"Humble Abode 2", 8x10, oil on linen, Florida Cracker House, Marjorie Kennan Rawlings, Cross Creek, The Yearling, Florida Art, original art, impasto, thick paint, MaryanneJacobsen art

 

"Humble Abode 2", 8x10, oil on linen

I was going through some photos today and came across a group of photos I had taken a few summers ago after a trip to "Cross Creek", the backwoods Florida home of author Marjorie Keenen Rawlings. Rawlings is most familiar to us through her beloved work  The Yearling, about a boy who adopts an orphaned fawn,. The book won a Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1939 and was later made into a movie, also known as The Yearling.

I discovered that few people know much about Rawlings, though many have read The Yearling in school.  So here is a little history about Rawlings from Wikipedia:

In 1928, with a small inheritance from her mother, the Rawlingses purchased a 72 acre (290,000 m²) orange grove near Hawthorne, Florida, in a hamlet named Cross Creek for its location between Orange Lake and Lochloosa Lake. She brought the place to international fame through her writing. She was fascinated with the remote wilderness and the lives of Cross Creek residents, her Cracker neighbors, and felt a profound and transforming connection to the region and the land.Wary at first, the local residents soon warmed to her and opened up their lives and experiences to her. Marjorie filled several notebooks with descriptions of the animals, plants, Southern dialect, and recipes and used these descriptions in her writings.

As one enters Cross Creek, the first thing that you see is a sign that says the following:

 In spite of the excessive heat, humidity, and lack of creature comforts, Rawlings embraced this wild harsh land that few today would want to call home.

The painting that I did above, was not of Rawlings home at Cross Creek, but of a replica of an old Cracker Shack that was on the property and served as a home to the hired help. The humbleness of the property is evident, but what is not evident is the sense of profound peace and stillness that emanated the grounds.

Save for the occasional crowing of a rooster, the place was wrapped in a blanket of quiet serenity. 

Above is a photo of the cracker shack , and which served as my reference.

I have enormous respect for the people who braved these harsh lands and forged their homesteads upon ground that  many today would consider uninhabitable!

I enjoyed doing this painting in my air-conditioned studio. It reminded me that I have much to be thankful for and also reminded me that I would have a hard time surviving on a remote homestead such as the one that Rawlings lived upon and called home! Yet overall, I could appreciate the sense of mystic loveliness that Rawlings described and which was etched on the sign above.

"December Snow", 8x10, oil on panel, snow scene, original oil painting, Christmas gifts, framed painting of snow, tranquil snow scenes, Maryanne Jacobsen art

 "December Snow", 8x10, oil on panel, frame included! (Note: Click on image to see it better)

This is the time of year that I dream of a White Christmas! As a Floridian of 20 years, I get to wear shorts all year, and  see my garden bloom throughout the year.

But during the holiday season, I yearn for those beautiful winter scenes of tranquility and peace, that I once enjoyed when I lived in beautiful Chester County Pennsylvania.

I am offering this painting for sale, with the frame included, through my website. Please click here to enjoy the serenity of a snow scene all year long!

"Winter Cheer", 8x10, oil, winter, yellow roses, impressionism, windowsill paintings, wintry weather

 "Winter Cheer", 8x10, oil

I haven't painted or posted much in recent months. Hurricane Ian did a lot of destruction to our little town and to our home as well. So my husband and I have been working for days on end trying to get our front and back yard repaired. The storm took down two huge trees (which luckily didn't hit the house) But they created a lot of destruction in the course of their own demise. In addition, our "bird cage" , which is the large aluminum structure that covers and protects our pool and lanai, collapsed and our roof needs to be completely replaced. It's been a lot of work and frustration over the past two months, but I determined to get back to painting recently.

The above painting is my attempt to get looser and less left brained in my approach to painting. I have always enjoyed doing windowsill paintings, which is what I call paintings of florals with a window as a backdrop, and so winter storms up north recently were the inspiration to paint something warm and inviting against a cold wintry background.

I hope to continue to post regularly in the future!

"Peaceful Cove", 8x10, oil, Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia, palette knife painting, texture, clouds, ocean, fish shack, blue, red

 "Peaceful Cove", 8x10, oil

It's been awhile since I posted. Without going into detail, the past few months have been really hard on many levels. So I was grateful to be able to produce anything after all these weeks.

I used mostly a palette knife and there's some sweet texture in this little piece.

It's a peaceful scene of a little red fish shack up in Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia. I've painted this scene before, and it brings back positive memories for me of clean fresh air, long vistas of sand and sea and the bracing smell of salt, sea, and the ice cold Atlantic.

If you are interested in this painting, please send me a message at maryannejacobsen@aol.com.

Farmhouse Morning, 8x10, oil, Amish country, Honey Brook, Pennsylvania, farmhouse, morning light, Autumn, pumpkins, landscape

 "Farmhouse Morning", 8x10

Back in the fall, we took a trip to Amish country in Pennsylvania. We stayed at an organic farm, and the owner introduced us to all his chickens, roosters, goats, cows and ponies.

We had an awesome week and the farmhouse was especially rustic and cozy. I so enjoyed sitting on the porch in the morning, having my coffee, and watching the hens and roosters come up on the porch and walk around.

There was also a kitten who lived under the porch that became my best friend after I gave him half of my tuna salad lunch.

It took me a while to get together the nerve to paint the porch scene. There was a lot going on with the light and shadows, the stone walls and perspective and I was a little intimidated by it.

But I knew it was a good composition and so I set my mind to painting it, and this is how it turned out.

Overall, I was happy with it, but think it would be even better in a larger format. We shall see if I attempt that or not.

Thanks for visiting my blog. See more of my paintings at my website.

The Lake House, 8x10, oil on panel, plein air, Lake Glenville, Cashiers North Carolina, mountain retreats, paintings of lakes, Cashiers art, Lake Glenville paintings

 The Lake House, 8x10, oil on panel, plein air

The second day of my little mini vacation at Lake Glenville  arrived once again overcast, foggy and threatening rain.

Although we had hoped to hike to some waterfalls, we decided that under the circumstances, it was probably not a great plan since some of the hikes involved treks down into chasms with slippery rocks and such. So the morning was spent painting a floral from a bouquet of snapdragons that I purchased at the Farmer's Market in Cashiers.

The afternoon weather was unfortunately the same as the morning with threat of rain increasing. We had an outstanding lunch of homemade black bean burgers and fresh fruit at Cornucopia Restaurant in Cashiers, and after returning back to our Airbnb, I decided to have another go at the gorgeous lake scene I had painted the day before.

This time I decided to change the composition a little by inserting a bit of the neighboring house.

Overall, I felt more confident the second day, and realized that I just need to get outside and paint and my confidence and abilities will return!

I painted in many competitive Paint-outs over the years and it is sad that I wasted 2 years as a result of fear of more skin cancer and other stuff that is somewhat preventable with a little caution.

Here was the scene from the porch as I painted it.

I loved the fact that porch was covered, and I could paint to my heart's content without myself or the painting getting drizzled on!

"The Lake House" is available for purchase for only $99, through my website. Please click here to purchase.

Thanks for visiting my blog!

View From the Porch, 8x10, oil , paintings of lakes, water view, plein air, small paintings, all prima, Lake Glenville, North Carolina art, Cashiers art, mountains and lakes

View From the Porch, 8x10, oil (Note: you can click on the image to see it better.)

When we decided to go to Cashiers for a mini vacation, I was uncertain whether or not to bring my paints. It was a short trip, after all, and sometimes it's not worth it to schlep all the paints and stuff. But I had bought a small Plein Air cigar box easel over 2 years ago, and when Covid began, and had yet to use it!

Between being isolated through Covid lockdowns, a new and serious bout with skin cancer, and a bunch of other annoying things, I simply stopped painting outdoors.

Unsure if I would ever paint en plein air again, I packed my gear after 2 years of not painting outdoors and we headed up to the North Carolina mountains. 

As it turned out, our AirBnb lake house was just the inspiration that I needed to re-ignite my joy in painting outdoors!

The view of Lake Glenville was even better than the description, and although we arrived to overcast weather, my husband and I relished eating our lunch out on the deck overlooking the lake.

After lunch, I took out my new easel, the few brushes and paints I finally decided to bring , and started to paint.

I was sadly out of practice, but had a great deal of fun anyway!

"View from the Porch" is available on my website for $99. Just click here to purchase through PayPal.

Thanks for visiting my blog and return often to see more paintings!

 

"Rainy Day Bouquet", 8x10, oil on panel, plein air, rainy day, all prima, paint from life, soft color, impasto

SOLD

"Rainy Day Bouquet", 8x10, oil on panel, plein air

We took a brief trip to Cashiers  North Carolina and although our Airbnb is lovely and has a view of Lake Glenville, the weather has been damp and rainy.

We had hoped to do some outdoor activities, but with the bad weather, I was happy to buy a bouquet at the farmer's market in town and paint the flowers out on the beautiful porch overlooking Lake Glenville.

So that is what I did.

This painting can be purchased through PayPal by using this link on my website. Thanks for visiting my blog and have a great day.
 

"Strawberry Blonde", 8x10, portraits, red-heads, strawberry blondes, Short Dog Studio, Bill Taylor Photography, Beth Brownlee Bathe, Maryanne Jacobsen art

 "Strawberry Blonde", 8x10

I broke my clavicle about a month ago as a result of a bike accident. Trying to get back into painting has been very slow-going and extremely painful, as I find I am in a lot of pain if I stand for more than 20 minutes. (I've never been able to paint sitting down.) Recently I was invited by fabulous artist Beth Brownlee Bathe to paint virtually from her wonderful Short Dog Studio in Ephrata, Pa. She and her partner Bill of Bill Taylor Photography have offered artists the chance to paint from some absolutely fabulous long shot poses photographed at the studio. The models are always beautiful and there are a variety of poses to choose from. Last week I painted (very painfully) a full figure. This week I decided to keep it simple with just a portrait. This was the result.

A huge thank-you to Beth Brownlee Bathe, Bill Taylor Photography and Short Dog Studio for giving me and many artists a little pleasure during these COVID-times.

#BethBrownleeBathe, #shortdogstudio #BillTaylorPhotography

"Under the Arches", 8x10, Mission Capistrano, SanJuanCapistrano, California missions, Father Serra, Southern California missions, Maryanne Jacobsen art

"Under the Arches", 8x10

This is a view ot the beautiful Mission SanJuan Capistrano from under the mission arches. The shrub directly in front is an Angel Trumpet plant, rumored to be toxic, but gorgeous nonetheless less. There were very few blooms on the plant at this time, but when it does bloom there are beautiful white upside down trumpet -shaped blooms.

I've painted the mission numerous times. There is no end of  inspiration there!

For purchase info, please email me at maryannejacobsen@aol.com.

"Dog Beach Afternoon", 8x10, oil, dog beach, Brohard dog park, southwest Florida, venice Florida, dogs, dog lovers art, Florida beaches

"Dog Beach Afternoon", 8x10, oil

Every dog owner in the world loves a dog beach, and here in Venice, Fl., we are fortunate to have our very own dog beach and park! At the Brohard Dog Park, dogs of every shape and size, age and breed can come and have the option of having a doggie play date, sunbathe, or lap around in the turquoise waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Dog owners bring their lawn chairs and picnic baskets and watch their precious fur babies enjoy the Florida sunshine as they get in a few rays as well.

I enjoyed painting this one, as it brought back a couple good memories for me. If you're a dog lover, be sure to check out this great bark park  the next time you are in southwest Florida.

This painting is available through Collectors Gallery and Framery in downtown  Venice. You can call them at (941)488-3029 for price inquiries.

"Red Rock Country", 8x10, oil on panel, Zion national Park, CyberMonday sale, Virgin River, The Watchman, Maryanne Jacobsen art, National parks, red rocks

"Red Rock Country", 8x10, oil on panel-$350 (free shipping!)

This scene is a view from Watchman Trail in  Zion National Park, which I've painted a few times in the past. It portrays the Swirling Virgin River as it heads towards the turn at the majestic Watchman.

Utah is a beautiful place and was recently voted the third best state in which to retire!

For CyberMonday, I'm offering this painting at half off my usual retail, unframed, with free shipping within the domestic US.

Please use the PayPal button below, if you would like to purchase this painting. By the way, original art makes a lovely Christmas gift!

"Candlelight Vigil for a Dying Peony"8x10, oil on panel-study, small works, peony study, painting from life, all prima, Maryanne Jacobsen Fine Art

"Candlelight Vigil for a Dying Peony"8x10, oil on panel-study

Peonies are only available for a short period time, and so I always rush to Trader Joe's every June and stock up on these gorgeous flowers. You can't grow them in Florida, and by the time we get them from areas where you can grow them, they have been through the trauma of transportation, so they' re never quite fresh enough. The result is that they only last a few days after I buy them.

I struggle with painting these beauties, probably because I don't have enough time throughout the year to practice them at my leisure, or maybe I am just making excuses. They are truly complex! So this peony study was an attempt to get a little better at painting them.

As you can see from my set-up, although it had already opened completely, the peony wasn't in bad shape when I began the painting. However, since I got the bright idea to light the candle directly under the peony to add some "atmosphere", the peony became a victim of my stupidity and quickly wilted.

Oh well. These elusive flowers are like most things beautiful- they never last forever.

This little study is available to purchase through my website for only $300, unframed. Shipping is free! Just click the link here to purchase or visit my website.

"Stormy Seas", after Ivan Aivazousky, 8x10, Susan Ploughe workshop, waves, boats, ships, storms, seascapes, Maryanne Jacobsen

"Stormy Seas", after Ivan Aivazousky, 8x10

On the third and last day of the excellent Susan Ploughe workshop that I took this week, the topic was waves. I rarely paint waves for a couple reasons. Firstly, they are HARD!!!!!! Second, we really don't have hardly any waves to observe here on the west coast of Florida (Gulf of Mexico) so I don't practice them. Our waters are pretty calm, with the exception of the occasional hurricane. Third, I have often thought that many paintings of waves were rather boring. That was until Wednesday, when Susan showed us a slideshow of how different artists handle waves and I was introduced to Ivan Aivazousky.

Whoa!!!!!! Can I say jaw-dropping, exceptional, mind-blowing beauty? I googled him that night to find out more about him and turns out he is considered one of the greatest maritime artists of all time!
Ivan Aivazovsky was born in 1817 into an Armenian family in the Black Sea port of Feodosia in Crimea and was mostly based there. He died in 1900 and evidently studied the sea extensively throughout his lifetime, producing the most incredibly gorgeous seascapes I have ever seen.

So as with the other days of the workshop, after Susan's demo, we were given chance to choose which wave photo we wanted to paint and how could I resist this?

Original work of Aivazousky above.

I struggled quite a bit with this one. Painting the delicate tracings of foam on the water almost made me cry, but in the end, I learned so much just from trying to copy the work of a true master.

I am going to continue to practice painting the sea, and maybe someday I'll find it less intimidating. 

I highly recommend Susan's workshop "Waterways", if you want to learn some of the many intricacies of painting water in all of of it's delightfully daunting forms.

"Snow Day", 8x10, oil on panel, snow study, winter scenes, winter snow art, sledding, Chester Springs, Pa. Pennsylvania impressionism, Maryanne Jacobsen art

"Snow Day", 8x10, oil on panel

The last day of 2016 I was feeling nostalgic and rahter homesick for my old homestead up in Chester Springs, Pa. So on New Years Eve I painted this little study of two of my sons sledding in front of our home. It was a great place to sled, lots of hills, and because it was pretty rural back then, there was very little traffic on the roads.

Hoping that all of my friends and collectors have a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year!

To purchase this little snowy study, please email me at maryannejacobsen@aol.com.

"Drama Queens", 8x10, oil on panel, coral, peach, roses, impressionist roses, drama, MAryanne Jacobsen art

"Drama Queens", 8x10, oil on panel

Yup, there's always one in a crowd- that person who wants all the attention. In this case, there are three of them, and they are aren't competing against each other. They're competing against the orange! Ha!

I have been working on notan and design recently and so I set this one up with that in mind. Hope you like it.

Thanks for looking.

"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!

"Van Gogh"s Boats", 8x10, oil, Vincent Van Gogh, French Boats, empaths, highly sensitive personalities, French seacapes, impressionism, Bouzique, France, old fishing boats, Maryanne JAcobsen art

"Van Gogh"s Boats", 8x10, oil

Nothing is sadder than an artist that cannot find his footings in a cold world. Such was the case with Vincent Van Gogh.

Today we have a name for people like Vincent. They are called empaths, or highly sensitive personalities, or whatever. I understand Vincent. Sometimes the world is hard. Sometimes the world is cold.

And sometimes the world is beautiful!

 Empaths struggle to find their footing because everything is bigger for empaths than the life that most individuals see and live each day. Bigger and scarier.

Anyhow. That's all I have to say about Vincent's mental state. Vincent painted colorful fishing boats in a  painting titled, Boats at St. Marie.

Here is an image of his painting:

These colorful old fishing boats dating back to Van Gogh's era can still be seen in the small fishing port of Bouziques, in the south of France. How cool is that?

This little painting was painted a few years ago and I took it out recently and re-worked a couple passages. If you like it, send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com

"The Little Church in Chester Springs", 8x10, oil on panel, plein air, Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, fall foiliage, paintings of churches, St. Matthews Church of Christ, autumn landscapes, Maryanne JAcobsen art

"The Little Church in Chester Springs", 8x10, oil on panel, plein air

Last week the leaves in Pennsylvania were at their peak of glory. So it was with a happy heart that I went out each day and painted the beauty that was truly everywhere. When I lived in Chester Springs, I passed the little St. Matthews Church of Christ on the corner of 401 and St. Matthews Rd. almost everyday, but it wasn't until I left the area, became an artist, and then returned to the area, that I realized how much it needed to be painted!

It's an incredibly scenic little church, with a graveyard in the side lawn, and I knew I had to paint it while I was there.

Route 401 is a fairly busy country road, so I set up on the other side of the road, as far back from the highway as I could. The sun was on the left side of the building and so the light effect was really nice as it hit the tops of the trees.

Below, you can see how much the light had changed by the time I finished the painting...

When I got back home to Florida, I realized that I had forgotten the little red maple in the front yard, so I added it to the painting afterwards and tweaked some additional areas, but overall, it was done mostly on location.

I hope you like it! Send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com if you have any interest in this painting!