"Stormy Seas", after Ivan Aivazousky, 8x10, Susan Ploughe workshop, waves, boats, ships, storms, seascapes, Maryanne Jacobsen

"Stormy Seas", after Ivan Aivazousky, 8x10

On the third and last day of the excellent Susan Ploughe workshop that I took this week, the topic was waves. I rarely paint waves for a couple reasons. Firstly, they are HARD!!!!!! Second, we really don't have hardly any waves to observe here on the west coast of Florida (Gulf of Mexico) so I don't practice them. Our waters are pretty calm, with the exception of the occasional hurricane. Third, I have often thought that many paintings of waves were rather boring. That was until Wednesday, when Susan showed us a slideshow of how different artists handle waves and I was introduced to Ivan Aivazousky.

Whoa!!!!!! Can I say jaw-dropping, exceptional, mind-blowing beauty? I googled him that night to find out more about him and turns out he is considered one of the greatest maritime artists of all time!
Ivan Aivazovsky was born in 1817 into an Armenian family in the Black Sea port of Feodosia in Crimea and was mostly based there. He died in 1900 and evidently studied the sea extensively throughout his lifetime, producing the most incredibly gorgeous seascapes I have ever seen.

So as with the other days of the workshop, after Susan's demo, we were given chance to choose which wave photo we wanted to paint and how could I resist this?

Original work of Aivazousky above.

I struggled quite a bit with this one. Painting the delicate tracings of foam on the water almost made me cry, but in the end, I learned so much just from trying to copy the work of a true master.

I am going to continue to practice painting the sea, and maybe someday I'll find it less intimidating. 

I highly recommend Susan's workshop "Waterways", if you want to learn some of the many intricacies of painting water in all of of it's delightfully daunting forms.

"Afternoon Light, Cortez Fishing Village", plein air , 11x14, plein air, Cortez fishing village, Bradenton Florida, fishermen, boats, bikes, tropical scenery, water, MAryanne Jacobsen art

"Afternoon Light, Cortez Fishing Village", plein air , 11x14

On the same foggy morning of yesterday's painting, by afternoon the sun had come out and much of the haze had cleared.

After first asking permission to paint of two men who seemed to be part of the place, I set up my easel right at the edge of the water, behind where you see the figure in my painting. I selected a great composition of two boats and the little fish shack that lies in the distance on the water as my composition, and had begun painting when someone came along and said, "Lady, you'll have to move so we can load the barge."

Well, of course! This is plein air and this is a working fishing village. So I packed up all my gear and moved to the foot of the walkway that goes up to the covered pier.

It turns out that the two men who I'd asked permission of were somewhat (I'm being kind) inebriated and had no work connection to the place at all. They stood nearby as I painted all afternoon and discussed politics, terrorism and how to change the world. It was different from listening to the gulls screech and I found after a while that I was kind of glad they were there. One even offered me a live starfish, which I dropped to the ground after realizing it was alive. You can see one of these friendly characters in my photo below.

This was 90% plein air. I added the figure after the painting had dried. Please visit Cortez fishing village if you are ever in the Bradenton, Florida area. You won't be disappointed!

"Autumn on Shrimp Boat Lane", 12x16, oil on masonite, Shem's Creek, Shrimp Boat Lane, Mt. Pleasant Island, boats, Charleston, marine art

"Autumn on Shrimp Boat Lane", 12x16, oil on masonite

This is a painting that I did a year or so ago and was never really happy with. So I took it out and worked on it a bit yesterday and corrected the errors.

It's always a relief to me to be able to take out a painting after a while and be able to figure out what went wrong the first time. It certainly helps me know that I am still progressing.  I lightened up some of the shadows, especially on the fish house and corrected the drawing in a few places. I also noted that the value of the floating dock was too dark so I lightened that as well.

This is a painting of Shrimp Boat Lane on Mt. Pleasant Island  near Charleston. Also known as Shem's Creek, it is a very colorful place with ample painting subjects for an artist!

If you are interested in this painting, please contact me at maryannejacobsen@aol.com

"The Red House, Swim Beach", 6x6, oil , Monhegan Island, Venice Art Center, award-winning paintings, MAryanne Jacobsen art, boats, red

"The Red House, Swim Beach", 6x6, oil

Was delighted to find out that my little painting of the Red House on Monhegan Island was awarded second place in the Venice Art Center's Mini and Maxi show this evening.

I almost didn't enter the painting because I was confused about the size requirements for the show. Turns out that the paintings had to be either very large or very small. The painting that I took over to receiving was only an 11x14, but I soon learned it was too large. So I went home, picked up this little guy and brought him back to the art center.

So happy I did!

The painting is framed in a beautiful Randy Higbee floater frame and can be purchased through he Venice Art Center.  You can call them at 941-485-7136 for purchase information regarding this little gem.

Here I am at tonight's reception with good friend and fellow plein air painter Karen Hitt. Karen rec'd the third place ribbon for her lovely little watercolor of Venice. Congrats, Karen!

"Afternoon Marsh, Shem's Creek", plein air, 9x12, Mt. PLeasant, Charleston, boats, marshes, plein air, paint out, plein air, American Impressionist Society

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"Afternoon Marsh, Shem's Creek", plein air, 9x12

This is a painting that I did in about one hour at Shem's Creek, in Mt. Pleasant, just a short drive from Charleston , South Carolina. It was the last day and afternoon of a three day American Impressionist Society workshop with Master Impressionist Kenn Erroll Backhaus. I can attest to the fact that Kenn is one of the best teachers that I have ever taken a workshop from. He was religious about making sure that he came around to every single person who was painting, offering pointers, gentle criticisms and asking questions that the painter may have inadvertently forgotten to ask himself!

In this painting, Kenn pointed out to me that the reverse "C" curve was too carefully crafted, making it look artificial. He asked me if I had intended it that way, and I was honest. I told him I was really tired and hadn't thought it through that all that much. So after studying it for a few moments, I realized that he was right and quickly made a few corrections, in order to make a stronger composition.

I liked the color harmony in this little study. It is a testament to the fact that it is always a good thing  to keep scraping your paint and use whatever you have left on your palette to help objects recede and form your "polluted" colors.

I loved Kenn's workshop and everything about the experience in Charleston. If you have not yet seen the gorgeous exhibit of the American Impressionist Society online, please go here to see all of the paintings, including the big winners in the show.

If you would like to purchase this little plein air study, just send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com.

"Misty Morning, Southwest Harbor", plein air, Claremont Hotel, croquet, Southwest Harbor Maine,

"Misty Morning, Southwest Harbor", 9x12, oil on board,  plein air oil sketch

Last week after the Castine Plein Air Festival, my husband and I decided to spend a few days at Southwest Harbor, Maine. Southwest Harbor is a sleepy but lovely little area about 15 minutes south of Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. We stayed once again at the lovely olf Claremont Hotel, a grand old hotel that helped put Bar Harbor and Maine on the map as a vacation destination in the late 1800's. The hotel is beautifully situated at the mouth of Somes Sound, the east coast's only fjord.

The hotel looks over the Sound to Mt. Desert Island and it is truly a magical expereince to watch the mist lift from the sound and the land mass appear in the early morning hours.

The week we were there was the week of the annual croquet tournament, and the croquet players were practicing with amazing concentration the morning that I set up to paint on the porch. You can see some of them in my photos below:

The painting came together pretty quickly once there was enough light on the porch for me to see what I was painting!

There are beautiful hanging pots of begonias all over the porch and I would highly recommend this lovely traditional old dame of a hotel over any of the Bed and Breakfasts in Bar Harbor. A full breakfast is included and there is even a gent on the premises who will give you some croquet tips!
 Here is a photo of the back of the Claremont on a misty afternoon. I was standing at the boat house when I took the photo, and you can have lunch or drinks there in front of a roaring fire.

For more info about The Claremont, you can just follow the link. To see another painting of the Claremont croquet lawn that I did  a while back, please go here. And if you are interested in purchasing this plein air oil sketch, just send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com.

"That Kind of Day", 8x10, oil on panel, paintings of baots, dingies, Nova Scotia, clouds, water

"That Kind of Day", 8x10, oil on panel

Sometimes it's just that kind of day. You know what I mean?

Painted with a limited palette of four colors plus white.

Please email me at maryannejacobsen@aol.com if you wish to purchase "That Kind of Day"
.

"Morning on the Kennebunk River", 8x8, oil on Ampersand board, Maine, boats, Kennebunkport, autumn in Maine, small paintings

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"Morning on the Kennebunk River", 8x8, oil on Ampersand board

Another small painting of the boats on the Kennebunk River in Kennebunkport, Maine. I tried to keep this painting loose and impressionist with detail suggested rather than rendered.

"Marina View", plein air, 9x12, oil o canvas panel-Marina, harbor, St. Augustine, Camachee Marina, boats, plein air

"Marina View", plein  air, 9x12, oil o canvas panel

We had a short stay in St. Augustine this past weekend and stayed in a room that overlooked the Camachee Marina. We have stayed in many different places in St. Augustine before , but never before on Camachee Island, which is just a 5 minute drive from the historic area, and away from the traffic and crowds. Although Isaac spoiled much of Sunday and Monday for us, we did have a lovely day on Saturday. The Inn at Camachee Harbor where we stayed had a wonderful view of the marina and the sunset views over the harbor are quite lovely as well.

I started this painting on our balcony on Sunday morning and as you can see it was an absolutely perfect day.

 But although I intended to finish it today, the scene was quite different-gray, foggy and pretty dismal. Every time I tried to photograph the painting  the lens of my camera would fog up from the humidity and as fast as I wiped it, it would fog up again. I finished it anyway and might try to do a larger studio painting eventually.  I wanted to challenge myself with a complicated view and this certainly fit the bill what with all the boats and perspective involved.

To purchase this plein air painting, just send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com.

"Calm", 16x12, oil on linen, by Maryanne Jacobsen, boats, Nova scotia, Peggy's Cove, Halifax, palette knife paintings

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"Calm", 16x12, oil on linen

After doing the smaller painting of Peggy's Cove last week, I decided to do a slightly larger one. I also changed the horizon line so that I would have room for lots of clouds. I used the palette that Kevin Mac Pherson recommended in one of his books, which includes Cad yellow, Cad red light, Alizarin crimson, Ultramarine Blue and Winsor Green. Not sure I even used the green but I guess I might have to give variety to all the blues.

Overall, I really like the way this one turned out. It reflects the beautiful cool blueness in Nova Scotia's waters on a summer day while also acknowledging the warmth in the overall atmosphere of the light. Nova Scotia can be a very cold, foggy place most of the year, but whether cold and foggy or sunny with clouds, it is truly a lovely, almost mystical place.

Nova Scotia is not easy to reach. There used to be a ferry from Bar Harbor to take you there, but they have discontinued the ferry and now it is at least an 8 hour drive from Bar Harbor to get there. The tides are dramatic and otherworldly in this beautiful place, and the terrain has the same lovely reds and golds that you find in Acadia National Park.

I hope you'll take a moment to let me know what you think of this painting!

This painting can be purchased through Galerie du Soleil in Naples, Florida.

"Summer's Day-Peggy's Cove", 10x8, oil on linen-Peggy's Cove, palette knife seascapes, Nova Scotia, boats, Canadian provinces

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"Summer's Day-Peggy's Cove", 10x8, oil on linen

I painted this one rather quickly, so I wouldn't get mired down in details, and I was happy with the outcome.

Impressionist paintings are intended to portray a brief moment in time, painted through an impression of the moment captured in the artist's memory, and without a lot of fussy details. There also should be passages that are kept vague, so that the viewer can fill in the details and the "rest of the story" for himself.

I have gotten away from impressionism for reasons that I can't even explain. I hope to return to that journey and this was a good start. The painting was done with only three colors, ultramarine blue, alizarin crimson and cad yellow. Just goes to show  that you can create an impressionist painting without a lot of colors on your palette!

"Window with an Water view", 14x11, oil on linen

SOLD


"Window with an Ocean View", 14x11, oil on linen

I decided to re-work this painting that I did last week, because my daughter-in-law told me that it could use a little more development. Since she is an artist herself, I took her advice and re-worked some of the passages.

It's funny , but I changed my studio to a room with north light a few months ago, and i think it's noticeable in my paintings that I have been struggling with the new light source. I have had a dreadful time adjusting to the cold northern light, and as a result I sometimes move back into the kitchen, where I used to paint and where the light is very warm. This painting was done in the north light room, and I think that's why I had trouble with it. I'm not sure that north light works for me, personally, though I know many artists swear by it. At any rate, I warmed up some passages, cleaned up some messy areas and added more paint to the flower arrangement and now it is definitely finished and re-named. Here are some of my thoughts about the last few months and how the Gulf disaster has affected my ability to be creative.

Over the past three months I have lost interest in painting. I have become a bit of an activist, in
trying to make the public more aware of how the oil disaster here in the Gulf has affected so many lives, especially of fisherman and their families, in a very horrendous way. I am very hopeful that the worst is behind us now and that the well will be sealed permanently soon.

So as my mind has returned to a tiny semblance of normalcy, I have tried to begin painting again. Although I have been painting infrequently these past months, it is not as though I have completely given up the love I have for painting beautiful things. Rather, let's just say that I have put my passion on a back burner in the hopes of doing something more productive for others during this difficult time.

This painting, too, is overall a success in my opinion- loose and generous with paint where it needs to be, and also restrained in areas where more modest color and brush strokes take a back seat to the lush floral bouquet in the foreground. It was tricky trying to do a painting like this, because the background needs to be painted first. The hard part is to keep the background from interfering with the focal point, while still incorporating its story into the overall theme. I hope that I was successful in that.

The background is a scene from a lovely little fishing town in Nova Scotia, called Peggy's Cove. I took some liberties with the setting and hope no one minds that I sat my window sill right smack in the middle of St. Margaret's Bay, overlooking a little fisherman's hut.

If you are interested in this painting, please send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com, or call Leah Sherman directly at Collector's Gallery and Framery at 941-488-3029.

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Lake Trasimeno-Umbria

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"Lake Trasimeno-Umbria"- 10x8, oil on canvas panel

Three million years ago, there was a shallow sea in Umbria. A depression formed by geologic fractures allowed the birth of present-day Lake Trasimeno, a lake in Italy's Lake District that is slightly smaller than Lake Como.

Historically, Trasimeno was known as The Lake of Perugia and this name makes it easy to understand the importance that the lake has always had for the whole of north-western Umbria and for the Tuscan Chiana district. In prehistoric times, this lake was extended so as to almost reach Perugia.

This painting was done with a limited palette using both knife and brush. Thanks very much to Kathy Schmocker for the use of the reference photo for this painting.

If you would like to purchase this painting, please contact me at maryannejacobsen@aol.com.


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A Fisherman's Sunset

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"A Fisherman's Sunset", 12x16, oil on canvas panel

Sometimes an event will happen in our lives that leaves us unnerved, off balance, and totally out of control. I now understand what it's like to literally "See red". This happened to me a few days ago. Without repeating the incident, suffice it to say that a person whom I love very, very much, hurt me deeply. The feelings that I felt after a one minute phone call left me feeling simultaneously empty, incredibly sad, and trying to control an anger that was beyond my ability to control.

I had been painting when the phone call came. I can't even remember what I had been painting. After the phone call, I couldn't think of anything other than trying to deal with the anger and pain that I felt. I picked up my palette knife and began smearing paint all over my canvas. Red paint. Red, hot, orangey strokes plastered on the canvas like flaming embers. I just kept smearing and smashing red and orange cadmiums onto the canvas, without even being aware of what I was doing. Not long afterwards, the phone rang again and it was someone else. We talked and I became calmer as a result of this voice of reason and grace. I cleaned off my palette knife and stuck the canvas in a place where the cats would not walk through it and make cadmium red footprints all through the house. (Yes, that has happened before, as a result of not having a studio and painting in one's kitchen where everything is accessible and paintings are as vulnerable to cat-paws as mosquito-landings. )

The next day I was still upset. But by the end of the day I had settled myself, knowing that only God can change people and things, and there is nothing I can do to change or help a loved one once they've reached an age where they are capable of making their own choices- be they bad or good. Nothing, that is, except to continue to pray and have faith that God will touch that person and change them from within.

I took out the painting with the red strokes of flaming anger written all over it and looked at it again. I decided that I wanted to create something soothing out of the chaos I had rendered the night before. Recently, I had read something on the Daily Painter's forum about the deep pervading loneliness that can ensue for a fisherman's wife, when the husband goes off to sea. Fisherman, or sailors, especially those in the military who are submarine sailors, leave home and often are not heard from for months at a time- and the fear and loneliness that ensues until their return can be heart wrenching.

So with that thought fresh in my mind, I decided to make my angry painting into something much different- hopefully a reminder of how wonderful it is when a loved one returns home after a period of absence and darkness, and an example of how inevitably hope reigns eternal in humans that in the end love and goodness and mercy for all- even the lost- shall prevail. I guess the story of The Prodigal Son comes to mind here, and I sincerely hope that God in His infinite mercy can truly forgive all the prodigals in this sad world of ours.

This red hot painting of anger, frustration and sadness has hopefully evolved into something a little more peaceful now that I've re-worked it. The globs of red paint dried overnight for some weird reason, since I live in Florida

But life is filled with challenges. Each day is a new day and we must try to love to the best of our abilities, even when the loved one has hurt us deeply, or the paint has gotten dry and unwieldy, and hope becomes dimmed by repetition of failure. I hope this painting has some beauty in it, despite its origins. And I hope that anyone reading this who can identify with the deep emotions that render us helpless at times will realize that we are only human, and judgment of others is foolish in view of one’s own human frailties. Luckily for me, I have an outlet for my emotions. I am very grateful for that.

Thanks for listening. Now you know how some paintings come about....

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