"Summer Reverie", 16x20, oil on panel, Maryanne Jacobsen art, original oil paintings, impressionism, plein air versus studio, gardens, flowers, romantic gardens

"Summer Reverie", 16x20, oil on panel

I did a plein air painting in my back garden a couple weeks ago and enjoyed it so much that I thought I'd try a larger version in my studio. The image above is the result.

It's a weird thing about plein air. You are working against the clock to capture all that you see in front of you, and as a result you don't have time to over-think things. So generally speaking, plein air work has a more spontaneous feel to it.

The benefits of working  in the studio, are that you can study what you did wrong in the plein air piece, and take your time thinking through how you could do it differently, in the hopes that you might improve upon what you did quickly outdoors.

Here are the two paintings side by side:

The funny thing is, I like the plein air painting better! Yes, I was able to soften edges in the larger one, and think more carefully about the background, but somehow, the transparency of the tablecloth, the texture in the flowers, the boldbess of the brushwork,  and the spontaneous way in which I threw in the leg and its shadow underneath the table, appeals to me more.

Anyhow, if you stop by this blog and have a read, please let me know what you think!

"The Colors of Capistrano", 12x16, oil on board, Mission San Juan Capistrano, California mission, MAryanne Jacobsen art, impressionism, bougainvillea, beautiful places

SOLD

"The Colors of Capistrano", 12x16, oil on board

I painted this a while back and took it out just last week and looked at it. Overall, I was happy with it, but felt that there were some areas that needed strengthening. So I simplified the flower bed beneath the bougainvillea tree to unify the mass overall. Next I simplified the shadows on the ground and lightened them since vertical planes on the ground are lighter, even in shadow. I strengthened the shadow mass on the right side of the bush in the back and then just tweaked some roof tiles. I think it helped quite a bit to unify the painting, and I was happy with it.

Serendipity occurred over the weekend, before the new paint had even dried, when  a new collector inquired about it and bought it instantly as a gift for his wife. I love when that happens!

Below is an image of the painting before I tweaked it, so you can see the changes that I spoke of. It is always encouraging to me to be able to take out a painting and make it better. It helps me know that I am continuing to learn and to improve my craft!