"Old World Charm", 12x16, romantic settings, romantic restaurants, Chester County Pennsylvania, Fine dining establishments, Vickers Tavern, White Dog Cafe, Four Dog Tavern, historic restaurants

 "Old World Charm", 12x16

There's something so romantic about dining in a lovely setting, complete with candlelight, and a warm fire burning nearby. 

When I lived in Chester County, Pa., there were many historic old buildings that were converted to restaurants that had the kind of charm that made you want to fall in love all over again, even if it was only to love the sumptuous meal or the fresh flowers on the table.

My favorite restaurant in the beautiful area of Chester Springs, was Vickers Tavern, which has a rich history. From the restaurant's website we read:

"The building’s roots date back to 1823, when skilled potter and abolitionist John Vickers purchased the farmhouse. Vickers’ father, Thomas, was an abolitionist and one of the earliest and most active members of the Underground Railroad. He was one of the original members of the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society, formed in Philadelphia in 1777.

In 1823, John Vickers purchased five acres for $800 and constructed the building for a pottery business. Many enslaved people found sanctuary in the building, which later became Vickers Tavern, then Vickers Restaurant."

It was always a joy to go there and look for a piece of pottery to be taken home along with the remains of a delicious meal. The restaurant has since closed under the Vickers name, but is re-opening soon as another local favorite- The White Dog Cafe, which is another of my personal favorites and has locations in Wayne, Haverford and Philly.

Another favorite in the area that closed many moons ago was The Inn at Yellow Springs. With a rich history as a hospital for revolutionary war soldiers, it is known as the Washington Building in the tiny little enclave of historic buildings known as Yellow Springs. We lived nearby, and my son waitered there during his college summers, and would often come home with ghost stories of sightings and strange noises after hours.

Ghosts or not, I loved choosing that place to dine on anniversary dinners, birthdays, or what have you.

I've also painted the old building and you can read more about it's history here.

There were so many others that we would frequent regularly-The White Horse Tavern in Malvern, The General Warren Inn, Four Dogs Tavern in MArshalton, (which I've also painted) and so many others too numerous to mention.

What they all had in common was ambiance- Old World Charm, history, fresh flowers, fireplaces, mystery ghosts, and best of all- impeccably prepared food.

This blog post has reminded me of how much I miss Chester County, Pa. There is no comparison whatever here in Florida. Alas.....what started out as blog post about my painting, has turned into a trip down memory lane for me. I am definitely getting old!

If you are interested in this painting, feel free to email me at maryannejacobsen@aol.com.

Thanks for visiting my blog, and if you are visiting historic Chester County, PA., I highly recommend these restaurants.

"Bakers at Red Lion", 12x12, oil on panel, French bakery, Kennett Square Pennsylvania, Galer Estate Vineyard and winery, Fresh baked bread, Chester County Pennsylvania, hidden gems

"Bakers at Red Lion", 12x12, oil on panel, Note: click on the image to see the painting better.

"When the flag is out, the bread is ready!" The French flag at the entrance to this little gem of a bakery, is a welcome sign on weekends for residents of the Kennett Square, Chadds Ford/Longwood area of Pennsylvania. Because it is in this place, called the "Bakers of Red Lion" that the most sumptuous breads , boules and brownies are created by two talented and jovial women named Nancy and Barbara.

I painted this about a year ago, but never posted it because I could tell that the perspective was a little wonky. (Funny how our artistic egos are.) And although the perspective might be a little off, I finally decided it was well worth sharing this painting for the sake of introducing people in the Chester County area to this incredible hidden gem .

This is what the locals look for on the weekends... the French flag indicating that the bakers are open for business and that the bread is ready!

I discovered the Bakers at Red Lion by accident. We were having a nice little mini vacation at the beautiful carriage house on the Galer Winery estate. The Winery is located right across the road from the French bakery in Kennett Square, and as we pulled our car into the Winery's driveway, I noticed the beautiful little home with all the flowers and awnings and French flags outside calling out an invitation to explore!

And so I did, and I discovered the most incredibly delicious bread I had ever tasted!

Here are the bakers themselves hard at work turning out delectables!

My favorite was the cheese bread and even now, a year later, the thought of it makes my mouth water.

If you are ever in the area, stop by and see these ladies, grab a baguette, and then head across the street for a wine tasting on the idyllic Galer Estate Vineyard and Winery.

Here's some pics from our stay at the charming carriage house, which coincidently , is only about a mile or so from the beautiful Longwood Gardens! A little piece of Provence, right in the midst of Chester County, Pa.!

This setting was inspiring for me. If you look towards the window in the bottom photo, you'll see  the fresh peonies on the table that inspired the painting below , "Wish you were Here" .

Now that you've seen my pics and heard about the fresh baked bread and local wine, don't you wish you were there?

"Country Inn Warmth", 12x16, oil on panel, interior, Duling-Kurtz Inn, country inns, Bed and breakfast, Maryanne Jacobsen art, Chester County Pennsylvania, fireside

"Country Inn Warmth", 12x16, oil on panel

The Duling Kurtz Inn in Exton , Pennsylvania has a fascinating history. It is located in beautiful Chester County , Pa. and is well over a hundred years old.

Named after two woman, Edith Duling Carr drove her horse and wagon to Market in Wilmington, Delaware where she sold live chickens, eggs, and vegetables in the open market square. She married Robert H. Carr, who left farming to establish a regional milk transporting company in Frazer, and raised a family of five boys and one girl. "Aunt Edith" resided in Chester County for the most of her 85 years.

Lena E. Kurtz Knauer, one of eight children born to a miller's family, was raised in the Morgantown, Pennsylvania area. During her youth, while homesteading in North Dakota with her sister, she rode horseback through the West selling cosmetics to Indians.  In her twilight years "Aunt Lena" entertained visitors regularly at St. Peter's Village with her musical saw and made several appearances on national television, playing her unique instrument.  She was, in fact, a very colorful citizen of Chester County where she lived most of her 90 years.

Duling-Kurtz House and Country Inn is named in honor of these two fine ladies whose love, strength and character deeply touched and wonderfully influenced so many lives.

My husband and I had the occasion to stay at the Inn recently while visiting Chester County, Pa. When we entered the reception area, there was a hearty fire roaring in the the fireplace. There were flowers on the coffee table and oranges in a bowl. It felt wonderful on this chilly, rainy, spring day.

I snapped a quick photo of the reception area and painted it last week. There is also a restauranton the premises which has exceptional food.

Thanks for looking and do visit the Duling -Kurtz Inn and Restaurant if you are in the Exton, Pennsylvania area!

"Miller Road Springhouse", 11x14, oil on panel, Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, springhouse, forsythia, Chester County Pennsylvania, Miller Road, Foxhunt country, Dr. Don Rosato, antique carriages, red fox, plein air paintings, Maryanne JAcobsen art, country roads

"Miller Road Springhouse", plein air, 11x14, oil on panel

For many years I took ballet class on a daily basis. It wasn't a chore, it was something I absolutely loved to do. It refreshed and challenged and nourished  me. It conditioned my body and brought joy to that spiritual part of me that just wanted to soar. My favorite part of ballet class was of course the grande allegro. This is where I could soar through the air in leaps called grande jetes and attempt to move the way a bird travels across the sky!

At any rate, those days are well over, but I still recall when I would stop taking class for a week or two or even a month due to unpredictable circumstances- injury, vacation, family obligations.... whatever.

There was a saying amongst dancers that when you stopped taking class for three weeks, it would take you six weeks to get back into shape. So for example, if I were to try to go back to ballet class now, it would take me 30 years to get back to the condition I was in when I quit.

Lol. At 66, it's probably not worth it!

Anyhow, I experienced a little bit of the same thing recently, when I went back to plein air painting after taking about 6 months off.

It could have been a total disaster as I contemplated giving up over and over again in that first half hour as I struggled with paint mixtures and finding the right brushes.

But luckily, I happened to be in my happy place- Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, just a short mile or so from where I once lived, and I was not about to let the opportunity go to waste.

You see, I live in Florida now, and it's not often that I get to paint Spring expressing herself in bright golden forsythia bushes along a winding road with a stream and springhouse plopped along the way.

So I scraped the painting down and started again. The long afternoon tree shadows kept showing up on my canvas as I tried to paint and I had to keep turning my easel to get out of their way, which meant I had to look backwards at my scene.

As my neck got stiff from looking backwards, I finally gave up trying to avoid tree shadows and just turned the easel into the scene.

You truly never know what kind of treasures you'll see when you happen to be painting along Miller Road.

At one point, a red fox came strutting up the road, right past me, with a mouse or something tucked in his mouth. He was not in any hurry, so I had a chance to grab the camera and catch a quick shot as he headed up the hill.

Next, the storied Dr. Don Rosato and his friends came by in one of  the doctor's handsome carriages.

Dr. Rosato  is well known and respected in the fox hunt community. He lives nearby on St. Matthews Rd. and his colorful history and beautiful carriages are a permanent fixture in this tiny bucolic community. He waved as he passed my easel and I managed to get another quick shot in.

Jeez. Was I having good day or what? Imagine if I had given up, thrown my gear in the car and drove away?

So even though I was out of practice and discouraged at the outset I persevered and had an absolutely marvelous afternoon!

If you would like to purchase, "Miller Road Springhouse", just send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com.

Thanks for visiting my blog!

"Along School House Lane", 12x16, oil on panel, Maryanne Jacobsen art, paintings of Chester Springs, Birchrunville, Pa., fall landscapes, Pennsylvania landscapes, Chester County Pennsylvania

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"Along School House Lane", 12x16, oil on panel

School House LAne is a short little lane off St. Matthews Rd., in Chester Springs, Pa. It leads into Birchrunville, a scenic and tiny little town with a post office, antique store and cafe. This road was very familiar to me when I lived nearby on Houndstooth Lane. We would often ride our bikes here on the way into Birchrunville for the annual Fourth of July parade.

I painted this scene of an overcast fall day, because I loved how the color or the reddish bushes stood out against the  dark tree trunks. I hope you enjoy this scene as much as I enjoyed painting it.