"June Lilacs", 16x28, oil on hardboard, Monhegan Island, Monhegan Island painting, June day, Lilacs on Monhegan, poppies, Maryanne Jacobsen Fine art, impressionism, cats on Monhegan, Maine art

 "June Lilacs", 16x28, oil on hardboard (note: click on the image for better detail)

A few summers ago, the hubby and I took a trip in late June up to a favorite haunt of ours- Monhegan Island, Maine.  We took the ferry from Port Clyde on a foggy, cold morning and I fervently hoped I wouldn't get seasick, as I have been known to do in the past. But the hour long ferry ride is so worth what awaits you when you get to the island!

Monhegan is a painter's paradise, and of course I had brought my paints. After dropping our luggage off at the beautiful Island Inn, we took the customary walk up the hill, breathing in the brisk, though refreshing salty sea air, and admiring the usual array of new perennials  in the garden at  Carena's. We had never been there in June before and as the scenery there is constantly changing due to  the weather patterns, I drank in the new vegetation against the familiar backdrop of houses. 

The red poppies looked especially vibrant that day  against the rest of the environment, muted as it always is until all the fog burns off. The lilacs were also in full bloom along the path, and the usual array of stray cats were there to greet the new  ferry arrivals.

I am not typically an artist that prefers muted scenes, but I choose to try to capture this one, because it is so typical and beloved of those mornings on Monhegan when the air is full of atmospheric perspective, and that tiny island feels ever so other-worldly and mystical.

This painting was painted on a heavy hardwood. It needs a sturdy frame to support it (see below)and I hope it will become a happy fixture in someone's home who loves Monhegan Island as much as I do.  Thanks for visiting my blog!

"Peaceful Port", 11x14, oil on panel , Maine art, Port Clyde, Tennant's Harbor, St. George, seaside village, fisherman's village, back in time, Maryanne Jacobsen art, original art

"Peaceful Port", 11x14, oil on panel (Click on photo to see the image better)

This is a little dead-end path in the tiny little village of Port Clyde, Maine.  We visited there on our way to spending a few days on Monhegan Island at the Island Inn. We flew from Florida into Boston, and then had a long drive ahead of us to get to Port Clyde. We had our reasons for flying into Boston, mainly because we were going to spend the latter part of our trip in Cape Ann. Anyhow, at 10 PM we were still driving the tiny back roads of Maine trying to find the village of Port Clyde. Its was incredibly foggy that June evening and with the fog as thick as pea soup we could barely see two feet in front of the car. To add to the drama, neither one of us had any cell phone service and never having been there before, we feared we were lost without our navigation device.

I finally convinced my husband to pull into a random driveway, and I tentatively knocked on a front door to ask for directions. The chap who answered the door looked at me suspiciously until he realized I was truly lost. He gave us directions , and fortunately we weren't too far off the beaten track. We arrived at  The Seaside Inn around midnight, amidst thick fog, and in looking for the driveway to the Seaside Inn we almost drove right into Muscongus Bay! Scary! The boat ramp there is right in front of the hotel driveway and there is no sign warning you that  you are at water's edge!

Anyhow, the whole area of St. George, Tennant's Harbor and Port Clyde is a throw- back in time, brimming with charm and character and the salty old smells of the sea. I hope to return there again one day!

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

"Island Walkers", 28x16, oil on board, Monhegan Island, misty mornings, morning walk, Maine art, islands in the Atlantic, Maryanne Jacobsen art

"Island Walkers", 28x16, oil on board (Note: If you click on the image you can better see the brushwork.)

This is a painting of well-worn path on Monhegan Island, off the coast of Maine. The island is a special, almost magical place. I've only been there twice, but those visits left me with abundant memories of the island's quirky character  and raw beauty.

This was painted from a photograph that I took one misty, June morning. The lilacs were blooming everywhere and a bed of red tulips drew my attention as the reds stood out vibrantly in the low contrast atmosphere.

Please contact me at maryannejacobsen@aol.com if you would like more information about the painting.

"Red House, Swim Beach", 6x6 oil on linen- MOnhegan Island, Jaime Wyeth, red house, red famous houses on Monhegan

"Red House, Swim Beach", 6x6 oil on linen
Note: This painting won Second Place in the Fall Member's exhibit at the Venice Art Center!

A few summers ago we visited Monhegan  Island on a hot August day. I couldn't believe that Maine could be so hot, especially some thirty miles out to sea in the cold Atlantic! Well, it was way too hot for me to want to paint outdoors, so instead I dragged all my paint gear around the island shooting photos wherever I went.

The Red House looks out towards the loading dock on the island. It is well known for its distinctive color and over the years has gone through numerous renovations and additions.


From what I understand, the Red House was first immortalized in paint thanks to the Wyeth family, who used to escape the Pennsylvania Chadds Ford heat ('scuse me for laughing!) by going to Maine in the summertime.


Most recently, Jaime Wyeth, son of Andrew Wyeth, spends winter months on the island as well, immersing himself in his paintings. One of those paintings- his depiction of Monhegan's Red House, fetched a whopping $973, 000 at an auction back in 2006. You can see what his painting looks like below:

Since I recently painted on Jaime Wyeth's "Point Lookout Farm" for Plein Air Brandywine Valley, I thought it was kind of cool to realize that there are a couple common interwoven threads in this story.

First off, the very first piece of art that I collected after my marriage in 1971, was a lithograph of the "Hay Ledge" by Andrew Wyeth, Jaime's father. That was  a very special piece that my husband bought for me as a gift after an out of town business trip forced us to be separated for a while. Secondly, I lived in the Brandywine Valley area for most of my life and have collected Wyeth prints for the better part of my married life as well. So painting a scene immortalized by the son of one of my favorite artists, at Monhegan Island- a location that I happen to love,( even though I can't live there!), and having just recently having had the honor to paint at Jaime Wyeth's own residence off of Smiths Bridge Road, just made it all seem serendipitous that I should paint this scene again.

Here's my first painting of the Red House, and I hope you enjoyed learning more about the painting and thanks very much for visiting my blog!