"Along Flowing Springs Road",14x11, oil, plein air, paintings of country scenes, Chester Springs art, Pennsylvania art, Chester County art, MAryanne Jacobsen original paintings

"Along Flowing Springs Road",14x11, oil

I just returned from a painting trip to Pennsylvania where I had the opportunity to paint a plethora of lovely autumn landscapes. We stayed in a lovely cottage in the little town of Chester Springs, where I lived and raised my family before moving to Florida.

I did a lot of plein air painting while I was there, as the weather cooperated and the autumn scenery was magnificent.

One of the scenes I decided to paint was looking right up the road from our little cottage at a barn at the top of the winding road.

I thought  that standing in the driveway was a perfect vantage point to capture the nice curve of the road, while being sheltered from any possible country road traffic. Little did I realize that I was standing under a hickory tree that had weapons of its own to throw at this hapless plein air painter!

If you've never seen the nuts of a hickory tree, I can tell you that they are mammoth! Before even getting started on the painting, I took a tumble on the gravel as my foot turned over from one of these nuts that were the size of baseballs. Not to be deterred, I set up under the tree anyway. But that was not the end of the tree's revenge on me.  It kept spewing nuts on my head as I tried to paint the scene!

After a couple welts, I decided I was not going to be target practice for the tree anymore. So I gave up, packed up all my gear and headed back into the cottage.

Happily, I could still see the scene  from the kitchen window, and so I finished the painting indoors.

If anyone had told me that hickory trees could be a hazard to a plein air painter, I would have laughed!

Not any more. I do think plein air painting could be listed as one of the top ten  most hazardous activites that people can do!

Thanks for reading and please feel free to contact me at maryannejacobsen@aol.com of you would like purchase info on this painting.

"Springhouse in Shadow", 11x14, oil on linen-, Vixen Hill Farm, paintings of springhouse, Maryanne Jacobsen art

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"Springhouse in Shadow", 11x14, oil on linen

It's funny, but since I have returned home from our short trip to Chester County, Pennsylvania, I have realized that my normal palette of impressionist colors aren't quite sufficient in painting these old fieldstone structures.

A palette of burnt sienna, yellow ochre, raw sienna and  raw umber would definitely have been helpful to have had on hand for the tones in the stonework of this old springhouse, but since I rarely use these colors I had to mix them myself. After a little trial and error, I finally got some good earth tones on my palette and was able to complete this painting.

This springhouse was not only charming to look at, it provided the water for our cottage while we stayed at Vixen Hill farm. The water was cold and pure, absolutely delightful! I was a little concerned because there has evidently been a drought up there and the water levels were very low every where that we went, including the spring outside our cottage, but upon tasting it I knew it was perfect. If only I could have taken some home with me!

Here is the reference photo of the springhouse that i used:

I loved the slice of light down the center contrasted against all the shadow patterns and knew this would make a good composition!

I was surprised to learn how many people have no idea what a springhouse is! Having lived for many years in Chester county where there seems to be a springhouse around every corner, I had no idea that they were  rather 'foreign' in other areas of the country!  (sort of like what Santa Fe's adobe structures would be to northeasterners!)So in case you are clueless, a springhouse is/was a small stone structure that a natural spring ran through. The combination of the cold water and thick stone created a naturally cold environment, and before modern refrigeration had been invented farmers and settlers used the spring house as a storehouse for their root vegetables and other perishable foods.

 For more info about Vixen Hill farm, just go back and read my most recent posts!



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"The Dream House", 20x16, oil on linen

"The Dream House", 20x16, oil on linen

Many people entertain hopes of someday living in their dreamhouse, but I suspect that few people actually get to live their dreams. I feel fortunate that I actually did buy my dream house, and got to live in it for 13 years!

I sold real estate on the Pennsylvania Main Line a while back. No matter how many huge, fancy and impressive homes I saw during that time, I never wanted any other house but my beautiful farmhouse on Houndstooth Lane in Chester Springs.



The house was fabulous. It was a reproduction of an old farmhouse with three fireplaces (one, a walk-in), stone and log facade, cedar roof and magnificent wood floors and old world mouldings throughout. The best part were the views from every window, which were absolutely breathtaking no matter what season. There was a huge pond and horse farm behind us, and I often went out on the balcony of our second floor bedroom and just gazed out over the rolling hills of Chester Springs for what sometimes turned into hours. Sometimes I went down to the pond and wrote poetry. Usually I just fed the fish in our koi pond and read a book or had a glass of wine. It was a great house, but Chester Springs was a gem as well. Here is an aerial view of the house:



Located in historic Chester County, Chester Springs is best noted for historic Yellow Springs, which was the village just down the road from my house. Wealthy Philadelphians would ride their horse and carriages to Yellow Springs in the summer in the late 1800's, to bathe in the rich mineral waters of the springs in the village. The area is rich in mineral waters, including many ponds as well as Pine and Pickering Creeks, which flow through Chester Springs. Washington's army was housed in a home in the village there that acted as a hospital during the Revolutionary War and is now a restaurant. (Or at least it was when I lived there!) There is also an art school there and the road is aptly named Art School Road!

The surrounding area was magnificent, with many old gentlemen's farms perched on dozens of glorious acres with flowing springs, golden ponds and rolling hills untouched by development. Here is a photo from Red Hamer's book, "The Four Seasons of Chester County". The photo depicts the estate known as Pine Creek Mills, which dates back to 1750 and includes many buildings and a grist mill. It was also once the home of noted illustrator for the Saturday Evening Post, Joseph M. Clement. Pine Creek Mills is right down the road from where I lived in Horseshoe Farm off of the historic Horseshoe Trail, and the scene below is just one of many inviting scenes that I would love to paint en plein air someday. I added the view of Pine Creek and the stone foot bridge to my dream house painting because it depicts the area so well!



Although I miss Houndstooth, I am still glad that we moved to Florida 7 years ago, because it finally gave me an opportunity to do something I had always wanted to do, which was to paint!

Hopefully if I go back, the house and neighborhood have not changed too much, and I am happy that I still have the memories of that lovely place, and was able to actually live in my dream house for many years!

"French Creek at Birchrunville, Pa", 16x12, oil, by Maryanne Jacobsen

"French Creek at Birchrunville, Pa", 16x12, oil on canvas

This is a smaller version of a painting I did a few years ago which I titled "God's Palette". It depicts a tributary of the French Creek in Chester County, Pa. right off Hollow Rd. at the Sheeder Hall Bridge in Birchrunville. A favorite fishing and picnic spot of my husband and I in the days when we lived in Chester Springs, (see photo below) I invariably grow home sick for the place around October when the fall colors appear in all of their bewitchment. Birchrunville was an easy bike ride from my old home and is home to a fabulous post office/ gourmet restaurant, gorgeous gentlemen's farms, and of course the French Creek's babbling waters. It has an annual fourth of July parade that is second to none for its quaintness and quirkyness.


This painting was done with palette knife only and contains thick impasto strokes of vibrant color.
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First signs of spring in Chester Springs

Sold Miller Road Forsythia and Stream, 10x14, oil on canvas panel

Well, I finished my first painting with Holbein Duo Oils, which are water-based oils that do not require clean-up with turps or the use of mediums. It was a little weird getting used to them, because they feel a little different in terms of overall thickness and consistency and the colors are a little different from what I have been painting with for 2 years now. But overall I really liked them! They have the same gooey, buttery texture of oils, but clean-up easily with water and soap like acrylics. And no fumes! Very cool!

I painted this scene from a photo that I took before moving to Florida. I always knew it was spring in my little town of Chester Springs, Pa. when the forsythia was a-bloom on Miller Road. (see photos below). I used to walk past this little scene everyday on my morning jog- (there's a little stone spring house to the left of the meandering spring which I'll attempt to paint very soon! It was a very idyllic and calming place to walk and jog.

I intend to work this a little more tomorrow, but it's 90% finished at this point.

Inn at Yellow Springs, Washington Bldg.

Inn at Yellow Springs/ Washington Building, 18x24, oil on linen I decided to paint this building, even though I suck at painting buildings. (Note: finished product is better than photo! Click on the picture for more detail.)

Please let me know what you think of the final product. I painted it from the photo below, which is a picture of the Washington Building in historic Yellow Springs, Pa. where I lived before moving to Florida.

If you would like to learn more about the village of Yellow Springs, in Chester County, Pa., please click on this link:

Historic Yellow Springs

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"Side Entrance", A Glimpse of Spring

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"Side Entrance", 14x18, oil on canvas

Tired of Old Man Winter? Spring is here, but who'd know it? When I lived in Chester Springs, Penna. I would take a daily three mile walk that included a stretch of the old historic Horseshoe Trail hiking path. Along that road there was a lovely old house that would look rather drab all winter and then suddenly come to life with the arrival of Spring and her May azaleas. The side entrance to the house had a little meandering path that was flanked by azaleas and rhododendren. An old lamp post completed the picture postcard scene. I decided to paint the scene shortly after moving to Florida in order to keep the beauty of that little town alive in my memory forever.


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spring gardens.