"Autumn Vista at Granogue", 12x16, oil on panel, plein air, Du Post family, Granogue, Plein Air, Brandywine Valley, Hagley Museum, PABV, Paintings of autumn, barns, color, Brandywine Valley, Maryanne Jacobsen art

"Autumn Vista at Granogue", 12x16, oil on panel, plein air

This is another painting that I did during Plein Air Brandywine Valley back in October. I realize that I've been a little late in posting all of these, but I've been busy with some commissions and Christmas preparations.

It was an absolutely gorgeous day when I painted, at Granogue, a Du Point estate in Wilmington known by residents  all around for the water tower landmark that stands on the outskirts of the huge property on Smiths Bridge Road and Montchanin Road just west of the Brandywine, where Eleuthere Irenee Du Post  built a gunpowder mill about 200 years ago. 

Folks can still visit the mill today, called Eleutherian Mills, which is near the Granogue estate, along with Winterthur and the Hagley Museum- all beautiful museums which house much of the history of the storied Du Post family.

I always consider it a privilege to paint here at this beautiful place. Rolling hills,  barns, workers houses, a railroad station and undulating cornfields are just small parts of the estate. The Country House is perched on the top of a hill overlooking the beautiful Brandywine hillside.

Towards the end of the painting, I had to turn my canvas away from the barn because of the sun, but you can see the beautiful cornfields that were behind me as I painted.

I've done a couple paintings at Granogue in the past, and they are all sold. If you would like to purchase this one, it is loaded with thick paint and beautiful autumn colors! Just send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com for purchase info.

Thanks for visiting my blog and come back again!

To read more about Granogue, here is a neat article by the Washington Post, of a party hosted at Granogue by the Du Post Patriarch.

"Pumpkin Season", 10x20, oil on panel, HAskell's Farm, plein air Brandywine Valley, Children's Beach House, barns, bank barns, autumn, pumpkins, autumn landscapes, MAryanne Jacobsen art

"Pumpkin Season", 10x20, oil on panel

This is one of two paintings that I did last week on the first day of the Plein Air Brandywine Valley competition, benefiting the Children's Beach House in Lewes, Delaware. This turned out to be my favorite painting of the week because I think it epitomizes the beauty of the Brandywine Valley in October, and I felt like I was able to capture that beauty.

Fall has always been my favorite time of year and so I enjoy traveling back to my home state of Pennsylvania each year for this annual event. The problem for me that first day was choosing between painting Jaime Wyeth's fabulous property  or Haskell's Farm in Chadds Ford, which I had heard from other painters was a real treat. Since I had been to the Wyeth property before I decided on the new venture and was happily rewarded with a plethora of subjects to choose from including farm equipment, stables, horses willing to pose, an old cottage and this magnificent bank barn.I chose the barn because of the dramatic light and shadow pattern created  in the afternoon sun.

The entire week we had gorgeous weather- a treat for this Floridian who has been accustomed to wearing thick wool socks and gloves each year at the event.

If you have any interest in this painting, feel free to send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com, and thanks for visiting my blog.

"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.

The Old Springhouse, 16x12, oil on board by Maryanne Jacobsen, paintings of old buildings, light and shadow, springhouse paintings

"The Old Springhouse", 16x12, oil on board

I have been so busy lately that I have found it hard to post regularly on my blog. I actually have quite a few new paintings that I have not had time to even post! Hopefully things are getting a bit calmer and I'll get back into a more regular routine soon!

This is a painting of an old springhouse that was up the road from my last house in Chester Springs, Pa. The building may be old but it has a tremendous amount of character, and with the dappled light cascading over it, I knew immediately that I wanted to paint it. I have painted a smaller study of it before, but this one I took my time on. Here's the smaller study that I did a while back:

In case you are not familiar with what a springhouse is, here's a definition from Wikipedia: A spring house, or springhouse, is a small building used for refrigeration once commonly found in rural areas before the advent of electric refrigeration. It is usually a one-room building constructed over the source of a spring. The water of the spring maintains a constant cool temperature inside the spring house throughout the year. In settings where no natural spring is available, another source of natural running water, such as a small creek or diverted portion of a larger creek, may be used. The main use of a spring house is for the long-term storage of food that would otherwise spoil, such as meat, fruit or dairy products.

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Field of Gold

SOLD"Field of Gold", 12x16, oil on canvas panel
(Note: Click on the photo to see the thick passages of impasto)

I decided to do another sunflower painting today, since nothing makes me smile more than a bunch of sunflowers jumping right out at me. They are natural smile-breakers- with their golden color and sunny nature- shaped like the sun itself, but crafted under the Master's own imaginative hand.

This time I went for a modified limited palette and I did not tone my canvas. Interesting- the pros and cons of both methods. Toning the canvas makes painting much easier- there is no question about that, but I feel it does impact on the vibrancy of the color overall. Any way, this one was done a little larger and in a vertical format. Lots of very thick, juicy paint in this one. A happy painting overall, just waiting to make some wall very happy!

This painting is currently in an exhibit. Please email me if you wish to have purchase information about this piece.

a Painting a day, Daily painters, original art , affordable original art, home decor art, colorist art,contemporary impressionism, art blogs, impressionist sunflowers,plein air paintings,Maryanne Jacobsen paintings, impasto floral paintings,paintings with thick impasto.