Home is where the heart is, right? Absolutely! I would rather be home than anywhere else! Our backyard is turning into an oasis. Hard work? Oh yeah, getting everything cleaned up and ready for summer. It’s so worth it! I love the hydrangeas peeking through and the focus on the palm in this photo.
Happy (almost) summer! Catch you back here tomorrow!
Jacob Tarazoff. Nice work! Very different! Love his style. This guy looks like he loves life. I think it’s so cool how he travels around and paints. Check out the photos (link towards end of this post)… This is a nice street scene. Love the colors! The power lines add so much! So nice!
Velvet Hues… pretty cool, eh? This is what Jacob is known for. His love of skiing, rock climbing and snowboarding really shows through in his paintings, doesn’t it? Check out his work, he paints pretty much everything… Great work!
Info from Jacob:
Over the last twenty years I have had some incredible experiences rock climbing and riding my snowboard in the wild areas of the Western US and Canada. It has become important for me to find ways to memorialize these experiences, and oil painting has provided me with a means to record that reaches beyond the scope of photography and video. I want to help people to make their climbing and ski memories something more substantial than just a helmet cam video or a ton of pictures after a ski day. Let me help you make your climb/ski experience last a lifetime, with an archival and fully reproducible original oil portrait by Jacob Tarazoff. Options for ski /climb portraits would be generally be one of three;
-Send me photo references and short synopsis of the day
-Meet me at spot of your choice for a custom climb or ski day portrait
-Meet me at the Festival/Event of your choice for a custom climb or ski day portrait
I was born in Santa Fe New Mexico in 1982, and grew up exploring the high dessert of Northern New Mexico. Snowboarding, rock climbing and mountain biking led to a deeper appreciation for the land and eventually paint and brushes became a means of exploration. I have a BFA from the University of New Mexico, 2006, and have had the opportunity to study with many wonderful painters in and around the Western US. I have had many public showings of my work and have won numerous awards at plein air events throughout the US, and my work is represented in private collections around the world. I am available for commissions, as well as an adventure-painting guide in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and throughout Northern New Mexico.
Check out some photos of Jacob (from his website)- he says:
It looks like he has a blast! What a cool way to roll!
All images via JacobTarazoff.com, used with permission…
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Ooh ooh ooh! Love these plans! This is TNH-LC-10A (LC = large cottage) by Moser Design Group. This plan is 2,457 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms. 10′ ceilings on the first floor, 9′ on second. I love that the master bedroom is that sweet little separate space on the right. Fabulous isn’t it? What a dream to have a front porch that wraps to the side – so nice!
This is a great plan for so many reasons. First of all you have a separate dining room for those of you who really use a dining room. I think I would make it a reading room, and put some really nice barstools at the bar area in the kitchen… or maybe I would use the dining room? Hmmm… Possibilities! The Kitchen and Living spaces are together which is so nice! THERE IS A PANTRY! Five stars for that alone! A rear porch, which I love, a powder room right off the porch, which is handy when you’re working in the yard! A sunroom! Which is heavenly! Ok, I’m ready to move! Hee.
The upstairs has two bedrooms with a shared bath as well as attic/storage or playroom space. Art Studio?? Whoa Nellie!
All images via MoserDesignGroup.com, used with permission…
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Skip Lawrence. His paintings have pizazz. A little something unexpected and wonderful. They have life. Depth. Feeling and movement. They’re fabulous! Skip loves to paint and it shows in every single one of his paintings!
Red Mark is a perfect example of a loose painting that has total shape and movement. That white outline on her right hip/thigh is brilliant. Love the red mark and the swishes of color… what else do you see in this painting?? Fabulous!
Are you looking for a workshop to take? Something different? Look no further! Skip is offering workshops in several locations… check out his workshop schedule!
Read a bit about Skip, from his website, also check out his blog!:
I love everything about painting. I love feeling the paint, seeing a rich color spread under my brush onto a surface and the play between colors coming together. I love watching my idea take form until a painting finally says “it” and I am surprised and delighted every time. I love sharing my art and knowing that someone is moved by it.
I see no hierarchy among realism, abstraction, non-objective painting styles. I see only the relationship of colors, shapes, surface and line that either thrills or bores me. When these elements come together to communicate an artist’s intention to the viewer, to connect with someone, it is nothing short of wonderful.
Teaching, for me, is nothing more than sharing my experience. And my experience has shown me that most of us are taught to spend too long learning how to paint before graduating to why we paint. Painting from an expressive idea allows us to evaluate our results, encourages exploration, and can lead to new possibilities. I believe that once you home in on the Why of your painting, the How will naturally follow. As a teacher, it is my desire and joy to help artists find out what it is that they want to say and to best say it in paint, in their unique way.
The subjects that have inspired me to paint have changed many, many times in the course of my painting life. I originally gained recognition for my landscape paintings. Like many new watercolorists, I was excited by the medium’s ability to capture glowing light and subtle atmosphere, and the landscape is an endless source of material. However, I missed the expressive lushness of oil painting, so I started using watercolor as I do now, in a more direct, opaque way.
The freedom from the “thou shalt/shall nots” of traditional watercolor opened up endless expressive possibilities and subjects to me. Today I work in oil, acrylic, watercolor, drawing, ink, and every combination thereof. My subjects may be my dogs, my paintbrushes, my wife, or the experience of gazing into a tide-pool or a day fly fishing on a mountain stream. The common element is that my subjects are always something I care deeply about, something I am connected to emotionally. It may not always be evident to the viewer What it is I am painting, but it is pretty obvious that it is something I love!
I draw from a deep well of inspiration and admiration of many artists. I am inspired by Robert Motherwell for his freedom of mark and dedication to ideas, by Pierre Bonnard for his ability to surprise the viewer with the most familiar of subjects and for his gift with color, and by Richard Diebenkorn for fearless form and flat out beauty. The list goes on and on and includes many of my contemporaries and students as well.
All images via SkipLawrence.com, used with permission…
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Goo57, one of the sweetest little guest cottage plans ever!
I love outbuildings. Brilliant ones anyway… So i’m going to feature them on occasion. Many of them would make amazing studio’s, wouldn’t they? Whether you’re an artist, woodworker or any craft where you need space to have your tools (be it a hammer or a paintbrush) left out, so you can pick up where you left off! Sometimes I may feature a garage or a garage apartment, other times a guest room/art studio or even a garden shed. There are so many charming and efficient plans out there, and I gravitate towards them, so I thought I would share!
This plan is G0057 by Allison Ramsey Architects. I think this would make a fabulous art studio/spare guest bedroom!
At first I thought I would leave the Living area as is and use the Bedroom as a studio, but why? Now looking at it again, I think I would use the Bedroom as overflow when we had company in town. A bedroom, bathroom, and coffee pot for guests. We wouldn’t need a kitchen, a sink would be nice for cleaning up brushes, etc., as well as for making coffee or tea. The living space could be used for painting, with maybe a few chairs at one end and a nice floor lamp, so you can contemplate what you’ve done… I think this is the sweetest plan!
I would love to be able to offer guests their own private space! I love to dream about these plans! How would you use it?
All images via AllisonRamseyArchitect.com, used with permission…
Catch you back here tomorrow!
The Lupine Gallery has the summer exhibit of Frank Bruckmann’s work at the Island Inn (Monhegan, Maine). WHAT A TREAT! His paintings are fabulous, many are of Monhegan, a place many of us know and love! So… the two paintings I’m showing you today are different, the painting above is Art Materials… I think this is such a fabulous painting – I love how there is a little abstractness to it, it brings out so much more character than if it were painted exactly as it is.
The Island Inn is a gorgeous inn that sits regally atop a hill, it seems to welcome you back to the island year after year. It’s always exciting to see the featured artist for the season. I love that they have an ongoing show, featuring a different artist each year. You can see some of the work from the show by clicking on this link:
Lupine Gallery Monhegan Summer Exhibit: Frank Bruckmann 2015 Island Inn Show!
I think self-portraits are a great way to get to know an artist. It lets you see not only them, but their space as well. Looks like Frank has one heck of a spot to paint, doesn’t it? Great painting!
Here are a few images from the Lupine Gallery Facebook page – check them out, there are many great photos!
Below is information from the Lupine Gallery. If you’re on Monhegan be sure to stop in the gallery, it’s a magical place! We could spend hours there (and we do)! If you’re looking for somewhere to stay on Monhegan, always consider the Island Inn, but make plans, reservations are usually (but not always) required. You never know when someone will cancel!
We are delighted to announce the 2015 Annual Summer Exhibit at the Island Inn on Monhegan Island:
Local Color: the Paintings of Frank Bruckmann
Frank Bruckmann studied at the Ducret School of Art in New Jersey, the Art Students League in New York, and the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. A resident of New Haven, CT, Frank has been painting on Monhegan for over 20 years, capturing the landscape and atmosphere of the island in all seasons and all its variations.
The season-long exhibit will run from Friday, May 22 to Sunday, October 11.
Please join us for a gala reception for the artist, at the Island Inn, on Tuesday afternoon, July 7, from 2-4.
Images via LupineGalleryMonhegan.com, used with permission…
Catch you back here tomorrow!
On the way home from downtown (Charleston) one day, Fred and I were in the car… it was dark and gloomy… you could just FEEL that it was going to start pouring rain. Then the clouds shifted, the sun showed it’s bright face which made the clouds even that more dramatic… in the distance… you can just see the rain. For those of you who live around here, this was taken on the James Island Connector (if I remember correctly) and that is the round Holiday Inn heading to the West Ashley section of Charleston.
Clouds are so cool! Catch you back here tomorrow!
Look at these grand old oak trees in Charleston, SC – aren’t they fabulous? Believe it or not, this was taken in the spring! These beautiful oaks shed their leaves in the spring, shortly thereafter, they drop what my husband and I call “squiggles”, I’m not sure the technical term. You can see the bright green in the leaves. Gotta love spring!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Brad Kunkle. Shadow led me to Brad Kunkle’s art work. Who’s Shadow? Shadow is Brad’s beautiful dog that was recently missing in Brooklyn, NY. I saw the FB post “Bring Shadow Home…” and all I could think about was Shadow. Long story short… Shadow is now back home safely, but you may want to check out the FB page, it’s a wonderful story!
Brad’s paintings are so unique, stunning in every way. The way he captures his subject, gives it a twist and paints with oil, gold and silver! Just look at those birds! They appear three dimensional, don’t they? The woman looks as if she will stand up and walk right out of the painting! Check out some of Brad’s other paintings… Wow. Wow. Wow!
Read a bit about Brad via an article “Brad Kunkle: Give Me the Light” in visionaryartistrymag.com (Fabulous!)
Kunkle’s work is prevalent in New York, where he resides. He has participated in several group and solo exhibitions since 2009 according to his curriculum vitae located on his website. He is a self-taught artist originally from Pennsylvania, who studied legendary artists and found his own niche while doing so. Kunkle tells the art publication “Fine Art Connoisseur” that he “paints to connect with the part of being human that is beautiful and slightly dark, stripped to its truth and always changing: the part of being human that appears to be romantic, but feels very real.” Each one of his paintings definitely represents this thought, all of his work is beautiful upon first glance but when you look deeper and take into account what surrounds each subject the dark side comes to light.
Image via BradKunkle.com, used with permission!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
41 Daphne Way by Our Town Plans… I think their plans are amazing. A mixture of great living inside AND outside! This plan has a 10-foot deep porch that runs the width of the house. That’s a lot of living space! Ten feet gives you enough depth to make it really usable! There is a side entry which goes into the kitchen, which is nice. A great place for a screen door (slam! haha, love those old screen doors!) – it would let in air when you’re cooking, or just when the weather is nice!
This plan is 2,156 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms. Perfect!
As you come in the front door off of the wonderful generous front porch with gorgeous french doors, ceiling fans, and enough charm to knock your socks off, you enter the Great Room area, it runs the same width as the front porch, then it’s onto the Kitchen. Also downstairs is a Master Bedroom/Bathroom and another spare Bedroom, that I, personally would use as a study… I think! Or a guest room for those who have a hard time going up and down steps!
Click HERE to see images of the inside of an actual 41 Daphne Way home… I love real photos, it helps so much!
The upstairs of this plan is so unique. It has a Bunk Loft, with 2 Bed Niche’s (built in’s are so nice, aren’t they)? A great Storage area, Dressing, Bathroom and closets. A great place for a studio (instead of one of the built in’s perhaps?) – the possibilities?? ENDLESS!
All images via OurTownPlans.com, used with permission…
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Rebecca Kinkead. WOW. Her paintings generate smiles. Big, very happy smiles. Shake (Blue Sky), above, is so fabulous, I love how you can just feel the water as this dog shakes. So happy, so wonderful in every way! Rebecca’s paintings stir a sense of happiness… especially if you love dogs, and I do!
This painting makes me think of our own beast, a Jack Russell named Charlie. He has so much character with his wild flying hair and his circus like antics. Charlie loves squirrels (and cats, and birds, and Lizzy’s and basically anything that moves)! He will spend hours “watching TV” (looking out of the sunroom window watching the squirrels in the yard, in the tree, running around, digging in HIS dirt… they jump into the tree, look him in the eye and eat HIS acorns, twitching happily, knowing that Charlie can’t get through the window). This painting, with the dog’s tail wagging a mile a minute is precious!!
I want, I want! Ha ha!
Read a bit about Rebecca’s paintings, from her website:
These paintings are based on memories, both personal and borrowed.
They are an attempt to explore a collective human experience.
Details and features remain ambiguous, inviting the viewer to seek something of themselves in the work.
The figure (human and animal) has provided a generous vehicle for color, form and surface to evolve.
Paint and wax are layered, dripped and scraped to create a sense that the subject is still emerging…
still ‘becoming’.
— rebecca kinkead
All images via RebeccaKinkead.com, used with permission…
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Today, I am sharing one of my all time favorite recipes. It’s quick, healthy, and tastes so good you will be blown away! This recipe has whole wheat (or multigrain) pasta, toasted walnuts, pecorino cheese, garlic and lemon… it’s quick to toss together and it tastes like 5-star dining! Thank you Anne Blair Brown for sharing this recipe!
Continue reading “5 Star Recipe: Pasta with Kale, Pecorino, Toasted Walnuts and Lemon!”
Recently I have added a Submission to Be Featured page to my blog (at the top). Once you click on it, you’ll see Architect Submission, Artist Submission and Emerging Artist Submission. I would like to share with you three of the Emerging Artist submissions I have received… be sure to check these artists out – and check back with them! It takes a lot to become an artist. A LOT! Sure, it’s “fun”, but it truly is a job. You have to be dedicated, manage your time wisely, and in many cases, still work a full-time job. However an artist reaches his/her peak, I truly believe it’s through struggle, (as Jerome says… DRAW, it’s the foundation!), practice, failure (which you learn from) and humble sincerity.
I’ve included a sample of each artist’s work… click on their name to be taken to their website.
All images (and Bios) via artists website, used with permission…
Jane Albin – As you’ll quickly see, Jane paints in Oil and Watercolor, she also paints Plein Air. Great work Jane! More pen and ink! Very nice!
Jane Albin creates in watercolors, oils and ink.
A resident of Lewisburg Pennsylvania, Jane’s subjects range from local street scenes to views of the Susquehanna River and surrounding countryside. She paints out of doors whenever possible.
In 2013, she won Artists’ Choice and First Place awards in the Plein Air Camp Hill Quick Draw.
Two weeks later she won first place at the Gettysburg Festival plein air quick draw.
She won the Plein Air Camp Hill Quickdraw again in 2014!
Jane worked in fashion design and production after acquiring a BFA from Parsons School of Design in NYC. While working for Calvin Klein Inc., Jane met and married husband, Bob. They had two children and started their own children’s clothing company. Jane and Bob operated KatieCo. for 17 years. Today, they own and operate the Tawsty Flower B&B.
Jane currently teaches adult watercolor classes at the Sunbury YMCA Arts Center in Sunbury Pennsylvania. You can find her most Thursday mornings and some Saturdays at Brushstrokes in Lewisburg.
Scott Dwyer – Scott has one of the best websites I have ever seen for an artist. I was blown away. The importance of having a good website should be very high. Unless maybe you sell your work through a gallery. These days everyone wants to see your work, read about you, and not just your awards, achievements and shows. People like to know a bit about YOU. It makes buying art from you more personal, and Scott has excelled at this. I am envious of his website, truly I am. Check it out, it’s beautiful, and I love how he mentions his family, his motivation for painting, etc. Stories like this keep us connected to an artist. Great work Scott! Keep on painting, we all look forward to following you!
As an emerging artist, Scott appreciates the challenge and elation that goes into making a piece of art. To an untrained eye, the tasks are masked by the simplicity and beauty of outcome; to those that study, practice, fail, and persevere, the success represents so much more – it represents the enormity of something bigger that culminates inside of a picture frame.
While considered an artist, Scott understands and respects the other titles he wears with pride. Husband, father, and finance professional quickly come to mind. After graduating with a Bachelor of Finance degree, Scott pursued a career in higher education financial administration and later obtained his MBA. It is clear that throughout his life, the quest for knowledge, acceptance of challenge, and the pursuit of the uncharted have been Scott’s hallmarks. He constantly looks for ways to make himself more educated, well-rounded, and cultural, each in an effort to make his life more meaningful. The journey towards becoming an artist is no exception.
Through competing demands, Scott finds solace in the evenings and weekends that provide precious focused time to devote to his craft. He spends that time in a combination of balanced learning and practice. When not at the easel, his artistic education is focused on a litany of art education books, magazines, and digital media. Well-thumbed books and frequently-viewed educational DVDs are only a few of the resources he uses to learn at his own pace. Those physical assets are augmented with online exploration of other artists’ work, attendance at lectures and demonstrations, and exploring galleries whenever possible.This package of educational opportunities complements his self-guided approach to art education, relying on recognized professionals that are willing to share their experience and knowledge. As an extension of that thought, he is actively seeking a mentor that can provide guidance, insight, and support to his artistic journey. For any and all of the above, he is eternally grateful.
As much as Scott understands education provides the foundation for understanding, he is keenly aware that true artistic growth mainly happens behind the brush. Principles of composition, value, color, edge, temperature, and texture culminate in Scott’s impressionistic approach. In particular, he is drawn to the use of broken color and how it takes on a more complex and brilliant visual image seen at a slight distance. Through that process, he has come to love the allure of the brushstroke and how different applications create a variety of visual aspects. Through plein air studies and finished studio pieces, Scott’s artwork continues to advance through exploration and practice of technique. He continually strives for artistic growth.
Scott finds equal inspiration from the landscape and personal relationships. While the connection to the land is obvious in most of his work, the reasons behind some pieces are not. To him, this is the part that is most satisfying, allowing him to deploy his craft as a means for strengthening relationships that he holds dear. Pieces in the possession of Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah, and Chick-fil-a in Durham, North Carolina are examples of this.
After a childhood spent in suburban Maryland, Scott now resides in Hillsborough, North Carolina with his wife and two sons. Their contact is his most important influence and source of inspiration.
Jerome Rochon – This guy can draw like no one’s business! He is so right that if you want to be an artist you need to DRAW. A LOT! He does, and it shows, check out his drawings, they are beautiful. The DIA (Detroit Institute of Arts) is a beautiful place to visit, if you’re ever in Detroit, be sure to check it out! You won’t be sorry! Great work Jerome!
I love to draw and paint. In ’91 I got a BFA from Wayne State University in Detroit. Almost twenty years later through Saginaw Valley State, I was certified to teach K – 12 Art in Michigan. Between times in college, I got a real education drawing perspectives for the top architectural illustrator in the Midwest, my dad, Richard Rochon. He gave me on the job training – the best opportunity to learn to draw. Now I teach other people’s kids how to make art.
I would like to share this bit of advice, from Jerome’s website:
Are you an artist? Then you know how important it is to draw – a lot. Do you want to be an artist? You must start with drawing. There is no other way to excel.
“Ars longa, vita brevis.” Very roughly translated: To learn art takes a lot of time. So begin!
Good advice!
On another note: Thinking about those who have served and kept the country safe. Keep them in your thoughts this Memorial Day! Catch you back here tomorrow!
A sunny yellow start (or end!) to your day! Wishing you a wonderful weekend!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Crosby’s Fish & Shrimp on Folly Road is one fabulous place! Once in a while they have wonderful dock parties on Friday from 6-10PM with fresh shrimp/fish cooked and served on the dock! Live music, great company – what more could you ask for? Get there around sunset and get some stunning photos while you’re at it! Check out their Facebook page to see if there is a dock party coming up soon!
Check out Crosby’s for your fresh seafood! Is there anything better??
Catch you back here tomorrow!
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