This is the Ribaut Square (C0557) house plan by Allison Ramsey Architects. This plan is 2155 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. I haven’t featured a plan like this, because these types of plans don’t normally catch my attention, but… this one did. It is masterfully laid out, check it out…
A 10′ deep porch. Nice! So very nice! Master bedroom and bath separate from the rest of the house… very nice! Laundry in close proximity to master… a big plus! Then you have the living space, open, but not too open… So nice!
Two bedrooms upstairs, (perfect for guests!), with walk in closets, bathrooms and a sitting area, not to mention that fabulous porch! Nice to give guests their own space! Caution: with this plan, guests may never leave, ha ha… I wouldn’t want to!
I really like this plan, and am so happy I stumbled upon it!
I’m giving you all a heads up! Elsa Sroka is having her first Solo Show at Abend Gallery, and it opens September 5, 2014 – so be sure to mark your calendar if you’re in the Denver, CO area! Her work for that show will be on Abend Gallery’s website closer to that date, so hold tight!
Doesn’t Elsa have a way with cows? They just ooze feeling – they each have so much personality… and the names, I love when people are creative and come up with great names! Good job Elsa!
I love the abstract qualities in Otis (as well as the name)! He’s very cool!
Read a blip about Elsa from her website, and while you’re there check out her work:
Elsa is a Colorado native from a family of six siblings, all of whom share the love of art and design. Mostly self taught, Elsa’s work is based on instinct rather than theory. Her inspiration can be selective as when drawn from early childhood memories; particularly hours spent drawing at the kitchen table with her brothers and sisters overseen by their father. Her inspiration can also randomly unfold as she approaches a blank canvas with no preconceived ideas, not knowing where it will end up. Often the subjects of her paintings are secondary to what may emerge from both unintentional marks and intentional smears that ignite a series of chain reactions suggesting a direction and ultimately meaning.
While Elsa paints a variety of subjects, all exude a forward-thinking, contemporary attitude.
Her landscapes are mostly color-driven, finding inspiration in many sources including the various landscapes discovered in her travels, elements found in architecture, the imagery of other artists, and her own imagination. After laying down her foundational colors she scrapes away and moves the paint to reveal what is underneath, then applies more layers of paint. It’s not unusual for her to destroy a large portion of the piece in progress, ultimately resurrecting it through layer after layer, creating meaning and form in the process.
In Elsa’s cow series, expression is the most important element; infusing the subject with personality. Emotional connection is necessary before painting can begin. Recently she’s found inspiration in imagining cows in unconventional setting; a conscious departure from the traditional context found in much western art. She believes the ordinary subject becomes significantly more intriguing when misplaced, inviting the viewer to pay attention through the element of surprise. This idea can apply to many different subjects, encouraging appreciation of the more subtle qualities of beauty.
You’ll find her paintings share an intriguing play a genre and technique-many stylistically blurred; skewing reality, leaving the viewer to insert their own interpretation. She is particularly interested in the interplay of different mediums, along with the challenge presented in manipulating traditional methods.
In the end, if Elsa is able to emotionally engage the viewer, she feels her work is complete.
All images via ElsaSrokaArt.com, used with permission from the artist…
This, my friends, is an amazing summer cold salad, that can be a meal! It makes a perfect lunch or light dinner. It’s ready quick, and the only thing you turn the stove on for is to cook the pasta!
Click HERE to print this recipe minus images and blah, blah, blah…
The ingredients… baby arugula to put on top (I try to put the same amount of arugula as I do pasta salad on my plate)… I used white wheat pasta, you can use any you like… Olive oil, Feta, and Dill are the stars of this show!
This isn’t really a salad where things can be measured, add lots of what you like, less of what you don’t, add anything you wish! I do maybe five times around the bowl with olive oil. It seems like a lot but you’re coating the pasta, and anything you add to it… it also becomes the “dressing” on your arugula… I would estimate between 1/4 – 1/3 cup? I sprinkle a good amount of dried dill (because I like it and it really makes this salad taste “fresh” not “dilly”!
Wash and dry a container of grape tomatoes, I lucked out, these were local, woohoo! Use the HOT TIP FOR CUTTING GRAPE TOMATOES QUICKLY! I also chopped up some banana pepper, it tastes super fresh in this salad… Let the tomatoes and peppers soak up the olive oil… it’s like spa day for them!
Pick whatever pasta you like, cook it according to package directions and drain. Once drained put in bowl on top of tomatoes! Let them sit there a few minutes and soften the tomatoes!
Then stir the pasta around and get it coated in that nice dilly oil… add 6oz. of Feta… YUM! Stir it around good!
Not sure why I used this as a serving dish for myself, ha ha… I guess so I could show the ratio of pasta to arugula… but this is me, you eat it however you like! I put a few spoonfuls of pasta…
Then top with at least as much arugula… baby arugula… ohhhh it’s so good!
As you eat it, stir it around and the leaves will get coated in a little olive oil from the pasta. Oh boy, this sounds good… think I’m going to have to make it again!
ALSO!! ADD OLIVES! I forgot this time! I usually put olives and maybe a few tablespoons of olive juice!
Tenants Harbor Halls Market by Bjorn Runquist 16×20 oil on linen – SOLD
Bjorn Runquist. Amazing artist. We have a painting of his that he did of the ice cream shop and Stone Fish in Port Clyde, ME. It’s a favorite! I love this painting above. I think the setting is amazing, the flag just drew me right in. This is SO Maine… I really feel that’s where my heart is… Although, I believe that most people who visit Maine feel the same way!
February Across Wheeler Bay by Bjorn Runquist 12×24″ Oil on Linen
Another fabulous painting by Bjorn! I would love to have this view… fabulous painting!
AUBADE by Bjorn Runquist 4×8″ $400 – Landing Gallery
Aren’t these paintings fabulous?! Aubade: a song or poem to greet the dawn… pretty cool, eh? These paintings are all of a similar view, different days… Stunning!
“For me, making things is inseparable from living. What I choose to make is a function of how I respond to “ordinary” life. Sometimes that response is to make an object, sometimes a haiku, sometimes to whistle. Usually it is an object and that object is usually a painting as the physical, sensual, nature of paint functions well as a means for exploring my response to what I see. The “ordinary” can range from a sunrise, if I’m up early, to the sun shining off a delivery truck parked at the corner. It doesn’t matter: it is all life and within the commonplace there is often “all the wonder one needs.” This winter and spring I have started each day with a response to the morning as seen across Wheeler Bay. It is the same view each day and though its familiarity should make on blind to its beauty I find it always a wonder, no matter what the weather. It is the start of each day and a new beginning. From there the day evolves and further painting that day is nearly always an unanticipated engagement. The subjects vary: there are things I return to and there are things I paint only once. But, at the core is the ever-present force of light as the source of all we see, indeed, at the source of life itself – the source of each new day’s new beginning.”
– Bjorn Runquist
All images via LandingArt.com, used with permission from the artist…
Shem Creek Park in Mount Pleasant, SC is a great place to visit, walk around, take photos, and if you’re an artist… to paint! Amazing views from many locations. Close proximity to restrooms and restaurants! Then you can grab some fresh seafood to take home with you. What could be better?
Yes, can you see how much fun Charlie is having during the annual “strap the birthday hat on for a birthday photo”? It’s the coolest little birthday hat, not sure why he doesn’t like it, I think he would prefer to chew it up!
Well, the beast turns 5 today… oh they grow up so fast, ha ha…
H A P P Y B I R T H D A Y C H A R L I E ! ! ! !
He is accepting balloons, cards, frozen green beans and carrots, hee hee…
Have a great weekend! Catch you back here tomorrow!
Sacred Groves Study by Ryan Brown – 9 x 12″ Oil – Collection of the Artist
Ryan has done several of these studies, the fabulous greens, the woods, I am so drawn to these paintings. They are stunning! Isn’t there something so magical about this painting? It pulls me right in. Wow!
I thought this was amazing as well:
The Lord’s Prayer by Ryan Brown – 24 x 32 Oil
What a talented guy! He’s truly got so many wonderful paintings it was difficult to choose!
Ryan S. Brown was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. By the time he was a senior in high school Ryan had decided to pursue art as a profession. This pursuit led him to Brigham Young University where he studied Illustration, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2002. While finishing his studies at BYU, Ryan became aware of the deficiencies in his University education. Because his interests were in the academic and naturalist traditions of the nineteenth century, it became necessary for him to get the foundational drawing and painting training not offered at the university. In his senior year at BYU, Ryan began studying with William Whitaker, a renowned portrait and figurative painter. Soon after this, Ryan entered the Florence Academy of Art, where he received his first taste of Academic training. The organized, intense and concise training of the Florence Academy provided Ryan with what he considers the beginning of his understanding of the craft of art. This training not only gave Ryan a deep understanding and love of drawing, but also developed in him a strong self-discipline and work ethic, as well as an insatiable appetite for learning.
In 2003 Ryan returned home to Utah. Upon his return, Ryan began producing work for galleries. Ryan also began teaching academic principles at BYU, teaching figure drawing, observational and spatial drawing and cast drawing. Ryan also opened his studio to students, establishing the Classical Drawing Academy in Springville, Utah. During the three years this Academy was available to students, Ryan saw more than 80 students come through his studio to experience this training. Ryan also taught part-time at Utah Valley State College. Ryan was able to teach and pass on these academic principles until the end of 2006. Ryan also taught at the Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art sporadically between 2004 and 2006, culminating in an academic drawing workshop given in 2006. An article in American Artist Workshop Magazine in the Winter 2006 issue covered this workshop. In January, 2007 Ryan, his wife and three kids moved back to Florence in order to finish his studies at the Florence Academy of Art. Ryan is living and working again in Utah and has established the Center for Academic Study and Naturalist Painting (CAS). He is currently interviewing potential students and welcomes any application for study.
Ryan was the top award winner of the John F. and Anna Lee Stacey scholarship in 2004. He also received third place in the Art Renewal Scholarship competition in 2005. In 2006 Ryan was one of ten artists to be invited by American Artist Magazine to the Forbes Trinchera Ranch for a nine day retreat that was followed by a special article in the magazine and a showing of these select artist’s works at the Forbes Gallery in New York in March, 2007. Ryan was also accepted into the Hudson River School for Landscape in its inaugural year, which he attended in the summer of 2007. In 2007 Ryan also won Fourth Place in the Art Renewal Center Scholarship Competition. Ryan was featured in the May, 2008 issue of Southwest Art as “A Rising Artist to Watch”. Ryan won the “Best Painting of the Year” at the Florence Academy of Art in 2008.
All images via RyanSBrownArt.com used with permission from the artist…
Allison Ramsey Architects – always doing something that makes great sense. Snead’s Ferry (C0574) is a house you can grow in to, or not if you choose not to. This plan is 2623 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms that also leaves room for a future second floor with 844 additional square feet. Pretty cool, eh? Are you trying to think of a scenario where you might need additional space (like a spare living room?), say your children are now teenagers and want their own space for watching TV/playing video games, etc. (or more likely YOU would like your space!), tada, that spare living room comes in handy. Or say one of you loves sports and the other doesn’t… two living rooms are essential, ha ha…
This plan is quite amazing. I like that the living room isn’t right on the front of the house, it’s set back aways, more private and cozy. The open kitchen, living, dining space works nicely. If you have the spare rooms for guests, it’s nice that they’re tucked away on the other side of the house, so they have their privacy. A great screened porch off the living room is the icing on the cake. I love, love, love when I can open windows and let the fresh air in, woohoo!
To see actual images of this home as it was built, click here… I love how Allison Ramsey does that, it really helps to visualize when you can see an actual house built.
The Red Door on 21st Street by Charles Newman Oil on Panel 16×24″
Character. Charles Newman paints his subjects with character. There is something defintely unique about his paintings and I LOVE them! The color and light are amazing, but this painting oozes character!
Home by Charles Newman Oil on Linen 24×36″ – SOLD
He’s got some interior paintings, which area always a favorite, this is wonderful. I’m telling you, check out this guys work, its different… in a very, very good way!
The process of making a painting is more than just the painting itself. For me, it’s a journey, discovery, experience and sensation. My work hints at the sweetness and rigor of daily life. From the overlooked industrial settings to the privacy of the home I am always conscious of the effect of light on different surfaces and through various filters. Light is established through the reaction of a color next to another color. To achieve the fresh and harmonious representation of light, many of my works are done alla prima. Whether painting en plein air, an interior, or a still life, I strive to discover the integrity of my personal touch, as I bear witness to the moment and the changing conditions of my surroundings. Translating these elements onto the surface makes the painting process challenging, but also exciting.
I saw a video on this… and had long since forgotten about it. The other day I was making a fabulous cold med pasta salad, and the pasta was almost done, I had 3 minutes to wash and cut a package of grape tomatoes in half. Then I remembered “the trick”, I wasn’t sure if it would work, but I thought I would give it a whirl, because in this recipe the hot pasta sits on top of the cool tomatoes which softens them a bit and makes them really nice. I made it with time to spare!
The trick… A SERRATED KNIFE and two lids to plastic containers. I wouldn’t even attempt this with a regular knife, none of mine would be even close to being sharp enough!
Step one:
I could have done it even quicker if I would have used a larger lid, but in my haste, I found two this size, so it worked great!
Set the lid down on the counter, RIM SIDE UP. Fit as many tomatoes as possible, all in one layer.
Step Two:
Now put the other lid on top of the tomatoes, RIM SIDE DOWN so it holds them all in nice and cozy…
Now use your serrated knife, and while holding your hand flat and lightly pressing down on the tomatoes slice back and forth until the knife gets through all the tomatoes, this step takes no time at all! Good grief, who’s meaty hand is that??? Eeek.
Tada! Repeat as many times as you need to! Woohoo! I remembered this FINALLY, and I certainly won’t forget it!
Study for Child and Mother with Red Towel 24×18, oil on paper
Tom Balderas. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. I have admired this artist for years. His paintings come alive. I’ve seen them in person and they are WOW on every level. I have featured Tom in the past, his work is so incredible, and though I’ve never actually met him, I feel as if he is one of the most creative people I have (almost) met… Just read his bio… He is one I have not forgotten, I have featured so many artists over the past three years, and Tom is one that I haven’t forgotten. The bio alone will make you remember.
Well, now he’s gone and done something that I think all artists should do… He is selling his studies. Brilliant! Ok, maybe I am overusing that word, but it really is such a smart thing to do. Instead of having them sit around collecting dust, Tom is now selling them… I believe he has been encouraged by his friends to do this… why not?!!
As many of you know I work, part time, at a gallery here in Charleston. One of our artists sells her studies, Dee Beard Dean. They are fabulous and a definite hit among people perusing the galleries in Charleston! I always thought that was so smart of her. It’s a great way for people to get original art at not the regular price tag… it gives everyone a place to start.
Third son of four. painter. writer. musician. photographer. thinker. creator. listener. observer. human. social. loner. understanding. misunderstanding. giver. taker. wanter. perfectionist. imperfect. mess. father. Found himself dwelling upon an emotional and artistic precipice since birth.
Growing up in Torrance, California, Tom Balderas lived only a few miles from the ocean, which has made nature, along with his family, the main inspiration of his paintings. Balderas attended Loyola Marymount University, where he studied film production and art. After graduating, he worked several years for NBC Productions and made many made-for-television movies. He then began studying under the tutelage of his photographer father, as well as Joseph Mendez, master painter and teacher. Balderas considers the time spent studying with Mendez to be the cornerstone of his growth as a painter.
Also, studied with charles, anne, jennifer, daniel, sophia, lynne, joseph, harold, zen, elliott, starbuck, dan, andrew, dr. block, zinaida, david, e. charlton, michael, rose, ken, walter, selden, chris, armin, joaquin, edward, bejar, valentin, george, edward, jesus, pierre, rachel, mort, marileigh to name but a few of so many.
Works towards progress.
Told ya! Creative, eh? Catch you back here tomorrow!
I love this time of day, you know the time, when the light is golden and everything looks amazing! I wish it could always be that color, but then I guess we wouldn’t appreciate those few minutes of divine beauty each day!
Enjoy your Sunday and I’ll catch you back here tomorrow!
Yum… Farmer’s Market Reminder today!! A lot of towns have a local farmer’s market one day during the week, this is your reminder not to forget about it! It’s your best source for the tastiest fruits and veggies! The Farmer’s Market in Charleston, SC is TODAY… so don’t forget!
There is nothing like fresh veggies that are local and are their peak of freshness! This was a fabulous dinner, peas (not sure which type these were), brown rice, sliced tomato, fresh radishes and corn on the cob. Ahhh, life is good! I used to cook the peas with a slice of bacon… now since it gets so much negative press, I just sauté onion in olive oil add the peas, add water, S&P and let them cook… I can’t even tell there is no bacon!
Enjoy your weekend – Catch you back here tomorrow!
Ella & the Mocking Birds by June Stratton 18×22″ Pastel & Silver Leaf on Paper
Robert Lange Studios. Cutting edge. This gallery is always at the top of their game. They represent some of the most unique artists and they do it so well. Tonight is the long awaited Palette & Palate Stroll, where the CFADA (Charleston Fine Art Dealers Association) galleries team up with some of the hottest restaurants in town. You buy a ticket, then stroll from gallery to gallery, checking out the fabulous art and tasting some of the most wonderful food on the planet. What’s not to love? Art and food! Robert Lange Studios has been paired with McCrady’s Restaurant. A match made in heaven!
June Stratton – a stunning artist who creates the most gorgeous pieces, from work in this show, Flutter to past work, every piece is amazing!
Look at the way this dog is watching the mocking birds In Ella and the Mocking Birds. June has this so spot on! I can see my own Jack Russell looking out of his windows at the birds. So intense. What a unique composition.
Here is a little something that June has to say about her show:
As a diversion from my usual figurative art works, I decided to create drawings that were intended as dreamscape studies for larger figurative paintings these combine a cast of inhabitants from my nocturnal wanderings. These smaller drawings have become alluring similes of dream portraits all on their own. These new art works are Pastel and Silver Leaf on Canson paper. The silver leaf within these pieces is both a metaphor of reflective meaning and an intentional nod to aesthetic appearance of iconic drawings of centuries past.
This painting is from a past show, but shows that June is cutting edge herself, making each piece uniquely hers.
Tangled in Blues by June Stratton 16×20″ Oil & Silver on Linen – SOLD
What a masterpiece this painting is! Everything about it is briliant!
I know you’re hoping you have tickets to the Palette and Palate Stroll this evening! It’s going to be a great time. If you don’t have tickets, swing by the gallery on Saturday (or check out the show online!).
Moser Design Group has some fabulous house plans. If you aren’t familiar with them, they are located in Beaufort, SC – they have their plans online and the site is easy to navigate. I selected one that I really like. It’s 1,693 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. The ceiling height downstairs is an impressive 10′, while upstairs the ceiling height is 8’6″. I love the bungalow cottage look of this house. The fabulous porch really makes it! What you don’t see is a screened porch around back… very nice!
This is an open plan with the living/dining all in one room, which would work perfectly for us! The kitchen is an impressive 12’x13′ – I cannot imagine! What a treat to have a screened porch off the kitchen. It would be nice to be able to open that door while you’re cooking in the cooler months!
SECOND FLOOR – TNH-SC-47A House Plan by Moser Design Group
Can I say… I love storage? Ok. I LOVE STORAGE! And there is plenty of it fit into this house plan! I’m not a packrat by any means, but it’s nice to have a place to put certain things like Christmas decorations, out of season clothing, or things that you use on occasion (luggage, etc).
Read a blip about Moser Design Group, Inc – from their website:
OUR TEAM:
Over the past 20 years, Eric Moser, President of Moser Design Group, Inc. (MDG), and his staff of professionals have built a reputation as designers of fine custom residential architecture. Their primary focus over the past decade and a half has established the firm as a major proponent of the New Urban movement. As a member of the Congress for New Urbanism, the New Urban Guild, and the Institute of Classical Architecture and Classical America, MDG dedicates their work to the planning and architectural fulfillment of New Urban and Traditional Neighborhood Developments (TND’s).
OUR APPROACH:
MDG’s involvement with New Urbanism began in Beaufort, SC in 1992 with the pioneering neighborhood of Newpoint. Since then, they have been involved with many TND’s including Eric’s home town of Habersham in Beaufort, SC. In 1997 Eric participated with the highly acclaimed firm, DPZ Architects in the planning charrette for Habersham. Today it is a growing, vibrant coastal village where Eric chairs the Architectural Review Board and works closely with town founder Bob Turner in fulfilling the town plan.
Eric is a frequent consultant on charrettes across the United States for new and old towns, infill projects, hamlets, and neighborhoods. He collaborates with other professionals to plan, analyze and reintroduce the historic local and regional building patterns that made most old towns so successful and memorable. MDG has established itself as one of the most prominent providers of Traditional Neighborhood building types, ranging from 600 square foot bungalows, to manor houses to town center civic buildings. Over time, this broad array of experience has allowed the team at MDG to refine the craft of place making.
The firm has also been active in the Katrina and Rita recovery efforts in the Gulf Coast. Eric was a participant of the Mississippi Renewal forum and remains very active in developing and providing emergency housing solutions for the victims of the storms. A significant portion of that work has been the design of multiple Katrina Cottages and building relationships with manufactured and modular home companies to affect the quick delivery of dignified, permanent alternatives to FEMA trailers. A MDG Katrina Cottage design was chosen as one of the first four plans to be engineered into a material package in partnership with Lowe’s Home Improvement Store.
MDG endeavors to provide high quality authentic designs and stay involved with the growing number of New Urban projects. The firm is also dedicated to finding new approaches to make their buildings and projects more sustainable.
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