"Friends and Neighbors", 10x20, oil on linen, classical realism, pears, grapes, Maryanne Jacobsen art, still life

"Friends and Neighbors", 10x20, oil on linen

Sometimes I think it is important for me to paint something that is more in line with the classical tradition.

I tend to prefer "looser" work, but I much admire the artists who render so beautifully fruits , flowers and vases in the tradition of the Old Masters. This was my attempt at a "serious" painting. and while I am serious about all my work, I hope you all know what I mean!

"Red Onion", 6x6, oil on panel, onion, food as art, red, red onion, allaprima, painting every day, Maryanne Jacobsen, small studies, art practice, painting from life

"Red Onion", 6x6

Painted as Day 2 of my challenge to paint something from life every day.

Here's my reference:

My son made the shadow box for me a few years ago and it has really come in handy!

Email me if you are interested in this little gem. My email is maryannejacobsen@aol.com.

Have a great Sunday!

"Cookies and Milk", 12x16, oil on Arches oil paper, cookies, milk, sunflowers, quick study, painting from life, allaprima Maryanne JAcobsen art, food as art

"Cookies and Milk", 12x16, oil on Arches oil paper. (Note:, click on the image so you can see it better!)


I've decided to try to paint something from life every day for a month. I know it will definitely improve my drawing and observation skills, so I'll try to stick with it!

This was Day 1's attempt. I painted it late last night and the light on the easel was so bad that I felt like I was painting a nocturne. That being said, I did it. Day One completed.

Here was my set-up before I ate the cookies.

Please send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com, if you would like to purchase this study.

"Along Flowing Springs Road", 12x16, oil on copper, Chester Springs Pennsylvania, Birchrunville, paintings of Chester County, Pa. Pennsylvania impressionist, en plein air, Airbnb , Maryanne Jacobsen Fine Art, art collectors

SOLD

"Along Flowing Springs Road", 12x16, oil on copper

A few years ago my husband and I found a delightful Airbnb in Chester Springs, Pa. where we stayed for a few days after I finished a week of painting in the yearly Plein Air Brandywine Valley festival. It was our treat to ourselves to return to our beloved  neighborhood where we had lived for 15 years before moving to Florida.

Chester Springs is a hamlet of rolling hills, abundant ponds that flow from underground springs and stone Gentlemen's farms with a horse or two in the pasture at all times. It is a neighborhood  filled with nostalgic memories of long walks up and down country roads, sleigh rides in winter and  my kids and dogs chasing geese and deer in our back yard.

Our rental was  a tiny cottage off a winding country road, and especially beautiful at that time of year with autumn displaying herself in full fanfare to our delight. Here's my hubby enjoying a cup of coffee in the brisk autumn air.

Of course I did my best to paint as much as I could during those brief few days, even though I had just finished a full week of painting! I painted the cottage, of course.

I painted the burning bush shrubs around the corner on School House Lane, and I painted the little church up the road as well.

I also painted an old barn with a red roof on St. Matthews Rd, a block from where we used to live.

I painted a gorgeous oak tree at Marsh Creek Lake, and if you like the painting it is available through Stakenborg/Greenberg Fine Art in Sarasota, FL.

 In short I crammed a lot of outdoor painting into a few days!!!!!

The painting above was not painted that week , but it was the scene that you saw as soon as you stepped out the door of the cottage and looked up Flowing Springs road. I did attempt to paint it but there was not much room on that tiny country road, and a school bus almost put me out of commission for days!

Here is my painting from that day:

I love the freshness of plein air painting, and alas , it is often impossible to recapture the freshness once you are indoors! I titled this one "Autumn in the Country" and it is available through Station Gallery in Greenville, Delaware.

Unfortunately this delightful little Airbnb is no longer available for rent, so I will probably not have another opportunity to capture this country road en plein air.

So I painted it again, in the studio with mixed feelings. What do you think? Which one do you like better? Plein Air or studio?

I would love to hear your thoughts! If you are interested in "Along Flowing Springs Rd.", please send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com.

Thanks for visiting my blog!

"Imagination", 11x14, oil on linen panel, floral, imagination, still life, experimental paintings

"Imagination", 11x14, oil on linen panel

Sometimes it is good to just experiment. There is a liberating quality about not caring too much how a painting will come out.

In this case, I took a painting that was unsuccessful and  covered it with an orangish wash. Then I just used my imagination to create some semblance of forms and.... Voila! A painting is made.

I didn't fret over value, color or edges. I just painted.

While this is not a masterpiece, it proves to me that 'letting go' is a good thing on my artistic journey.

"A Robert Frost Moment" 8x8, oil on linen, snow, winter scenes, winter wonderland, snowfall, kids and sleds, Robert Frost, stopping by the woods

"A Robert Frost Moment" 8x8, oil on linen

It's been a while since I created a new blog post. Everything in life takes time, and blogging is no exception. I used to love blogging. What happened to my creativity?

How does one lose their creative spirit , I wonder?

I think it is a number of factors, at least for me.

For now, at least I am blogging. That's something. This painting was done a few days ago, and as I painted it I could not help but think of a Robert Frost poem that I've loved since childhood.

And although there's no horse, you can probably guess which one it is.

If you would like to purchase this painting, it is available through my website.

Happy New Year. Hope you have a chance to stop in the woods on a snowy evening and enjoy the beauty and tranquility of a freshly fallen snow.

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

BY ROBERT FROST

Whose woods these are I think I know.   

His house is in the village though;   

He will not see me stopping here   

To watch his woods fill up with snow.   

My little horse must think it queer   

To stop without a farmhouse near   

Between the woods and frozen lake   

The darkest evening of the year.   

He gives his harness bells a shake   

To ask if there is some mistake.   

The only other sound’s the sweep   

Of easy wind and downy flake.   

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,   

But I have promises to keep,   

And miles to go before I sleep,   

And miles to go before I sleep.

"Four Dog's Afternoon", 12x16, oil on copper panel, Four Dogs Tavern, paintings on copper, quickdraw, Marshalton, Pennsylvania, plein air Brandywine valley, historic buildings , interesting architecture, Chester county Pennsylvania paintings, Maryanne Jacobsen original art

"Four Dog's Afternoon", 12x16, oil on copper panel

Just returned from a fun week of painting in Pennsylvania with the Plein Air Brandywine Valley festival which benefits the Children's Beach House.

It's an event I look forward to, because it gives me an opportunity to paint in the beautiful fall weather in a gorgeous countryside that I  know well.

One of the highlights of the week was the Quick Draw event, in which painters are required to complete a painting in two hours and have it framed and hung for the public display. The event was held in the scenic and historic village of Marshallton, which is just outside of West Chester Pa.

I chose to paint at the Four Dogs Tavern because it has always been our favorite restaurant to visit with friends and family when we lived in Chester County, and now whenever we happen to be in the area. The tavern once served as a stables for the historic Marshalton Inn which is right across the driveway.

The afternoon was sunny and fairly warm and  I enjoyed portraying this old building because it has come to reflect many happy memories over the years of gatherings with friends and loved ones.

To learn more about the little town of MArshallton and its history, here is a very interesting article: Living History: A tale of two names, Marshallton and the Marshalton Inn 

To inquire about the painting, just send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com.

"Summer Garden, Rockport",11x14, oil on panel, Rockport, Massachusetts, homes of Rockport Massachusetts, Cape Ann, summer gardens, Maryanne Jacobsen art, Windswept, Old Garden Path, paintings of homes in Rockport

"Summer Garden, Rockport",11x14, oil on panel

Rockport, Massachusetts on Cape Ann has long been a favorite haunt of mine. A favorite activity when my husband and I are there is to take the stroll along the ocean via the Old Garden Path. I have taken that walk dozens of times and never grow tired of it!

This is one of the gorgeous summer "cottages " that line the street called The Old Garden Path. Sitting high and stately  on a slight hill and with a long stone pathway leading to the porch, one can always count on beautiful perennial gardens in the summer. Black-eyed Susan, purple coneflowers, Russian sage- it's a delightful scene to behold as one walks down the street.

I took a photo of this house a few years back and decided to paint it. The home is called "Windswept". I'll bet sitting on that front porch facing the Atlantic Ocean, one can partake of the most marvelous of wind currents!

This painting is available. Please email me at maryannejacobsen@aol.com for more info and thanks for looking!

"Peaceful Port", 11x14, oil on panel , Maine art, Port Clyde, Tennant's Harbor, St. George, seaside village, fisherman's village, back in time, Maryanne Jacobsen art, original art

"Peaceful Port", 11x14, oil on panel (Click on photo to see the image better)

This is a little dead-end path in the tiny little village of Port Clyde, Maine.  We visited there on our way to spending a few days on Monhegan Island at the Island Inn. We flew from Florida into Boston, and then had a long drive ahead of us to get to Port Clyde. We had our reasons for flying into Boston, mainly because we were going to spend the latter part of our trip in Cape Ann. Anyhow, at 10 PM we were still driving the tiny back roads of Maine trying to find the village of Port Clyde. Its was incredibly foggy that June evening and with the fog as thick as pea soup we could barely see two feet in front of the car. To add to the drama, neither one of us had any cell phone service and never having been there before, we feared we were lost without our navigation device.

I finally convinced my husband to pull into a random driveway, and I tentatively knocked on a front door to ask for directions. The chap who answered the door looked at me suspiciously until he realized I was truly lost. He gave us directions , and fortunately we weren't too far off the beaten track. We arrived at  The Seaside Inn around midnight, amidst thick fog, and in looking for the driveway to the Seaside Inn we almost drove right into Muscongus Bay! Scary! The boat ramp there is right in front of the hotel driveway and there is no sign warning you that  you are at water's edge!

Anyhow, the whole area of St. George, Tennant's Harbor and Port Clyde is a throw- back in time, brimming with charm and character and the salty old smells of the sea. I hope to return there again one day!

If you are interested in this painting, please send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com.

"Coffee, Mohair and Moi", 16x20, oil on gallery-wrapped canvas, coffee, paintings for coffee shops, paintings of women in hats, beautiful women, collectible art, coffee break

"Coffee, Mohair and Moi", 16x20, oil on gallery-wrapped canvas

This painting was recently featured at the Haggin Museum's stunning show, "Full Sun, American Women Artists Illuminate the Haggin Museum".

It was an honor to have one of my paintings hang in a museum amongst the like of Henry Watrous, Mary Cassatt, William Merrit Chase, Albert Bierstadt and other greats!

We were asked to use one of the paintings of the old Master's as an inspiration for a new work of our own, and I chose Watrous' Sophistication as the vehicle for my inspiration.

Check it out:

In my essay for the exhibit, I wrote the following:
 In “Coffee, Mohair, and Moi”, a modern-day fashionista exudes perfume, glamour, and quiet sophistication as she sips her latte in a coffee shop. Seemingly overdressed for a coffee break, one wonders why she is there. Her ensemble indicates that it has been thoughtfully put together with incredible care, and even her manicured fingernails are color-coordinated to demonstrate her fashion savoir-faire. This painting was inspired by Henry Wilson Waltrous’s “Sophistication”, and is an attempt to portray his subject in a contemporary light. Painted about a century ago, in “Sophistication” Waltrous employed dark-colored clothing in his femme fatale against a light, superficial background. In the modern interpretation, the artist chose light-colored clothing against a darker background to demonstrate more starkly the contrast of the times. The title Waltrous gave his painting for its exhibition at the Nation Academy of Design in 1908 was “A Cup of Tea, a Cigarette, and She” - implying the presence of an unseen male admirer. The modern painting’s title reflects a play on words as well, reflecting the self- indulgence and personal absorption often attributed to American women of today, hence the use of the word ‘Moi’ in the title.

This painting is framed in a gorgeous designer floater frame and is now available. Please contact  me at maryannejacobsen@aol.com, if you would like more information on this work.

"Summer Moonrise", 12x24, oil on board, Impressionism, California trees, eucalyptus trees, Maryanne Jacobsen art, Moonrise, summer moon

"Summer Moonrise", 12x24, oil on board (please click on the painting to better see the texture within)

If you read my blog, you'll know that I have an ongoing love for eucalyptus trees. They have a lyrical quality in the way they nod carry themselves- sometimes nodding their heads like naughty children and more often then not curling and twisting like a dancer performing a strange adagio.

This is another painting of a eucalyptus cluster. it was painted on a board and has soft muted colors and texture throughout.

Feel free to contact me at maryannejacobsen@aol.com, if you are interested in this painting.

"Prairie Gal", 16x16, oil on wrapped canvas, women in hats, green shawl, Spanish Point, Light and shadow, Maryanne Jacobsen Fine Art

"Prairie Gal", 16x16, oil on wrapped canvas

This beautiful gal modeled for a group of us artists a few years back at Historic Spanish Point, in Osprey, Florida. She stood against the door of the old boathouse, just as the afternoon sun was sending wonderful diagonal patterns against the shadowed walls. A piece of light from her white blouse reflected back up into the underside of her nose, and the effect was captivating.

I knew I'd get around to painting her again eventually. Just surprised that it took about 5 years!

For additional information about this painting, email me at maryannejacobsen@aol.com.

"Island Walkers", 28x16, oil on board, Monhegan Island, misty mornings, morning walk, Maine art, islands in the Atlantic, Maryanne Jacobsen art

"Island Walkers", 28x16, oil on board (Note: If you click on the image you can better see the brushwork.)

This is a painting of well-worn path on Monhegan Island, off the coast of Maine. The island is a special, almost magical place. I've only been there twice, but those visits left me with abundant memories of the island's quirky character  and raw beauty.

This was painted from a photograph that I took one misty, June morning. The lilacs were blooming everywhere and a bed of red tulips drew my attention as the reds stood out vibrantly in the low contrast atmosphere.

Please contact me at maryannejacobsen@aol.com if you would like more information about the painting.

"Periwinkle Hydrangeas and Plums", 12x16, oil on copper panel, hydrangea, paintings on copper, impasto florals, sunflower paintings, paintings with texture, Maryanne Jacobsen art

"Periwinkle Hydrangeas and Plums", 12x16, oil on copper panel (Note: If you click on the image, you can better see the impasto in the painting)

This summer I have done some additional experimentation with painting on copper panels. There is a wonderful patina that peeks through the painting in the areas that you don't paint. Sort of like a warm underpainting, only better. The problem with painting on copper is that it is slippery and the paint does not adhere to it the way it would to a canvas or linen panel. That being said, I enjoy the challenge of the slippery surface and feel as though I am getting better at handling it.

The painting above was painted with mostly a palette knife, so it's loaded with thick impasto, adding to  the special effects of the copper!

I set up the still life on my lanai (Florida word for (patio), and finished it in my air-conditioned studio.

Here's my set-up:

I am thinking that I'll do a few more florals on copper before I use the copper for figurative work.

If you would like to purchase this painting, it is available through Gallery444 in San Francisco. Phone number is (415) 434-4477. Thanks for looking!

"Invitation", 22x28, oil on wrapped canvas, paintings of courtyards, Provence, wine, happy places, sunlit alcoves, Maryanne Jacobsen art, impressionism

"Invitation", 22x28, oil on wrapped canvas

Whenever the dog days of a Florida summer get me down, I endeavor to find that special place in a different part of the world, where I can escape the humidity and torrid heat of Florida summers.

In this case I chose aa shadowy alcove in a sunlit courtyard, shaded from the heat but still fragrant with summer scents and lit with warm reflected light. It could be anywhere in Greece, Italy, Provence, maybe.

But wherever it is, it is a happy place and I am going to stay there for a while with my glass of wine!

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Thanks for stopping by!