Author: Barbara Stroud

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!

Charleston Photo: Old Oak Trees with Moss… beauty from another era!

On By Barbara StroudIn HOME1 Comment

Oak lines street in Charleston, SC

This is our street in the spring… in this little area of the world, with these grand old oak trees our spring is like fall (leaf-wise)… of course fall is also like fall, ha ha… during the spring the leaves drop (and new ones quickly form), then acorns drop and finally “squiggles”… these trees are a lot of work, but I wouldn’t trade them for all the tea in China! They are gorgeous with the resurrection ferns thriving on the limbs and the moss that really makes them pretty darn outstanding! When we’re on vacation in other parts of the country and come home after a period of time this always takes my breath away! Beautiful!

I have company in town, so I will get back to normal posting next week! Enjoy your day and I’ll catch you back here tomorrow!

Charleston Photo: WHAT’S THAT SMELL? Whew!

On By Barbara StroudIn HOME, THOUGHTS2 Comments

Wisteria, Charleston SC

On my daily walk along the greenway in Charleston, SC I could see the wisteria beginning to bloom… no scent… yet. Then one morning on our walk we could smell it. There is no mistaking the scent of Wisteria, it’s heavenly. Especially when it’s all the way down a stretch of our walking path. What a nice spring treat! Smells nice and is beautiful with its pops of lavender peeking through the green vegetation… Oh, I love spring!

I have company in town, so I will get back to normal posting next week! Enjoy your day and I’ll catch you back here tomorrow!

Charleston Photo: McLeod Plantation, James Island, SC

On By Barbara StroudIn HOME4 Comments

McLeod Plantation

Pretty darn amazing, isn’t it? Charleston is such a cool city, there is so much history here that we take for granted. This is a photo of the slave cabins at McLeod Plantation (you can see the plantation at the end). This looks like it was taken years ago, but in reality, we were on our way back from Lowes (Why? Because Lowes Knows Value, hee hee… ) and the bridge was up to let a sailboat pass through. Traffic was backed up a bit which put our car right near the slave cabins. You would never know this beautiful old plantation sits on what is now a congested road… would you?

Charleston County Parks and Recreation acquired the McLeod Plantation for $3.3 million in 2011. The county plans to restore the site and open it to public use. Right now they have a fence up so that you can’t go on the property, so I hopped out of the car and snapped a few photos with my phone (how handy is it that phones have cameras… I mean really!), changed it to black and white and *POOF* looks like the 1800’s doesn’t it??

A little history about McLeod Plantation from South-Carolina-Plantations.com, for more info, check out THIS LINK… It’s so interesting! Here’s a little tease… for more, click on the link!

Buildings

  • Current status – Plantation house and 5 slave cabins still exist and are in relatively good condition.
    The old slave bell used to call slaves in from the field still hangs from an oak near the main house.The slave cabins, as well as the dairy and kitchen buildings, are believed to date from the Lightwood/Parker period (early 19th century).
  • Barn – Wooden structure possibly dating from late 19th century
  • Dairy – Unique in that the eastern half is on piers while the western half has an enclosed root cellar
  • Gin house – Two-story masonry and wood structure used to process cotton and maintained into the 1930s
  • House – “The main house is a three-story, wood-frame structure. The interior has a double pile floor plan with a central stair hall and two interior chimneys. Originally the house was oriented to the south with a one-story raised porch supported by square columns. In 1925, the principal fascade was reoriented to be the rear or northern side of the house. This renovation, in the Southern Colonial Revival style, included an addition of a projecting portico with a fan light supported by four fluted Doric columns on a raised concrete porch base. A single-story kitchen was also added at that time.” (Historic Charleston Foundation)
  • Kitchen – A central chimney divides kitchen in half. One side may have been used for laundry.
  • Slave cabins – 20′ by 12′ wooden structures sit on raised masonry pier foundations with exterior end chimneys.
    – Juneteenth Stay at Slave Cabin Offers Several Firsts – Joseph McGill, a program officer for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, documents his overnight stay in a slave cabin at McLeod Plantation in June 2010

I have company in town, so I will get back to normal posting next week! Enjoy your day and I’ll catch you back here tomorrow!

Featured Artist… John Murray!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist2 Comments

JohnMurray OrangeSlices JFM

Oranges by John Murray

Spectacular painting! I love the rich texture, the deep colored background with the orange slices just popping right out at you! You can almost feel how juicy they are! The table… oh, is that a fabulous old table! This painting is sold, but check out John’s website for even more fabulous paintings!

Here’s a blip about John from his website:

John Murray is a contemporary artist who works primarily in oil. His subject matter includes figure, landscape, still-life and portraiture. Inspired by the classical masters as a boy, his traditional training and artistic development has lead to work of quality. His paintings carry an appealing sense of clarity and color. Murray was educated at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (PAFA) in Philadelphia. In 1991 he studied at the John Michael Angel Studio in Florence, Italy. Upon graduation, he became one of four banknote designers at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, where he drew presidential portraits and worked on currency designs for 16 years. In 2005, he decided to leave the Bureau to pursue his art career full time. The same year, as a faculty member at the Corcoran School of Art, he won a grant from the Corcoran to do post-graduate work at the Repin Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia.

In 2001, his wife Lena, a Russian artist, founded the Bridgeview School of Fine Art in New York. John Murray is a co-founder and guest teacher at the Bridgeview School. Since 2005, John and Lena have been organizing summer master classes for American students in St. Petersburg, Russia at the famous Repin Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture.

John has exhibited in many venues including the International Art Expo in New York City, the Strathmore Museum in Bethesda, Maryland, and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, where he won Best of Show Alumni Award in 2002. He lives in Silver Spring, Maryland and teaches drawing, painting and sculpture at the Corcoran School of Art while continuing to paint. He is represented by Nichols Gallery in Charlottesville, Virginia and Newman Gallery in Philadelphia.

Check him out if you get a chance! Catch you back here tomorrow!

House Plan Thursday: Southern Living Plan of the Month – Garden Cottage SL1830

On By Barbara StroudIn HOME, House Plans6 Comments

HousePlan GardenCottage SL1830 SL

Garden Cottage (SL-1830) – An Exclusive Design for Southern Living by Group 3 Design

Precious. Is it not? At 540 square feet, this plan is perfect to use as a guest cottage, or as a weekend getaway situated in a scenic spot somewhere nice and quiet. With one bedroom, one bathroom, a kitchen and a living room, this plan has all the essentials for a nice stay!

HousePlan SL1830

I would ditch the bathtub and make a nice size shower and maybe see if there was a way to fit a stackable washer and dryer in the bathroom!  Oh, maybe I would add a cool little square window up above the door that can let more light in… I’m not sure what kind of ceilings this has, but I would also insulate from the rafters, then cover with wood. I love a vintage wood ceiling, whoa! Plus that would give you extra height and the little window would add a little more light. What would you do? It’s fun to dream… and see, I don’t always have lofty dreams! Ha ha…

Catch you back here tomorrow!

All images via Southern Living House Plans…

Images are not for construction or reproduction, they are property of the design firm.

Featured Artist… Bill Sharp!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured ArtistLeave a comment

BillSharp Miki BSfb

Miki by Bill Sharp / Image: Bill Sharp

The eyes. Look at the eyes. You can get the feeling that Bill described about his rescue dog Miki… you can see it in his posturing and his eyes that he’s not thrilled about a photo shoot (unlike Charlie, who runs into the photo of whatever I take). I love the name they chose for Miki… read on… Miki really stands out against this beautiful red rug, doesn’t he? What a sweet dog! Great painting Bill!

From Bill Sharp’s blog, this particular post was called “On the Carpet”:

This is our little mutt Miki. He’s a rescue dog that we got from a shelter, where he was listed as an American Eskimo mix. I believe the mix part but I think he has more Chihuahua in him than Eskimo dog. However, we looked for inuit words when naming him and settled on miki, which, according to our internet source, means small ice floe.

Obviously, since he wouldn’t hold this pose, I painted this from a photo. He’s afraid of cameras, thus the defensive posture. I wasn’t threatening him, except with the camera.

All in all, he’s a pretty good dog.

One more photo… check out Bill’s blog, it truly is filled with fabulous work!

BillSharp LawnChair BSfb

Lawn Chair by Bill Sharp

FABULOUS in every way! Catch you back here tomorrow!

Chicken Coops & How To Raise Chickens – THE Hot Thing…

On By Barbara StroudIn THOUGHTS7 Comments
BriarExtendedChickenCoop WmSonoma

Briar Extended Chicken Coop and Run / Image: Williams-Sonoma

Who knew that raising chickens would be the hot new thing? Well, it is. First you need to check to see if it’s OK to raise chickens where you live. If it is… they say before the chicken OR the egg is the COOP! You know raising chickens is the hot trend if Williams-Sonoma is now selling the coops! These are sweet. I would love this green one. Throw a chicken in it and it’s a deal breaker… the fear of having my hand pecked for reaching in to steal an egg is more than I would bargain for… (do you know a healthy chicken will lay one egg a day?) – I think I found us a retirement job! Fred wants chickens. I don’t… BUT, I want Fred to be happy ;) so we can get a cool coop, he can have his chickens (away from the house) and I will put them in pretty cartons and sell them!

WmSonomaChickenCoop2 ws

This one is cool for whoever has to be the one to go get the eggs… you don’t even have to bend down!

And even Moser Design Group (who comes up with many of those awesome house plans I feature) has a chicken coop. HOT I’m telling ya!

ChickenCoop at CarltonLanding MoserDesignGroup MDGfb

{Image: from Moser Design Group Facebook, who received their image from Carlton Landing folks from Eufaula, OK}

I found a cool bit of info from Williams-Sonoma: Learn more about coops, chickens and the benefits of farm-fresh eggs!

Whew, I’m glad we found something to do when we retire. I’m pumped! Lots to think about, hee hee… Gotta run, I have big plans to make!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Featured Artist… Eric Bowman!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist4 Comments

EricBowman LaundryDay EB

Laundry Day by Eric Bowman

How often do you see a painting that makes you FEEL something? This painting Laundry Day stands out to me in so many ways… the woman in the pink shirt looks so hot and exhausted… you can feel the heat from that iron. I just want to walk up to her, offer her a cold glass of water and tell her to have a seat… “and I’ll finish the ironing for you”! The light, the dark shadows on the wall, whoa… Eric is one talented artist, and from what I’ve heard through the grapevine… the nicest guy ever. I look forward to seeing his work in person one day!

EricBowman ValleDeLaLuna EB

One more fabulous painting… This painting entitled Valle De La Luna (sold) won the Artist Choice Award and Plein Air Magazine Award, Sonoma Plein Air 2012 – {Image EricBowman.com}

Read an interesting blip about Eric from his website:

Award winning painter Eric Bowman began his career as a commercial artist in southern California creating original oil paintings for such high profile clients as Coppertone, Nike, GTE, Hallmark, Kellogg’s, Nabisco, Southwest Airlines and the Kentucky Derby.
 
His work has also adorned the covers of  TIME magazine and The Saturday Evening Post, along with numerous books, music CD’s and other popular periodicals.  His original oil paintings reside in many private and corporate collections including the offices of Major League Baseball, the NBA and the United States Postal Service. 

As a fine art painter, Eric has garnered many awards in juried competitions, showing in national & regional exhibitions in some of the country’s most prestigious galleries.  His paintings are in collections around the world, including  England, Australia, Canada and Mexico.

Eric Bowman is an artist member of the Oil Painters of America, a Signature Member of the American Impressionist Society and artist member of the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association.  He lives with his wife and daughter in Tigard, Oregon.

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Azaleas will be gorgeous for the Flowertown Festival in Summerville, SC!

On By Barbara StroudIn HOME2 Comments

charleston rainy day azaleas

This photo was taken after a heavy rain, and the flowers held up beautifully! We’ve had a colder than normal spring which has extended our azalea blooming season quite nicely. Everywhere you look there is abundant color that you just wouldn’t believe!

Speaking of flowers… are you going to the Flowertown Festival in Summerville, SC today? There is always a large turnout (over 200,00 annually!). A busy week in Charleston, SC… Cooper River Bridge Run yesterday and Flowertown Festival this weekend… today is the last day, so get out and enjoy it! Click the above link for more information!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

 

Sanders Hot Fudge Cream Puff… oh paleeeez!

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD1 Comment

Sander's - Mackinac Island, MI

You know how it is when you have something on your mind and it won’t go away? Like a song… or a commercial (even worse) or Sanders Hot Fudge Cream Puff… oh my gosh. How I wish I could get to a Sanders right now and make myself happy, ha ha… I remember Sanders when I was a kid growing up, what a treat! A few years ago my mom, sister and I went to Mackinac Island for a getaway… and Sanders was there! What a surprise! Is there something from your childhood that you remember that instantly makes you smile! Savor those memories!

For those of you who got out and ran the COOPER RIVER BRIDGE RUN, WOOHOO! I congratulate you! I think you deserve an ice cream… wish there was a Sanders here, but we have plenty of great ice cream shops… enjoy!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Featured Artist… James Richards! Show this evening…

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist4 Comments

JamesRichards LightDance GalerieOnBroad

Light Dance by James Richards – Image: Galerie on Broad

I love the paintings by James Richards. Rarely do I have a problem selecting which painting to use in a post, but these are all so good! Charleston paintings with a different twist which I adore! This evening there is an art walk downtown (Charleston, SC), and James will have a show of his paintings at the Galerie on Broad (located on Broad Street) and (lucky us!) he will be doing a painting demo. Hope to see you there, I wouldn’t miss it! For those of you who aren’t in Charleston, you can check out his work via the gallery website or James Richards’ website!

One more… because I couldn’t resist…

JamesRichards NeighborhoodMarsh GalerieOnBroad

Neighborhood Marsh by James Richards – Image: Galerie on Broad

Read a blip about James from the Galerie on Broad website:

James Richards is driven by a passionate
connection with nature and a deep sense of
obligation to relay his vision in the most truthful
manner possible.  This ethic, manifested in his
work, is giving Richards paintings their own
place in the world of art today.

A self taught artist, James has spent years
studying the nuances of paint which has given
him a keen sense of understanding and control
over the medium.  James is an advocate of
painting from life and spends his time traveling
the world in search of new inspiration.

He has won multiple national awards and is
regarded as one of the top landscape painting
instructors in the country.  James Richards
paintings are internationally collected.

Here is some information about the art walk from CharlestonGalleryRow.com website, more info on their website… also other galleries in the area will be participating, so check it out!:

Located along Historic Broad Street, Gallery Row opens its doors for “First Fridays on Broad” and a variety of other events hosted by the 16 galleries, restaurants, and boutiques on the Row.
Description
Ellis-Nicholson Gallery, Hamlet Fine Art Gallery, Martin Gallery, COCO VIVO Fine Art |Design, UTOPIA, Edward Dare Gallery, Mary Martin Gallery, Bernie Horton Gallery, Spencer Galleries, Lambert Gray Gallery, Ella Walton Richardson Fine Art, Galerie on Broad, Robison Richards Gallery.
Immerse yourself in a rich tapestry of artistic vision created by local, emerging and nationally recognized artists… with a visit to Charleston’s Gallery Row on Historic Broad Street. Charleston was at one time the richest city in America. As such, Broad Street was the banking center of the busy port town, lined with grand old bank buildings from the 1800’s, Broad Street has been transformed into a street of the cities most diverse, fine art galleries, known as Gallery Row. 

Charleston has been named one of the top art destinations in America, with Gallery Row being a destination within itself. Stroll Gallery to Gallery, on our broad, pedestrian friendly street, browsing award winning, oil, acrylics, watercolors, pastels, mixed media, photography, clay, stone, pottery, art glass, sculpture, bronzes, outdoor sculptures, and many works by exceptional artists you will not find in any other fine art destination. The charm of the Antebellum South surrounds Gallery Row with the famed Rainbow Row, the Battery with its stately mansions, and gorgeous views. 

Gallery Row offers many culturally abundant events to include, first Friday art walks, the first Friday of every month, October’s Taste of The Arts, sponsored by Charleston’s famed Restaurant Association, February’s Blues On Broad, a yearly December brunch, customer appreciation dinners, “Meet the Artist” events, artist workshops, special event venues, gallery tours and much more.

A trip to Charleston by art lovers will not be complete without a stroll down this street, There is convenient parking located at both ends of “The Row.” Within walking distance of Gallery Row are some of Charleston’s most charming hotels, Inns , Bed And Breakfasts and award winning restaurants. 

Catch you back here tomorrow!

House Plan Thursday… Sweet cottage!

On By Barbara StroudIn HOME, House Plans2 Comments

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERALowcountry Cottage, Southern Living Plan SL-1121 by Moser Design Group

First of all, let me say THANK YOU TO FRED STROUD, for the endless resources he has provided for this post! I wanted {desperately} to show you photos of the interior and I wasn’t coming up with any {whine, whine} he overheard me {as I talk to myself, sigh} and said that you can RENT this house at Palmetto Bluff, so there ARE images for you to see, woohoo! Thanks Fred, you saved the day!

This is one of our favorite plans, the Lowcountry Cottage by Moser Design Group for Southern Living. We have dreamt many a dream about what furniture we would put where, how we would configure it to suit our needs, and of course to find a nice waterfront {this is a dream, so might as well dream big my friends!} lot to plop this house on!

This is another wonderfully open plan… another plan where the master is in the back of the house, making it more private. It’s not a small house as the image implies, it goes back rather far, square footage is a little over 2100 square feet. The images of the house plans are from houseplans.southernliving.com – this plan is called the LOWCOUNTRY COTTAGE.

HousePlan SL1121 ff SL

You have the option of one or two bedrooms upstairs… I think I would go for the two bedroom (alternate version)… make one storage and one a guest room… We don’t need another large bathroom, I would make it a single sink vanity with maybe a linen closet built in next to it instead of a double sink…

HousePlan SL1121SF SL

Click HERE  (then select the 2 bedroom Wilson Home to see photos) to go to the Palmetto Bluff website where you can rent this cottage… it shows a few interior photos which is nice… Here’s the kitchen, the one thing I love are the windows! No cabinets above… Let that sunshine in! There are a few things I would change for us personally, but the windows are ideal!

SL1121 kitchen PalmettoBluff

Catch you back here tomorrow!

All images via moserdesigngroup.com, used with permission…

Images are not for construction or reproduction, they are property of the design firm.

Featured Artist… Robert Abele!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist1 Comment

RobertAbele InTheVillage AddsnArt

In the Village by Robert Abele – Image: Addison Art Gallery

As my nephew would say, IKR (I know, right?)! This is stunning. Robert Abele is the artist and he is FABULOUS! His work reminds me a bit of Charles Sovek with a hint of Robert Movalli, both wonderfully talented artists whose work I admire so much! His work is fairly new at Addison Art Gallery (one of my favorites… I haven’t been there yet, but ONE DAY!), Helen Addison has some of the most fabulous artists ever! LOOK at the looseness of Robert’s work… the light, the shadows… stunning!

RobertAbele BeachCottages ADDSNART

Beach Cottages by Robert Abele – Image: Addison Art Gallery

This is another fabulous painting, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the power lines, the road, the water, the houses, absolutely everything about this! Great work! Check out Addison Art Gallery’s website or better yet, stop in and say hello!!

Here’s a blip about Robert from his website:

Robert Abele was born in Bronxville, NY in 1969. He has spent his life making images of the New England landscape. Madison Connecticut, North Fork of Long Island and Provincetown are a few of the places close to Robert’s heart. His paintings are done from life, plein air, in the tradition of Corot and Monet. Responding to the changing effects of light and atmosphere, capturing quick nuances and shifts in line and color. Robert studied art in New York at the School of Visual Arts, graduating in 1993 with a B.F.A. in fine art. Marilyn Minter, Juan Gonzalez and James McMullan were only a few of the professors that affected Robert’s early development as an artist at SVA. Robert’s work has appeared in the New York Times and The Washington Post. Many of Robert’s works have won national awards, often regarded as a painter’s painter. 
Robert is inspired to paint what he calls a vanishing history of America’s past. This on going life’s passion to preserve the gentle New England coast is his muse as his dialog with this subject matter will continue to challenge him visually.

Catch you back here tomorrow!