SOLD
A few years ago my husband and I found a delightful Airbnb in Chester Springs, Pa. where we stayed for a few days after I finished a week of painting in the yearly Plein Air Brandywine Valley festival. It was our treat to ourselves to return to our beloved neighborhood where we had lived for 15 years before moving to Florida.
Chester Springs is a hamlet of rolling hills, abundant ponds that flow from underground springs and stone Gentlemen's farms with a horse or two in the pasture at all times. It is a neighborhood filled with nostalgic memories of long walks up and down country roads, sleigh rides in winter and my kids and dogs chasing geese and deer in our back yard.
Our rental was a tiny cottage off a winding country road, and especially beautiful at that time of year with autumn displaying herself in full fanfare to our delight. Here's my hubby enjoying a cup of coffee in the brisk autumn air.
Of course I did my best to paint as much as I could during those brief few days, even though I had just finished a full week of painting! I painted the cottage, of course.
I painted the burning bush shrubs around the corner on School House Lane, and I painted the little church up the road as well.
I also painted an old barn with a red roof on St. Matthews Rd, a block from where we used to live.
I painted a gorgeous oak tree at Marsh Creek Lake, and if you like the painting it is available through Stakenborg/Greenberg Fine Art in Sarasota, FL.
In short I crammed a lot of outdoor painting into a few days!!!!!
The painting above was not painted that week , but it was the scene that you saw as soon as you stepped out the door of the cottage and looked up Flowing Springs road. I did attempt to paint it but there was not much room on that tiny country road, and a school bus almost put me out of commission for days!
Here is my painting from that day:
I love the freshness of plein air painting, and alas , it is often impossible to recapture the freshness once you are indoors! I titled this one "Autumn in the Country" and it is available through Station Gallery in Greenville, Delaware.
Unfortunately this delightful little Airbnb is no longer available for rent, so I will probably not have another opportunity to capture this country road en plein air.
So I painted it again, in the studio with mixed feelings. What do you think? Which one do you like better? Plein Air or studio?
I would love to hear your thoughts! If you are interested in "Along Flowing Springs Rd.", please send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com.
Thanks for visiting my blog!
