"The Penniman House", 9x12, oil on linen, the Penniman House, whaling industry, Cape Cod, Eastham, Cape Cod National Seashore, American Women Artists, Addison Gallery, Maryanne Jacobsen art, French architecture

"The Penniman House", 9x12, oil on linen

Last summer I was in Orleans, Cape Cod, for the American Women Artists exhibit at The Addison Gallery. We had some free time and as luck would have it, we came upon the  Penniman House, perched on a hill off the main road in Eastham.

The Penniman House is a fine example of French second empire architecture. It was built on Cape Cod in 1868 by Captain Edward Penniman, who made his fortune through the Whaling Industry. He would travel across the world many times, hunting the massive "leviathans of the deep".

If you are in the Eastham/Orleans area this summer, stop by and see this once magnificent house. There are daily tours and nearby and up the hill is a lovely spit of land overlooking an inlet, where you can picnic, or paint! Read more about the home and the whaling industry here .

I will confess that this little painting almost drove me nuts. I don't often paint architecture, and the perspective involved in this one was rather daunting. I almost wiped this one down half a dozen times, but I kept at it and finally finished it.

This morning I was reading the bible and I opened up to Psalm 104. As I read it, I was enthralled by the beautiful descriptions of God's magnificence as demonstrated through the awesomeness of creation. I especially liked this verse: "There is the sea, vast and spacious,
    teeming with creatures beyond number—
    living things both large and small.
26 There the ships go to and fro,
    and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

 I thought about that verse today as I considered the whaling Captain's house, and how the captain himself would smell the sea salt from the Atlantic Ocean and out of habit scan the white-capped horizon from the top of his hill in search of a whale's spout. 

I hope you enjoyed reading about the Penniman House. Thanks for checking in!  

"Day's End, Good Harbor Beach", 8x10, oil on wrapped linen, plein air, Cape Ann, Gloucester beaches, impressionism, palette knife art

"Day's End, Good Harbor Beach", 8x10, oil on wrapped linen, plein air

Good Harbor Beach is located in Gloucester, on the North Shore of Massachusetts.  This little plein air painting was done during our recent August trip to Cape Ann, and this was my first chance to post.

Cape Ann is a rocky cape in northeastern Massachusetts on the Atlantic Ocean. It is located approximately 30 miles northeast of Boston and marks the northern limit of Massachusetts Bay. We visit there almost every summer becuase Rockport is so near and dear to my heart. We now have another reason to visit since my youngest son is attending the Harvard Kennedy School in Boston. Yay!

So in addition to visiting with our son and catching the beautiful soft sunlight on Cape Ann, we also made the trek to Orleans, Cape Cod for the American Women Artist's National exhibit.

I was very pleased to have been accepted into this prestigious national show for the second year in a row, and so oveall it was a great trip.

The sky was tinged in purple right before sunset on the August day that I set up my easel at Good Harbor. I hope you enjoy this painting. It has thick paint throughout and epitomizes the simple quaint beauty of this New England seaside town, captured quickly as the light kept fading.

"Straitsmouth Cove, Rockport"-plein air, 9x12, oil on panel, Rockport Massachusetts, Cape Ann, New England seascapes, impressionism, rocks, Atlantic Ocean, American Women Artists,Maryanne JAcobsen fine art

"Straitsmouth Cove, Rockport"-plein air,  9x12, oil on panel

I recently attended the American Women Artists Show at the Addison Gallery in Orleans, Massachusetts. Cape Cod is a wonderful place for an art exhibit as there is beauty everywhere and lovely shops and art galleries throughout Cape Cod.

A very special thank-you to Helen Addison, of the Addison Gallery for hosting the AWA show. The exhibit was breathtaking and I was very honored to be included in this prestigious national show for the second consecutive year. The show will run through September 15th, so if you are on the Cape, please stop by and view this magnificent show. There are still many lovely pieces available for purchase, too!

After returning to the Boston area, we spent some time on Cape Ann, in Rockport, long known by impressionist artists for its incredible light and dramatic scenery. My husband and I return here every summer to enjoy the best weather and scenery that New England has to offer!

The weather was more than cooperative this past week and I was able to do some plein air painting every single day. The painting above was done a few days ago at Straitsmouth Cove, right off of Marmion way in Rockport. I was attracted by the beautiful cool blues in the ambient light and used the house on the hill as a focal point.

A perfect plein air morning!

Two national shows and three roses!- American Impressionist Society, American Women Artists, Castine Plein air, Maryanne jacobsen art, roses, vase

SOLD

 "Pas de Trois", 8x8, oil on board

You know you haven't blogged in  awhile, when some of your readers send you emails asking if you are well!

I apologize for not blogging over these past weeks, but I had good reasons! I'm just getting over an illness that had me under the weather for a few weeks. In spite of not feeling well, I decided to go to the Castine Plein Air event anyway, and I'm glad that I did. I'll be blogging about that later on, but for now I just wanted to say that I'm back and thanks to my readers for their concerns!

I also received really wonderful news this week that I have been juried into the 16th annual American Women Artist's exhibit to be held in November at The Hanna Gallery in Fredericksburg , Texas. Of over 600 entries, only 60 were selected for the exhibit, and I was delighted and honored to have "Pas de Trois" included in this group of  beautiful paintings!

My little vase that I purchased in a health food store has certainly served me well, as I also used it for the painting, "Dancing Queens and a Pear", which was juried into the prestigious American Impressionist Society's 14th annual juried show in Charleston this October.Wow! Two national shows in one month! I am soooo happy and thankful for the blessing!

 Here's a photo of the set-up that  I used for my painting: As you can see, I stuck the vase unceremoniously between the blender and the toaster, and painted it right in my kitchen!

The next day, I carried the roses and vase into the bathroom, added a pear and couple glass bottles and painted "Dancing Queens and a Pear" in the somewhat confining quarters of the bathroom. Well, whatever works and for me the combination of north light from the window and warm overhead light above the mirror, made for an  interesting lighting effect.

I think it is going to be a busy and exciting fall season for this happy artist! Thanks for reading!