queen oaks and flagrantly beautiful bougainvillea that cascades along the wall in front of the church.

I had only been painting for about an hour and a half when a wedding party showed up at the church. Surprise surprise. Who wouldn't choose such a pretty little church for a wedding on a balmy Saturday?

My painting wasn't finished, but I knew it was pointless to try to continue with all the traffic.

 So yesterday I decided to paint the scene while it was fresh in my mind, using the plein air study for color and value references. Here's the 8x10 plein air study:

I actually liked the light better when I first started the painting, because it streamed sidewise across the front of the church and the front wall was in shadow. But I did not take a photo of that scene so I had to use the photo from when I stopped painting to guide me on the light and shadows. Oh well.

 From what I understand, this little white church and Boca Grande in general is a favorite wedding spot, and it's obvious why! A gorgeous island and a beautiful little white church. What's not to like?

If you have any interest in either the 8x10 inch study, or the 12x16 inch studio work, just send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com. It would certainly make a nice wedding gift, now wouldn't it?

"Princess Aurora", 12x16, oil, paintings of dancers, Sleeping Beauty Ballet, pink tutu, en pointe, dance art, ballerinas, Maryanne Jacobsen original art

SOLD

"Princess Aurora", 12x16, oil

Just finished this new commission and I am actually happy with it! "Actually", because I am usually pretty hard on myself. The painting portrays Princess Aurora, from "The Sleeping Beauty" ballet in attitude croise. This ballet, set to music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is an old Russian favorite, originally set to choreography by Petipa.

My own company, the West Chester Ballet Theatre, performed excerpts from it many years ago. The music is beautiful and the Garland Dance, danced by young girls with hoops festooned with garlands of flowers, was always my all-time favorite dance in the entire ballet.

This painting is sold, but I often do other paintings of dancer, so check back often.

"First Pointe Shoes", 9x11, impressionism, Maryanne Jacobsen art, ballet, young dancer, Vaganova method, Kirov ballet, Margarita De Saa, John White, Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet Society

"First Pointe Shoes", 9x11

As a former ballet instructor and director of Rock School West, it was very important to me to train my little students correctly. I chose to study with Margarita de Saa and John White at The Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet Society in Narberth, Pa. and to take their intensive Vaganova training course as well. The course followed the strict Vaganova syllabus used to train the young dancers in St. Petersburg , Russia who went on to dance with the Kirov Ballet and is a successful proving ground for dancers worldwide. The Vaganova method is a tried and true training method for ballet dancers and to this day it serves me well in Zumba class!! I am proud to say that one of my young dancers, Taylor Stanley, went on the become a principal with the New York City Ballet!

The little dancer in my painting was painted in the impressionistic style, but although her face is vague, I did want to show her Vaganova training in both her attire and her carriage. Dancers familiar with the pedagogue will recognize it.

Email me at maryannejacobsen@aol.com if you are interested in this painting.

"The Gift Basket", 16x20, orchids, fruit, fruit basket, still life, eggs, wine, Leonard Cohen, MAryanne JAcobsen art

"The Gift Basket", 16x20

This is a re-do of a painting that I did awhile back. Not sure if I'm happy with it but I did enjoy painting it. Listened to the Essential Leonard Cohen CD while I painted. Now that man was a true artist!

If you are interested in this work, please contact me at maryannejacobsen@aol.com.

"Along School House Lane", 12x16, oil on panel, Maryanne Jacobsen art, paintings of Chester Springs, Birchrunville, Pa., fall landscapes, Pennsylvania landscapes, Chester County Pennsylvania

SOLD

"Along School House Lane", 12x16, oil on panel

School House LAne is a short little lane off St. Matthews Rd., in Chester Springs, Pa. It leads into Birchrunville, a scenic and tiny little town with a post office, antique store and cafe. This road was very familiar to me when I lived nearby on Houndstooth Lane. We would often ride our bikes here on the way into Birchrunville for the annual Fourth of July parade.

I painted this scene of an overcast fall day, because I loved how the color or the reddish bushes stood out against the  dark tree trunks. I hope you enjoy this scene as much as I enjoyed painting it.

"Long Shadows, Coverdale Farm", 12x16, oil, Coverdale FArms,, Wilmington Delaware, plein air Brandywine VAlley, farms, fall scenes, autumn landscapes

"Long Shadows, Coverdale Farm", 12x16, oil

This was the first painting that I did during the Plein Air Brandywine Valley event two weeks ago. I had painted at Coverdale last year with good results, so I thought this first painting would be a piece of cake.

As it turns out, it was a little tricky as I tried to capture the shadows from the fencing. The best thing about the location was the sheep in the pen next to me who serenaded me with his baaaaas as I painted.

The morning grew progressively warmer and I had to strip off all those layers of clothing I had put on for warmth. Overall, a perfect morning to paint!

Contact me at maryannejacobsen@aol.com if you are interested in this fall scene.

"Winter Warmth", 12x12, oil on Ampersand panel, winter still life, snow, wine, candlelight, red pear

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"Winter Warmth", 12x12, oil on Ampersand panel

I was attempting to create a feeling of homey warmth on a cold night in this painting and I hope I achieved it. I thought it might be helpful to those who sometimes write and ask me questions about how I go about a painting to document my process. I never start a painting exactly the same way twice, and my process changes depending on my thoughts and goals at the time. But I often do use transparent washes in the initial stage, so I thought this would be a good painting to use as an example.

1. I typically set up my still life with whatever I can find nearby and try to make it a pleasing combination of elements, but in this case I had some specific things in mind, like the wine and the candle. In not having the window that would form the background, I knew I'd need to improvise, so I constructed the night scene with substitutes using my shadow box, some two by fours and a blue bathmat. My biggest fear was that the mat would catch fire so I only lit the candle for short periods of time.

2.The sketch- next I did a quick sketch in a notebook to get comfortable with the drawing, adding some notes that were relevant.

3. Next I stained the support with magenta and then sketched in the composition loosely, using a green pastel pencil. I like to use pastel pencils rather than charcoal, because I find that charcoal can dirty the color when I lay in the paint on top.

4. The initial color block-in: Next I blocked in the elements thinly, using only transparent colors and no opaques. I was not worried at this stage about either color or value, but instead was just trying to cover the entire support with a nice soupy mixture of transparent colors.

5. The next step is to go over the transparent washes with opaque paint,  and correct the values and colors of each object.

6. In the last step, I go back and try to harmonize color, refine shapes and correct anything that looks out of wack. Finally I attempt to create the atmosphere that I'm trying to achieve, softening edges  and checking highlights.

Overall, I wasn't displeased with this one. I think I was able to capture the feeling of being in a warm home on a cold night. Thanks for checking in!

"Little Church in Moonlight", 6x6, oil on panel, church , moonlight, full moon, nocturne, St. MAtthews Church, Chester Springs, Roots CAfe

"Little Church in Moonlight", 6x6, oil on panel

The first night that we arrived in Pennsylvania we decided to have dinner in a fabulous little organic/sustainable restaurant in downtown West Chester called "Roots Cafe" You can check out their website here. They pride themselves on good locally grown and homemade food and the ambiance in the restaurant is intimate and charming. There is also local art on the walls! Yay!

We had a great dinner and on the way back to our cottage in Chester Springs, I noticed a full moon in the sky and decided it might be a good night, albeit chilly , to paint a nocturne. As we came up the hill on Route 401 (Horseshoe Trail) I asked my husband to pull into the parking lot of the little St. Matthews Church, (which sits on a hill and is incredibly pretty to look at) and so he did.

The night was really chilly for this Floridian, (about 37degrees) and so I decided that I didn't feel like painting a nocturne afterall. But the full moon was bright and straight above the little church so we both grabbed our cameras and decided to take photos of the scene.

We were gone from the car for all of ten minutes but we did leave the car doors open. When we got back into the car it wouldn't start! I couldn't believe it. The Plein Air Brandywine Valley event was due to start the next day and I didn't have transportation! It is a dark, middle-of-nowhere kind of location by most people's accounts, but happily we used to live just down the road so I wasn't too worried by the rural setting. My husband , always the level-headed one, called AAA and they were out in about an hour to jump the car's battery. I thanked God that it was just the battery and we knew we would have to replace it first thing the next day.

Not the best way to start a paint-out, but at least I got this little 6x6 inch painting out of the adventure!

"Pumpkin Season", 10x20, oil on panel, HAskell's Farm, plein air Brandywine Valley, Children's Beach House, barns, bank barns, autumn, pumpkins, autumn landscapes, MAryanne Jacobsen art

"Pumpkin Season", 10x20, oil on panel

This is one of two paintings that I did last week on the first day of the Plein Air Brandywine Valley competition, benefiting the Children's Beach House in Lewes, Delaware. This turned out to be my favorite painting of the week because I think it epitomizes the beauty of the Brandywine Valley in October, and I felt like I was able to capture that beauty.

Fall has always been my favorite time of year and so I enjoy traveling back to my home state of Pennsylvania each year for this annual event. The problem for me that first day was choosing between painting Jaime Wyeth's fabulous property  or Haskell's Farm in Chadds Ford, which I had heard from other painters was a real treat. Since I had been to the Wyeth property before I decided on the new venture and was happily rewarded with a plethora of subjects to choose from including farm equipment, stables, horses willing to pose, an old cottage and this magnificent bank barn.I chose the barn because of the dramatic light and shadow pattern created  in the afternoon sun.

The entire week we had gorgeous weather- a treat for this Floridian who has been accustomed to wearing thick wool socks and gloves each year at the event.

If you have any interest in this painting, feel free to send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com, and thanks for visiting my blog.

Fresh Flowers, Fading Light, 18x18, oil on canvas, paintings of fresh flowers, original oil paintings, Maryanne Jacobsen art, hydrangea, roses, window seat, Galerie du Soleil, impressionist still life

SOLD

"Fresh Flowers, Fading Light", 18x18 oil on wrapped canvas

This painting was begun outdoors in my garden, but since the weather did not cooperate, I ended up bringing the whole set-up indoors. This of course, drastically changed the light direction and temperature. I did my best to retain the sunniness of the morning light when the painting was started, but it didn't work. So as the evening light emerged, I made the decision to re-vamp the painting in the new light conditions, and I wasn't displeased with the result.

This painting is available through Galerie du Soleil in downtown Naples, Florida. Please call them at (239)417-3450 for pricing information.

"China Cove Springtime", 12x16, oil on panel, paintings of California caost, Big Sur, Point Lobos, China Cove, MAryanne JAcobsen art, coastal art, Pacific Coast, water, sanctuary, seals, Matt Smith

"China Cove Springtime", 12x16, oil on panel

The very first time I visited China Cove in Point Lobos, a pristine nature preserve sandwiched between Big Sur and Carmel off the coastal highway in California, my jaw dropped and my heart pounded and then almost burst inside itself. Being from the northeastern part of the country, I had never before witnessed such vast beauty  as reflected in the mountains, the windblown trees,  the wildlife, and the turquoise waters of this bucolic place.

All around me I could hear seals barking, gulls reeling and nature in all its glory responding to this beautiful sanctuary of peace and tranquility.

I painted on site here as often as I could in our short visits to the area, the first being  at Headland Cove, near the entrance to the park. The painting sold on the spot to an art collector , who enjoyed telling me that he had numerous Matt Smith works in his collection. Ahh! I am in good company on his walls, I thought happily.

It was on my second trip there that I veered further south and discovered the beautiful little cove that was hidden away in a protected niche of the sanctuary; where the seals come and play and nurse their cubs in the springtime. The waters were a translucent blend of vivid emeralds and turquoise and cerulean blue, such as I had never before seen together in one place. So I set up my things and allowed the beauty of that place to become a part of my memory.

The painting above is one of half a dozen that I did afterwards, in memory of those moments. This one is available to purchase directly through me. If you would like to bring a tiny piece of this beautiful place into your home, please contact Galerie du Soleil at (239)417-3450 for purchase information.

"Summer Read", 16x20, oil, figure in the landscape, paintings of young ladies, women in hats, books, summer, gardens, MAryanne JAcobsen art

"Summer Read", 16x20, oil on panel

Sometimes I will do a scene more than once if I enjoyed painting it, and also to see if I can improve upon what I did before.

I painted a smaller version of this over a year ago, called "A Summer's Day" :

There are things about the first version that I like better, like the folds in the girl's dress and the light on the chaise. But overall, I am relieved to also see improvements in the new version. It is so important for an artist to know she is improving, otherwise why bother to continue?

Parts of painting become drudgery after a time. Things like cleaning brushes, cleaning messy palettes, varnishing , framing and preparing canvases, not to mention shipping- are the things that make me weary. Many people have no idea how much work is involved in being a successful artist! And I didn't even touch on the marketing part which I am not very diligent about!

So it is always helpful to know that one is improving and that the work is well received by your audience.

I would love to hear from you regarding the newer version! Please drop a comment if you have the time!

"Les Fruits et Fleurs", 12x16, oil on linen, coral, mardi gras roses, apples, pears, floral art, Maryanne Jacobsen original painting oil

"Les Fruits et Fleurs", 12x16, oil on linen

I have fallen in love with these coral-colored roses. Sometimes referred to as "Mardi Gras" roses they certainly feel festive. I tried to keep them subdued in this painting, and like the way it turned out.

Thanks for checking in!

"Drama Queens", 8x10, oil on panel, coral, peach, roses, impressionist roses, drama, MAryanne Jacobsen art

"Drama Queens", 8x10, oil on panel

Yup, there's always one in a crowd- that person who wants all the attention. In this case, there are three of them, and they are aren't competing against each other. They're competing against the orange! Ha!

I have been working on notan and design recently and so I set this one up with that in mind. Hope you like it.

Thanks for looking.

"Morning Blues", 16x20, oil on canvas, blue, hydrangeas, blue florals, Maryanne Jacobsen art, impressionist florals, outdoor florals, blue bottles, blue flowers

"Morning Blues", 16x20, oil on canvas

Another backyard floral completed yesterday! I am having a ball painting florals en plein air as I have the luxury of completing them indoors through a photograph when the light changes too much to continue to work outside. As an avid plein air painter, this is a wonderful chance to paint objects in outdoor light under controlled conditions.

I recently experienced a very negative experience painting on a windy boat dock, with some of my valued stuff flying off the deck and into the water while continually holding onto the easel (and my balance) for dear life! For less experienced plein air painters, I highly recommend trying a floral set-up in your backyard, patio, deck or whatever. You can leave it there overnight and return to it the next day, (As I did with Au Printemps) or finish it up indoors when the weather gets too hot or the bugs get too nasty. Best of both worlds!

This one was begun last Friday in Katie Cundiff's back yard, and although the morning light was a little dull, the weather was altogether pleasant. The birds were singing, fish and frogs were flapping about in the pond, and every now and then a pair of sandhill cranes would stroll by. Katie has been mentoring a group of artists every Friday in the methods of painting florals after the syle of Ovanes Berberian. Overall, I am still struggling with the technique and the preparation time as well as the copious amounts of paint requred to paint this way. But enjoying it nonetheless. I finished this painting up in my home studio yesterday. Ever though the paint had dried I was able to finish it somewhat successfully and I wasn't displeased with the outcome.

To see Ovanes work, you can go here, and to visit Katie's website and see her beautiful work, go here.

"Au Printemps", 14x18, oil on canvas, springtime floral, oil , impressionism, red geraniums art, red apples and flowers, brass pot, begonias, impressionist florals, Florida plein air, Maryanne Jacobsen original art

SOLD

"Au Printemps", 14x18, oil on canvas, plein air

It's spring here in Florida and what glorious weather we've been having! So glorious that I recently decided to go out and buy this cute little bistro set and do some outdoor florals in my own back-yard. (In Florida they're called lanais, because they are screened in areas that prevent mosquitos from eating you alive.)

So I created this pretty set-up on my lanai last week with a huge pot of geraniums atop my new bistro set and another pot of begonias on the floor of the lanai and voila! -the fun began!

I painted the above set-up over a two day period as the light changed too fast for me to capture it all in one day.As you can see below, one of my three cats was enjoying the pleasant weather as well, and keeping me company as I painted..

I was happy with the outcome and hope to do many more little romantic florals like this one over the next weeks of beautiful Florida sunshine!

"Afternoon Light, Cortez Fishing Village", plein air , 11x14, plein air, Cortez fishing village, Bradenton Florida, fishermen, boats, bikes, tropical scenery, water, MAryanne Jacobsen art

"Afternoon Light, Cortez Fishing Village", plein air , 11x14

On the same foggy morning of yesterday's painting, by afternoon the sun had come out and much of the haze had cleared.

After first asking permission to paint of two men who seemed to be part of the place, I set up my easel right at the edge of the water, behind where you see the figure in my painting. I selected a great composition of two boats and the little fish shack that lies in the distance on the water as my composition, and had begun painting when someone came along and said, "Lady, you'll have to move so we can load the barge."

Well, of course! This is plein air and this is a working fishing village. So I packed up all my gear and moved to the foot of the walkway that goes up to the covered pier.

It turns out that the two men who I'd asked permission of were somewhat (I'm being kind) inebriated and had no work connection to the place at all. They stood nearby as I painted all afternoon and discussed politics, terrorism and how to change the world. It was different from listening to the gulls screech and I found after a while that I was kind of glad they were there. One even offered me a live starfish, which I dropped to the ground after realizing it was alive. You can see one of these friendly characters in my photo below.

This was 90% plein air. I added the figure after the painting had dried. Please visit Cortez fishing village if you are ever in the Bradenton, Florida area. You won't be disappointed!

"Grey Morning, Cortez fishing village", 11x14, oil on panel, paintings of boats, fog, old fishing boats, Cortez, Florida

"Grey Morning, Cortez fishing village", 11x14, oil on panel

For plein air painters in southwest  Florida, the tiny fishing village of Cortez is a little jewel tucked into the larger town of Bradenton on the Gulf of Mexico.  With a rich history, the tiny maritime town is only a few blocks long. Dozens of old fishing vessels bob up and town on the sleepy waters of the intracoastal and the ever popular Starfish and Company restaurant does a booming business during snowbird season.

Recently I spent the day there during a wonderful workshop with the incredibly talented plein air artist, Mark Boedges. We watched Mark paint on a foggy morning and by afternoon the skies had cleared and the dozen or so artists attending the workshop were free to paint on their own. I'll post the painting that I did in the afternoon over the next day or so, but here is the one I was really proud of, because it captured the atmosphere of the fog lifting that morning.

Mark has a way of softening his edges that is truly remarkable, and every single stroke that he puts down is very thoughtful. I think passive learning is very important for every artist, and the experience of watching Mark paint this same scene gave me the courage to try it as well. You can visit Mark's website here, to see his gorgeous paintings.

"Hen-Pecked", 11x14, oil on panel, paintings of roosters, palette knife paintings, colorful paintings of farm animals

"Hen-Pecked", 11x14, oil on panel

It's been quite a while since I did a palette knife painting, and it's been a really long while since I painted a rooster! So last week i took out my knife and painted this bird as a sort of Eastery kind of painting. I figured since people and kids dye eggs at Easter and have Easter egg hunts, I'd paint a rooster since you can't have any eggs with out a rooster being involved, if you get my drift.

The poor thing sort of looks like he's having a bad day, so I decided to title the painting hen-pecked.

Thanks for checking him out and just send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com if you would like to purchase him.

"Palm Sunday Peonies", 9x12, oil on linen-paintings of peonies, impressionist paintings, apples, Maryanne Jacobsen art

"Palm Sunday Peonies", 9x12, oil on linen-$700

Blocked this one in on Saturday morning right before the heavy rain started. Finished it yesterday indoors.

 Hope you have a Happy Easter!

"Along St. Matthews Rd.", 11x14, paintings of Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, old barns, country roads, Maryanne JAcobsen art, fall in Chester county, Chester County art, Pennsylvania landscapes

SOLD

"Along St. Matthews Rd.", 11x14

Just realized that there are still paintings from my painting trip up north in October of last year that I haven't posted yet.

This one is one of them. St. Matthews Rd. is near and dear to my heart as my kids used to sled on the hills along there when we lived just off the road, the annual Thanksgiving Charleston Hunt of the hounds would go through there in the fall, and the good Doctor Rosato (who lived on the road) and his lovely wife would ride through there on their gorgeous antique sleighs during holidays, ringing sleigh bells and delighting all the kids along the way.

It's a very scenic and winding  country road and this red roofed barn is a favorite structure of mine.

Haven't posted in a while because I've been busy with family stuff, but will try to catch up a little over the next couple weeks.

Stay tuned!

"La Paix", after Cortes, 9x12, oil on Raymar panel, After Eduard Cortes, French impressionism, Paris opera, flower lady

"La Paix", after Cortes, 9x12, oil on Raymar panel (Note: you can click on the image to see more detail.)

I have found that my work has been getting tighter and tighter over the years and this is not something I'm happy about. I love the work of Eduard Cortes, who was a French impressionist painter born in 1882 of both French and Spanish ancestry. He was known as the "Parisian Poet of Painting" and indeed his Parisian scenes are poetic!

The painting above is a scene he painted numerous times over his lifetime of painting and I used the images of his paintings to help me loosen up a bit. If you love French impressionism and have never checked out his work, please do so! And thank-you Eduard, for the inspiration you give me! This was fun to paint!

"Effortless", 8x10, oil on linen, paintings of dancers, ballet art, MAryanne JAcobsen art, original oil paintings of dancers, ballerinas

"Effortless", 8x10, oil on linen

This painting was hanging in a government administrator's office for a few years, because he had personally requested that my art be the centerpiece of his office. The painting was recently returned to me after the gentlemen retired, and so yesterday I took it out and reworked a couple passages. I hopefully improved upon the past!

Ballet and painting have one thing in common. (Or maybe more than one!) In order to be a successful dancer, or to produce a successful painting, the viewer of the art form must not see a labored effect in the finished product. Dancing and painting to make the final product look fresh, spontaneous and effortless is very, very difficult and takes years of hard work, perseverance, experience, and a touch of talent as well!

Although I've painted hundreds of paintings, I have only had a handful that have come out looking effortless. I will continue to work at this for as long as I am able, and in the meanwhile here is a magnificently trained ballerina executing a flawless variation from Giselle. While her dancing looks effortless, it is with no doubt at all, that I know she trained for literally thousands of hours in order to achieve this fluidity. Enjoy!

Você pode ter o melhor pé, o melhor en dehors, o mais lindo físico, se a sua dança for vazia será apenas movimentos. Osipova dançando essa variação de Gisele mostra exatamente o que a arte espera de um verdadeiro artista. A alma com luz mostra o verdadeiro sentido do que é dançar. De arrepiar cara. Beijos Renato.
Posted by Só Bailarinos on Friday, February 5, 2016

Who Let the Dogs out?, 8x10 , oil painting, Maryanne JAcobsen art, paintings of dogs, pugs, bull dogs, Wine-tasting, Santa Cruz, MJA Winerie, Canson paper pads for oils

"Who let the Dogs out?" ,8x10, oil sketch on Canson paper

On our way to Yosemite last year we stopped and had a wine-tasting at MJA Vineyards tasting room in   Santa Cruz. The fun and laid back atmosphere was perfect after a stressful drive !

While we were enjoying our tasting , we met a nice fellow from San Franscisco who was there with his two adorable dogs. We chatted and the dogs were a huge hit with everyone who came in, especially me! The owner gave me permission to photograph them and they did their best to hold still!

Last night I decided to try out my sample sheet of Canson paper panels for oil and acrylics that I rec'd in a gift bag at a Paint-Out recently. I chose the dogs for a quick study. The paper has a nice tooth and is sturdy enough to take a palette knife and even frame. The best part is that you don't get too attached to your work while you're painting because it is an inexpensive support. So I did this quick study in about an hour or so.

I'll definitely be buying more of these supports as I loved painting on it.

If you're ever in the Santa Cruz area and looking to relax, be sure to stop in at MJA's and enjoy a delightful and casual wine-tasting . And maybe you'll be lucky enough to meet Eda and her brother, too!

"Van Gogh"s Boats", 8x10, oil, Vincent Van Gogh, French Boats, empaths, highly sensitive personalities, French seacapes, impressionism, Bouzique, France, old fishing boats, Maryanne JAcobsen art

"Van Gogh"s Boats", 8x10, oil

Nothing is sadder than an artist that cannot find his footings in a cold world. Such was the case with Vincent Van Gogh.

Today we have a name for people like Vincent. They are called empaths, or highly sensitive personalities, or whatever. I understand Vincent. Sometimes the world is hard. Sometimes the world is cold.

And sometimes the world is beautiful!

 Empaths struggle to find their footing because everything is bigger for empaths than the life that most individuals see and live each day. Bigger and scarier.

Anyhow. That's all I have to say about Vincent's mental state. Vincent painted colorful fishing boats in a  painting titled, Boats at St. Marie.

Here is an image of his painting:

These colorful old fishing boats dating back to Van Gogh's era can still be seen in the small fishing port of Bouziques, in the south of France. How cool is that?

This little painting was painted a few years ago and I took it out recently and re-worked a couple passages. If you like it, send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com

"Catherine's Restaurant" 9x12, oil, Catherine's of Unionville, Pa. Chester county restaurants, cafes, paintings of restaurants, fall colors, MAryanne Jacobsen art, buildings, street scenes

"Catherine's Restaurant" 9x12, oil

Back in the fall I passed this adorable restaurant in Unionville, Pa, while traveling to a site to paint during the Plein Air Brandywine Valley Festival.

I am a huge sucker for brightly -colored awnings, so I knew I'd have to paint this!!!!!
Evidently, Catherine's is a very popular restaurant in the area and has been written up many times  by local newspapers for its fine cuisine. I have added it to my bucket list as a must-do restaurant the next time we are up in that area.

To check out their menu, just go here and happy eating!

"Oak Shadows", 16x20 , oil on Panel, Maryanne Jacobsen art, Sarasota Florida, New College Sarasota, Ringling Museum, Ralph Caples, live oak tree

"Oak Shadows", 16x20 , oil on Panel

Winter can be a beautiful time to paint outdoors in Florida. Recently I bundled up and ventured out in temps that were below par for Florida- 50ish, I believe. Yup, a little cold for us Floridians, and windy, too, but the sunshine makes it all worthwhile. It was brilliantly sunny that day and the sky was that truly gorgeous blue that is the reason why Florida artists need cerulean on their palette! (Cobalt and viridian mixed are a decent substitute.)

Anyhow, I went to the Caples mansion and carriage house, which borders on the beautiful Ringling Estate. Ralph Caples had a personal and professional relationship with the wealthy Ringlings next door and if you want to learn more about the Caples history you can read about it here.

 As soon as I arrived on the site, I become enamoured with the patterns and negative spaces that the immense oak tree was creating with her branches, and so I decided to paint it. The carriage house next to it seemed to figure into the composition as well, although I knew it would be a lot to do in one painting session.

I worked on the painting for about two hours before calling it a day. I packed up my car only to discover that the battery had gone dead because I kept the hatch up while I was painting, meaning that the light drained the battery. A kind man jumped my battery and all in all it was an almost perfect Florida painting day except for the battery.

Over the weekend I used my plein air sketch to recreate the scene above on a larger canvas. Those live oaks with the Spanish moss hanging from their limbs can be quite challenging to paint, as was also the complexity of the architecture of the carriage house, which was modeled after the Mediterranean Revival style. Overall, though, I was pleased with the outcome.

Be sure to visit the historic sites of the Ringling Museum, and the Caples sites, if you ever visit Sarasota. Both properties are on the waterfront of Sarasota Bay and the scenery is quite lovely and the history quite interesting.

"Eventide", 12x24, oil on linen, Eucalptus trees, cypress trees, California landscapes, MAryanne Jacobsen fine art

SOLD

"Eventide", 12x24, oil on linen

This was painted a while back and is still a favorite of mine. The trees in California are so beautiful- from the willowy Eucalptus trees like the ones above to the gnarly, twisted cypress trees that flourish along the windy coasts- I think if I lived in California, I'd be outdoors every day, painting trees!

Please send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com if you would like to commission a painting similar to Eventide.

"Pea Green Boat", 8x8, oil on panel, the owl and the pussycat, Edward Lear poem, romance, Valentine's Day gifts, original oil paintings. Maryanne Jacobsen art

SOLD

"Pea Green Boat", 8x8, oil on panel

I've painted the Owl and the Pussycat a couple other times in the past and I guess I never tire of these furry friends and the loving relationship they had in Edward Lear's little poem.

This painting has been in a couple shows and has been hanging in my living room for a while, framed in a beautiful Randy Higbee floater frame.

It occurred to me that it might make a lovely gift to a couple romantics for Valentine's Day, so I decided to take it off my wall and offer it for sale for a limited time only. If you order by Saturday, I should be able to ship it in time for the big romantic week=end coming up next week.

I am offering it for sale for $400 or $450 framed as shown above. Please send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com if interested and I'll invoice you via Paypal.

Thanks for reading my blog and have a great day!

"Restoration in Progress"12x16, oil on panel, MAryanne JAcobsen art, Gloucester MAssachusetts, old boats, The Flight, paintings of old boats, welders, New England boats

"Restoration in Progress"12x16, oil on panel

Last spring, while up in Boston for my son's graduation, we took a day to visit Gloucester, one of the country's oldest fishing ports and a favorite haunt of mine whenever I'm up that way.

I always enjoy seeing all the old boats, and on this particular day "The Flight" was out of the water and being restored. I watched a man carefully welding her sides and I determined I had to paint her.

This one took mustering some courage before I even got started with it. I had to really concentrate on getting the details of the drawing correct, before I could move on to worrying about the paint application.

I also made some changes to the composition  in order to take some of the frivolous dock debris out of the background and replace it with the simpler suggestion of water and  distant shore.

Hopefully it doesn't look labored, but in truth it was a laborious task from start to finish!