"Midnight in Paris', after Eduard Cortes- 11x14 oil in panel, Montmartre, streets of Paris, a night on the town, back in time, nostalgia, old masters, Eduard Cortes, impressionism

 "Midnight in Paris', after Eduard Cortes- 11x14 oil in panel

I had to take a long hiatus from painting, due to a back injury. It has been almost a year since I even felt a desire to paint again. But the desire has begun to stir again, thanks to healing and the necessity to keep my brain busy.

Standing for any length of time is still painful, so I did this painting over a period of 4-5 days, taking long breaks in between to rest.

I have not been inspired to paint much, not just because of back pain, but because of other changes in my life, including becoming a caretaker for my husband of 54 years.

But last week I finally made up my mind to try and recover somewhat of the skill I have lost over time, in not painting or even trying to keep up with the new works that so many talented painters are doing these days.

So I resorted to looking at the works of my favorite artists, past and present, to try to get inspired.

Once again, and not for the first time, the incredible impressionist paintings of Eduard Cortes caught my attention and took my breath away. His scenes of Paris are so masterful, and yet they almost look like they were painted en plein air- so fresh and spontaneous are they. 

My painting above is a far cry from the master's work, but artists have always been advised that it is  a good practice to copy or mimic the work of the old masters in order to learn from them.

I have not been back to Paris in many years, but I will never forget how much fun my husband and I had on our wild, crazy trip to Paris  about 25 years ago.

Painting this scene from Montmartre was good for my soul, reminding me of the good times Ken and I have had over the years, and in the end, it is those memories that sustain us during the trials of life.

I am going to continue to try to start painting regularly again, in the hopes I can start regaining my former skills.

Thanks for the beautiful memories, Mr. Cortes, and for inspiring me to paint again by trying to learn from you. I wish I could have met you and taken lessons from you, and perhaps even painted with you in Paris. Your work has inspired many, the least of whom is me.

"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.