"On a Shelf", 6x12, oil on panel, roses, pink roses, green bottle, impressionism, glass

 "On a Shelf", 6x12, oil on panel

I've had these artificial flowers laying around for years. I put them on a shelf today and painted them for the second time in 2 days.

I admit, that they were not very easy to paint. I hope my struggles don't show too much.

If you would like to purchase this  little painting, just send me a message at maryannejacobsen@aol.com, and thanks for looking.

"Petals and Coffee", 11x14, oil on linen, impressionist florals, roses, serenity, cherries, coffee, MAryanneJacobsen fine art, Impressionism

 "Petals and Coffee", 11x14, oil on linen

I am happy to say that this impressionist floral was juried into the American Impressionist Society's National Exhibit last fall, and has also just been juried into the American Women Artists annual online exhibit!

I enjoyed telling the story of these roses through paint strokes while evoking a peaceful atmosphere through the softly painted background. 

At the last minute, I decided to add the cherries to add more color harmony to the foreground.

For more information about this painting, please send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com.

"A Summer Song", 12x16, oil on Canson oil paper, roses, white peonies, cup of tea, strawberries, poolside, still life floral, summer memories, a summer song, Chad & Jeremy hit, summer flowers, lazy days

 "A Summer Song", 12x16, oil on Canson oil paper, mounted on a panel

It's almost the end of summer, and that means cooler weather, autumn leaves, pumpkins and... wait. I am getting ahead of myself!

For now, I want to focus on what is left of these warm summer days. I set this arrangement up on a table near our pool, and contemplated the beauty of summer. Those long days produce luscious fruit, gorgeous gardens, and oh so many lazy days for the children!

When I was a student, I used to love summer vacation because it was my big chance to catch up on my favorite books. I was never much for beaches, (except for the fudge that could be procured at every boardwalk in America!), but I loved the slowness of each hot, sweltering day, and the gentle nights filled with fireflies and the strident hum of the crickets.

I painted this for those cold , wintry nights that will be upon us before we know it. The memories of summer are sometimes what helps us through those dark days when it is sometimes hard to get out of bed.

Although I live in Florida now, I truly miss the chill of winter- the frost- the ice- the bone-chilling cold. And yet I also recall the endless drear of February and March- the slush, the coats and gloves, and driving on slippery streets that are unfit for even reindeer.

So if you would like to preserve a bit of summer for the month ahead, "A Summer Song" might be the perfect thing! The painting is available through my website here. Send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com for pricing info.

Thank-you for reading my blog today, and enjoy the rest of summer!

"Raining Rose Petals", 9x12, impressionist florals, coffee cup, roses, windowsill, alla prima

 "Raining Rose Petals", 9x12

In this painting, I attempted to keep my brushstrokes loose and fluid, suggesting movement and the play of light on the surface of the flowers.  I concentrated on creating a soft impression, rather than a tight rendering of the elements- thus the minimalist approach to the roses and background elements.

The impressionists attempted to capture the fleeting beauty of a simple moment, highlighting the play of light and color in a way that is vivid and evocative. That was also my goal in painting this simple still life. 

If you like this painting, please leave a comment below.

"Peaches and Cream", 16x20, oil on linen, Mother's Day gifts, impressionist floral, peaches, roses

"Peaches and Cream", 16x20, oil on linen

This lovely floral was painted a while back and also received an honorable mention in an exhibit.

It would make a lovely gift for Mother's Day and is also available framed. Please send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com if you would like purchasing information.

"The Scent of Summer", 12x16, oil, palette knife florals, MAryanne Jacobsen art, roses, impressionistic florals, contemporary art, Palm Avenue Fine art, Sarasota Florida art

"The Scent of Summer", 12x16, oil

Worn down by winter? This painting will get you in the mood for warmer weather!

It is available through Palm Avenue Fine Art gallery in Sarasota, Florida. Please call the gallery at 941-388-7526 for pricing information, and add some warmth to your home!

"Dark Roast with Cherries", 11x14, oil on oil paper, framed, award-winning paintings, color, Maryanne Jacobsen art, floral, coffee, roses, cherries

"Dark Roast with Cherries", 11x14, oil on oil paper, framed

I was very happy to receive a Third place ribbon at the reception last week at The Visual Art Center's "Color" exhibit.

The Visual Art Center is located in Punta Gorda and offers many wonderful classes, workshops and exhibits throughout the year. Check it out here.

This painting is available. Please contact me at maryannejacobsen@aol.com, for more info about the painting.

Fresh Flowers, Fading Light, 18x18, oil on canvas, paintings of fresh flowers, original oil paintings, Maryanne Jacobsen art, hydrangea, roses, window seat, Galerie du Soleil, impressionist still life

SOLD

"Fresh Flowers, Fading Light", 18x18 oil on wrapped canvas

This painting was begun outdoors in my garden, but since the weather did not cooperate, I ended up bringing the whole set-up indoors. This of course, drastically changed the light direction and temperature. I did my best to retain the sunniness of the morning light when the painting was started, but it didn't work. So as the evening light emerged, I made the decision to re-vamp the painting in the new light conditions, and I wasn't displeased with the result.

This painting is available through Galerie du Soleil in downtown Naples, Florida. Please call them at (239)417-3450 for pricing information.

"Drama Queens", 8x10, oil on panel, coral, peach, roses, impressionist roses, drama, MAryanne Jacobsen art

"Drama Queens", 8x10, oil on panel

Yup, there's always one in a crowd- that person who wants all the attention. In this case, there are three of them, and they are aren't competing against each other. They're competing against the orange! Ha!

I have been working on notan and design recently and so I set this one up with that in mind. Hope you like it.

Thanks for looking.

"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.

"Peaches and Cream", 16x20, oil on linen, paintings of fruit, roses, peaches, blue, award-winning art, Maryanne Jacobsen , impressionism

"Peaches and Cream", 16x20, oil on linen

I painted this one a while back and at the last minute I decided to enter it into the Venice Art Center's "Tutti Fruitti" competition. The only requirement was that fruit be included in the design.

I was pleased to find out that the painting received an honorable mention in the exhibit last month. I was in very good company on the wall with the ribbons as Hodges Soileau won first place, Bill Farnsworth won second and  Jeff Cornell won third. My friend and avid plein air painter Karen Hitt also received an honorable mention. It was a great show with hundreds of entries so I was pleased to receive a ribbon. Thanks to Judge Diane Mannion for choosing this painting for a ribbon.

"Persimmons and Winter Roses", 12x12 , oil on board, persimmons , white roses, roses, winter fruit, impressionist still life, MAryanne Jacobsen art

"Persimmons and Winter Roses", 12x12 , oil on board

Amid the Christmas chaos of shopping, baking, wrapping presents and preparing the house for holiday visitors, I managed to sneak in one more painting before the year ends!

This has been a wonderful year for me- art wise. I was juried into three prestigious national shows, took workshops with 2 amazing artists- Morgan Samuel Price and Kenn Backhaus, and was juried into two wonderful out-of state plein air events as well. In addition, I've sold numerous paintings throughout the year, many through my favorite gallery- Galerie du Soleil- a work of art unto itself!

Since I know I will not have time to visit this blog again before the New Year, I would just like to wish all of my collectors, past , present and even future a healthy, happy, prosperous and blessed new year!

Thank-you from the bottom of my heart for collecting my work and for letting me know time after time how much my  paintings have meant to you! I hope the new year brings the opportunity to expore new channels of creativity so that I can continue to bless and be blessed through the joy of painting!

Joyeaux Noel!

"Three Roses, a Lime and a Love Letter", 6x6 oil on panel, roses, lime, love letter, small paintings

"Three Roses, a Lime and a Love Letter", 6x6 oil on panel

Sometimes we just have to take the sweet with the sour and the thorns with the petals. It is a testament to the human spirit that we are able to weather the ups and downs of life, and even grow from negative experiences. This is called resilience.

According to Psychology Today, "Resilience is that ineffable quality that allows some people to be knocked down by life and come back stronger than ever. Rather than letting failure overcome them and drain their resolve, they find a way to rise from the ashes."

I suppose that these are some of the things that were on my mind when I created this little set-up and painted this little painting today.

"Happy Together", 25x35,oil on wrapped canvas, Maryanne Jacobsen art, still life, oranges, sunflowers, roses, pitcher, window seat

"Happy Together", 25x35,oil on wrapped canvas

I don't often paint larger works, unless it's a commission, mainly because it takes a lot of paint.

But after being in a rather apathetic spell all week, I decided that I needed something to focus on. This was the result.

I started gathering a bunch of stuff together and placing it on the counter in the kitchen. Painting large in the kitchen isn't really such a great idea. It certainly makes cooking a lot less appetizing, lol. Yet it affords me the best space and light, so that's where I often end up, when I am painting larger works.

Here's the arrangement I finally came up with after much trial and error:

The roses were on their last legs, so I had to pretty much fake 'em. The big dilemma was how to make a set up on a kitchen counter into an attractive painting. So I kept making it up as I went along.

The idea of a window looking out over a pretty countryside came together towards the very end. I had to construct the scenery out of imagination, and in the end, I was happy with the overall result.

I wouldn't advise this method, however. I almost wiped this out at least a dozen times.  Next time I paint a large piece, I think I'll try to have a better plan in place!

"Looking for White Rabbits", 9x12, color study, little girls, white dresses, gardens, roses

SOLD

"Looking for White Rabbits", 9x12

This was a study in trying consciously  to mute my colors, rather than over-saturating them.

I have heard a lot of people say that it is hard to learn a colorist technique after using earth colors and being a tonalist for many years. I can say that as someone who began as a colorist, it is just as hard to try to bring your palette closer to nature! I have been working on that for a while now, and the results have always been muddy colors. So I continue to struggle with a balance between being a colorist and still keeping my paintings representational. I really concentrated on keeping my greens and shadow colors muted in this study.

Two national shows and three roses!- American Impressionist Society, American Women Artists, Castine Plein air, Maryanne jacobsen art, roses, vase

SOLD

 "Pas de Trois", 8x8, oil on board

You know you haven't blogged in  awhile, when some of your readers send you emails asking if you are well!

I apologize for not blogging over these past weeks, but I had good reasons! I'm just getting over an illness that had me under the weather for a few weeks. In spite of not feeling well, I decided to go to the Castine Plein Air event anyway, and I'm glad that I did. I'll be blogging about that later on, but for now I just wanted to say that I'm back and thanks to my readers for their concerns!

I also received really wonderful news this week that I have been juried into the 16th annual American Women Artist's exhibit to be held in November at The Hanna Gallery in Fredericksburg , Texas. Of over 600 entries, only 60 were selected for the exhibit, and I was delighted and honored to have "Pas de Trois" included in this group of  beautiful paintings!

My little vase that I purchased in a health food store has certainly served me well, as I also used it for the painting, "Dancing Queens and a Pear", which was juried into the prestigious American Impressionist Society's 14th annual juried show in Charleston this October.Wow! Two national shows in one month! I am soooo happy and thankful for the blessing!

 Here's a photo of the set-up that  I used for my painting: As you can see, I stuck the vase unceremoniously between the blender and the toaster, and painted it right in my kitchen!

The next day, I carried the roses and vase into the bathroom, added a pear and couple glass bottles and painted "Dancing Queens and a Pear" in the somewhat confining quarters of the bathroom. Well, whatever works and for me the combination of north light from the window and warm overhead light above the mirror, made for an  interesting lighting effect.

I think it is going to be a busy and exciting fall season for this happy artist! Thanks for reading!

"Dancing Queens and a Pear", 12x12, oil on board, roses, pink roses, dancing queen roses, pear, glass bottles, impressionism

SOLD

"Dancing Queens and a Pear", 12x12, oil on board
Note: This painting was juried into the American Impressionist Society's 2013 annual show!

I wanted to take advantage of those three lovely roses that I painted earlier in the week to create one more painting before they were gone. I arranged them with a pear and glass bottles that worked with the color scheme I had in my mind, which was an analogous theme using mostly cools of red, blue and green.

I used a palette knife in the pear and roses and a brush in other areas and so the painting has areas of thick impasto as well as thinner paint.

You can click the image in order to see the impasto better.

"Three's Company", 8x10, oil on wrapped Belgian linen-paintings of roses, oranges, pink roses, impressionist roses, impasto, MAryanne Jacobsen

"Three's Company", 8x10, oil on wrapped  Belgian linen

I haven't done a floral in a long while and was in the mood to do one, so today I bought some reduced roses at the market and set to work!

Here's my set-up:

I got a late start and the light was rather poor so I had to work fast. I enjoyed doing these as a change of pace. I think it's good to mix things up periodically so as to not get into a rut.

"Three's company" has thick paint throughout. If you wish to purchase this, please allow at least two weeks for the impasto to dry before I can ship it. Also available in a gold plein air frame for an additional $40.