"China Cove Springtime", 12x16, oil on panel, paintings of California caost, Big Sur, Point Lobos, China Cove, MAryanne JAcobsen art, coastal art, Pacific Coast, water, sanctuary, seals, Matt Smith

"China Cove Springtime", 12x16, oil on panel

The very first time I visited China Cove in Point Lobos, a pristine nature preserve sandwiched between Big Sur and Carmel off the coastal highway in California, my jaw dropped and my heart pounded and then almost burst inside itself. Being from the northeastern part of the country, I had never before witnessed such vast beauty  as reflected in the mountains, the windblown trees,  the wildlife, and the turquoise waters of this bucolic place.

All around me I could hear seals barking, gulls reeling and nature in all its glory responding to this beautiful sanctuary of peace and tranquility.

I painted on site here as often as I could in our short visits to the area, the first being  at Headland Cove, near the entrance to the park. The painting sold on the spot to an art collector , who enjoyed telling me that he had numerous Matt Smith works in his collection. Ahh! I am in good company on his walls, I thought happily.

It was on my second trip there that I veered further south and discovered the beautiful little cove that was hidden away in a protected niche of the sanctuary; where the seals come and play and nurse their cubs in the springtime. The waters were a translucent blend of vivid emeralds and turquoise and cerulean blue, such as I had never before seen together in one place. So I set up my things and allowed the beauty of that place to become a part of my memory.

The painting above is one of half a dozen that I did afterwards, in memory of those moments. This one is available to purchase directly through me. If you would like to bring a tiny piece of this beautiful place into your home, please contact Galerie du Soleil at (239)417-3450 for purchase information.

"Afternoon Light, Cortez Fishing Village", plein air , 11x14, plein air, Cortez fishing village, Bradenton Florida, fishermen, boats, bikes, tropical scenery, water, MAryanne Jacobsen art

"Afternoon Light, Cortez Fishing Village", plein air , 11x14

On the same foggy morning of yesterday's painting, by afternoon the sun had come out and much of the haze had cleared.

After first asking permission to paint of two men who seemed to be part of the place, I set up my easel right at the edge of the water, behind where you see the figure in my painting. I selected a great composition of two boats and the little fish shack that lies in the distance on the water as my composition, and had begun painting when someone came along and said, "Lady, you'll have to move so we can load the barge."

Well, of course! This is plein air and this is a working fishing village. So I packed up all my gear and moved to the foot of the walkway that goes up to the covered pier.

It turns out that the two men who I'd asked permission of were somewhat (I'm being kind) inebriated and had no work connection to the place at all. They stood nearby as I painted all afternoon and discussed politics, terrorism and how to change the world. It was different from listening to the gulls screech and I found after a while that I was kind of glad they were there. One even offered me a live starfish, which I dropped to the ground after realizing it was alive. You can see one of these friendly characters in my photo below.

This was 90% plein air. I added the figure after the painting had dried. Please visit Cortez fishing village if you are ever in the Bradenton, Florida area. You won't be disappointed!

"The Dancing Tree at Red Lake", 11x14, oil on canvas, paintings of trees, Florida landscapes, naturalist art, trees, water, Gulf of Mexico, Galerie du Soleil

"The Dancing Tree at Red Lake", 11x14, oil on canvas

Back in 2007 I was a brand new baby painter and  excited to explore many new subjects! I was totally a novice at plein air painting, but one day I decided to go out and try my hand at it with a local plein air painting group in Venice, Florida.

I remember sitting along side pro plein air painter Karen Hitt, who was painting the same scene with ease and purpose while warning me, a new Floridian, of the dangers of alligators in the immediate area.

This was the painting that I turned out that day:

In some ways, this painting is altogether engaging in its naivete. I truly had no idea how very immature it was at the time! That being said, my love for color was evident, and that is the one thing that I have had to work the hardest at bridling over these last few years.

Although I consider myself a colorist, for artists who do not care for color in the same way that I cherish it, my color palette is a handicap- a drawback to my progress. Workshop teachers have often called my work "garish", and the kinder of the bunch have called it "overly saturated". So I have worked hard over the past couple years to reign in my love for saturated color, usually to the detriment of my passion.

The painting I did last week reflects that restraint, and although I find it rather boring, I admit that it is certainly more accomplished in its restraint than the earlier version!

Last week was a turning point for me in my life and in my art walk. I have been going through some challenging times in my personal life, and that has hampered my creative juices to the extent that I was not even sure I'd be able to turn out a painting for the annual "Light-Chaser" plein air event,
which culminated last week in Sarasota, Fl.

Last year I could not wait for the event! I was stoked! Even painted out in the rain and received an honorable mention for my efforts by juror Morgan Samuel Price!

But this year, it was all just a burden-too much for a spirit that had been squashed by events that were totally out of her control.

Nonetheless, I was encouraged by the fearless leader of the group, Terry Mason, who said I should follow the advice of artist and Florida naturalist Mary Erickson and just "Paint through it!"

So I went out last week on the only sunny afternoon of the entire week and attempted to paint through the sorrows and pains of the last 7-8 months of my life.

The sun was gentle, the colors I saw more subtle, less brilliant. Yet, in it all, I persevered knowing that I have been given a gift by the Creator to create and capture tiny slivers of His creative hand at work, and so that is what I tried my best to do.

There were few people uiing the canoe launch that day at Red Lake, and there were no alligators to be seen. Only the constant presence of that special tree that had inspired me to paint it, as a result of its fresh beauty and total uniqueness.

The waters of the intracoastal carried a gentle rythmn as they flowed past my dancing tree- a name I gave it way back in 2007, when I first discovered it's uncommon beauty.  A dancer amongst the straight and stoic! A stoic itself amidst the relentless heat and constant storms of a Florida summer.

Thank-you for reading my blog. I hope that you enjoyed this entry, as much as I enjoyed writing it.

"The Dancing Tree at Red Lake" is available through Galerie du Soleil.

"Morning View, looking west, Shem's Creek", 12x16, oil on board, Charleston, Shem's creek, shrimp boats, fish shacks, American Impressionist Society, Maryanne Jacobsen art

"Morning View, looking west, Shem's Creek", 12x16, oil on board

I just returned from a week in beautiful Charleston, South Carolina, where I attended a plein air workshop with Master Impressionist Kenn Erroll Backhaus, and attended the opening reception for the American Impressionist Society's 14th annual exhibit.

The workshop was filled with opportunities to paint many of Charleston's beautiful scenes, and Kenn was a thoughtful, helpful and considerate teacher. I'll be posting my plein air studies soon , along with more in depth info about the workshop.

The opening exhibit at the M Gallery was fabulous. I met many new friends and was awestruck by the beautiful art on the walls. Out of over 1300 entries, only 163 paintings were juried into the show, so I was honored to be included amongst the nation's top Impressionist painters for the second time in four years.

Here I am with my entry, "Dancing Queens and a Pear".

To see all of the paintings that were in the show, you can go here.

On Friday, many of the artists went to Shem's Creek to paint the scenic marshes and shrimp boats. I had already done two paintings there earlier in the week, so instead I elected to take photos at the docks in the early morning light. The painting above is of a fish shack that was bathed in that lovely warm buttery light that spills across the horizon about an hour after dawn. The blue "SeaHorse" shrimp boat was directly across the water and was also bathed in luscious light.

My painting of the Dancing Queens can be purchased through the M Gallery. You can follow the link above for more purchase info. If you would like to purchase "Early Morning Light, Shem's Creek", just send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com for purchase information.

"Cap'n Jake's Crab Boat", plein air, 12x12, oil on board

SOLD

"Cap'n Jake's Crab Boat", plein air, 12x12, oil on board

Yesterday was one of those rare May days in Florida without much humidity so I decided to go back to Blackburn Point and see if the old crab boat was there. Surprisingly, it hadn't budged an inch since I was there back in March.

So I set up and started painting. The sun was bright when I started but then turned very cloudy. I managed to get enough info down before becoming distracted by the changed light, and decided to call it a day.

The first time that I painted this scene I used a 9x12. I must admit that I like the rectangular format better than the square. The light was much brighter that day as well, and it definitely influenced the light temperature I depicted in the painting.

 "No Crabs Today!", plein air, 9x12

So much about painting is trial and error. Why did the first painting come together more easily than the second, I wondered? Did the clouds affect my mood yesterday? Did I give myself too many color choices by not limiting my palette? The questions that go through my mind after a painting session are usually endless, and I often lay awake for hours trying to figure out what went wrong with a painting.

But I guess the most important question of the day is this? Where are the crabs? Poor Captain Jake is surely gonna go out of business soon if the crabs don't come back! And yes, there has been a dearth of them on the menus in area restaurants as well. Good luck Captain Jake. If you need cash maybe you should charge a modeling fee. I really do enjoy painting this old boat!!!!!!

This painting is available through Galerie du Soleil.

"That Kind of Day", 8x10, oil on panel, paintings of baots, dingies, Nova Scotia, clouds, water

"That Kind of Day", 8x10, oil on panel

Sometimes it's just that kind of day. You know what I mean?

Painted with a limited palette of four colors plus white.

Please email me at maryannejacobsen@aol.com if you wish to purchase "That Kind of Day"
.