"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!

"Pears, Peonies and Pentimento", 12x16, oil, peonies, pink, pentimento, MAryanne Jacobsen art

SOLD

"Pears, Peonies and Penitmento", 12x16, oil

It's rare that I can resist fresh peonies when I find them available in the supermarket. Especially in the winter when things can get a little dreary, even in Florida.

So I picked these up and painted them with some fresh pears that I had on hand. I played a little with the color in spots which was fun.

This painting was done on top of another painting that I decided was not one of my best efforts, so there's some really cool pentimento throughout. If you are not sure what pentimento is, you can read about it here.

"Red Umbrella", 9x12, oil on board, Paris, cityscape, small streets, LAtin Quarter, impressionism, alla prima, red umbrella

SOLD

"Red Umbrella", oil on board, 9x12

This was a quick study that I did last night of a little side street in Paris after a rainfall. My objective was to keep the painting fresh and the brushwork lively and not to overwork it. It was completed in just under 2 hours.

"Esperanza Roses and Watermelon", 16x16, oil on wrapped canvas, esperanza rose, hybrid rose, white, pink roses, watermelon, fruit, impressionism , still life with watermelon, Maryanne JAcobsen fine Art

SOLD

"Esperanza Roses and Watermelon", 16x16, oil on wrapped canvas

I recently discovered a new hybrid rose variety that I absolutely love. They are called esperanza roses.

They are delightfully pink on the top and then have shades of cream and apple green on the petals. I picked up a bunch of the in the supermarket and painted them recently in a green vase which i converted into a pitcher for artistic reasons. The watermelon was a nice compliment to the set-up and I was really happy with the way the painting turned out.

The painting is available through Galerie du Soleil in Naples, Florida. You can contact them at (239)417-3450 if you are interested in purchasing this painting.

Thanks for looking and happy New Year to all my collectors and artist friends!