"Two Gander Afternoon", 12x16, oil, plein air, two gander farm, Downingtown Pa., land art events, Farm to Table plein Air, Brandywine Conservancy

"Hazy Afternoon- Two Gander Farm", 12x16, oil

Two Gander Farm is an organic farm in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, and one of the Brandywine Conservancy properties on which the Farm to Table plein air painters are allowed to paint.

When I got there the skies were overcast and threatening rain, but as soon as I set up the sun came out briefly, and the landscape changed, revealing beautiful warm light on the tops of the pink rhododendrons and a nice roof shadow from the huge tree next to the farmhouse.

The farmhouse itself was in shadow this time of day, except for the roof, and as the sun started going in and out, I found myself struggling to get the correct value on the white farmhouse. I knew there was a lot of reflected light on it, making it appear warmer than it actually was, but since reflected light is still in the shadow family, I continued to struggle to get the value correct.

After about an hour of painting, the sun was gone and I realized that it was not coming back. Should I scrape out the lit roof with the tree shadow and make it an overcast day, which it truly now was? These are the dilemmas that face plein air painters all the time!

Suddenly I remembered what had attracted me to the scene to begin with. It was those few pink flowers in light that had caught my attention and so I knew I had to continue with the scene that I had started.

I don't think I pulled off the correct value on the white farmhouse, but overall I was happy with the painting anyway.

This painting will be available at the Farm to Table plein Air exhibit in October. For more information about the event, please visit my website here.

"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.

"Spring Greens", 12x16, oil on panel, land art events, Brandywine Conservancy, Chester County barns, Pennsylvania landscapes, plein air, Maryanne Jacobsen art, Farm to Table plein air

"Spring Greens", 12x16, oil on panel

Here is another painting that I did during my recent trip to Pennsylvania, as I painted as a juried artist in the Farm to Table Plein Air event.

This was a lovely property on the outskirts of West Chester that had numerous out buildings, a Springhouse, barn and gorgeous historical home. The morning was incredibly bright and sunny but just as incredibly windy. I chose to paint the barn because I liked the overlapping tree shape against the roofline and the light and shadow patterns.

But I found that it was all I could do to hold onto my easel, and it managed to blow over twice before I finally realized that I had to hold it with one hand and paint with my other hand. My brush washer holding my solvent took off as a flying projectile at one point, and the grass and my apron were instantly sprayed with solvent. I also lost the S-clip that held my brush washer to my easel and that annoyed me greatly since I knew I'd have to paint the rest of the trip with the solvent holder on the ground. Only a big deal if you have a bad back, which I do.

The lady painting behind me (a pastel painter)  had brought a brick, and she used that to weight down her easel. I didn't have a brick, and so I painted the entire time with the disadvantage of having no more solvent and having to hold onto my easel for dear life.

The painting progressed anyway, but I knew I'd have to make some corrections to the perspective in the end, because I couldn't adequately measure and paint with only one hand free.

With all that green, I knew some vivid color was needed, and since there was evidence that some marigolds and day lillies had been planted around the barn and fence, I took the liberty to embellish their growth in the painting.

I have to admit that that was the fun part of this painting- putting some flowers in at the end. In addition to losing  my solvent and S-clip, I ended up with poison ivy on my arms as a result of scouring around afterwards and trying to find the little clip! (Which I never did find.)

This is one of the paintings that will be included in the Farm to Table Plein Air culminating event on October 26th. For more information please check it out on 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".