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!
In the midst of the summer the sun beats in our sunroom windows and heats up the space immeasurably. We had to do something… So we ordered custom solar shades. We weren’t working with a standard width window. We ended up having to get two, because the weight of one in the width we needed would be much too heavy. These shades help so much! We get morning sun in those windows, so we pull the shades and it helps block some of the heat. In the afternoon, sun reflects off of the house next door which makes the glare brutal. These blinds protect the interior from glare and harmful UV rays. They look spectacular, are easy to pull up and down and are just such a nice addition. Another bonus, during the day, you can still see out, even though it looks like the blinds would be solid from the outside. So it is nice to be able to see… it’s like having your cake and eating it too!
Back to normal posting next week – catch you back here tomorrow!
We walk past these houses on Church Street each day we work at the gallery… Stunning, each one… I love the porches. I would spend so much time out there… they are so fortunate to be in the heart of everything!
I’ll be back to normal posting next week!! Don’t miss the brownie recipe below… it’s easy, one pot, and the taste… ooooooh my gosh!
HOW can you walk around Charleston without a camera? I have no idea! There is beauty everywhere, especially if you can catch that gorgeous golden light at just the right time!
I will be back to normal posting next week, thanks for sticking with me ;)
When I see all the beauty in this area, all I can think of is that someone needs to paint it! I guess that someone should be me… but it’s hard to find time to write about art as well as do it. Still, I think I would like to pull out my paints, and instead of going in the direction I was going… maybe try something different… it could be interesting, right? Get out and go try something new today ;)
These trees are quite like something in a fairytale… like they could reach out and shake your hand, or move about and speak to each other. They are graceful yet strong, and stunning in every way!
A few years ago we were walking and came upon a few ferns left by the side of the road in the trash. They were beautiful. They were a little tired and thirsty, but nothing that couldn’t be fixed. We took them home, repotted them, gave them water and they have been on our front door step ever since. Absolutely gorgeous and so easy to care for!
They’re called a Bottlebrush Fern (also know as a Fox Tail Fern) they are the coolest plants ever! If you live in a climate where these plants thrive, they are definitely something to think about! They’re beautiful and lush green!
I know we have nothing to complain about weather-wise… the entire country took quite a beating. Cold temps, wind, ice and snow, snow, snow! We even got dusted with the white stuff here in Charleston a while back… also got some ice… ugh… but now look… the azaleas are blooming and thats not all! It’s going to be a gorgeous Spring!
Today is the first day of it… enjoy! And for those of you where Spring has not officially made its presence known… it won’t be long!! Come visit us in Charleston until it gets nice ;)
Sweet, isn’t it? I love African Violets. June, 6, 2007, when our Jack Russell “Reggie” passed away, a sweet neighbor gave us a beautiful violet. The violet florished for years. Then it started to droop seriously. We just repotted it, so I am hopeful. But I have been on the lookout for another. I used to see them everywhere. Grocery stores, Lowes, but all of a sudden… nowhere. Well, one of those sick days last week when Fred was running to the store he ran by Hyam’s Nursery on James Island (SC), and found this. Someone came in and bought every large one, but they had these small ones, and they’re beautiful. He bought a self watering pot which is beautiful, but how do you use it? Do you leave water in it? How much? If not how often do you water? I watered my old one once a week (setting it in a container with water so it could soak in from the bottom)…
Bless this man’s heart… I was sick, the dog was sick, he’s getting me soup, flowers and popsicles, and trying to take care of Charlie… oh, and work. Just want to let you know how much you are appreciated! xoxo, me
Whether you are Irish or not really doesn’t matter on a festive day like St. Patrick’s Day, now does it? Wish each other well, share a smile and have a great day!
I just have to share some of the beauty that we see on our walks… weekends are best because we have time to venture to different areas, all close to the house, and all so beautiful!
I want to start by saying… I am a healthy eater. I read labels. I don’t buy anything with corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, fillers that are bad, milk from cows treated with rBST, etc. etc.)… now with that said, when I’m sick and absolutely nothing sounds good for days and days I have to go with what my tastebuds want.
I went to the grocery store, which I didn’t think I would live through… I wandered around and picked up a few things that sounded good… fresh ginger, lemon/ginger tea, and… this… I didn’t read the ingredients until after I ate it. It was just as good as I remember 40 years ago, ha ha… I did it, and I’m over it. It got me through a day, ha ha… thanks Captain!
I took this photo the other night while I was in the study… after a week of having flu like symptoms (had a flu shot, so not sure what it was), I am still trying to come back to the land of the living. This day I couldn’t make it off the sofa, and food still doesn’t have any appeal whatsoever… whaaaat??!! Yeah, I know. One heck of a diet, ha ha… Anyway, thankful for my phone camera, I saw Fred sitting down to eat, Charlie underneath his feet, the light in the window, the wine glass… this looks perfectly staged, like in a magazine. I’m not here to say it always looks like this, ha ha… it doesn’t. I love this photo!
That’s my post for today… keeping it short the next few days… Catch you back here tomorrow!
Derek Davis. Nice painting, eh? The light in Lone Tree is spectacular – I’m telling you, you must check out this guys website!
Sky Show by Derek Davis
This is the painting that caught my eye… I was perusing Facebook… and came upon this! I love these trees, and this sky… LOVE IT! The clouds just grab you and pull you right in… Very nice indeed!
Derek Davis is a second generation artist for which painting is a process of self discovery and a means of expressing appreciation of the world around him. Searching for the poetry of the moment and reaching to express that with paint is sincerely gratifying and challenging to Derek. Although self taught, he has learned from many artists including his parents, Rink and Marilyn, and other artists such as Orlin Helgoe, Ivan Morrison, Leroy Greene, Andrew Wyeth, N.C. Wyeth, Jeanne Dobie, Edgar Whitney, Edgar Payne, Richard Schmid, Tony Couch, Skip Lawrence, Charles Reid, Betty Edwards, Ted Goerschner, Robert Henri, Nicolai Fechin and Francis Lee Jaques.
As a child in his father’s studio, Derek was exposed to a variety of art and artists. Later in life, his mother’s forays outside with an easel at her side showed him about the possibility of outdoor painting. These influences and his brother Brett introducing him to the wonder of the outdoors combined to direct his lifes choices. At the age of nineteen, Derek decided to learn to draw and paint.
While working and raising a family and with books as his constant companions, Derek spent 25 years developing his drawing and then painting skills. He was joyfully oblivious to the existing commercial art world and worked diligantly in private to grow as an artist. He worked in the traditional manner of sketching from life and painting from these sketches in the studio. During this “school” period, Derek was able to study the intricasies of painting including design, composition and color usage.
“with every piece I continue to learn, with humility I push paint and with every step I am learning to value the process of creating and understanding ‘ becoming an artist ‘ is a journey and not a destination.”
In 2007, he decided it was time to begin to quietly emerge from this self imposed time of learning.
On a chance encounter during his first showing of works, he met Joe Paquet. This encounter and the conversations that would follow led to Derek choosing to focus on painting on location outdoors or”enpleinaire”. Still having occasional studio time for larger works, figure/portrait painting and still-lifes, Derek finds the challenges and joys of outdoor painting to be an exhilirating painting experience.
“I feel there is something about being outside that’s good for the inside of a person…”
Derek paints primarily in oil or watercolor from life and is an active teacher at his studio in St. Paul, Mn. as well as workshops abroad. Derek Davis is a former president and member of the Outdoor Painters of Minnesota as well as a member of the American Impressionist Society.
IMAGES VIA DerekDavisStudio.com and “Derek Davis” Facebook with permission from the artist.
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