"Peaceful Cove", 8x10, oil, Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia, palette knife painting, texture, clouds, ocean, fish shack, blue, red

 "Peaceful Cove", 8x10, oil

It's been awhile since I posted. Without going into detail, the past few months have been really hard on many levels. So I was grateful to be able to produce anything after all these weeks.

I used mostly a palette knife and there's some sweet texture in this little piece.

It's a peaceful scene of a little red fish shack up in Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia. I've painted this scene before, and it brings back positive memories for me of clean fresh air, long vistas of sand and sea and the bracing smell of salt, sea, and the ice cold Atlantic.

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

"Simple Abundance", 16x20, oil on linen, hibiscus, red hibiscus, apple, green apple, fish shack

"Simple Abundance", 16x20, oil on linen
Note: Click on the image to see it better!

A few days ago I picked some hibiscus from the garden and arranged them in a vase with some apples. After working at it for a few hours, I was almost finished the flowers and thought they were looking pretty good. Unfortunately, I neglected to take a photo of the set-up and to my dismay the next morning the flowers were all curled up and wilted! So I went back into the garden and brought in some more and tried to set them up in the same way. No chance! It is amazing how every single flower is extremely unique, and since hibiscus is a very complex flower to paint I began feeling frustrated.  I had to basically scrape out most of what I had done the day before and start over. This time I did take a photo of the flowers knowing I'd have to keep working the painting the next day.

Since yesterday was Valentine's Day, I think I had red on the brain. So I added the background after painting the flowers using an old red fish shack from Peggy's Cove. I kind of liked the idea of putting tropical flowers in a northern setting! It was a quirky idea that grew on me as I went along. I added other objects as I went along and finally today I called it done. It was a challenging painting for me, but worth the effort in the end.

Quote:

Life is a flower of which love is the honey. – Victor Hugo

If you’ve seen a Hummingbird suck the nectar out of a Hibiscus flower, you will know what Hugo means when he refers to life as a ‘flower’ and love as ‘honey’.

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

SOLD

"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.