"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!