"Distressed", 9x12, oil on Arches oil paper , on panel, paintings of girls, impressionism, children

 "Distressed", 9x12, oil on Arches oil paper , on panel

This is the first painting I have done in 5 months! At least I didn't forget how to paint! I had a bad vertebrae fracture back in October, that has prevented me from painting. This one wasn't easy. I still have tremendous back pain when I stand, so I had to sit-down every 10 minutes to rest.

At least I finally painted something. I like the softness of it. Maybe this will be a new style for me.

Thanks for checking out my blog. This little lady can be purchased through my website. If interested, here's the link.

"Friends Forever", 12x16, oil on gessoboard

"Friends Forever", 12x16, oil on gessoboard 

We visited my son and his family in California recently. and my daughter-in-law instead on taking me to a lovely place called Summer's Past Farm in San Diego County. I am a sucker for any kind of garden, but this one was especially unique and beautiful. They are open only certain days of the week, so if you are planning on visiting , be sure to check out their hours.

My 7 year old grand-daughter became enamored with the cats that hang out there, and I caught a photo of her petting one of the tabby cats. The scene was backlit and her blue dress made a lovely contrast against the bush of orange nasturtiums outside the doorway of the gift shop.

This painting is meant to be nostalgic, sweet, and a lovely memory of all things young, loving and innocent. I enjoyed painting it.

"Guileless", 14x11, oil on board, paintings of children, little girls, girls with bonnets, children, Renaissance fair

"Guileless", 14x11, oil on board

This is a painting that I started months ago. Every so often I'd take it out and change a few things on it. Finally, I thought it was finished when it looked like this:

I liked the fact that it looked impressionistic and so I titled it "White Bonnet" and called it done.

The other day I took it out again and decided that I hated it. So I totally reworked her face as well as other parts extensively. I definitely think it's done now! The little girl now looks exactly like my niece's little girl. She's a beautiful child and her name is Faith. I met her recently for the first time , and I think I had her in the back of my mind when I decided to re-work this painting.

More often than not, I mess up a painting totally when I go back into it and re-work it. In this case, I'm definitely glad that I took the chance!

"Pigtails and Teddy Bears", 8x8, oil on panel

"Pigtails and Teddy Bears", 8x8, oil on panel

 What's not to like about pigtails or teddy bears? I loved the light coming in from an unseen window, creating dappled light across the child's cheek and the bear's face. I used thick paint on the light passages and thinner paint on the shadow passages.

For more information, feel free to contact me at maryannejacobsen@aol.com.