"Dog Beach Afternoon", 8x10, oil, dog beach, Brohard dog park, southwest Florida, venice Florida, dogs, dog lovers art, Florida beaches

"Dog Beach Afternoon", 8x10, oil

Every dog owner in the world loves a dog beach, and here in Venice, Fl., we are fortunate to have our very own dog beach and park! At the Brohard Dog Park, dogs of every shape and size, age and breed can come and have the option of having a doggie play date, sunbathe, or lap around in the turquoise waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Dog owners bring their lawn chairs and picnic baskets and watch their precious fur babies enjoy the Florida sunshine as they get in a few rays as well.

I enjoyed painting this one, as it brought back a couple good memories for me. If you're a dog lover, be sure to check out this great bark park  the next time you are in southwest Florida.

This painting is available through Collectors Gallery and Framery in downtown  Venice. You can call them at (941)488-3029 for price inquiries.

"A Touch of Red in a Sea of Blue", 8x10. oil on panel, Lighthouse Plein Air, Plein Air festival, Palm Beach, Jupiter, Lighthouse, red lighthouse, DuBois Beach Park, Maryanne JAcobsen art, beach, Florida beaches

"A Touch of Red in a Sea of Blue", 8x10. oil on panel, plein air

Just returned from a week of painting on Florida's east coast in the 4th annual Lighthouse PLein Air Festival, covering an area from Palm Beach up to Tequestra, where the Lighthouse Art Center is located.

Overall, I had a great week, lots of painting and good weather for the most part. These plein air paint-outs are much more exhausting and demanding than most people realize, with traveling with gear from one loaction to the next, painting in all kinds of weather, then going back and framing the work, cleaning brushes and palette and getting ready for the next day's events. The event culminated with a gala event at the end of the week, with opportunities to win awards and display the work you've created and just relax after a week of hard work.

In spite of a bad cold, I kept going each day and was not unhappy with the results of my work. "A touch of Red in a Sea of Blue" was my favorite painting of the week, probably because it was painted in the most delightful spot immaginable at DuBois Beach Park in Jupiter. It was afternoon and I took advantage of the shade of the palm trees to set up, and there was the most delightful balmy breeze keeping me comfortable the entire time that I painted.

This was one of those paintings that I didn't need to touch up afterwards. It was fresh and vibrant and reflected the incredible blues of the water with the red lighthouse in the background as the scene reflected.

While it was not my first painting of the week, it was definitely my favorite! Please contact me at maryannejacobsen@aol.com if you are interested in the painting. It can be sold framed as shown or unframed.

"Time to Go", 12x16, oil, great blue heron, paintings of large birds, cranes, Florida birds, Florida beaches, southwest florida oil paintings, palette knife painting

SOLD

"Time to Go", 12x16, oil

When I first moved to Florida 10 years ago, I was mezmerized by the birds. Huge creatures they were- great blue herons, egrets, sandhill cranes- many of them so tall that you felt  you could practically lean over and have a conversation with them when you met them on the street. And yes, you do meet them on the street . They hang out on cars, boats, street corners and walk through your gardens mid-morning and stop and look at you as if you are their best friends.

Which in fact we hope we are! The great blue herons are one of my favorite big birds and they are very dramatic when they are in flight. Their wing span is expansive and their flight is elegant. The sandhill cranes mate for life and have a habitat right in my neighborhood. We love watching them mate each spring and produce offspring. They walk around the neighborhood proudly- the whole family, usually two little ones and their parents. When the little pups grow big- usually in about 6 months- they fly off in search of mates and so the cycle begins anew.

The scene above was painted at Venice Beach. I added the great blue heron afterwards thanks to some photos I took with my camera.

I hope to paint more big birds in the future. It always fills my heart with joy to see them and it's one of the special perks of living in southwest Florida!