"Poolside Floral", 8x8, oil on panel, artist support pledge, plein air, poolside, Florida art, little gems, pink, sunflowers, affordable art

"Poolside Floral", 8x8, oil on panel- $100 including free shipping in the domestic US.

I painted this little floral on my Florida lanai, the other day. It was at least 95 degrees outdoors but happily, I was at least in a shaded area while I painted.

Here is the view of my set-up:

This painting is being offered at well below my normal pricing structure as part of the #artistsupportpledge. Many galleries across the country (including one of my own) have closed permanently due to the pandemic. The artist support pledge was devised by Matthew Burrows as a way for artists to continue to find revenues during these financially difficult times. The premise is to offer your work at two hundred dollars or less, and when you've reached $1000 in sales, you pledge to purchase the artwork of another artist for the same value.

So if you would like to purchase this little plein air jewel, just use this link to pay directly through my website.

Thanks for looking and if you would like to know more about the Artist Support Pledge, just read about it here. Have a great day.

"Pears, Peonies and Pentimento", 12x16, oil, peonies, pink, pentimento, MAryanne Jacobsen art

SOLD

"Pears, Peonies and Penitmento", 12x16, oil

It's rare that I can resist fresh peonies when I find them available in the supermarket. Especially in the winter when things can get a little dreary, even in Florida.

So I picked these up and painted them with some fresh pears that I had on hand. I played a little with the color in spots which was fun.

This painting was done on top of another painting that I decided was not one of my best efforts, so there's some really cool pentimento throughout. If you are not sure what pentimento is, you can read about it here.

"The Scent of Summer", 12x16, oil, flowers, pink, impasto, impressionism, palette knife, roses, Maryanne Jacobsen art

"The Scent of Summer", 12x16, oil

I had fun experimenting with this painting. I kept wiping out the work I had done when I wasn't happy with it and going over the top with something new. Wiping out was something I got used to hearing about at PACE15. In fact, instead of thinking of wiping out as being a result of making mistakes, it's often a technique that seasoned artists use to get some nice softening effects.

I forget what this is called. Though I know it has a name!

I also used a limited palette of two yellows, two reds and two blues. It does make for a nice harmonic sound, and I do see unity in the work above.

Anyhow, I enjoyed playing with this one and kept the impasto for the end- in the flowers, of course.

"Towards the Pergola", plein air, 11x14, pink, bougainvillea, Florida gardens, Society fo the Four Arts, Palm Beach paintings, Lighthouse plein air competition, palm trees, formal gardens, Florida art

"Towards the Pergola", plein air, 11x14

This was painted during the Lighthouse Plein Air competition in Palm Beach , Florida at the Society of the Four Arts. The wind geared up while I was painting this and blew my plein air umbrella off three different times. After the third time I realized it was about to storm and I began to paint furiously. That's about when the downpour hit. No warning- just torrential rain. I grabbed the painting and ran for the tiny bit of shelter there was under a roof where people can sit and eat and relax after touring the gardens. In the split second that it took me to run and put the painting into shelter, I came back to find my easel had blown over and there was a mess everywhere.

Then the rain stopped just as suddenly as it started. Luckily I had a tarp and so the mess was minimal but it kind of ruined the fun I had been having painting this piece in the beautiful garden.

In the end , it came out alright, because I took a knife to it,and finished it off with the palette knife.

The joys of plein air painting are endless!

"Three Muses', 14x11, oil on linen, dancers, ballerinas, pink, tuts, Maryanne Jacobsen art

"Three Muses', 14x11, oil on linen

First painting of the new year. It's are-do of  a painting I did of the same scene a while back. Not sure which came out better, but it was certainly a good exercise for me.

"A Degas Moment", 14x11, oil on linen, paintings of dancers, ballet, young dancers, pink, tutus

SOLD

"A Degas Moment", 14x11, oil on linen

I painted these dancers awhile back- maybe 8 months ago. Although I was pretty happy with the painting at the time, I also knew it needed some refinement.

Today I took it out and worked on it most of the day. I softened edges, increased contrast in areas that were focal points (the dancers) and simplified the fireplace, which was one of those old world fireplaces with painted tile all around. Beautiful in person, but a dog to paint!

Keeping in mind that's it's better to suggest than to render every detail, I just concentrated on simplifying the fireplace in order to keep it in its place- a background. Overall, I am happy with the painting now and I can honestly say that it looks amazing in person!

This painting is available through Gallery 444, in San Franciso.

"Pas de Trois", 8x8 , oil on board, rose study, pink roses, three roses, roses in glass vase

SOLD

"Pas de Trois", 8x8 , oil on board

Set up a few roses in my kitchen and this was the result. See my set-up below.

For those not familiar with the French term, pas de trois usually refers to a dance in ballet between three people. (or roses, lol!)  Typically a Pas de trois in ballet consists of 6 parts.

Yes, this painting did indeed consist of 6 separate parts!

1. Paint in your north lit studio for an hour
2. Realize you can't see a danged thing in your north lit studio including your painting
3. Wipe the whole danged thing out
4. Start over in the kitchen where you are happy to discover that you're not actually blind
5. Find your mojo after another hour of frustration and continue painting for another hour
6. Sign the finished painting and sigh!

Lots of thick paint in this one!

"Contemplation", 14x 11, oil on linen, paintings of dancers, ballerinas young dancers

"Contemplation", 14x 11, oil on linen

I have not done a figurative painting in almost a year, mainly because I have just not been inspired. So I was really, really happy to find such a beautiful photo of three young dancers in repose on Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's Facebook page.

A huge thank-you to Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre for kindly giving me permission to use their photo as a reference for this painting!

I think I need to paint more dancers.It was so much fun!

Note: This painting is not for sale at this time.