"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

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"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.