"First Pointe Shoes", 9x12, oil on panel, ballet art, little ballerina, first pointe shoes, young dancer, master class, Vaganova method, dance, ballet, on pointe, paintings of dancers

 "First Pointe Shoes", 9x12, oil on panel

To a budding young ballerina, nothing in the world is as important than her first pointe shoes! As the former director of a large ballet school and regional ballet company, parents would often anxiously ask me if their daughter was ready to go on pointe.

Obviously, this question will depend on many things. Here is a very good article that discusses this issue and although every child is different, your child's teacher is the best judge of when she will be ready.

I painted this to commemorate your little dancer's special day. It was painted in the impressionist style, and after the Vaganova training method that I used as a syllabus in my own school.

If you are interested in purchasing this painting, please use this link.

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"Everyday People", 11x14, oil on linen panel, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Degas, Impressionists, people in museums, Maryanne Jacobsen Art, ballet, Little Ballerina, Harley Davidson, Misty Copeland

"Everyday People", 11x14, oil on linen panel

This is my favorite room in The Philadelphia Museum of Art.  It's a favorite because of some of the beautiful Impressionist landscapes in that room by Renoir, Monet and others. But mostly it's my favorite room because of The Little Ballerina, Aged 14, by Eduard Degas. I often get annoyed with Degas's paintings of dancers because I feel that he mis-represents their bodies and feet. But with the little dancer, he totally epitomized the perfect form for a ballet dancer to have.

As a former ballet company director, I would become very excited when I would find young dancers  with forms like this. It meant that they would be able to dance professionally if they wanted to. So many girls work so hard to become wonderful dancers, only to find out that their body types are not appreciated in the professional world. Misty Copeland is an exception, and I admire her tremendously for her professional journey.

I snapped this photo one day and decided to paint it this week. I loved the juxtaposition of the old world paintings against the modern people admiring them. Harley Davidson sweatshirts, casual attire, cell phones- what would the Impressionists have thought?

Anyhow, if you are interested in this painting, just send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com
 Thanks for reading my blog.