"Candlelight Vigil for a Dying Peony"8x10, oil on panel-study, small works, peony study, painting from life, all prima, Maryanne Jacobsen Fine Art

"Candlelight Vigil for a Dying Peony"8x10, oil on panel-study

Peonies are only available for a short period time, and so I always rush to Trader Joe's every June and stock up on these gorgeous flowers. You can't grow them in Florida, and by the time we get them from areas where you can grow them, they have been through the trauma of transportation, so they' re never quite fresh enough. The result is that they only last a few days after I buy them.

I struggle with painting these beauties, probably because I don't have enough time throughout the year to practice them at my leisure, or maybe I am just making excuses. They are truly complex! So this peony study was an attempt to get a little better at painting them.

As you can see from my set-up, although it had already opened completely, the peony wasn't in bad shape when I began the painting. However, since I got the bright idea to light the candle directly under the peony to add some "atmosphere", the peony became a victim of my stupidity and quickly wilted.

Oh well. These elusive flowers are like most things beautiful- they never last forever.

This little study is available to purchase through my website for only $300, unframed. Shipping is free! Just click the link here to purchase or visit my website.

The Show-Off", alla prima, impressionist landscape

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"The Show-Off", 5x7 oil on board

There's always one in every crowd!

Green Bowl, apple and teapot-Value Study

"Green Bowl, apple and teapot"-Value Study-10x8, oil

Tonight I did this simple value study by squinting down to see the values in the subject better. There was no dramatic lighting in the room where I painted this, so the values for the most part lie in the middle range. That was one of the things that we studied in the Clayton Beck portrait workshop that I attended last week. So I wanted to reinforce what he talked about in the workshop since I generally go in the opposite direction and use a lot of contrast in my paintings.

There are benefits to both approaches, but I wanted to work on this a bit.

You can purchase this study through PayPal by using the button below. Please allow a week for the paint to dry sufficiently enough to mail.

See more of my original art at my official website at Maryanne Jacobsen Fine Art.

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