Here’s a photo of St. Phillips Episcopal Church (founded in 1680!) located in downtown Charleston, SC. It’s a gorgeous church, one that has been photographed and painted oh so many times. It’s in the heart of the city, near the market and all the other happening locations.
Hope you are all having a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! Wow, Memorial Day… ALREADY!?
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Well the Spoleto Festival is here! The city is packed with people and the Dock Street Theatre is a happening place! Don’t you just love this door color… it’s so… Charleston! Click HERE to read about the history of the Dock Street Theatre!
Enjoy your time here if you’re visiting… and if you live here, are you attending any of the performances? Let me know, I’m excited to hear about what people are going to see and how they liked it!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
“And On It Goes” by Laurie Meyer
We have the most beautiful old oak trees here in Charleston, SC… boy, if only trees could talk, the stories they could tell! I think Laurie captured this one nicely!
Here’s more about Laurie from the Wells Gallery website:
Laurie Meyer has lived and painted in Charleston, SC for over twenty-five years. Following careers in education and corporate sales, Laurie devoted her life to her first love – painting – in 1997. Life in Charleston has provided Laurie with countless subjects and rich inspiration for her award winning paintings. Her frequent travels have also given Laurie varied and interesting ideas for many of her works. She paints with rich color and broad “brushy” strokes and palette knife to express the unique and recognizable softness in her work. Art has also played a role in community involvement for Laurie. She is the past president of the Mt. Pleasant Artists Guild, serving two terms. Laurie also served eight years on the Board of Directors of the Alzheimer’s Association and originated the Art of Alzheimer’s exhibit, now under the auspices of the Charleston Artist Guild. Laurie is past Program Director and past Director of Artistic Growth for the Charleston Artist Guild. She is a member of the Oil Painters of America, Charleston Outdoor Painters Association, the SC Watercolor Association, and the Portrait Society of America. Laurie resides on Daniel Island, SC with her creative and supportive husband. Her three daughters, on their own or in college, are also creative with art and writing. “I am thankful to be blessed with the opportunity to do something I love. Painting has been part of me since I was a child and I still live for the artistic journey. I love rich color and textural strokes painted with gesture and spontaneity. I seek interesting designs with playful shadow structures in my street scenes and rich natural colors in my landscapes. Capturing light is a challenge and a thrill. Painting “en plein air,” nature’s studio, is a luxury and a great teacher, but weather and time constraints mean I also paint in the indoor studio. Either way, my challenge is to interpret what I see and express it in my unique style.”
We would like to wish Fred’s mom a very H A P P Y B I R T H D A Y ! ! We hope it’s the best! xoxo US
Catch you back here tomorrow!
The Piccolo Spoleto Outdoor Art Exhibit start T O M O R R O W ! The outdoor art exhibit is located in downtown Charleston, SC at Marion Square. Get out and see all there is to offer! Lots of artists, as well as some artist demonstrations which are always so much fun to watch! There is so much talent situated in one park, it’s a great time!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
“Dockside Conversation” by Jerry Rose / Image: Bayview Gallery
I think Bayview Gallery is full of some pretty fabulous artists. We were in Camden, ME one year and were so excited to visit the gallery, it was the first time we saw Charles Movalli’s work in person. STUNNING. HUGE pieces everywhere. We signed up for their mailing list which notifies you of any new artists, etc. We received an email the other day introducing artist Jerry Rose. Don’t you love this painting? The water looks like glass… I love the brilliant white boat against the oh-so-dark water… and those fabulous reflections… makes for a very nice painting! If you’re in Maine, Bayview Gallery has two locations, one in Camden and one in Brunswick. Stop in, say hello and take a look at all the fabulous art!
A blip about Jerry from the Bayview Gallery website:
Jerry Rose Sedgwick, Maine painter Jerry Rose uses dynamic brushwork and luscious textures to capture the ever changing landscape of the mid-coast and neighboring islands. He has an affinity for the working waterfronts and vernacular architecture of the small villages that make up his local scene.
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Tumbleweed Tiny Houses – Fencl Plan
This is how I picture Fred and I moving to Maine… we’ll pack up the house and find a nice little spot near water, a general store, a bakery, and a grocery store… ha ha. IS THIS NOT THE COOLEST PHOTO? Look at this house! This is one of the bigger in the Tumbleweed Tiny House plans... it’s the Fencl plan. Could you do it? I’m thinking we could maybe do it if we parked the U-Haul under a tree to store all of our stuff in, ha ha. Click on the link under the photo to see the interior shots (shown furnished). Is it ever SWEET! Take a look at the other houses they have, it’s just so interesting to me! I first heard about these tiny houses on Colin Pages Journal. Colin is a cool guy that mentions not only art, but all kinds of neat things, this being one of them! The smallest house starts at 65 square feet AND INCLUDES A KITCHEN AND BATHROOM! The larger cottages range from 261-874 square feet. These things are cool, check out the interior photos!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
“Still life with purple brush” by Tom Balderas – Image: Sharp Art Gallery
Fred and I were meandering through M Gallery in Charleston, SC where we came upon a piece by Tom Balderas, it was so striking. Those dark darks next to the light lights just pull you right into the painting, and those bits of white where the canvas shows through, I love that! I found this piece at the Sharp Art Gallery (which appears to be strictly an online gallery which is quite interesting… if you’re an artist you might want to check it out!)… If you’re located in Charleston, SC (or are visiting), Tom does have work at M Gallery, stop in a take a look!
This is the painting that recently sold, very striking…
“Child and still life” by Tom Balderas – Image: M Gallery
And now, for the best part (other than the actual paintings)… the “About” Tom Balderas… this is so interesting! AND SO CREATIVE, but what else would you expect? From the Sharp Art Gallery website:
TOM BALDERAS
Third son of four. painter. writer. musician. photographer. thinker. creator.
listener. observer. human. social. loner. understanding. misunderstanding. giver. taker. wanter. perfectionist. imperfect. mess. father.
Found himself dwelling upon an emotional and artistic precipice since birth.
Growing up in Torrance, California, Tom Balderas lived only a few miles from the ocean, which has made nature, along with his family, the main inspiration of his paintings.
Balderas attended Loyola Marymount University, where he studied film production and art. After graduating, he worked several years for NBC Productions and made many made-for-television movies.
He then began studying under the tutelage of his photographer father, as well as Joseph Mendez, master painter and teacher. Balderas considers the time spent studying with Mendez to be the cornerstone of his growth as a painter.
Also, studied with charles, anne, jennifer, daniel, sophia, lynne, joseph, harold, zen, elliott, starbuck, dan, andrew, dr. block, zinaida, david, e. charlton, michael, rose, ken, walter, selden, chris, armin, joaquin, edward, bejar, valentin, george, edward, jesus, pierre, rachel, mort, to name but a few of so many.
Works towards progress.
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Isn’t this striking? That brilliant blue against the stark white… This is St. Michael’s Episcopal Church steeple. We were downtown (I think we covered nearly every street taking photos, but once you start it’s so hard to stop!) and captured this image.
Enjoy your day! Catch you back here tomorrow!
Island Inn, Monhegan Island, Maine… opening May 25, 2012 – The quiet that the island has endured over the past winter is almost over… it’s time for the Island Inn to open up next week, and with the opening will come some lucky people! Some there for the first time, not knowing what to expect, others most likely that have been coming this same time each year. If you’re new to the island, click HERE for the Visitor’s Guide to Monhegan, ME. We have met some of the most fascinating people on this island, it’s why we keep going back. Revel in the fact that there is no TV, no alarm clocks and all the “stuff” that keeps you wired… enjoy it! The peaceful quiet very well may overwhelm your senses!
Treat the island well… leave no trace. Enjoy and embrace the peacefulness that this island offers. You will miss it once you leave!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
“Bannister” by William Wray
Can I just say THANK GOODNESS I FOUND THIS PAINTING! I’ve had this in my mind forever… this painting is just so intriguing… it’s a bannister and a staircase I know, but it’s something mysterious or something that has caught in my brain and I haven’t been able to let it go. I swear I featured this artist already. I went through my entire blog… nothing. I couldn’t remember the artists name for the life of me, and if Fred didn’t also see it I would swear I was losing my mind. We tried to find it last week, searched every gallery, every artist that we could think of and came up with nothing. Then I was on Frank Gardner’s website (you must visit! he is an exceptional artist, he never continues to amaze me with his work!), reading his blog, this post specifically… (click HERE to read!)
When, WHEW… Frank had William Wray on his list as well as the image. YAY! I’m not crazy, whew! I think I’m going to order a cake to celebrate, ha ha… So THANK YOU Frank, for your list, which was SPOT on, I’m so thankful I ran across it again!
Ok, onto the featured artist… William Wray. Look at this painting… this man is not afraid to put some paint down with some color to it! I love that wonderful orange popping through the violet… whoa! I wonder if this was really the color this stairwell was or if this is his interpretation? Would be interesting to know. Either way the color is amazing. I love how artists can take something mundane and by changing the colors within the image it takes it from drab to WOW! This painting is on his website under “Interiors”. Great website so take a peek! William has a tab on his website “INFLUENCES”, and it’s brilliant! A link to the artists who have had an influence on him. Great information! Thank you William!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Sunset Serenade
Charleston, SC is gearing up to be one happening, busy, event-filled, art loving city! The other day I mentioned the Spoleto Festival that transforms Charleston, SC for 17 magnificent days. In addition to the regular Spoleto events are the Piccolo Spoleto events, many of which are free. You need to go to their website, you can see the schedule of events, the price (or if it’s free), the location and dates/times. There is a fabulous art show in Marion Square, a Craft Show for a few weekends as well as events peppered throughout the city. So if you’re close by (or if you are far, it’s worth it, I promise), pick a few that appeal to you, get in on the action that makes Charleston such a great place to live. Music, theater, dance, art, crafts, you name it… so take a peak at their website! There is so much being offered that you really MUST take a look!
Here is just a sample of what is being offered… Sunset Serenade showcasing “Porgy and Bess” (pictured above)… Here is some info from the Piccolo website!
Joseph Young, Guest Conductor
America’s beloved opera, Porgy and Bess comes to life in concert form in this exciting program. Guest conductor Joseph Young – a native of South Carolina- leads the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, the CSO Spiritual Ensemble and Gospel Choir, plus two international opera stars in a performance of highlights from George Gershwin and DuBose Heyward’s classic work. Maestro Young, resident conductor of the Phoenix Symphony, is nationally acclaimed as a rising star among the nation’s symphony orchestra conductors. The program also includes selections from Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story and Aaron Copland’s Rodeo. U.S. Custom House, Concord & Market Sts.; May 25 from 8-9:30p.m.; Admission: FREE.
Piccolo Spoleto Outdoor Art Exhibit: Award-winning S.C. artists display their works at Marion Square; demonstrations each day. Marion Square, King and Calhoun Sts. May 25-June 10; 10am-6pm. Admission: Free.
Outdoor Crafts Fair: Artists and artisans from across the U.S. present artwork in various media. Wragg Square, Charlotte & Meeting Sts. May 25-May 27; June 1-3; Fri.-Sat.: 10am-6pm; Sun.: 11am-5pm. Admission: $3 Adults; Free for Children/Seniors; Sundays: $1 Adults.
AND SO MUCH MORE!
I’m letting you know ahead of time so you can be planning your itinerary! Catch you back here tomorrow!
Images: Piccolo Spoleto
“In the Studio” by Hiu Lai Chong
Hiu Lai Chong’s work is absolutely amazing. Her plein air pieces are fabulous, so loose and airy, where you feel as if you’re there. The paintings she does of people captures their very essence. I have not met this artist (yet)! and by the title of this piece “In the Studio” it makes me wonder if this is a self portrait? It’s gorgeous. I bow to those of you who can paint people… I think it’s a talent that not a lot of us were meant to have. To be able to capture that person in a painting is breathtaking! Hiu Lai Chong has a wonderful website, check it out! She participates in a lot of the plein air events, that information is also on her website!
A blip about the artist from her website:
Hiu Lai Chong finds her painting inspiration at local marinas and shorelines along the beautiful Chesapeake Bay. She loves painting from life and enjoys using vivid colors and sensitive brush strokes to express mood and feeling in her work.
She received her early art training in Hong Kong at the Jockey Club Ti-I College, and earned her Associate in Applied Science degree from Navarro College and her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago with the Fellowship Award. She continued her art education through various workshops and classes at The Art League in Alexandria, Virginia and around the country.
Today she focuses on landscape, portrait and figure painting, enjoying the beauty that all of nature offers. She is a member of the Portrait Society of America, Signature Member of the American Society of Marine Artists, a member of the Washington Society of Landscape Painters, Mid-Atlantic Plein Air Painter Association, and the Chinese Culture and Art League. Her paintings have won awards and been shown in museums around the country including the Academy Art Museum (MD), Coos Art Museum (OR), the Biggs Museum of American Art (DE), the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts (MD), and the Buffalo Naval Park Museum (NY) and AnHui Museum in China.
Influences:
John Singer Sargent, Rembrandt van Rijn, Chao Shao-an, Richard Schmid, David Leffel, and Nelson Shank’s Studio Incamminati. Robert Liberace, Rick Weaver, Danni Dawson, Ted Reed, Sara Poly, Ross Merrill, and Ed Ahlstrom, Sandra Dowd, Tom Sale.
I love it when artists mention others artist who inspired them! Read more about Hiu Lai Chong here…
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Image from Hiu Lau Chong’s website!
Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra performing at the Gaillard Auditorium
Charleston, SC is so fortunate to be the home of the Spoleto Festival each year. If you’ve never been and have been considering it… let me tell you… there is so much to do and see. Charleston, SC in general has so much to offer, but this is one event that lasts from May 24, 2012 through June 10, 2012. Click HERE to check out the Spoleto Festival website…
The Gate Theatre presents HAY FEVER, a play performed at the Dock Street Theatre
To make it easy for you, check our their website. It truly gives you so much information. You can see all events/purchase tickets, etc. by looking at the Program View. Or you can click to see the events/purchase tickets, etc. by the Schedule View. The website also provide FAQ and a ton of other info, so take a peek! From jazz to comedy, plays, orchestras, acrobatics, you name it and you’ll probably see it!
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater to perform at the Gaillard Auditorium
Don’t wait too long to get tickets… Charleston is a happening place during Spoleto, visitors come from far, far away… the locals take advantage of all there is to offer. You’ll have the time of your life! Check out the Spoleto website to view the online schedule or to have a schedule mailed to you!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
All images from the Spoleto Festival USA 2012 website!
“Federal Street, Middlesburg, VA” by Denise Dumont
Let me tell you how thrilled I am that Facebook exists… I find the most wonderful artists that way, and sometimes they find me, which is always intriguing… When I happened upon Denise Dumont’s work, I stopped in my tracks. She has that innate ability that you hear me mention post after post… LOOSENESS. This painting, “Federal Street, Middlesburg, VA” is a great example of that loose style. This painting won “HFCA Appreciation of Excellence in Plein Air Painting”. It never ceases to amaze me when an artist can depict an everyday scene and make it exciting. The color of the house and roof… POP… the shadows… great painting! Check out Denise’s website for gallery information as well as a chance to check out her paintings. They’re fabulous, and most are sold, but you can take a peek!
Here’s a blip about Denise from her website. I look forward to meeting her in person one day and seeing her work!
Denise Dumont is a representational painter who enjoys capturing the character and beauty of the everyday world around her. She is drawn to the coastal landscapes and cityscapes of the Atlantic region and travels often with her sketchbook and portable easel in hand.
Denise received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Parsons School of Design in New York City. She studied further at the School of Visual Arts and frequented the studios of the Art Students League. Her work has been largely influenced by Edward Hopper, Edouard Vuillard and Fairfield Porter.
“My favorite scenes are usually found in the light of early morning or late afternoon when the shadows are deep and dramatic.” Denise often paints outdoors in the plein air tradition and works on larger canvases in her studio.
Born in New York, Denise spent her childhood on Long Island and adult years in New York City where she lived until 2004. She currently divides her time between Delaware and the DC metro area and maintains a warehouse studio in Baltimore.
Recognized as an accomplished landscape painter in the region, Denise’s credits include: South Street Gallery’s “Best New Artist to Plein Air Easton”, “Best in Show” at the Rehoboth Art League’s Regional Exhibition and the League’s Plein Air Competition and multiple awards from the Mid-Atlantic Plein Air Painters Association.
Denise’s paintings are held in private collections across the country and in the public collections of the Academy Art Museum in Easton, Maryland and the Lewes Historical Society Museum in Delaware. Denise exhibits regularly and is represented by fine art galleries in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Let me start of by saying how thankful I am for having such an awesome mom. She’s the coolest of all moms, funny, sweet, loving and strong. Very, very strong. I bet she doesn’t realize that (do you mom?)… Anyone that can get through cancer is a tough cookie, and to go through it with a great attitude is a big accomplishment, as well as being such an inspiration. I think I’m going to start calling my mom “Grace”… she’s got lots of it!
I’m also thankful for my mother-in-law. I know there are the standard jokes about mother-in-laws being dragon ladies… I lucked out (again) and got a super sweet lady, just like me, hee…
I know some of you no longer have your moms… I’m so sorry, holidays can be so tough. I hope you are able to keep your mom in all your good thoughts. You do know she can still hear you when you talk to her, right? That’s a small comfort…
Lots of you are mom’s… hard work no doubt. Personally, I’m a dog mom. The cards didn’t fall in my favor with the ‘having a kid’ thing, so Mother’s Day has it’s moments for me as well… But I am Charlie’s mom (woof)… and I’m a good dog mom, ha ha… (PSSST, Charlie you’re a lucky dog!)
H A P P Y M O T H E R’ S D A Y ! ! !
Come on Charlie, lets go play in the sprinkler! Catch you back here tomorrow!
Vintage Image via: VintageScrapbooking.blogspot.com
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