"Morning in Umbria", 12x24, oil on canvas, vineyards, paintings of Umbria, Italy, Tuscany, rolling fields, plaette knife landscapes, maryanne jacobsen

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"Morning in Umbria", 12x24, oil on canvas

On the knolls where the vineyards and fruit-gardens are
There's a beauty that even the drought cannot mar;
For I noticed it oft, in the days that are lost,
As I trod on the siding where lingered the frost,
When the shadows of night from the gullies were gone
And the hills in the background were flushed by the dawn.

-from "Above Eurunderee" by Henry Lawson

There is something lovely about a vineyard in the morning light. The earth breathes out color and abundance and the promise of the ripened vine, which will bring forth the delightful wine that helps celebrate our victories while comforting our sorrows.

This painting was done with palette knife and brush and has passages of brilliant color interspersed with the neutrals of the receding hills.

This painting is available through Gallery 444 in San Francisco. You may contact them at  for pricing information at (415) 434-4477.

Thanks for visiting my blog today. Please check out more of my work at Maryanne Jacobsen Fine Art.

"Venetian Light", 12x16, oil on masonite, Venice study, gondolier, Venice, Italy, canals

"Venetian Light", 12x16, oil on masonite

This was a quick study of a complex scene. I wanted to simplify the scene so that the light was the dominant centerpiece of the scene, rather than getting bogged down in a lot of details. I also experimented with  some earth colors like raw sienna and terra rosa, and found it advantageous to have earth colors on the palette when painting the ochres of Venice.Considering it only took a couple hours, I wasn't disappointed with it, since I accomplished what I had set out to do.

If you are interested in purchasing this painting, please send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com.

"Amalfi Coast Evening", 14x11, oil on linen, Amalfi, Ravello, Italian riviera, Italy, nocturnes

"Amalfi Coast Evening", 14x11, oil on linen

Tourists are walking home from a late afternoon or early evening of shopping for treasures.... The air is fragrant with jasmine and other seductive scents which waft through the air- purloined from shops laden with delicacies and exotica that tickle all the senses. And as the shop -weary travelers legs beg for mercy, the glittering lights of the merchants still beacon in the early evening light to seduce and betray the limbs and pocketbooks of the most vulnerable. To shop some more? Or call it a day in this gorgeous ancient town overlooking the Amalfi Coast and the Gulf of Salerno.

What would you do?

This painting was a challenge for me. I had never painted a nocturne (Night scene) before and  there are many considerations to think about which differ from painting a daytime scene. The normal rules tend to reverse- the shadows becomes warmer from the influences of electric lighting and the light temperature of the air becomes cooler in the absence of the sun.

The architecture of the ancient arch was especially challenging, and I'll probably go back into the painting and add some glazes when it is dry.

Overall, I was happy with this first nocturne and will probably attempt some more.