"Boca Beauty", 12x16, oil, Boca Grande, Our LAdy of Mercy Catholic church, wedding gifts, art as gifts, Maryanne Jacobsen fine art, bougainvillea, queen palms, little white church, Old Florida

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"Boca Beauty", 12x16, oil

Over the weekend I took a ride to Gasparilla Island, a pretty little island in Southwest Florida and home to Boca Grande, an upscale community on the Gulf where life is fashionable and golf carts are the transportation of choice. It didn't take me long to settle on a place to paint.

Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church is a favorite haunt of plein air painters there, mostly because of the six queen oaks and flagrantly beautiful bougainvillea that cascades along the wall in front of the church.

I had only been painting for about an hour and a half when a wedding party showed up at the church. Surprise surprise. Who wouldn't choose such a pretty little church for a wedding on a balmy Saturday?

My painting wasn't finished, but I knew it was pointless to try to continue with all the traffic.

 So yesterday I decided to paint the scene while it was fresh in my mind, using the plein air study for color and value references. Here's the 8x10 plein air study:

I actually liked the light better when I first started the painting, because it streamed sidewise across the front of the church and the front wall was in shadow. But I did not take a photo of that scene so I had to use the photo from when I stopped painting to guide me on the light and shadows. Oh well.

 From what I understand, this little white church and Boca Grande in general is a favorite wedding spot, and it's obvious why! A gorgeous island and a beautiful little white church. What's not to like?

If you have any interest in either the 8x10 inch study, or the 12x16 inch studio work, just send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com. It would certainly make a nice wedding gift, now wouldn't it?

"Maitland Art Center", 16x12, oil on masonite by MAryanne Jacobsen

"Maitland Art Center", 16x12, oil on masonite

Well, after yesterday's rather disastrous Hensche study with my hubby, today he wanted to try the same painting again, only this time using brushes instead of a palette knife.

I am glad that I obliged him. He was very happy with how his painting came out! (It was actually quite good- very impressionistic, but he won't let me post it.) I was abundantly more pleased with my own painting as well. I like the softer look that I get with brushes, and I was more confident going into this painting, because I already knew what needed correcting value-wise after doing yesterday's painting.

In case you didn't read yesterday's post, my husband has taken an interest in art. He asked me to teach him the Hensche method of landscape painting and so I said that I would. Unfortunately, between the heat and the lovebugs here in Florida, neither one of us wanted to go outdoors to paint, so I pulled out an old photo that I took at the Maitland Art Center a few years ago.

I chose the scene above because I thought it would be easy to paint, but as it turned out, the low light contrast made it more difficult, IMHO. In addition, painting from a photograph is never ideal. The hubby gave up on the Hensche idea before he could get through the first notes, and because I had a ton of paint on my palette, I decided to finish my painting. Just scroll down the page or go here, to see the same scene painted with a palette knife.

The Maitland Art Center is located in Maitland Florida. It has many activities year round and is a very popular spot for weddings year round as a result of the lovely gardens. The architecture is very eclectic, with a strong Aztec/ Toltec emphasis as a result of the founder's travels and influences.

If you are interested in this piece, please send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com, or visit my website at Maryanne Jacobsen Fine Art if you wish to see more of my original oil paintings.

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