"Dappled Morning"-12x16, oil, Brandywine Conservancy, Farm to Table Plein Air, Land Art Events, Chadds Ford, Pa., plein Air. MAryanne Jacobsen art, red barn, Chester County Pennsylvania paintings, impressionism, dappled light

"Dappled Morning"-12x16, oil

I have been attempting to document on this blog the paintings from my recent trip to Pennsylvania, in which I am painting as a juried artist in the Farm to Table Plein Air event, which will culminate October 26th at Rose Hill Farm with a palette to palate extravaganza open to the public. The event will benefit the Brandywine Conservancy, and tickets to the event will be available in September.

The above painting was painted on the first morning at Fenton Farm in Chadds Ford. I had blogged previously about how much I enjoyed painting at this gorgeous property. This first morning I felt like I was in heaven. Birds were chirping all around me, roosters were crowing and a gentle waterfall was cascading over the stone wall at the entrance to the property.  The weather was as perfect as an artist could want,  and our hostess, Mrs. Fenton, is an absolutely lovely woman, who went out of her way to be helpful and make all the artists feel at home.

The painting in progress........

There was dappled light everywhere , and the challenge for me was to make notes on my drawing so I would remember which areas were in light and which were in shadow as the light changed. There was a lot going on in this scene, and I had to keep editing and deciding what to leave in, and what to leave out.

I was almost at the point of calling the painting done, when the tree above me suddenly decided to rain down a pollen deluge! Within minutes, my painting was covered with little greens specks!

Not sure if I got them all out or not, but whatever remains will add some character to the work, I'm sure!

To learn more about Farm to Table Plein Air, Land Art Events, and the Brandywine Conservancy, please follow this link to my website.

"Jenny's Peonies", 12x16, oil on panel, peonies, Brandywine Conservancy, Farm to Table Plein Air, Brandywine valley, Chadds ford, Pennsylvania, land art events, chester county , plein air painters

"Jenny's Peonies", 12x16, oil on panel

I recently returned from a trip to Pennsylvania's beautiful Chester County area, where I painted beautiful fields, streams and local farms that are part of the Brandywine Conservancy.  The Brandywine Conservancy protects and conserves the land, water, natural and cultural resources of the Brandywine-Christina watershed. As someone who spent the majority of her years in this beautiful area, I'm so happy to be able to be participating in a plein air event that benefits the conservation of these valuable resources!

Of the many places that I got to paint on this trip, I do feel that the Fenton Farm in Chadds Ford was possibly my favorite, maybe as a result of charming Jenny, the owner and gracious hostess who made us artists feel enormously welcome as we painted on her grounds while she tended to her beautiful gardens, goats and other animals and birds. (even a peacock!)

Also exciting for me, were the peonies in bloom in the garden in the front of the main house. Peonies are a favorite flower of mine, and since you can't grow them in Florida, and they have such a short life span, I felt incredibly lucky to snag a spot to paint while they were still blooming.

The painting in progress....

This painting will be included in the Farm to Table Plein Air event in October, featuring an art show and locally grown food- a true palette to palate extravaganza! More info about tickets to the event at my website under "upcoming events".

"Wyeth's Muse", 12x16, oil on panel, Andrew Wyeth, Chadds Ford, Brandywine School of Art, Maryanne Jacobsen art, Keurner Farm, Ring Farm, historic places, N.C. Wyeth, original oil paintings, Brandywine Valley

"Wyeth's Muse", 12x16, oil on panel

It is said that the Keurner Farm in Chadd's Ford, Pa. served as inspiration for at least a third of the works by the late Andrew Wyeth. Andrew discovered the farm on one of his boyhood walks and over the years, the farm and its occupants, Karl and Anna Keurner developed a deeply satisfying albeit complex relationship. It was here at the farm that Andrew met Helga, a German immigrant, who also became the controversial subject of many of Wyeth's paintings.

Having spent the greater part of my adult life living in the Brandywine Valley, and treasuring the legacy of the Wyeth's, it is not unusual that I still gravitate to scenes of rural farms with old stone walls and fence lines that dot the hillsides, whenever I visit Pennsylvania.

 Recently, while painting in the Plein Air Brandywine Valley painting event, I had the opportunity to paint at the Kuerner Farm, which was generously donated  by the Keurners to the Brandywine Conservancy and Museum. It was a gorgeous autumn day, and although I really wanted to paint the white farmhouse from the bottom of the hill, another artist had already set up there.

So I painted the Springhouse instead, which is closer to the barn, and I'll post a better picture of that painting in another blog post.

All and all it was quite a moving experience to be able to walk the same well-worn dusty paths of the Wyeth's, Howard Pyle and other masters of the Brandywine School of Art, but I was still disappointed that I didn't have the chance to paint the farmhouse.

So this week I used my reference photo and set out to portray the old homestead in the dramatic mid-day light. I wasn't unhappy with outcome, but I do hope that someday perhaps I'll have the chance to paint the scene again- this time on location.

"October Morning", 12x16, oil on board, Chester County, Pennsylvania, Chadds Ford, Nielsen estate, farms, barns, fall foliage, Brandywine Valley plein air

"October Morning", 12x16, oil on board

This is another painting that I did during Plein Air Brandywine Valley. It was actually my favorite of the four because I truly enjoyed the painting experience on that lovely sunny, crisp October morning. I had worn layers of clothing because of how cold it had been the day before, but found myself stripping the layers off one by one as the morning progressed and the temperatures rose.

 Yikes! By 11Am it was darned near warm!!!!!!!

This one was also painted at the Nielsen Estate in Chadds Ford. (See my previous post here. )

It is such a joy for me to be able to experience different climates, different vegetation and hence the different challenges to my palette, values, etc. Compared to Florida, the northeastern skies are cooler, grayer, and the contrast is much more subtle than here in Florida. So I truly learn through these Paint-outs and hope I'll be able to continue to do them in the years to come.

If you have any interest in this painting, just send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com.

"Prime Time", 9x12, oil on board, plein air Brandywine Valley, Chadds Ford, Pa., Winterthur, Andrew Wyeth country, fall foliage, Pennsylvania landscapes, twisted trees, autumn

"Prime Time", 9x12, oil on board

I just returned from Pennsylvania where I participated in  the Plein Air Brandywine Valley art competition and sale to benefit Children's Beach House in Wilmington , Delaware. It was my second year of doing this competition and every year is wonderful because of the exceptional places that the artists are allowed to paint. People generously offer to open up their private estates to the artists, where we can paint vistas of horses, donkeys, old barns, classic Pennsylvania fieldstone farmhouses, hay stacks and much more.

It's a beautiful time of year, with the fall foliage at full peak. Hence the name of the painting above which was painted at the Nielsen estate in Chadds Ford, Pa., home to generations of Wyeth families. I was drawn to the interesting shape of the twisted tree as well as the companion tree on the other side of the winding path, which was in full fall gala garb!

The week of painting culminates in a gala, held at the Winterthur Museum, where people who purchase tickets can choose from literally dozens or gorgeous plein air paintings available for purchase.

Unfortunately, I only painted 4 paintings this year, since two of the days were cold and rainy and I have Raynaud's disease, which is a circulatory problem that prevents me from going outdoors in cold and damp weather. But I was happy with the paintings that I did on Monday and Tuesday, and one of them was purchased by a collector.

Here I am posing in front of my paintings at the gala.

I'll be posting more of the work that I did last week over the next few days. Happy Halloween!