"A Night on the Town", after Cortes, 6x6, oil, Small paintings, Parisian scenes, impressionism, turn of the century, walking in Paris, after Cortes

 "A Night on the Town", after Cortes, 6x6, oil

I have been working on painting in a looser , more impressionistic style. I've been studying the work of Eduard Cortes, and his magnificent Parisian city scenes. Painting this little vignette gave me a chance to continue to mimic his style. 

I am still struggling with tremendous back pain as I paint, but I am hoping I will eventually be able to paint more comfortably, and larger as well.

Thanks for following my blog.

" Pink and Blue", 5x5, oil on gallery-wrapped canvas, pink and blue, pink and blue flowers, impressionist florals, affordable art, small paintings, little gems

" Pink and Blue", 5x5, oil on gallery-wrapped canvas

This sweet little painting was done in an impressionist style. It has soft, yet vibrant colors throughout and was painted on gallery-wrapped canvas. I also painted the sides in the same color palette, so the painting can be wired and hung without a frame! Yay!

I am selling this sweet little gem through my website. It would make a lovely gift, or a pretty little accent piece to your home decor. Purchase through my website .

View From the Porch, 8x10, oil , paintings of lakes, water view, plein air, small paintings, all prima, Lake Glenville, North Carolina art, Cashiers art, mountains and lakes

View From the Porch, 8x10, oil (Note: you can click on the image to see it better.)

When we decided to go to Cashiers for a mini vacation, I was uncertain whether or not to bring my paints. It was a short trip, after all, and sometimes it's not worth it to schlep all the paints and stuff. But I had bought a small Plein Air cigar box easel over 2 years ago, and when Covid began, and had yet to use it!

Between being isolated through Covid lockdowns, a new and serious bout with skin cancer, and a bunch of other annoying things, I simply stopped painting outdoors.

Unsure if I would ever paint en plein air again, I packed my gear after 2 years of not painting outdoors and we headed up to the North Carolina mountains. 

As it turned out, our AirBnb lake house was just the inspiration that I needed to re-ignite my joy in painting outdoors!

The view of Lake Glenville was even better than the description, and although we arrived to overcast weather, my husband and I relished eating our lunch out on the deck overlooking the lake.

After lunch, I took out my new easel, the few brushes and paints I finally decided to bring , and started to paint.

I was sadly out of practice, but had a great deal of fun anyway!

"View from the Porch" is available on my website for $99. Just click here to purchase through PayPal.

Thanks for visiting my blog and return often to see more paintings!

 

"Keyhole Rock, Laguna Beach", 9x12, paintings of California, Keyhole Rock, Laguna Beach, small paintings, Pacific Ocean,

"Keyhole Rock, Laguna Beach", 9x12

This little study of Keyhole Rock at Laguna Beach was painted during a mentoring workshop with Master artist Kenn Backhaus. I highly recommend Kenn as he is a fabulous teacher!

"Lovers in the Rose Garden", 9x12, plein air oil study, The Ringling, Museums in Sarasota, John and Mabel Ringling, Mabel's Rose Garden, plein air, wedding venues in Florida, statues, small paintings, Maryanne Jacobsen art, romance, mystery

"Lovers in the Rose Garden", 9x12, plein air oil study

I always love painting at The Ringling, but this week was a bit of an exception. The wind from Hurricane Nate, far away, yet still in the Gulf, was  a force to be reckoned with as I attempted to paint this courting couple in Mabel's Rose Garden. Named for Mabel Ringling, the rose garden is filled with statues of lovers, beautiful roses, and a small pavilion, with a backdrop of ancient canyon trees to add mystery to the charm.

It was that mystery that I wanted to capture in this little study, pitting the dark banyan forrest against the sun-lit statue of the lovers.

The wind whipped everything about. My trash basket flew away dozens of times, and at one point my hat blew off and flew right into the wet painting. Not to be deterred, I held tight to my easel and did the best I could in the two hour time frame I had given myself.

The Ringling, formerly known as the The Ringling Museum, is a real treasure in Sarasota, Fl. Seated right on Sarasota Bay, Ca' D' Zan, the mansion of John and Mabel Ringling, is a jewel to behold. There are museums to wander and manicured grounds to explore, but choosing a cool day is preferable since it gets very warm throughout the year.

The temp was about 91 when I painted this, but the wind took away some of my discomfort.  As I painted, I wondered who the couple were, how the young man had lost his hand and if the fair damsel holding the basket truly cared for him.

It's all a mystery!

This little plein air study is available for purchase. Just contact me at maryannejacobsen@aol.com, for more information.

"Pea Green Boat",8x8, oil on panel, owls, barn owl, cat, kitten, tabby cat, the owl and the pussycat, small paintings, moon , love, childhood poems, framed paintings, holiday gift ideas, romance

"Pea Green Boat",8x8, oil on panel

 I love Thanksgiving because it gives me an opportunity to step back and reflect on my blessings. It's a time to be surrounded by family and friends and to share love and blessings with others less fortunate.

The poem of "The Owl and the Pussycat" has been a favorite of mine since I was a child because it's filled with light, love and happiness. It's whimsical and a little corny, but in the end, it's a love story about how two unlikely characters come together in love. They didn't allow fur and feathers to separate them. The Turkey who lives on the hill, officiates the ceremony and instead of dining on the turkey they chose to eat mince and quince, which they ate with a runcible spoon of course.

  

At the end of this feast they danced hand and hand by the edge of the sand by the light of a beautiful moon. How cool is that????????

 

It is sad that this year so many people are mired in fear and hatred over things that are sometimes difficult to understand. I think it takes a conscious choice to choose love and joy over hatred and fear. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  has said so well:

 

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness: 
only light can do that. 
Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."

May love and joy surround you this holiday season! Happy Thanksgiving!

Note: This painting would make a lovely gift for that special someone with a romantic heart. It can be purchased framed as shown below in a lovely Randy Higbee floater frame for the special holiday price of only $400 plus shipping and including the frame! Send me an email if interested at maryannejacobsen@aol.com.

"Indian Summer", 6x6, oil on panel, paintings of covered bridges, red bridge farm, Elverson, Pennsylvania, Paintings of Chester County, Pennsylvania, small paintings, little gems, Maryanne Jacobsen art, original oil paintings

"Indian Summer", 6x6, oil on panel

I came upon this red covered bridge on my way to a plein air event in Pennsylvania. It was so unexpected that I screeched on my car  brakes and kept saying, "Oh wow, oh wow, oh wow!"

You see, now that I have lived in Florida for ten years, (no offense to Floridians intended),coming upon little unexpected gems like this is a totally delightful event and one in which I will never again take for granted! (Even though I lived in Chester County for most of my life!)

Chester County, Pennsylvania is noted for its many beautiful covered bridges. Many have been restored in their entirety, but some retain their original classic old charm.

Contact me at maryannejacobsen@aol.com if you have any interest in this little vignette.

"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.

"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.

"Thinkin' Spring", 6x6, oil, hyacinth, blue hyacinth, purple hyacinth, banana, small studies, quick studies, red apples

"Thinkin' Spring", 6x6 oil on panel

I di this quick little hyacinth study last night and the light was pretty poor. So I had to finish it up this morning.

Here's my reference:

 I'd never painted hyacinths before so this was a first. They are definitely tricky! However, the beautiful scent was a charming accompaniment to the soft music in the background as I painted.

If you are 'thinkin' spring', you can find these lovely little hyacinths in Trader Joes this week!

If you are interested in purchasing this little study, just send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com.

"Chocolate Chip Cupcake and Giant Strawberry", 6x6, oil on gessoboard

SOLD
"Chocolate Chip Cupcake and Giant Strawberry", 6x6, oil on gessoboard

I couldn't wait to finish this painting so I could eat the cupcake! Yum!



Now I am going to go watch Cupcake Wars on the Food Network!


a Painting a day, Daily painters, original art , affordable original art, painting of cupcake and strawberry, colorist art,paintings of food, painting of cupcake treats, palette knife paintings,Maryanne Jacobsen original oil paintings,