Selected works from
Jacob’s Journey: The Skies of Jacob
Art show in Jacob’s honor, October 2021
All works by Ann Schlesinger
Lake Isle of Innisfree
Oil on Canvas
Innisfree is a small, uninhabited island on Lough Gill, Ireland
When he was studying at Oxford, Jacob called me one day and said, “Guess where I am right now?”
I asked him, “Where?”
“I’m standing here at Lake Isle of Innisfree, watching the Sun go down…”
In our family, we read the Yeats poem often, and it became a family favorite. Jacob went there to see it in person.
Maine
Oil on canvas
View from Deer Isle, Maine, toward the mainland
In high school, Jacob spent two weeks in Maine doing an oceanography course through a Maine university. This scene depicts a big storm brewing along the coast.
James River: View from Buchanan Swinging Bridge
Oil on canvas
In the summer of 2019, Jacob and I met and travelled together, Jacob style, living in our cars for six days. We wandered through the western part of Virginia, off of Insterstate-81, travelling the small roads, going from town to town.
We spent an evening at this old wooden bridge that crossed the James River, and spoke with a local woman there for about an hour and a half. We spoke with her in depth about the difficulty of losing pets, and Jacob was moved as the woman told us about her son’s pet dog that died. This trip was very meaningful for Jacob and me.
I crossed the bridge, while she and Jacob hiked down to the river together and continued their conversation.
Herzliya Haiku
Oil on canvas
Herzliya, Israel is a beach town in central Israel, north of Tel Aviv
Pepi tells a story about the time he and Jacob were in Herzliya.
He told me the Sun was like a suspended orange in the sky, the sky was blue and cloudless, and the waves were blue - intensely blue - too.
Herzliya Haiku by Ann Schlesinger
a poem for Jacob and Pepi
the Sun going down
suspended Orange in sky
blue waves lapping low
Maine
Pastel on sandpaper
Maine Low Tide Sunset
Pastel on sandpaper
Deer Isle to the coast
The Magical Woods
Oil on canvas
Our backyard in Arlington, VA
Jacob loved spending time out here.
At home, this was one of his favorite places to sit and meditate, contemplate, watch critters, and observe nature unfold its splendor.
This painting was a playful exploration of color as the light changes through the trees. The magical essence of this place brings the woods to life.