"Morning Light, Maple Hill Farm", 10x20, oil, Plein Air Brandywine Valley, Maple Hill Farm, horses, plein air, Winterthur, Children's Beach House, Maryanne Jacobsen art, Wyeth country

SOLD

"Morning Light, Maple Hill Farm", 10x20, oil

I recently returned from a trip to Pennsylvania to paint in the annual Plein Air Brandywine Valley plein air event. For one beautiful autumn week, dozens of excellent painters gather together and have the opportunity to paint at beautiful locations throughout the Brandywine Valley, which is home to the Wyeths and other notables of the Brandywine School of art.

For me, it is a homecoming, because that area was where I lived for the majority of my life.

On one of the days of the event we had multiple choices of wonderful places to paint. I chose Maple Hill Farm , on the outskirts of West Chester, and got there early enough  to find a great location.

There was mist in the fields and everything had a dreamlike quality about it as I set up under a huge tree and surveyed my surroundings.

I had a wonderful audience  as I began my painting, and decided to incorporate a few of the spectators into my painting.

Boy, oh boy! I am not a typical painter of horses and their anatomy, which  is basically  foreign to me. But I endeavored to capture two of them into my painting anyway, as I painted as quickly as I possibly could while they munched contentedly on  the grass.

The reward for getting up at the crack of dawn, heading to an unknown location , and setting up and painting subjects you are not familiar with as quickly as you can is.... a Sale!

I am happy to say that this painting sold during the reception at Winterthur. I never had a chance to get a good photo of it. But I am so grateful for the experience of having painted in that gorgeous meadow, on that brisk October morning, and for the beautiful horses who kept me company as I painted!

"Pumpkin Season", 10x20, oil on panel, HAskell's Farm, plein air Brandywine Valley, Children's Beach House, barns, bank barns, autumn, pumpkins, autumn landscapes, MAryanne Jacobsen art

"Pumpkin Season", 10x20, oil on panel

This is one of two paintings that I did last week on the first day of the Plein Air Brandywine Valley competition, benefiting the Children's Beach House in Lewes, Delaware. This turned out to be my favorite painting of the week because I think it epitomizes the beauty of the Brandywine Valley in October, and I felt like I was able to capture that beauty.

Fall has always been my favorite time of year and so I enjoy traveling back to my home state of Pennsylvania each year for this annual event. The problem for me that first day was choosing between painting Jaime Wyeth's fabulous property  or Haskell's Farm in Chadds Ford, which I had heard from other painters was a real treat. Since I had been to the Wyeth property before I decided on the new venture and was happily rewarded with a plethora of subjects to choose from including farm equipment, stables, horses willing to pose, an old cottage and this magnificent bank barn.I chose the barn because of the dramatic light and shadow pattern created  in the afternoon sun.

The entire week we had gorgeous weather- a treat for this Floridian who has been accustomed to wearing thick wool socks and gloves each year at the event.

If you have any interest in this painting, feel free to send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com, and thanks for visiting my blog.