Farmhouse Morning, 8x10, oil, Amish country, Honey Brook, Pennsylvania, farmhouse, morning light, Autumn, pumpkins, landscape

 "Farmhouse Morning", 8x10

Back in the fall, we took a trip to Amish country in Pennsylvania. We stayed at an organic farm, and the owner introduced us to all his chickens, roosters, goats, cows and ponies.

We had an awesome week and the farmhouse was especially rustic and cozy. I so enjoyed sitting on the porch in the morning, having my coffee, and watching the hens and roosters come up on the porch and walk around.

There was also a kitten who lived under the porch that became my best friend after I gave him half of my tuna salad lunch.

It took me a while to get together the nerve to paint the porch scene. There was a lot going on with the light and shadows, the stone walls and perspective and I was a little intimidated by it.

But I knew it was a good composition and so I set my mind to painting it, and this is how it turned out.

Overall, I was happy with it, but think it would be even better in a larger format. We shall see if I attempt that or not.

Thanks for visiting my blog. See more of my paintings at 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".

"Four Dog's Afternoon", 12x16, oil on copper panel, Four Dogs Tavern, paintings on copper, quickdraw, Marshalton, Pennsylvania, plein air Brandywine valley, historic buildings , interesting architecture, Chester county Pennsylvania paintings, Maryanne Jacobsen original art

"Four Dog's Afternoon", 12x16, oil on copper panel

Just returned from a fun week of painting in Pennsylvania with the Plein Air Brandywine Valley festival which benefits the Children's Beach House.

It's an event I look forward to, because it gives me an opportunity to paint in the beautiful fall weather in a gorgeous countryside that I  know well.

One of the highlights of the week was the Quick Draw event, in which painters are required to complete a painting in two hours and have it framed and hung for the public display. The event was held in the scenic and historic village of Marshallton, which is just outside of West Chester Pa.

I chose to paint at the Four Dogs Tavern because it has always been our favorite restaurant to visit with friends and family when we lived in Chester County, and now whenever we happen to be in the area. The tavern once served as a stables for the historic Marshalton Inn which is right across the driveway.

The afternoon was sunny and fairly warm and  I enjoyed portraying this old building because it has come to reflect many happy memories over the years of gatherings with friends and loved ones.

To learn more about the little town of MArshallton and its history, here is a very interesting article: Living History: A tale of two names, Marshallton and the Marshalton Inn 

To inquire about the painting, just send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com.

"Miller Road Springhouse", 11x14, oil on panel, Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, springhouse, forsythia, Chester County Pennsylvania, Miller Road, Foxhunt country, Dr. Don Rosato, antique carriages, red fox, plein air paintings, Maryanne JAcobsen art, country roads

"Miller Road Springhouse", plein air, 11x14, oil on panel

For many years I took ballet class on a daily basis. It wasn't a chore, it was something I absolutely loved to do. It refreshed and challenged and nourished  me. It conditioned my body and brought joy to that spiritual part of me that just wanted to soar. My favorite part of ballet class was of course the grande allegro. This is where I could soar through the air in leaps called grande jetes and attempt to move the way a bird travels across the sky!

At any rate, those days are well over, but I still recall when I would stop taking class for a week or two or even a month due to unpredictable circumstances- injury, vacation, family obligations.... whatever.

There was a saying amongst dancers that when you stopped taking class for three weeks, it would take you six weeks to get back into shape. So for example, if I were to try to go back to ballet class now, it would take me 30 years to get back to the condition I was in when I quit.

Lol. At 66, it's probably not worth it!

Anyhow, I experienced a little bit of the same thing recently, when I went back to plein air painting after taking about 6 months off.

It could have been a total disaster as I contemplated giving up over and over again in that first half hour as I struggled with paint mixtures and finding the right brushes.

But luckily, I happened to be in my happy place- Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, just a short mile or so from where I once lived, and I was not about to let the opportunity go to waste.

You see, I live in Florida now, and it's not often that I get to paint Spring expressing herself in bright golden forsythia bushes along a winding road with a stream and springhouse plopped along the way.

So I scraped the painting down and started again. The long afternoon tree shadows kept showing up on my canvas as I tried to paint and I had to keep turning my easel to get out of their way, which meant I had to look backwards at my scene.

As my neck got stiff from looking backwards, I finally gave up trying to avoid tree shadows and just turned the easel into the scene.

You truly never know what kind of treasures you'll see when you happen to be painting along Miller Road.

At one point, a red fox came strutting up the road, right past me, with a mouse or something tucked in his mouth. He was not in any hurry, so I had a chance to grab the camera and catch a quick shot as he headed up the hill.

Next, the storied Dr. Don Rosato and his friends came by in one of  the doctor's handsome carriages.

Dr. Rosato  is well known and respected in the fox hunt community. He lives nearby on St. Matthews Rd. and his colorful history and beautiful carriages are a permanent fixture in this tiny bucolic community. He waved as he passed my easel and I managed to get another quick shot in.

Jeez. Was I having good day or what? Imagine if I had given up, thrown my gear in the car and drove away?

So even though I was out of practice and discouraged at the outset I persevered and had an absolutely marvelous afternoon!

If you would like to purchase, "Miller Road Springhouse", just send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com.

Thanks for visiting my blog!

"Dappled Light", 16x20, oil , Historic Yellow Springs village, Maryanne Jacobsen original art,, Yellow Springs Inn, the Washington Building, Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, Autumn landscapes, Pennsylvania landscapes, original art

"Dappled Light", 16x20, oil (Please click on the image for a better view)

During my recent painting trip to Pennsylvania, I had the opportunity to paint a couple times in the sweet little historic village of Yellow Springs, Pennsylvania. The weather was gorgeous and the trees were colorful and my only dilemma was choosing what to paint in the tiny village!

I decided to set up in the little courtyard between the Washington Building and the Lincoln Building, since the dappled light on the side on the Washington Building fascinated me.

As is usually the case with plein air, by the time, I set up my easel and got around to painting, the light on the building was gone and the building and courtyard were cast in shadow with the exception of the little bench.

Here is what it looked like in less than an hour's time:

Since I was unable to capture the dappled light that had first attracted me to the scene, I decided to paint the scene in my studio, using my field study and photo reference for guides.

 I was pretty happy with the outcome, and hope to do more autumn scenes in upcoming weeks from the trip to beautiful Pennsylvania.

This painting is available . Please email me at maryannejacobsen@aol.com if you have any interest in purchasing this work. And don't forget to visit my new website at Maryanne JAcobsen Fine Art.

"Along St. Matthews Rd.", 11x14, paintings of Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, old barns, country roads, Maryanne JAcobsen art, fall in Chester county, Chester County art, Pennsylvania landscapes

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"Along St. Matthews Rd.", 11x14

Just realized that there are still paintings from my painting trip up north in October of last year that I haven't posted yet.

This one is one of them. St. Matthews Rd. is near and dear to my heart as my kids used to sled on the hills along there when we lived just off the road, the annual Thanksgiving Charleston Hunt of the hounds would go through there in the fall, and the good Doctor Rosato (who lived on the road) and his lovely wife would ride through there on their gorgeous antique sleighs during holidays, ringing sleigh bells and delighting all the kids along the way.

It's a very scenic and winding  country road and this red roofed barn is a favorite structure of mine.

Haven't posted in a while because I've been busy with family stuff, but will try to catch up a little over the next couple weeks.

Stay tuned!

"The Little Church in Chester Springs", 8x10, oil on panel, plein air, Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, fall foiliage, paintings of churches, St. Matthews Church of Christ, autumn landscapes, Maryanne JAcobsen art

"The Little Church in Chester Springs", 8x10, oil on panel, plein air

Last week the leaves in Pennsylvania were at their peak of glory. So it was with a happy heart that I went out each day and painted the beauty that was truly everywhere. When I lived in Chester Springs, I passed the little St. Matthews Church of Christ on the corner of 401 and St. Matthews Rd. almost everyday, but it wasn't until I left the area, became an artist, and then returned to the area, that I realized how much it needed to be painted!

It's an incredibly scenic little church, with a graveyard in the side lawn, and I knew I had to paint it while I was there.

Route 401 is a fairly busy country road, so I set up on the other side of the road, as far back from the highway as I could. The sun was on the left side of the building and so the light effect was really nice as it hit the tops of the trees.

Below, you can see how much the light had changed by the time I finished the painting...

When I got back home to Florida, I realized that I had forgotten the little red maple in the front yard, so I added it to the painting afterwards and tweaked some additional areas, but overall, it was done mostly on location.

I hope you like it! Send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com if you have any interest in this painting!

"Indian Summer", 6x6, oil on panel, paintings of covered bridges, red bridge farm, Elverson, Pennsylvania, Paintings of Chester County, Pennsylvania, small paintings, little gems, Maryanne Jacobsen art, original oil paintings

"Indian Summer", 6x6, oil on panel

I came upon this red covered bridge on my way to a plein air event in Pennsylvania. It was so unexpected that I screeched on my car  brakes and kept saying, "Oh wow, oh wow, oh wow!"

You see, now that I have lived in Florida for ten years, (no offense to Floridians intended),coming upon little unexpected gems like this is a totally delightful event and one in which I will never again take for granted! (Even though I lived in Chester County for most of my life!)

Chester County, Pennsylvania is noted for its many beautiful covered bridges. Many have been restored in their entirety, but some retain their original classic old charm.

Contact me at maryannejacobsen@aol.com if you have any interest in this little vignette.

"Covered Bridge on Yoder Road", 6x6, oil on board-paintings of Chester County, Pennsylvania, Elverson, Yoder Road, covered bridge, farms, red covered bridge, autumn landscapes,miniature art

"Covered Bridge on Yoder Road", 6x6, oil on board

While I was in Pennsylvania a few weeks ago, we were driving along Yoder Road when suddenly I screamed out, "Stop the Car!"

My husband obediently obeyed and I jumped out and shot some photos of this quintessential little Chester County icon- the covered bridge.

This is the scene I was looking at:

As you can see, it was a postcard perfect scene to paint, which is what I did when I came home.

This little painting would make a lovely gift and is also available framed. Contact me for additional information at maryannejacobsen@aol.com.

"October Morning", 12x16, oil on board, Chester County, Pennsylvania, Chadds Ford, Nielsen estate, farms, barns, fall foliage, Brandywine Valley plein air

"October Morning", 12x16, oil on board

This is another painting that I did during Plein Air Brandywine Valley. It was actually my favorite of the four because I truly enjoyed the painting experience on that lovely sunny, crisp October morning. I had worn layers of clothing because of how cold it had been the day before, but found myself stripping the layers off one by one as the morning progressed and the temperatures rose.

 Yikes! By 11Am it was darned near warm!!!!!!!

This one was also painted at the Nielsen Estate in Chadds Ford. (See my previous post here. )

It is such a joy for me to be able to experience different climates, different vegetation and hence the different challenges to my palette, values, etc. Compared to Florida, the northeastern skies are cooler, grayer, and the contrast is much more subtle than here in Florida. So I truly learn through these Paint-outs and hope I'll be able to continue to do them in the years to come.

If you have any interest in this painting, just send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com.

"Morning Pasture, Misty Hollow Farm", 9x12, horse, paintings of horses, Springhouse, meadow, Chester Spings, Pennsylvania, horse farms

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"Morning Pasture, Misty Hollow Farm", 9x12

One of the things that I love about Chester Springs and Chester County, Pa, is that there are about a jillion horse farms there. So, for an artist, there is a painting around every corner. Whether it be a springhouse, a farm, a barn with a red roof, horses grazing in a meadow- it all adds up to a painting!

I caught this horse grazing in the meadow at Misty Hollow Farm one morning. The springhouse was in shadow, and the low morning sun washing the meadow in light created a lovely juxtaposition of lights and darks in the composition.

The vivid orange tiger lillies were just starting to bloom when I left the area, so I took a little artistic license and made them bloom a little ahead of time to add a splash of color to the virgin greens of late spring.

Thanks for reading!

"French Creek at Birchrunville, Pa", 16x12, oil, by Maryanne Jacobsen

"French Creek at Birchrunville, Pa", 16x12, oil on canvas

This is a smaller version of a painting I did a few years ago which I titled "God's Palette". It depicts a tributary of the French Creek in Chester County, Pa. right off Hollow Rd. at the Sheeder Hall Bridge in Birchrunville. A favorite fishing and picnic spot of my husband and I in the days when we lived in Chester Springs, (see photo below) I invariably grow home sick for the place around October when the fall colors appear in all of their bewitchment. Birchrunville was an easy bike ride from my old home and is home to a fabulous post office/ gourmet restaurant, gorgeous gentlemen's farms, and of course the French Creek's babbling waters. It has an annual fourth of July parade that is second to none for its quaintness and quirkyness.


This painting was done with palette knife only and contains thick impasto strokes of vibrant color.
Small original oil paintings, Paintings of horse farms, paintings of Chester Springs Pennsylvania, paintings of ponds and lakes, impressionist painting of Chester County,contemporary impressionist original oil paintings,one of a kind paintings,paintings of Chester County and Birchrunville>,