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!
When my parents were in town a while back we headed to Botany Bay and then to the beach at Edisto. I’ve always loved these kinds of shots, underneath the pier… very cool! Literally… much cooler than in the sun! The sound of the waves was wonderful!
Enjoy your day, may it be peaceful like lounging on the beach with the waves crashing beside you!
Landscape with Gray by Julie Schumer 50×40″ Acrylic on Panel
Gray is hot right now… I love the light pinks and the grays, very nice… beautiful soft palette with some darks to make it all p-o-p!
Barra de Santiago by Julie Schumer 60×48″ Acrylic on Panel
This one is a bit more colorful, and I love the bright colors that Julie has chosen, I like the airiness of this painting as well as the drips at the bottom, very nice work! You must take a look at Julie’s collection. The colors, ahhh, wonderful! All are different, very fun!
Julie Schumer began painting at age 5 and continued through high school. She was an abstract expressionist early on, being chastised by her elementary school teachers for her drippy non-realist work.
In college her practical nature asserted itself and she became a lawyer instead of an artist. In the following years she collected art, wishing all the while she had painted what she collected.
Finally, in 2000, she reconnected with an old friend, artist James Koskinas. He sensed her long suppressed desire to create art and asked her why she wasn’t painting. Schumer answered she didn’t know. Koskinas brought her several pieces of wood, acrylic paint and a few brushes and said, “Paint.” Schumer hasn’t stopped painting since. She and Koskinas joined forces and moved to New Mexico from the Bay Area, California, in 2002. They paint companionably together in their Santa Fe studio, a modern day Jackson Pollack and Lee Krasner.
Since reengaging with her art, Schumer has studied at the College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, California and with artists Robert Burridge, Mira White and Edward Gilliam. Her paintings immediately resonated with viewers. Her work has been exhibited across the United States and in Europe and is in many private collections.
Have you heard about the Southern Living Inspired Communities? What a cool concept. They are traditional Southern neighborhoods full of charm, beautiful architecture encouraging get togethers and real neighborhood values.
They are located in the following areas (note: this might also be a great way to see some of the Southern Living House Plans!):
For nearly 50 years, Southern Living has served as the leading inspiration for the region, featuring the best ideas and emphasizing the positive aspects about life in the South.
Southern Living Inspired Communities is a collection of neighborhoods marked by charm, taste, and Southern spirit.
These hand-picked neighborhoods embrace a pride of place and encourage new traditions of living in the South
Community Philosophy:
To embrace the natural beauty of Southern landscape.
To display the best of Southern Living inspired architecture.
To create environments that foster gatherings, interactions, and celebrations.
Deer Skull on Blue by Sarah Sedwick 23×28″ Oil on Canvas –Available
Intriguing painting, isn’t it? I like Deer Skull on Blue by Eugene, Oregon artist Sarah Sedwick. Its got a cool feel to it! I love the wall with the subtle differentiations in color. The skull… wicked good, and I’m not even from Maine! Nice shadow cast on the wall… If you like it too, you’re in luck… this painting is still available!
In the Gallery is a nice painting… nice gallery was my first thought! I really like seeing the tree through the window and the paintings within a painting. Be sure to check out Sarah’s work! Sarah has a great BLOG be sure to check it out! She’s also on FB and Pinterest (among other social media sites)! If you’re in Eugene, OR be sure to check Sarah’s work out at The Gallery at the Watershed… what a cool gallery WOW!
Born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1979, Sarah Sedwick began oil painting at age ten. In 2001, she earned a BFA from Maryland Institute, College of Art, with a focus on illustration and painting, and a minor degree in art history. She and her husband live in Eugene, Oregon, in a house on a steep hill surrounded by cherry and pine trees. They welcomed a baby daughter in 2009.
Sarah writes a studio blog, and teaches painting workshops. Her paintings have found homes across the globe, and can be seen locally at The Gallery at the Watershed in Eugene, and at her home studio, by appointment.
Catch you back here tomorrow!
All Images via SarahSedwick.com with permission from the artist…
This is one cool app. Fit Radio plays great music, and depending upon the genre/station you choose the BPM (beats per minute) vary. For example, the Top 40 has 128 BPM which keeps you walking/running at a brisk pace for sure! I don’t normally walk with headphones on because I walk with a friend during the week, and my husband on weekends… but for those rare times when I am alone, this gets my legs going as fast as they will go.
It. Was. Fun.Did I just say that?
This app is available for iPhone/Android and Blackberry devices and your first 3 hours are the premium version for free. If by then you don’t upgrade to the premium version it automatically strips you down to the free version. Their words, not mine… I am still in the premium/free version, so we shall see. From what I’ve read they have excellent customer support, and that my friends, means the world!
Change your workout, speed it up, make it count… Fit Radio can help!
Forsythia Spring by Carole Rabe 24×18″ Oil on Canvas
Stunning, right? That gorgeous sunlight exploding on that fabulous yellow wall, wow! This painting was done by artist Carole Rabe.
What a great window… ahh, I could spend a lot of time in this room!
Night: Blue Chair by Carole Rabe 30×20″ Oil on Canvas
What a great nighttime painting of this cool chair… look at all the colors! I think it makes it so interesting when everything isn’t perfect, like a photo… you can see the cool reflections in the windows which really adds a lot of pizazz! Nice work!
Another great piece, more subdued in color but equally as fascinating. I really like the base colors showing through, and that wonderful shadow on the floor… Not to mention a glimpse out of the window and a painting within a painting! Love it!
Intense observation and my response to what is around me is how I receive my inspiration. The way light hits a countertop or the side of a chair is the spark that gets the painting started. The color of light influences the color of objects and creates interactions between disparate things. My paintings are about the relationships between these elements. My imagery is personal; I need some connection to my subject matter in order for me to claim it in a painting. I work from direct observation; I am very interested in how the human eye perceives the things around us, and how the hand and heart work to put the image down on canvas. It’s a wonderful feeling when the reality of the painting takes on a life of its own and exists on its own, apart from the objects observed. It seems like such a simple thing but there is something magical and transcendent about this aspect of representation that has a very strong power for me.
All images via CaroleRabe.com with permission from the artist…
The restaurant was packed and I couldn’t find my way to a menu (well, at least not where I would have enough room to set it down to photograph), so I settled for the sign… It gives you all the information you need!
See yesterdays post to see what the fried shrimp looks like… oooooh, too good!!
THIS my friends is the 1/4# (small) shrimp dinner at Bowens Island Restaurant. The fresh, local shrimp in their delicate coating fried to perfection. This isn’t the thick batter that’s fried deep brown, this is succulent and out of this world good… so is the cole slaw… and the hush puppies… french fries are good too (and I’m not a french fry gal). I do wish you had a healthier option to go with the fried shrimp, but if you only go every once in a while its a splurge worth waiting for!
Bowens Island Restaurant is close to Folly Beach in Charleston, SC… check them out! (More details on the post from tomorrow)…
Bright Light by Alice Kirkpatrick 10×10″ Acrylic on Panel
You must check out Alice Kirkpatrick’s work! Alice is an artist from Maine and she paints everything from interiors, to landscapes, florals and abstracts! I love how she painted this lampshade a little askew. Adds character to the painting… and I’m all about character!
Red Couch by Alice Kirkpatrick 24×36″ Acrylic on Canvas
I think this is a fabulous painting. I love the red couch, and that warm light making gorgeous shadows on the floor. The colors all work so well together. Very cool to have a glimpse into someone else’s world! I would like to visit this room. I love it! Great work!
Alice also sells her work on the Daily Paintworks website… but… you’ve got to be quick! If you see something that you love, don’t hesitate!
I am drawn to quiet places that reveal more about the human spirit by their emptiness than those that bustle with human activity. I’m inspired by light, and the power it holds to move us, whether inside our own private spaces, or out in the world. While I work from photographs of places I visit regularly, what I’m seeking to express is a more universal connection we have with places of spirit–whether from dreams, from places deep in our memories, or those that are part of our daily lives. I work primarily in acrylic, preferring its immediacy and the ability it gives me to work quickly and intuitively.
While I have lived outside of Maine, I find the landscape, sea, and spirit of this corner of the world ideally suited to me, and to my art work. The opportunities for, and appreciation of both solitude and community are deeply ingrained here, and I am grateful to be a part of it, and it a part of me.
I earned my BFA in art from Colby College, and have pursued numerous art workshops and courses at Maine College of Art, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, and others. I maintain a studio at my home in Pownal.
Additional Note: Many of my paintings of interiors are of Hiram Blake Campon Cape Rosier, on Maine’s Penobscot Bay. My sister and I have spent a week or two there for the past 14 years, returning each summer for rest and renewal and inspiration. Places like Hiram Blake Camp (of which there are few remaining) allow us to pause in our busy lives and reconnect with the land and sea, with others, and with ourselves. I am grateful to my sister for suggesting we take that left hand turn off the windy Cape road on a summer day years ago…
Sweet cottage plan, isn’t it? This house plan is by Allison Ramsey Architect… one of my favorite architects! I can always find house plans that I would love to live in on their website! This cottage plan is roughly 1754 square feet with 3 bedrooms and two bathrooms. If I were building this house I would use shingles like in the illustration… second choice would be white with a metal roof, maybe painted a cool green?
I love the configuration of the rooms. They make sense, and that is what sets apart these homes. They flow well… It’s so nice to have the master bedroom downstairs and in the back of the house. Also nice to have the utility room nearby, so that laundry is close to the bedroom where you will be putting away a majority of it anyway! Great kitchen/dining layout. I might even make the dining room a informal area with a sofa and a table for casual eating… and use it as a library/tv area at times that you want to be tucked into the back of the house?
Great layout upstairs. Simple in design and it works! This is really nice for guests, they have the upstairs, you have your bedroom downstairs. Nice and private for them!
Check out Allison Ramsey’s house plans, they can do anything your heart desires!
Ooooowie! I was so happy to run across artist Sandy Welch’s paintings! I was looking at some Joan Mitchell type art and ran across her work… WOW! Her use of color makes me so happy! I Love You Joan Mitchell (above) is so vibrant with a few dark undertones to really make it stand out. I love the thicker areas of pink. WOW! Amazing…
If you aren’t familiar with Sandy, check out her website, it is so full of fabulous paintings, one after another… it took me forever to choose only two! A few remind me of Peter Max’s work, similar but different… happy and vibrant!
Spring by Sandy Welch
Then I ran across this one… oh no… Spring is a perfect name for it… like the blooms on flowers just exploding with color. This painting makes me smile, how could it not? I love all those pinks, and the light greens in the background and little pops of yellow to make it all fuse together oh so nicely!
Read a blip about artist Sandy Welch from her website:
Sandy is the consummate artist, who consistently endeavors to catch the essence of her subject, be it the pose of a fashionista, a sun-drenched luxurious meadow, or a coquettish shoe. Painting is her pulse, and her canvasses POP with provocative color and a flirtatious style.
Sandy attended the Cleveland Institute of Art and has studied with professional artists, Bob Noreika, Beth Ellis, Charles Slovek, Stuart Shils and Ilona Levitz, among others. Sandy has exhibited at the Fisher Gallery at the Farmington Valley Arts Center in Avon,Chase Gallery at the Jewish Community Center, West Hartford, West Hartford Art League, Asylum Hill Congregational Church, Hartford Stage, Real Art Ways, On Twenty, and the New Britain Museum of American Art. Sandy has been featured in the Hartford Courant numerous times, West Hartford Public Television, Farmington Valley Arts Center Connections, and Artist Magazine’s featured artist.
“Painting is vital to my life. I paint from a youthful, fresh, feminine and passionate perspective. Summer is my mirror, and fashion is my muse. My palette is filled with the delicious colors of summer. The many faces and inner beauty of women fascinate me. I’m excited by the beauty that surrounds me. This is how I choose to create my life and my art”.
All Images Via SandyWelch.com with permission from the artist…
I meant to post this prior to May 4… I hate that I missed this! Darn, darn, darn… Too many sticky notes everywhere with ideas… it’s dreadful when some of the ideas have time limits, ugh!
BUT, we can all wish them a “Happy Birthday” and stop by for something fabulous! What a cool place, it’s where you see many locals as well as people visiting. It’s very cool how you sit with others if you don’t have a large party. Let me tell you, almost every time we go we meet someone so interesting. That makes this place so much fun!
Gaulart & Maliclet (also known as G&M or FAST & FRENCH) has great specials, and if I remember right fondue night is on Thursday! We usually make it there for lunch, the cold cucumber soup is to die for AND healthy… for real!
Check out their MENU, it will blow you away! Too good for words! Check it out if you get a chance!
Nightlines by Steven Walker Winner of Plein Air Salon “Best Nocturne”
Amazing painting, right? Nocturnes amaze me. Steven really packed a lot into this painting. This painting has such a nice feel to it with the soft light from the lamps in the house and the nice light showing fabulous shadows from the street light. Very nice how the power lines were illuminated just enough to catch your eye. Steven’s work is fabulous!
Can’t you feel that bright sun in your eyes? This painting is a treat… look at those clouds.. oooh how they highlight that orangy yellow so nicely… the sun kissed landscape, very nice! Be sure to look at Steven’s website, it’s chock full of fabulous paintings!
Read a blip about Steve from his website (also check out his blog):
Born in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Steven has been captivated by art for most of his life. He earned his bachelor’s degree at Virginia Commonwealth University with a concentration in illustration. After only a few years as a freelance illustrator, Steven earned his master’s degree at Marywood University and began focusing his efforts towards fine art.
After a string of small shows at coffee shops and libraries his focus turned to gallery exhibition. Since his venture into gallery life, his landscapes have been well received by collectors. His paintings are part of several private collections such as Hilton Hotels, the Boy Scouts of America, Dominion Resources and the United States Air Force.
Steven has been included in several local and national juried competitions including the Richeson 75 Landscape Competition, the American Landscape competition in Maryland, several juried shows throughout Ohio and Virginia, the International Salon Competition and most recently, the Oil Painters of America Salon. Steven also had the privilege of being a part of a statewide traveling exhibition with the Virginia Museum of Fine Art. Recently he’s participated in several artist in residency programs in Michigan, Indiana and Iowa through the National Parks Service.
Steven, with the assistance of his lovely wife Evelyn, continues to work hard in the advancement of his career. Currently, his work is represented by the B. Deemer Gallery in Louisville, KY, The Sharon Weiss Gallery in Columbus, OH, the Vision Gallery in Atlantic Beach, NC, and the Glave Kocen Gallery in Richmond, VA.
“I should have quit years ago but that would have proved so many people right.” – SW
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