Mission Capistrano Ruins-Summer view

Capistrano Ruins-Summer View-12x9, oil on linen

During our recent trip to San Diego, I persuaded my husband to indulge me and take a day trip up to San Juan Capistrano, a delightful little town about 45 minutes north of Escondido. I had visited the ancient Spanish mission that is there a few years ago, and the memory of the place was so lovely that I knew I had to go back. I was not disappointed, as the mission flowers change with every season and so the scenery is never the same! This time the hollyhocks and roses were all abloom in the gardens right in front of the old ruins of the mission, and although the scene was a bit challenging in that I knew I needed to simplify, it was hard to simplify a scene like this that has so much going on! Here's the photo that I took a few weeks ago, and which I used for reference:


As you can see, the ancient adobe ruins are a complexity in architecture!

Mission Capistrano has a fascinating history- if you are not familiar with the mission you can read about the devastating earthquake that almost destroyed this lovely place , as well as about the annual migration of the swallows in mid-March by going to the mission's website. The swallows nest under the mission bells and elsewhere throughout the mission, but no one seems to mind, especially when the swallows time their arrival to coincide with St. Joseph's Day, which falls on March 19th. I was very happy to see that preservation efforts have made the mission look even lovelier than the last time I visited. I painted another scene of Capistrano a while back:

"Mission San Juan Capistrano", 8x10, oil on linen

If you are interested in either of these paintings, please send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com.

And the next time you are in southern California, be certain to pay a visit to this gentle, ancient place, where flowers grow, butterflies pollinate, and the spirit feels settled in an ever-changing world. It's a real gem!