I started the ArtFoodHome.com daily (now 4 times/week) blog 1/1/11 (easy to remember, right?) and have kept it going since then. Come back each day - I share with you:
ART: featured artists, art events, workshops, etc.
FOOD: recipes, restaurants, and good finds along the way
HOME: house plans, home design, places here in Charleston...
On year 14 of artfoodhome.com - share this site with anyone who you think might enjoy it!
Thanksgiving. Over. Whew, time flies! Christmas… SOON! Can you believe it? This is a time of year that causes many of us stress. Trying to buy just the right gift for so many people, shopping, eating – remember the reason for the season – we may all have different beliefs, but I’m pretty sure most of us can agree that Christmas isn’t all about shopping.
Take time to be with family and friends, try to not get too stressed between now and Christmas – a tall order indeed!
Remember…
It’s not what you have in life, it’s how you make people feel.
Make someone feel happy, loved and appreciated. Take an extra moment with those who no longer have family. They could certainly use a smile and a quick hello!
Go out. Do good. Patience is a virtue and I’m pretty sure you’re going to need patience today!
May the force be with you 😉
📸 IMAGES ARE MY OWN UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE. PLEASE CONTACT ME IF INTERESTED…
A few favorite things on a table near Fred’s chair – an old table that was a cool find – well used with a rich patina. A gold cross by artist Barbara Biel (purchased locally at Elizabeth Stuart Designs) – and a home fragrance reed diffuser that is perfect for this time of year by Thymes (Frasier Fur) – smells just like Christmas (and refills are available, woohoo)!
📸 IMAGES ARE MY OWN UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE. PLEASE CONTACT ME IF INTERESTED…
Photos this week – Have a great day and I’ll catch you back here tomorrow!
What a fabulous recipe! I’ve heard about “riced” cauliflower – wasn’t sure how it would taste. Let me tell you… wonderful!! It has a similar look and feel as rice – the taste… very mild. So it goes nicely with what you pair with it. In this case a stir fry with shrimp, green onions and eggs.
What I did differently: To make it a little more substantial for us, and because we like stir fry with peas and carrots I added those as well. I think maybe I let the cauliflower sit 5 minutes as mentioned above (without stirring) and then added the thawed carrots and peas (however many you like – I used two big handfuls). I also cooked the eggs in a separate small skillet. The first time I made this the egg stuck to the bottom of the “nonstick” pan, therefore the cauliflower rice couldn’t get brown. When you scramble the eggs don’t overcook as they are going back in with the shrimp and “rice” for a minute!
You can make “riced” cauliflower by putting it into a food processor and pulsing until it looks like rice, or you can buy it frozen just about everywhere – I used Trader Joe’s brand and it’s fabulous, perfect for two people!
Click HERE to print the recipe above (my version) the link to print the original Cooking Light version is no longer available…!
I added a bit to this Cooking Light (link now goes to Eating Well) recipe via their magazine – I always find treasures there! The inspiration came from the magazine.
I miss Cooking Light and Eating Well (print magazines)…
Breaking Wave by Lana Ballot 17×25″ Pastel | The Yang Family Award, 44th Annual Pastel Society of America Juried Exhibition, Enduring Brilliance
Lana Ballot. Whoa! Impressive pastel paintings – I found Lana while perusing Instagram. Wonderful paintings, each and every one. The wave paintings capture the very essence of the sea – and those gorgeous colors – I like how you can see the light coming right through… It’s easy to see why this painting won an award!
I majored in Studio Arts at Stony Brook University, NY. After graduation I worked as a web designer, while studying painting further on my own. Always being fascinated by nature, I made landscape my main subject. After I discovered pastels as a perfect plein air medium, I often spent my free time painting outdoors. Although this early plein air work did not result in a lot of finished paintings, it proved to be an invaluable experience in developing the ability to see how color, light and atmosphere affect each other in different times of day or season. With this knowledge and feel for the landscape around me, I am trying to capture the beauty of nature whether it’s a magnificent display of colors in the sunset sky or a quiet winter scene…
I am happy to live on Long Island, NY where I can paint my favorite subjects – ocean, harbors, beaches and anything that provides me with inspiration.
I teach pastel painting in newly opened Atelier in Flowerfield, St James, NY.
I’m a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America.
At risk of repeating myself… it’s the little things in life that can be so magical. The way water droplets cling to a leaf. The light reflecting – it seems as if the water would spread out and not stay in a droplet form. #noticethelittlethings #fortheyarethebigthings #magiceverywhereyoulook
📸 IMAGES ARE MY OWN UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE. PLEASE CONTACT ME IF INTERESTED…
Early Spring our local Harris Teeter had potted geraniums on sale for $5. FIVE dollars – including the pot! I snapped one up. We had it on our front porch but soon it was too warm and the geranium started to suffer – we then moved it to our backyard where it has been thriving ever since. When I say thriving, I mean this plant has bloomed constantly – it’s remarkable – and I would say very happy where it’s at! It’s added a pretty pop of color since Spring.
Best $5 ever 😉 – happy Saturday, I’ll catch you back here tomorrow!!
📸 IMAGES ARE MY OWN UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE. PLEASE CONTACT ME IF INTERESTED…
Bare Hilltop Property by Steven S Walker 12×24″ Oil
Steven S. Walker. An incredible artist that I featured back in 2014 (a brilliant nocturne that was also the winner of Plein Air Salon’s “Best Nocturne” – I couldn’t agree more). His paintings are so special – just look at this one above – how beautiful he captured the light, that magical light in the trees, grass, shrubs and a hint of it on the fabulous house in the distance.
I AM CRAZY about the trees he is painting, from a unique angle – LOOKING UP! Check out his FB/Instagram to see what I mean. Whoa! Nice guy, fabulous artist –
“I didn’t come from a family of artists, I wasn’t top of my class or win a lot of awards but I’ve always had a strong work ethic and the passion to work on my craft.”
Born in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and raised in Richmond, Virginia he discovered his love for art at a very early age. With little interest in anything else, Steven took the next big step towards his pursuit of a career in art when he earned his bachelor’s degree in fine arts at Virginia Commonwealth University. He would later earn his masters in fine arts from Marywood University, where he also met his wife/ fellow artist Evelyn.
Instant success was not in the cards as Steven continued showing at a string of coffee shops, libraries and other businesses. Eventually his hard work paid off with a few local awards that soon caught the attention of two gallery owners. Since his venture into gallery life, his landscapes have been well received by collectors as his paintings are part of several private collections such as Airstream Inc., Hilton Hotels, the Boy Scouts of America, Dominion Resources, Virginia State Department, the National Parks Service, the Columbus Convention Center and the United States Air Force.
Since going full time as an artist in 2008, Steven has been included in several local and national juried competitions including the Richeson 75 Landscape Competition, Plein Air Salon, the International Salon Competition, the Oil Painters of America Salon and the Art Renewal Center. Steven also had the privilege of being a part of a statewide traveling exhibition with the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
He has participated in several artist in residency programs in Michigan, Indiana, Iowa and Colorado. In 2014, he was selected to create the Ohio Governor’s Art Awards by the Ohio Arts Council and in 2015 he received honorable mention in the Southwest Art Magazine’s Artistic Excellence Competition.
Steven currently resides in Hahira, Georgia where he continues to work hard on the advancement of his career, with the assistance of his lovely wife Evelyn and studio assistant/daughter Poppy. Currently, his work is represented in Kentucky, Ohio, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, Oklahoma and Washington, D.C.
“I should have quit years ago but that would have proven so many people right.” – SW
This is the 53 Bluffton Trail House Plan by Our Town Plans. This plan is 2,149 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms. The front porch is a nice deep porch perfect for an outdoor living space. The back porch is screened – ahh! How nice is that? Privacy and protection from the bugs!
53 Bluffton Trail by Our Town Plans
The 53 Bluffton Trail plan has an open living, dining, kitchen area and two bedrooms on the main floor (including the master). Our Town Plans are plans that have character. Attention to detail means a lot!
53 Bluffton Trail by Our Town Plans
This unique plan has a bedroom, bunk room and study upstairs along with a lot of storage – which we ALL need! The bunk room has built in bookshelves and window seats – CHARM and a great usable space!
Take a peek at this plan, and at the other plans by Our Town Plans!
See images of a home that was built using this plan – Beautiful!
Bees by Teddi Parker 24×24 Mixed Media (Acrylic/Permanent Marker)
Teddi Parker. This woman paints such fun and interesting paintings. I love her paintings of bees (as well as every other subject!). This painting has a fabulous abstract background – the bees are lively and bright – and Interesting! Be sure to read her bio – (It’s fabulous!) I usually try to feature available pieces but it looks like Teddi’s work sells pretty quickly on Daily Paintworks (check link below) – she paints often, so be sure to check today and check back often!
As a side note: This painting also gave me the chance to say how much we NEED to help save the bees! 🐝🐝🐝 SaveBees.org has some good ideas on how you can help!
Read a bit about Teddi, from her website (I love this – you get a great sense of who Teddi is via this bio – great sense of humor):
Here’s what I hang on walls next to shows (well edited by my husband) :
My passion for painting started at a young age and was greatly encouraged by my family throughout my early life. With this foundation in place, I began to experiment and learn new techniques over the course of the semester I studied Spanish in Argentina. While living in Buenos Aires, I purchased canvasses and paints and then carried the finished paintings through the subway system by hand. Just imagine that for a minute. ::wink::
Through the gracious advice and critique of my pen-pal mentor, I am now making up for the lack of formal artistic training in my past and am currently learning how to better evoke emotion through vibrant use of color.
What started out simply as a hobby (and a means to cover the empty walls of my friends’ apartments) has sprouted into a discovery of the power of beauty through painting. I love Jesus, and that is what gives me the confidence to approach a fresh, empty canvass and bring it to life. After all, he’s the real creator of beauty.
Here’s what I actually sound like:
My husband and I live in Fort Collins, CO. I moved out here from Minnesota to go to school for Spanish, and still love everything about languages but have pursued expressing creativity and embracing the need to create more and more. My whole family is creative and right-brained, so I really enjoy being married to a left-brained engineer to keep things organized and business-y. Thanks Love.
I recently discovered the online community of artists at the Daily Paintworks website and have been floored with inspiration ever since. The site is full of artists from everywhere and they are committed to doing a small painting everyday > and here’s my new conviction. It hit me fresh how any skill is like learning to play an instrument, you need to practice. So after all this hesitation and resistance I’m diving in. Follow my adventure here as I post new paintings (almost) daily with hopefully a blurb of thoughts. My hope through this daily painting venture is to improve my skills in capturing a unified piece using minimal and well placed brush strokes, better understand color theory through practice, and experiment with composition. I admire the suggestive-ness of the many artists that inspire me lately, and hope to incorporate this into my work.
Enjoy!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
All images via TeddiParker.com (I couldn’t access this site, you may have better luck, or use her DailyPaintworks link), used with permission…
Images are not for reproduction, they are property of the artist.
Pork Medallions with Fennel, Apple & Sweet Potato Slaw is a fabulous (and dare I say beautiful) recipe from Cooking Light Magazine. It’s the perfect recipe for fall. I thought the Fennel, Apple & Sweet Potato Slaw (pictured above) was just beautiful alongside the pork medallions! (In my haste I forgot to garnish with fennel fronds, so mine may look a bit bare, but believe me, it’s FULL of taste!).
I always thought I didn’t care for fennel (never having had it) because I heard it tastes like licorice. Let me say. I love it! It does taste a bit like licorice, but it’s different, and the texture is wonderful (similar to celery), especially combined with apples – what a treat! The slices of baked sweet potato add such color to this dish!
Click HERE to print this recipe (via the Cooking Light website – click on the green printer icon) – it’s a keeper for sure! QUICK to put together as well – the recipe shows a total of 35 minutes to put this together.
I made a few changes for the slaw: I only used one (1/2#) pork tenderloin, since there are just two of us. I used 1 medium fennel bulb, 1 large apple, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 Tablespoon shallots for the slaw –
And a few changes for the pork: I didn’t have grainy mustard (for the pork) so I used a total of 3 tablespoons of dijon – I also used the full 1/2 cup of cider and omitted the butter (initially by mistake – but it was so fabulous I decided not to add the next time I made it).
EXCELLENT recipe!
This recipe is via CookingLight magazine (CookingLight.com) – I made some changes as we all do, but the recipe comes from Cooking Light – my all time favorite magazine for healthy recipes!
Adam Clague. Wow. His paintings are so incredible – just look at the light coming through the grapefruit section! Is that not crazy good? It looks like you can reach into the painting and pick it up. Adam paints pretty much everything – fabulous portraits, landscapes and still life’s. Beautiful website as well!
Adam Clague has a passion for faithfully capturing the beauty of God’s creation in paint. Adam paints in an impressionistic manner and works from life as much as possible to produce the most life-like results.
The artist received a Master of Fine Arts degree from Pensacola Christian College. It was during his studies that Adam met his wife and fellow painter, Andrea Orr Clague. The couple now lives near Kansas City, Missouri and enjoys pursuing art together.
Adam is a Signature Member of the Oil Painters of America and a director for the Missouri Valley Impressionist Society. In 2012, he was included in Southwest Art Magazine’s annual “21 Under 31” feature. His work has also been published in Artists On Art and Pratique Des Arts magazines. Adam’s work has received national awards, including the Portraiture Award of Excellence at the 2013 OPA National Exhibition, 2nd Honor Award at the 2014 Portrait Society of America International Competition, and Best of Show at the 2016 American Impressionist Society National Exhibition. Adam enjoys sharing what he has learned by teaching regular workshops to a growing audience.
Adam’s goal is to create art that edifies his viewers and directs them upward. He strives to share the beauty he sees with others and seeks to glorify the Lord through his work and life.
The Lupine Gallery – Monhegan, Maine. THE perfect reason to plan a trip to the island, whether it’s just for a day or for longer – it’s so worth it to make it out to this gallery. This is the view from the upstairs, pretty stunning isn’t it? My husband and I spend a lot of time walking around and enjoying the many fabulous artists that have work there. They also have wonderful cards, books, etc.
If you’re wanting to take a peek at what they have right now, lucky you! You can go online! Go check it out! Click the link below…
Here’s a little blip about the gallery, from their website:
ABOUT LUPINE GALLERY
Established in 1985 by husband and wife team Bill Boynton and Jackie Boegel, Lupine Gallery is at the heart of the vibrant and historic art community of Monhegan Island. We take pride in showing and selling works by many of the finest artists working on Monhegan today, and also feature paintings from great artists of the past.
The gallery is located on the Island, on the main village road and just up the hill from the town wharf. We are open from 11 am- 4:30 pm, seven days a week, from May into October, and are available during the off-season by chance or appointment. We live year round on Monhegan, and welcome your call or email anytime.
We offer safe, insured shipping to any destination, or can package your new acquisition to safely and securely travel home with you.
In addition to original artwork, we carry an inventory of fine art prints and cards of Monhegan, including signed limited edition giclee prints by Jamie Wyeth, Paul Niemiec, Kevin Beers and Mary Alice Treworgy. Our book selections range from the history of art on the island to many books of interest to artists and collectors today. We also stock a selection of paints and art supplies, and are always happy to fill special orders.
We also offer custom mat cutting and framing services, with an emphasis on conservation framing.
Whether you’re staying at one of Monhegan’s inns or cottages, attending an artists’ workshop, or just visiting for a day, stop in and say hello, and enjoy our ever-evolving group show and exciting special exhibits.
Aren’t these flowers so cool? Not a lot of color which kind of makes them unique. Who knows what these are called? I don’t know if this is how they always look or if this is toward the end of their lives? I just know that I find these flowers fascinating. The subtle purple hue is too cool! Monhegan flowers – they’re stunning!
📸 IMAGES ARE MY OWN UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE. PLEASE CONTACT ME IF INTERESTED…
Cherry Creek Sky 2 by Michael Magrin 7×13″ Oil on Handmade Canvas Panel
Michael Magrin. A remarkable artist who paints the landscape in such a way that is so tranquil. The calming nature of his work is so appreciated. Beautiful color palette, soft yet dramatic enough to depict the changing sky – stunning clouds, bits of light on the landscape – so well done!
Michael’s faith is apparent in his paintings and that is so refreshing!
The heavens declare the glory of God and the skies proclaim His handiwork.
The landscape always reveals God’s invisible qualities, his eternal power and divine nature, which can be clearly observed and comprehended so that I am without excuse.
The daily newness of the landscape reminds me that the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is his faithfulness.
Michael holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Pre-Medical Illustration and a Masters in Secondary Science Education. He resides in Colorado with his wife and two kids, paints daily, teaches often and is fully persuaded that the Lord will do what he promises.
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