"Mary's Garden", 12x12, oil, gardens, relaxation, women in hats, mothers day, sunflowers, table in the sun

 "Mary's Garden", 12x12, oil

I've painted this little scene a number of times. It was from a photo that my husband took of me reading a book in our back garden. 

In this one, I gave myself brown hair for a change, even though I'm a blonde. I loved the bright sunlight on the table and flowers, while I myself sat fairly sheltered under an old oak tree.

This could be any wife, mom or daughter on her day off-just enjoying the sunshine, a good book, and a glass of white wine!

Feel free to contact me at maryannejacobsen@aol.com, if you are interested in this work.

Thanks for visiting my blog!

"Poolside Floral", 8x8, oil on panel, artist support pledge, plein air, poolside, Florida art, little gems, pink, sunflowers, affordable art

"Poolside Floral", 8x8, oil on panel- $100 including free shipping in the domestic US.

I painted this little floral on my Florida lanai, the other day. It was at least 95 degrees outdoors but happily, I was at least in a shaded area while I painted.

Here is the view of my set-up:

This painting is being offered at well below my normal pricing structure as part of the #artistsupportpledge. Many galleries across the country (including one of my own) have closed permanently due to the pandemic. The artist support pledge was devised by Matthew Burrows as a way for artists to continue to find revenues during these financially difficult times. The premise is to offer your work at two hundred dollars or less, and when you've reached $1000 in sales, you pledge to purchase the artwork of another artist for the same value.

So if you would like to purchase this little plein air jewel, just use this link to pay directly through my website.

Thanks for looking and if you would like to know more about the Artist Support Pledge, just read about it here. Have a great day.

"Cookies and Milk", 12x16, oil on Arches oil paper, cookies, milk, sunflowers, quick study, painting from life, allaprima Maryanne JAcobsen art, food as art

"Cookies and Milk", 12x16, oil on Arches oil paper. (Note:, click on the image so you can see it better!)


I've decided to try to paint something from life every day for a month. I know it will definitely improve my drawing and observation skills, so I'll try to stick with it!

This was Day 1's attempt. I painted it late last night and the light on the easel was so bad that I felt like I was painting a nocturne. That being said, I did it. Day One completed.

Here was my set-up before I ate the cookies.

Please send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com, if you would like to purchase this study.

"Window Sill Neighbors", 14x11, oil on canvas, left over paint, mud, impasto, palette knife floral, flowers, sunflowers, colorful florals, Maryanne Jacobsen art

 "Window Sill Neighbors", 14x11, oil on canvas

I didn't really have any intention on painting yesterday. Made a peach pie, did some other wifey-type things and then decided to clean out the refrigerator. Cleaning out the refrigerator/freezer forced me to address the paints that I store for weeks and often months in the freezer.

Paints being expensive, I am always reluctant to throw away what's leftover on the palette after a painting is completed. So I just keep scrape the palette and keep these piles of paint in two airtight containers in the freezer and take them out and use them as need arises.

Well, the paint clumps had become sticky, and the piles were getting really gross-looking. So on the spur of a moment I decided to do what I call a "left over" painting, meaning that I use all the left over paint and create a painting out of the piles.

I quickly foraged around the kitchen and then the garden and came up with this set-up:

I mentally edited out the toaster, blender and eyeglass case and painted quickly since it was getting dark and my eyes leave plenty to be desired in good light! Much of the paint was mud, which meant I could use some of the cleaner paint  to add color to the mud and still have some harmony.

I used a palette knife for the entire painting, as well as a canvas that was already sketched on. I love it when I don't waste anything! In this case the recycled paint was all used up, and I now have a freezer devoid of paints!

Here's a close-up of the impasto:

I do hope that  all that thick paint excites someone, because these window sill neighbors would love to find a new home!

"Window Seat", 6x6, oil, 6 inch squared show, grapes, sunflowers, still life

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"Window Seat", 6x6, oil

This is one of three paintings that were juried into Randy Higbee's annual 6x6 inch squared show this year. I always love the show, and this year the entries were exceptional. Honored to be included in the show for the third consecutive year, and happy that two out of three paintings have sold, including, "Window Seat". Thanks for all your hard work, Randy and staff at King of Frames!

"Maid in the Shade", 6x6, oil on board, framed- Randy Higbee 6x6 inch squared show, women, women in hats, wine, books, garden scenes, sunflowers, Table and flowers, impressionism

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"Maid in the Shade", 6x6, oil on board, framed

This beautiful painting of a woman enjoying the outdoors with a glass of wine and her favorite hat and book has been juried into the prestigious annual Randy Higbee 6x6 inch squared show in Costa Mesa, California. The scene is a favorite of mine and I've done it a few other times in other sizes and formats and it's always a popular seller in galleries. It is  to be framed in a beautiful dark wooden frame as shown and would make the perfect gift for the holidays.

You do not need to attend the gallery opening in order to purchase the painting. To purchase, simply follow this link, to purchase online with credit card or Paypal. The exhibit has just begun and the show will continue through December 23rd. Get a jump start on your holiday gift list with this picture perfect original oil painting, by award-winning impressionist  and internationally collected artist Maryanne Jacobsen!

"Petal Dance", 10x20, oil on wrapped canvas, impressionism, impasto, palette knife florals, sunflowers

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"Petal Dance", 10x20, oil on wrapped canvas


Lots of thick paint in this floral. Please email me at maryannejacobsen@aol.com if you would like more information about this painting.

Please visit my website at Maryanne Jacobsen Fine Art to see more of my original oil paintings.

"Persimmons and Sunflowers", 22x28, tabby cats, persimmons, sunflowers, snow, cat in window, calico cat, MAryanne JAcobsen art

"Persimmons and Sunflowers", 22x28

I recently discovered persimmons at the supermarket. I bought them, because they looked so luscious. I read up on how to eat them and it turns out that you just eat them like tomatoes. However, they have to be very ripe or else they taste like rotten bananas or something like that.

Well mine were very ripe ad I ate three of them in a couple days. They taste like a cross between a mango and an apricot. They are as luscious as they look!

So I went out and bought some more, as well as a Thanksgiving bouquet which was on sale since Thanksgiving was over.

I decided to paint both the persimmons and the sunflowers and added a cat in the snowy window just because I miss seeing snow.

 If you have never tried a persimmon, they are a winter fruit, in season right now. Here's a good article on 5 ways to eat a persimmon.

"Happy Together", 25x35,oil on wrapped canvas, Maryanne Jacobsen art, still life, oranges, sunflowers, roses, pitcher, window seat

"Happy Together", 25x35,oil on wrapped canvas

I don't often paint larger works, unless it's a commission, mainly because it takes a lot of paint.

But after being in a rather apathetic spell all week, I decided that I needed something to focus on. This was the result.

I started gathering a bunch of stuff together and placing it on the counter in the kitchen. Painting large in the kitchen isn't really such a great idea. It certainly makes cooking a lot less appetizing, lol. Yet it affords me the best space and light, so that's where I often end up, when I am painting larger works.

Here's the arrangement I finally came up with after much trial and error:

The roses were on their last legs, so I had to pretty much fake 'em. The big dilemma was how to make a set up on a kitchen counter into an attractive painting. So I kept making it up as I went along.

The idea of a window looking out over a pretty countryside came together towards the very end. I had to construct the scenery out of imagination, and in the end, I was happy with the overall result.

I wouldn't advise this method, however. I almost wiped this out at least a dozen times.  Next time I paint a large piece, I think I'll try to have a better plan in place!

"Goldilocks and the Two Pears", 12x24, oil, sunflowers, pears, apple, purple grapes, still life

SOLD

"Goldilocks and the Two Pears", 12x24, oil on wrapped canvas

This is a recent commission that was to be similar to my painting, "Sleepyheads with Fruit", which sold some time back. Whenever I am asked to do a commission of a painting that I have already done, I become very worried since I know I can never replicate exactly something that I've done before. In this case, rather than sit there and worry about it, the first order of the day was to go out and find sunflowers for the set-up.

I quickly discovered that sunflowers must be out of season since all I saw were an abundance of tulips, hydrangeas and other spring-like flowers. I finally found a store that had sunflowers but they were very different from the ones I had used for "Sleepyheads with Fruit" which had big, dark brown centers. You can see the two different set-ups below.

Above is my set-up for "Goldilocks and the Two Pears". Below was the set-up for "Sleepyheads with Fruit":

I definitely preferred the flowers I had purchased the first time around, but there wasn't much I could do about it, other than copy from a photograph, which I didn't want to do!


I finally opted to go somewhere in between the two and made the centers darker than the ochre ones I had purchased, but less dark than the ones for the first set-up.

Recently, I went to my hairdresser and told her that I didn't like my last hair cut. I showed her photos of how my hair had looked when she first cut and shaped it back in the fall and told her that I wanted her to do the exact same cut again. After an hour of the silent treatment (very unusual for this gregarious young hairdresser!), Lanka finally turned around and said to me angrily in her cute Russian accent, "How would you like it if I asked you to paint the same painting exactly the same way again?"

I totally get it now. Sigh.

Lyrical sunflowers

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Lyrical Sunflowers, 8x10, oil on wrapped canvas

Lots of cool impasto in this one!

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A Year in Provence- June, 24x12

"A Year in Provence-June", 24x12, oil on masonite (Please click on the photo to see a better view of the texture.)

About the Painting:

The first time I read Peter Mayle's "A Year in Provence" I laughed so hard that my husband came running into the room thinking that I was having a convulsion. I've read it twice since then, and highly recommend it to anyone who loves Provence, and enjoys the dry wit of a Brit coupled with first hand knowledge of the earthy pleasures that govern Provencal life.

Whenever I get down on myself about my art , I revert to painting scenes that I love. Completed last night, this is the newest of my lavender paintings (all the rest have sold) and it's definitely my best. I named it "A Year in Provence-June", because I've decided to paint a series of scenes from Provence for every single month of the year. This one was painted exclusively with a palette knife so there are thick layers of juicy color and texture throughout.

I photographed the painting indoors, where the light is warm (see above), and outdoors as well, (see photo below), where the colors are more bluish due to the cool light. I'd say that the most accurate colors are somewhere in the middle of the two, but I simply cannot find a place to photograph the painting that doesn't have either warm indoor or cool outdoor lighting affecting the true color of the painting.

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