Month: August 2012

Featured Artist… Mara Schasteen!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured ArtistLeave a comment

“Backyard Chickens” by Mara Schasteen

I saw a magnificent still life on Facebook that Mara had done. Whoa! I scooted right over to her site to check out her work. Nothing short of impressive. I love the “Backyard Chickens” painting. The dark chicken right next to the white chicken really makes them both pop out at you. What caught my eye that I really loved was the sunlight hitting the one dark chicken. The areas of sun form a nice little path that keeps your eye nicely in the painting. I guess it’s no surprise that this painting was one of the Top 50 finalist in the America China Oil Painting Artists League 2011 realist painting competition! Great job Mara! If you get a second, check out her site, her paintings are fantastic and she gives you a step by step on many of her paintings on her blog. So amazing!

Here’s a blip about Mara from her website:

Mara Schasteen is a Wyoming native and a lifetime artist. Her passion for art began as a small child, carving drawings into planks of wood with tools from her dad’s shed. Growing up in the beautiful Big Horn Mountains, Mara developed a passion for nature and a desire to express its beauty in unique and exciting ways. Today, Mara’s intense self-study of the arts has produced a fresh technical style that draws elements from many of her heroes in art, past and present.

Studying graphic design and advertising at Oklahoma Christian University provided Mara with a solid foundation in design, color theory and the effort required to become excellent at whatever the task may be. Mara began a family shortly after college and as she set about the important mission of raising four brilliant children, she discovered and slowly developed her true passion for fine art and portraiture.
 
Mara now considers herself an expressive naturalist painter, desiring to convey moods, emotions and energy with textures, colors and intimate subjects. Mara finds great joy in her gift of art and she boldly uses her talent to celebrate simple beauty.
 
Working most commonly as a direct painter, alla prima, Mara is most fulfilled when she expresses a subject in the simplest terms. Her ability to combine illusions of reality with expressive textures treats the viewer to a simple telling of poetic stories, inviting the eye to enjoy the nature of oil paint itself and experience the energy carefully placed into each stroke.
 
Mara currently lives and paints in Sheridan, Wyoming with her husband, four children and six chickens.

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Day trip… ROCKVILLE, SC

On By Barbara StroudIn HOME, TRAVEL4 Comments

I mentioned a while back that my husband took some time off work and we had a staycation…we had a GREAT time. Took in the local sights, restaurants while still taking the dog (and ourselves) for a walk each day. It was so nice! One day we ventured to Rockville, SC.  A beautiful little town. A wonderful place to take photographs. It’s a little tricky to find a place to park. I was very careful to be respectful of peoples privacy. There are so many absolutely GORGEOUS homes you just want to take photos until you can’t take them any more. It’s a short trip from Charleston, SC. It’s not a place to go shopping, or out to eat. Just to take a little drive through and enjoy the beauty.

It was a cloudy day but still the photos are magnificent because ROCKVILLE is magnificent! It really is like stepping back in time. The big old oak trees, the charming homes, the views of the water… lovely!

One downside… MOSQUITOES… holy cow, I’ve never seen so many in my life. I was a walking Mosquito Magnet! Actually I was just about running, stopping only long enough to snap a photo… must have been a sight, ha ha… that’s probably why I didn’t see a single person!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Featured Artist… Joe Paquet!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist4 Comments

“Sprinkler and Spring Greens” by Joe Paquet

I think this is a fabulous painting. I can’t tell you how much I love the sprinkler! Who would guess it could add so much to a painting… Fabulous greens in this painting, lovely light and shadows and an unexpected sprinkler surprise! Joe is a very talented artist. I perused his many paintings via his website and they are SPECTACULAR!

Here’s a blip about Joe from his website:

Joseph Paquet, while pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the School of Visual Arts in New York, had the good fortune of finding a mentor in John Foote who opened his eyes to the joys of drawing the human figure. After graduating, Joe met another major influence in his life, John Osborne, who was uniquely gifted in producing convincing landscape paintings from memory. Osborne believed a landscape painting should begin on location, but that its poetic essence should be completed in the solitude of the artist’s studio. Paquet experienced a demanding and rewarding apprenticeship, in which he learned to fuse field studies with the image he could see in his mind’s eye. To summarize this experience, he explains, “The intellectual process became married to the intuitive. Paint what you know well as what you see.” He goes on to expand the possibilities, “If I have the need or desire to move a mountain, add a figure or change the course of a river, I can do so. I am no longer shackled to nature. Now, I am painting my picture.” Paquet teaches and paints at Hurinenko and Paquet Studio in St. Paul, Minnesota.

He has been featured in an October 1995 article in the Washington Post Sunday Magazine, the May 2002 issue of The Artist Magazine, the March 2004 issue of American Artist and the July 2005 issue of Plein Air Magazine. Paquet’s recent awards include both Artists’ Choice and Collectors’ Choice from the 2007 Laguna Beach Plein Air Invitational as well as the 2008 Alden Bryan Memorial Prize from the Salmagundi Club of New York and the First Place in Landscape from the Richeson 75: Artist’s Choice Competition.

Paquet is a Signature Member of the Plein Air Painters of America, The Salmagundi Club and an Out-of-State Artist Member of the California Art Club.

Now how many of you remember this?? A DRIVE IN movie?!! With those little boxes that hooked on your window with the sound. How much fun was this?! Actually when I think back, the mosquitoes, the poor sound quality, the heat of the night, it would make you wonder why they were so popular. BUT… it was an adventure. It was fun. I have vivid memories of seeing Snow White at the drive in… my sister started crying, wanted to go home, she got scared… she conveniently got plopped into the backseat, and if I remember correctly was entertained by my mom while my dad and I watched the movie! Funny the things you remember. This is a sweet painting with great memories!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Sprinkler and Spring Greens – Image via Roger’s Gardens Facebook… 

Two Choices for Saturday Night – Image via Plein Air Painters of America Facebook

Bowens Island Restaurant Menu – as of August 2012…

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD4 Comments

Bowens Island is a fabulous restaurant to visit. Here’s an update to my Bowens Island Menu post… a slightly new menu, so here is the latest as of August 2012!  The prices are still a deal. This restaurant has atmosphere like you won’t believe. It was fun to watch people walk in and say “WOOOOWWWW” mouths open, eyes wide. For all the notoriety it receives you would think it would be fancy (thank goodness it’s not!). The new menu has a photo of the old Bowens Island restaurant, this is what it looks like today… this place has a view that simply cannot be beat! We got there early (couldn’t wait!), but if you can hold out, the sunsets are magnificent!

Fred and I visited Bowens Island last week and had the best time as always! Fried shrimp that is so fresh and delicious it will put a smile on your face! So check out the menu, and pop on over for a quick bite, or lounge on the outside deck. It’s not health food, but if you splurge once in a while it truly is a treat!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Featured Artist… William Berra!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist2 Comments

This piece caught my eye. Artist William (Bill) Berra uses a stunning mix of color and light. I stop in my tracks at that warm golden light, with just enough of the sun hitting the landscape to make it so interesting.The light is so radiant and warm, the strokes loose and deliberate. All the great shadows from the cloudy day. THE. CLOUDS. WHOA! Amazing how light is peeking through. Very nice. I was happy to find that Bill Berra’s work is right here in Charleston, SC at the Sylvan Gallery. So if you’re in town… stop by and check it out! This painting is nothing short of amazing, click to enlarge (at least I know I can with my MAC)… hopefully all computers can??

Here’s a blip about Bill from the Sylvan Gallery website:

William Berra was raised in York, Pennsylvania and studied art there at the York Academy before moving on to the Maryland Institute of Fine Arts in Baltimore.  He left his formal training in favor of a nomadic life-style that carried him all across the country seeking subject matter for his plein-air paintings.  A winter storm stranded him in Santa Fe and he has made it his home ever since.  But the spirit of wanderlust still calls as he travels the world extensively in search of new material to paint.

William’s training as a “plein-air” painter is evident in the loose spontaneity of his pieces although he now does a great deal of his painting in the studio using his travel photographs as reference material.  His ability to make the viewer feel “oh, I’ve been there” has made him one of the most widely collected young artists in the country.

William’s work has been featured at many fine galleries throughout the country.  His work has also been exhibited at the Albuquerque Museum, at the Artists of America show in Denver, the Carmel Plein Air Competition and the Americana Museum in El Paso.  He was also the subject of an extensive article in a recent issue of Southwest Art.

Catch you back here tomorrow!

A few photos… Nikon Coolpix P510

On By Barbara StroudIn HOME, THOUGHTS2 Comments

I’ve been playing with the camera that I got for my birthday and I love it! It’s a sweet Nikon Coolpix P510 and it’s got oomph! A 42x zoom comes in handy for getting shots that would otherwise be missed. I’m looking forward to really putting this camera to the test! For now I’ve been playing with it in the house… snapping a few pictures here and there… like my trusty violet that does so well. This was given to us from a neighbor when we lost our dog Reginald. It has done so well. I think he’s helping it along, ha ha… I was trying to see where my limits were as to how close I can shoot…

I love these face forward shots in the sun with all the white, Charlie looks quite angelic doesn’t he? Ha ha… if only you knew…

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Majestic Crape Myrtle’s in Charleston, SC

On By Barbara StroudIn HOME4 Comments

You don’t normally think of a crape myrtle tree as being “majestic”, but I would say these big old crape myrtles are pretty impressive! Their trunks are so interesting, the bark is such a beautiful color, almost the same as the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco! Hmmm, might be nice to color match, ha ha… wonder if the Benjamin Moore folks will come to a location and color match, ha ha…

Sometimes its the little things in life to make you smile. Don’t miss it! Catch you back here tomorrow!

Featured Artist… Romel de la Torre!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured ArtistLeave a comment

“Katie’s Mom” by Romel de la Torre

I think this is the nicest woman… look at her kind eyes and her gentle smile. She’s about to tell you everything is going to be ok… not to worry, right? You can almost hear the words about to come out of her mouth. I would like to know Katie’s mom! She is so detailed yet the background just makes her stand out that much more. I think this is an amazing painting! Romel de la Torre is definitely one talented artist, as you’ll soon read. What a gift! He’s got a great website, so check it out!

Here’s a blip about Romel from his website:

Born in Cebu City, Philippines in a community of artists, Romel de la Torre’s artistic interest started at a very young age. With the encouragement of his parents he began sketching the world around him. He started getting awards and recognition from school competitions and at age 10 appeared on TV after receiving a medal for his painting.

In the late 70’s Romel and his family migrated to the United States where he began going to museums studying and learning on his own; works of famous artists like Sargent, Sorolla, Fechin, Mucha, and the American Impressionists. The exposure to these masters’ paintings laid a strong foundation to his belief of what great art is.

He attended the American Academy of Art in Chicago, where he was awarded the President’s Foundation Award and the Union League Scholarship Award. After graduating with a fine arts concentration, Romel continued to paint in the Chicago area and joined The Palette and Chisel Academy of Fine Arts, where he began painting with nationally renowned artist Richard Schmid and a community of other painters. It was a turning point of his creative and artistic career.

“My painting is the world, channeled through my eyes, through the prism of my own feeling, emotions and preferences. It is a unity of the visual world and the internal, abstraction and realism…” the artist’s says. A consummate artist in all media, Romel de la Torre is one of today’s most highly regarded artists. His figures, landscape, portraits, and still life paintings display unparalleled technical skill, fluid style, and thorough understanding of light, color, form and design.

The artist has been painting full time and currently instructs advanced painting and portraiture at The Palette and Chisel Academy on Fine Arts, Chicago. He is a signature member of the Oil Painters of America & the Portrait Society of America; his oils, pastels, watercolors, and portraits are housed in private collections throughout the United States and several foreign countries. His paintings have been published in The Artists Magazine, Southwest Art Magazine, U.S. Art Magazine and the American Art Collectors Magazine.

Among his most important honors is the Oil Painters of America National Exhibition/ Grand Prize and the Artists Magazine Portrait Artist of the Year. His most recent award includes; 2007 Raymar Fine Arts Competition, 2008 Gold Medal & the People’s Choice Award from the Palette & Chisel Academy of Fine Arts Gold Medal show and one of the top finalist in the 2007 and 2008 International Portrait Competition given by the prestigeous Portrait Society of America. 

Artist’s statement:
“I find spiritual beauty in all the things that I paint. The innocence of a child’s face, the endlesss blue color of the sky, the smell of flowers in the garden, the sound of raindrops falling on the roof. These gives joy in my heart, inspiration, and gratitude…… of being an artist.”

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Bacon, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich that is HEALTHY? Whoa!

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, HEALTH, Recipe3 Comments

Are you looking for something quick and easy, tasty and delicious, that will keep you feeling full longer? Look no further… after reading a blip out of the THE LEAN BELLY PRESCRIPTION book by Travis Stork, MD, this was one of his suggestions for breafast… Breakfast truly is the most important meal of the day. It’s the meal that should be the biggest, lunch a bit smaller and dinner the lightest meal of the day. Not easy in this society, but worth trying when you can!

His suggestion (one of so many great ones): a fried egg on a toasted English muffin, with a slice of Canadian bacon and a slice of swiss cheese.

My version… I used a whole wheat english muffin (called “British Muffins” at Trader Joe’s, thank you TJ for carrying products without soy!! THE ONLY ENGLISH MUFFIN I CAN FIND WITHOUT IT!), one fried egg, 2% extra sharp grated (if you grate it you don’t use as much, but any low fat cheese would be great). I forgot to get Canadian bacon, so I used one slice of (Trader Joe’s nitrate free) bacon.

Toast the English muffin, while bacon and egg cook. Have cheese grated. When egg and bacon are done, get the hot English muffin out of the toaster, slap the egg on one half, top with a sprinkle of cheese, one slice of Canadian bacon or/bacon broken in half, and the top of the English muffin.

YOU WON’T BELIEVE HOW GOOD IT IS! I have a feeling you’re going to be thanking me… sending me cards, flowers, chocolate, WAIT… chocolates? Hmmmm…. ahhhh the pressure!

This is an awesome book, I highly suggest it! It’s easy reading and explains the WHY behind eating well for your health. Click HERE to see it on Amazon.com where you can click to see inside…

HERE is a great review of the book from WEBMD.com, it sums it up.

Catch you back here tomorrow!

You See This Man? He Is The Love Of My Life!

On By Barbara StroudIn THOUGHTS11 Comments

You see this man? This man is the love of my life. When I first met him it was love at first sight. I thank God for him every single solitary day. I am so thankful to have met him, I still cannot believe it! Fate had me dog sitting for a friend at her house, when Fred pulled around the corner in his sporty BMW with a big smile on his face. I grabbed the puppy and had him leashed up in no time (didn’t know the dog had NEVER been on a leash, or had never gone for a walk…) and was taking him for a “walk”, that little puppy pulled me right into Fred’s driveway and sat at his feet. If that isn’t a sign… ha ha… That was Easter weekend 1991. I woke up on Easter and walked out to get the newspaper. I saw a large gift bag hanging on the front door. I thought to myself how lucky my friend was to get such a thoughtful gift on Easter. I set it on the dining room table. Walking back to the house after getting the paper I thought, hmmmm, WONDER IF IT COULD BE FOR ME?? Nah… Well?? Check the bag for a card… and there it was… To: BARBARA, whaaaaaat?????? A huge stuffed Easter bunny in the bag so beautifully presented. What a wonderful beginning… we have been together ever since the day we met. I cannot imagine my life without Fred. He’s wonderful in every single way.

Today we’ve been married for 20 (TWENTY!) years. It seems like just yesterday we were planning to meet at the chapel. That we were both nervous and hopeful that all of our planning would work out as we had hoped. Fred was at the church washing windows early that morning. He wanted everything to be perfect. And it was!

We had the best time at our wedding. That was too much fun! We had the best honeymoon ever tucked away in a cabin in the woods. It was magical.

I hope you have found someone who captures your heart and makes you smile. I am so fortunate to have a husband who is truly my best friend AND the absolute love of my life bar none. I consider myself the luckiest woman in the world! I would take this kind of love over any amount of money or any other possible “possession”. Things are things. Things can be replaced. You tire of “things”.

I will never tire of Fred.

He is hands down the sweetest man I have ever met.

August 22, 1991

So thank you for coming into my life Fred, here’s to the next twenty years… and twenty after that! I love you so much… Barbara

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Featured Artist… Robert Noreika!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured ArtistLeave a comment

“Morning Reflections” by Robert Noreika – Image: Addison Art Gallery Facebook

I have to say… I LOVE ROBERT NOREIKA’S STYLE. Very Charles Sovek-like (a man I thought was such a wonderful artist and such a good person, he is definitely missed!). It amazes me how artists develop a style after years of painting, and it’s just so unique and refreshing. A master of looseness, Robert has this scene down pat. You feel like you’re there. Everything is as it should be. The shack isn’t perfect, but I’m sure in real life its a little rough around the edges, which just adds to the feeling of this painting. A beautiful sunny day, gorgeous water, wonderful water… I am impressed!

Here’s a blip about Robert from Addison Art Gallery (one at the top of my list to go visit one day soon!):

Robert Noreika is a graduate of Paier School of Art and has been a professional artist for thirty-five years. 

A prominent national award-winning artist and illustrator, Robert’s paintings hang in corporate and private collections throughout the United States, Europe and Japan. His work is also in the permanent collection of the New Britain Museum of American Art. 

He is an elected member of the National Society of Painters in Casein and Acrylic, the Salmagundi Club, the Lyme Art Association, the Connecticut Watercolor Society, the Connecticut Plein Air Painters Society, the Connecticut Academy of Fine Arts and he is a signature member of the New England Watercolor Society.

Robert Noreika is a featured artist in 100 Artists of New England published by Schiffer Publishing. His most recent award is the Gold Medal from the National Society of Painters in Casein and Acrylic.

His passion for art is matched by a natural talent to paint a wide variety of subjects, highlighted by expressive coastal scenes, intimate woodland pictorials and seasonal treks through the countryside. He has been inspired by the many pleasurable memories of his boyhood which he spent joyfully fishing, and catching turtles and frogs. Not surprisingly, he has illustrated several children’s books.

Catch you back here tomorrow!

The Art of the Staycation…

On By Barbara StroudIn HOME, THOUGHTS2 Comments

Charleston was voted #1 City in America by Conde Nast Traveler magazine… It’s been on the list for years, but this year it beat San Francisco! Whoa! I have to say, that’s another place that is near and dear to my heart! But since we live in Charleston, SC, I think a staycation is in order!

You’ve heard of it… a STAYCATION. Taking a vacation and staying at home all in one nice little package. A brilliant idea actually! However, the ART of a staycation may take some practice. It’s tricky to be “on vacation” while you’re at home. There are projects to be done, grass to cut, dishes to wash, and all of lifes everyday moments. BUT, life is short and you have to enjoy it while you can! So if you “take” a staycation, give yourself a break, you’ve worked hard, you need some R&R, no guilt!

A staycation has some nice benefits… No packing, no spending money on flights, no hotels, none of the other headaches that come with traveling. You can still get out and see some sites and still save money! (And what better place than Charleston, SC??) It gives you time to be a tourist in your own city. We don’t seem to get to many of the tourist attractions in Charleston and this is a perfect opportunity. So as of today, we are officially on STAYCATION. I guess I can’t say we’re “going” on staycation… we’re “staying” on staycation!

We have some ideas of places we want to go, for instance to the Gibbe’s Museum of Art to see the Mary Whyte: Working South exhibition! We’ve got so many great restaurants in Charleston, SC, that we’ll have to mull the options over a bit more!

I haven’t decided if I’m going to post photos from each days staycation or have a post scheduled for each day, but I guess you’ll figure it out. I will be posting every day regardless… haven’t missed a day since 1/1/2011, I’m heading into year two and I’m on a roll!

So stick with me! Have you been staycationing? Where do you go? What do you do? I was reading an article, it said when you staycation, you should do things differently, turn off your phone (eek), turn off your computer (double eek), plan different places to go (yay), etc. So we’re going to play it by ear. Maybe just cut down on computer time? Hee hee…

Catch you back here tomorrow… promise!

CHARLESTON image via CNTraveler.com

STAYCATION definition via Merriam-Webster.com

Birthday candles, AARP and a Colonoscopy!

On By Barbara StroudIn HEALTH, THOUGHTS8 Comments

You guessed it… Today I am 50! Hard to believe, because I don’t think I act like I’m 50. Actually to say “fifty” out loud sounds so foreign to me, it actually makes me laugh, which is better than crying, ha ha… Hey, I look forward to the future, 50 is the new 30 (and all you young people reading this that just rolled your eyes… Just wait, you go from 30 to 50 in the blink of an eye, time accelerates as you get older, I’m sure you’ve heard your parents, grandparents or any random older person say that at one time or another. I’m here to say. IT’S TRUE! So be happy for every day you have on earth…)!

Yep,  FIFTY birthday candles… enough to start a fire! Need a fire extinguisher nearby! Trying to think on the bright side… AARP. I can be a member now! Woohoo! Hey, I am excited about senior discounts now! If ya can’t beat ’em, join ’em, right? Did you know at age 55 you can get a free coffee from Dunkin Donuts? Get outta here! At 50 you can get a discount at Banana Republic (maybe because they know very few 50 year old women can fit in their clothes?)!

And oh yeah… the biggest birthday gift that you can give yourself… a colonoscopy! Help me out, I’m trying to think positive here… A good way to lose weight? I have a “consultation” soon.. Yippeeeee… I’ve read enough about it, am a tad worried I may starve to death, and NO MILK OR CREAM the day before, oh heavy sigh…. I can handle no food, but no cream means no coffee. That my friends, isn’t going to be pretty! I guess if that’s all I have to worry about, I’m doing great!

I know it’s going to be a fabulous birthday, Fred always makes sure of that. I love my birthday present, a Nikon Coolpix p510 with a 42x zoom, can’t wait to get it to Maine! WOOHOO!

Have a happy day and I’ll catch you back here tomorrow!!

 

A Walk Downtown… (Charleston, SC)

On By Barbara StroudIn HOME4 Comments

How stately is this? Magnificent. Prestigious. Oh, Charleston is full of the most beautiful architecture dating back hundreds of years. Whenever I’m downtown I think what a wonderful city this would be to visit while on vacation… summer could prove a little humid for me, but it’s beautiful nonetheless! Everywhere you look there is a photo to be taken. So if you live here, grab your camera and head out! If you visit Charleston, bring extra batteries and a big memory card!

Catch you back here tomorrow!