"Friends Forever", 12x16, oil on gessoboard

"Friends Forever", 12x16, oil on gessoboard 

We visited my son and his family in California recently. and my daughter-in-law instead on taking me to a lovely place called Summer's Past Farm in San Diego County. I am a sucker for any kind of garden, but this one was especially unique and beautiful. They are open only certain days of the week, so if you are planning on visiting , be sure to check out their hours.

My 7 year old grand-daughter became enamored with the cats that hang out there, and I caught a photo of her petting one of the tabby cats. The scene was backlit and her blue dress made a lovely contrast against the bush of orange nasturtiums outside the doorway of the gift shop.

This painting is meant to be nostalgic, sweet, and a lovely memory of all things young, loving and innocent. I enjoyed painting it.

"Midsummer Daydream", 12x24, oil on birch panel, California impressionism, eucalyptus trees, sunset, rose, summer, midsummer, daydream, original art for sale, Maryanne Jacobsen art

 "Midsummer Daydream", 12x24, oil on birch panel

This painting evokes memories of lazy strolls through southern California valleys and hillsides as the sun sets beyond the Eucalyptus groves in a rose-tinged haze. The trees are graceful, almost dancing silently, their long silvery leaves waving ever so gently in the summer breeze.

This painting originally retailed for a great deal more than the price I am asking for it. It is being sold unframed for $550, which includes shipping and handling as well. I have some framing options available at an extra cost, if interested, including the handsome black frame with gold lining shone below. Just send me a message for more details at maryannejacobsen@aol.com. The painting has an ethereal romantic quality about it, and would make a lovely Valentine's Day gift for that special someone in your life.

"Midsummer Daydream" is part of my special sale at my website. Please check out all of the 12 lovely paintings that I am offering at a fraction of their original cost.

If you would like to purchase "Midsummer Daydream", just send me a message at maryanne jacobsen@aol.com.

"Summer Waterwheel", 11x14, oil on panel waterwheel, Radnor Township Pennsylvania , Eastern University, summer, Philadelphia Main Line, St. Davids Pennsylvania

 "Summer Waterwheel", 11x14, oil on panel.

The waterwheel at Eastern University in Radnor Pennsylvania is gorgeous in every season. I was fortunate to discover this beautiful campus while taking a ballet course there many years ago. Later on, my youngest son would attend Eastern for 2years, and so I had numerous opportunities to explore its delightfully beautiful campus. This is a fresh version of a scene that I did about 8 years ago.

It's always fun for me to revisit scenes that I've painted before in the hopes that I've made progress as a painter. Here is the 8 year old version of the first time I painted this scene.

I think I did a pretty good job painting the scene back in 2014!

Thanks for visiting, and hope you'll leave a comment and tell me what you think.

"Day Lily Cottage", 9x12, oil on panel, carriage house, Pennsylvania landscapes, Amish country, Day Lillies, summer, impressionism, Maryanne Jacobsen Fine Art

"Day Lily Cottage", 9x12, oil on panel

I painted this scene recently while visiting Pennsylvania's Amish country. The carriage house sat back from the road and was surrounded by an abundance of day lillies.  A day lily is so named because the flower that opens in the morning only lasts one day! This would be sad if the lillies were not so prolific!

Anyhow, here is my plein air sketch of the scene:

I used water-soluble oils when I was traveling last week, but decided to re-paint the scene using traditional oils. The water-soluble oils are great for traveling, but I'll never give up my traditional oils.

"Summer Read", 16x20, oil, figure in the landscape, paintings of young ladies, women in hats, books, summer, gardens, MAryanne JAcobsen art

"Summer Read", 16x20, oil on panel

Sometimes I will do a scene more than once if I enjoyed painting it, and also to see if I can improve upon what I did before.

I painted a smaller version of this over a year ago, called "A Summer's Day" :

There are things about the first version that I like better, like the folds in the girl's dress and the light on the chaise. But overall, I am relieved to also see improvements in the new version. It is so important for an artist to know she is improving, otherwise why bother to continue?

Parts of painting become drudgery after a time. Things like cleaning brushes, cleaning messy palettes, varnishing , framing and preparing canvases, not to mention shipping- are the things that make me weary. Many people have no idea how much work is involved in being a successful artist! And I didn't even touch on the marketing part which I am not very diligent about!

So it is always helpful to know that one is improving and that the work is well received by your audience.

I would love to hear from you regarding the newer version! Please drop a comment if you have the time!