"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!