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!

Moose Head and Moose Antlers… What’s HOT now!!

On By Barbara StroudIn HOMELeave a comment

White Lacquer Moose Head – Image: Z Gallerie

Have you noticed how hot MOOSE HEADS are becoming? I thought about this for above the fireplace… dark brown walls with a white lacquer moose head, how sharp would that be…? If we didn’t have so much wonderful art I would truly consider it! How about for your home? Is there somewhere a moose head could make a major statement??

Moose Antlers by Restoration Hardware (Image)

Restoration Hardware has some fabulous moose antlers in cast resin. They use antlers that were naturally shed to cast in resin. Great in a library, hmmmm??

Image: Diggs

Carved Wood Moose Head from Diggs… it’s a little pricier, but should be… it’s hand carved wood…

Image: Here

Oooh, and this one takes “night light” to a new level… The “Moo light” Moo Wall Lamp by Trond Svendgard & Ove Rogne

Iron Stag, Restoration Hardware

And one more by Restoration Hardware… this Iron Stag makes quite the statement doesn’t it?

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Featured artist… Brian Rego!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured ArtistLeave a comment

“Backyard at Woodrow” by Brian Rego {Image: City Art Gallery}

This is such a sweet painting. I love the happy colors, very spring/summer… This painting was done by artist Brian Rego. He’s got a very distinct style and I like it! Almost that cool paint by number look that I adore… not sure how to achieve it, I believe it’s a style, and it’s one I like!

Here’s a blip about Brian from City Art Gallery’s website:

Brian Rego received a Bachelors of Fine Art at the University of South Carolina with a concentration in oil painting in 2004. He displayed his work in the Solo Senior Exhibit in the McMaster School of Fine Art Gallery in 2004. He is the recipient of the Ed Yaghjian Award from the University of South Carolina for distinguished undergraduate work. In 2007, Brian Rego received a Masters of Fine Art at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia, PA, and displayed his work in the 2007 Annual Student Exhibition in the Academy’s Hamilton Museum. Rego has participated in group and solo exhibitions and has shown his work in Australia, New York, Philadelphia, Vermont, Greenville, and Columbia. Brian currently teaches oil painting and drawing classes at City Art and at the University of South Carolina. 

Artist’s Statement

“I paint my subject from life and consider it to be a great joy and an immense struggle. I hope to capture the feeling of these synonymous realities in my paintings. For me, the purpose of painting is to tap into something that is profoundly human, something sensual that lies on the fringe of memory, a reality both strange and familiar. “

Check out Brian’s website! Catch you back here tomorrow!

Downton Abbey… addictive!

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Downton Abbey – Series 1 

Well, we’re finally getting with it… we started watching Downton Abbey – Series 1 last night. I wasn’t sure about this… I had reservations… IT. WAS. AWESOME. To see how the very wealthy live is quite interesting… can you imagine having such a large staff just for you and your family? The trials and tribulations, the way the workers treat each other (poor Bates!), the way the family treats each other AND the workers… it’s encapsulating… you just can’t stop watching! Rent it, borrow it from the library, get it from Netflix, just watch it! You don’t want to miss out! Here’s a little blip from the PBS website:

The Downton Abbey estate stands a splendid example of confidence and mettle, its family enduring for generations and its staff a well-oiled machine of propriety. But change is afoot at Downton — change far surpassing the new electric lights and telephone. A crisis of inheritance threatens to displace the resident Crawley family, in spite of the best efforts of the noble and compassionate Earl, Robert Crawley (Hugh Bonneville, Miss Austen Regrets); his American heiress wife, Cora (Elizabeth McGovern); his comically implacable, opinionated mother, Violet (Maggie Smith, David Copperfield); and his beautiful, eldest daughter, Mary, intent on charting her own course. Reluctantly, the family is forced to welcome its heir apparent, the self-made and proudly modern Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens), himself none too happy about the new arrangements. As Matthew’s bristly relationship with Mary begins to crackle with electricity, hope for the future of Downton’s dynasty takes shape. But when petty jealousies and ambitions grow among the family and the staff, scheming and secrets — both delicious and dangerous — threaten to derail the scramble to preserve Downton Abbey. Created and written by Oscar-winner Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park), Downton Abbey offers a spot-on portrait of a vanishing way of life.

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Featured Artist… Kathleen Dunphy!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist6 Comments

“Low Tide” by Kathleen Dunphy 

There are so many wonderful paintings in this world to choose from… many are from artist Kathleen Dunphy. She is AMAZING! Her artistic ability is out of this world… I normally try to select paintings that are for sale… Low Tide appears to be for sale (hurry if you like it, it most likely won’t be around for long!), there was another that caught my eye… it’s sold, but I wanted you to see it. To me, this is perfection…

 “Morning Reflections” by Kathleen Dunphy

This is one gorgeous painting… it’s clear and crisp and truly looks, feels and even SMELLS like early morning out on the water. What a fantastic painting! Congratulations to whoever bought it!

Do you know nearly every single painting on her website that includes a structure of any kind has sold? Therefore… one more sold painting!

“Lange Barn” by Kathleen Dunphy

Here’s a blip (all images as well) from Kathleen’s website (fabulous website and blog, it’s got to be hard to find the time to keep things updated, post a blog entry AND paint, but I can tell you… WE APPRECIATE IT! So thank you to ALL of you wonderful artists who update and keep the rest of us waiting for more!).

In the mid-1990’s, Kathleen Dunphy started her art career by displaying colored-pencil dog portraits in coffee shops and veterinary clinics in Eagle River, Alaska. Little did she know that less than a dozen years later, she would be a highly acclaimed oil painter, exhibiting her work in galleries across the United States and garnering awards from some of the top art competitions in the country. Kathleen’s rapid success in the competitive art world was predicted when American Artist Magazine recognized her as one of the Top Ten Emerging Artists in 1998. She is one of those rare people who have true passion, dedication, and a gift for transposing nature’s beauty to the canvas.

Kathleen’s early art education included workshops by Kevin MacPherson and Dan Gerhartz. In 2000, Kathleen was awarded a full scholarship at the prestigious Academy of Art College in San Francisco, where she was mentored by artists such as Craig Nelson and Brian Blood. She maintains strong ties to the Academy, where she has been offered a faculty appointment and participates in the annual Alumni Auction. Further study with Scott Christensen and T. Allen Lawson helped hone her skills and refine her own unique style of painting.

In 2003, Kathleen and her husband designed and built a log home and studio in the Sierra Nevada foothills of northern California, where the pristine setting of her new home provides endless inspiration for her work. Kathleen’s landscape paintings can now be found in galleries from coast to coast, and in 2009, she exhibited her 10th solo show. Her honors and considerable and include important juried shows in California, Texas, Georgia, Arizona, and Maine; Best of Show from The American Impressionist Society; an Award of Excellence from the Oil Painters of America; five California Art Club Gold Medal Shows; six magazine articles, including being featured in Southwest Art’s Plein Air issue in 2009; the Federal Duck Stamp Competition; Birds in Art; Arts for the Parks; Grand Prize at the Acadia Invitational Exhibition in Bar Harbor, Maine; signature status in Oil Painters of America, Laguna Plein Air Painters, and the American Impressionist Society; and many others.  In just twelve years, she has earned an impressive and growing reputation with galleries, private collectors, and art magazines across the United States.

In the spirit of passing on the gifts of her artistic abilities, Kathleen began teaching in 2005 and is a much sought-after workshop instructor. Her engaging style of teaching and one-on-one instruction garners high accolades from her student artists. She has also served as a judge for several art competitions. While her current passion is still to paint nature every day and produce a limited number of high quality paintings, she is now working on a book about her process of developing a work of art from field study to finished studio paintings.

Catch you back here tomorrow!

The Charleston Farmers Market starts TOMORROW! Saturday, April 7, 2012!

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, HOMELeave a comment

Yippee! Tomorrow (Saturday) starts the Charleston Farmers Market. Located in Marion Square each Saturday from 8AM – 2PM. (Image from last year). I am thrilled! The market will go on through December. There is NOTHING like fresh fruits and vegetables, gorgeous flowers, tasty treats, and all kinds of artistic finds… we are so fortunate to have such a fabulous farmers market!

Last year we were listed as having the fifth best farmers market in the NATION! Whoa! Here’s a blip from the Charleston Arts website:

CFM11 Poster Image

 

April 7 – December 23, 2012
Marion Square, Downtown Charleston

The Charleston Farmers Market is available each Saturday from 8am-2pm in the beautiful Marion Square, between King and Meeting Streets at the edge of Calhoun Street in the Upper King Street Design District. The park at Marion Square has long been the center of festive activities and is the perfect tranquil setting for the Farmers Market. Nestled beneath beautiful trees with plenty of room for families to gather and children to play, the Farmers Market comes to life each Saturday morning and offers an abundance of the freshest local produce, shrimp, plants, herbs and cut flowers. While strolling the Charleston Farmers Market, a delicious breakfast, brunch or lunches are available while listening to a variety of live entertainment. The Farmers Market also offers an amazing assortment of juried arts and crafts, providing the best selection and most talented local artisans.

Catch you back here tomorrow! Maybe I’ll see you at the Farmers Market?



See… it IS possible… it CAN be good!

On By Barbara StroudIn HOME, THOUGHTS6 Comments

Look at this happy couple… this is Fred’s parents, Bobbie and Carlisle Stroud. Today my friends… is their 55th wedding anniversary. So you see, it IS possible to be married for a lot of years and still be happy! IT IS possible that life can be good when married to the same person for a number of years. We wish them the happiest anniversary day ever!

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.

~Marcel Proust

Catch you back here tomorrow!

It’s here… the Restoration catalog, NOW with one devoted to small spaces!

On By Barbara StroudIn HOME2 Comments

Last year when the massive Restoration Hardware catalog was delivered I slowly devoured it. Dreaming of each and every piece… but  W A I T ! Your home is your castle, right? BUT if you’re home isn’t LITERALLY a castle most of these pieces simply will not fit! This year I’m happy to report there is the big Restoration catalog that is such a pleasure to browse through, as well as a catalog devoted to the Outdoors… and now… one for small spaces, WOHOO Restoration Hardware! Each and every piece is classy without a doubt. These catalogs can easily double as coffee table books!

What?! You didn’t receive a catalog?? If interested, simply click HERE to be directed to Restoration Hardware’s catalog request page!

Here are a few pieces from their “Small Spaces” catalog… just a few… if I added every one that I truly adored you would be scrolling for hours! Here is the LINK to the Small Spaces catalog on their website…

Here’s a blip from their catalog… it’s gorgeous!

I like these pieces and I really like the French Partner’s Desk (top left)… gorgeous! Great job Restoration!

This bed looks too comfy, makes you want to jump right in… I would use a great piece of art instead, but that’s me… lovely!

Ok, check them out and I’ll catch you back here tomorrow!

Get your ticket for Family Circle Cup Tennis… March 31 through April 8, 2012!

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Family Circle Cup Tennis…  [Image 2011]

Well… if you haven’t made your way out to a Family Circle Cup Tennis match yet, now’s your chance… I was on the Family Circle Cup website today and I see that Serena Williams will be playing tonight! Here’s a blip from FamilyCircleCup.com

Session begins at 7:00pm. 
Get your tickets today – great seats are going fast!  Ticketmaster.com

Serena Williams, 2008 Cup Champion, with highligh the Tuesday, April 2nd evening session, beginning at 7:00pm
*Serena will face the winner of the Elena Vesnina / Stephanie Dubois match to be played tomorrow.

We went last year and had a great time, so if you’re looking for something to do, get your tickets now, it’s fun! There is a great tent full of merchandise to purchase as well as vendors set up all over the place. It’s a lot of fun even if you don’t know a lot about tennis!

Visit their website for further details!

Here’s the history on Family Circle Cup tennis… check it out (info from FamilyCircleCup.com) – catch you back here tomorrow!

History – A Shining Star in Women’s Tennis
The early 70’s were a period of uncertainty for women’s tennis but at the same time it was also a time of hope for young women who had dreams of playing professional sports. They wanted their sport to grow and earn the recognition, equality and respect that their male counterparts were enjoying. The sport needed a company who believed in the future of women’s tennis and was willing to take a chance on what many people at the time thought was a long shot. Family Circle magazine stepped up to the challenge and the rest as they say is history, and history in the making it was.

From a historical perspective, few tournaments can compare to the Family Circle Cup. Initially signing on to sponsor the event in 1973, Family Circle magazine holds the record in all of professional tennis as the longest running event sponsored by the same company. Family Circle was the first women’s magazine to fully underwrite a professional women’s sporting event. Since 1973, the Family Circle Cup has been a pioneer in women’s professional sports creating milestones that over the years have directly influenced the popularity of women’s professional tennis. It is a tournament rich in tradition that has been highlighted over the past 39 years with a number of outstanding accomplishments.

In 1973, it was the first women’s tennis event to offer a $100,000 dollars in prize money. As the first Family Circle Cup champion, Rosie Casals received a check for $30,000, which was the largest prize money payout awarded to a woman that year. Even more remarkably, the Family Circle Cup was the first women’s event to be broadcast on network television in 1973. Players who participated in that first tournament still have fond memories of the significance of this occasion. Billie Jean King remarked that the final between Rosie Casals and Nancy Richey was not the best played match due to the nervousness of both players, but every player there that day knew that it was a historic day in women’s sports. Millions of viewers became instant fans, and women’s tennis was well on its way to the heights that the game has reached in present times. Today, the tournament receives four days of coverage on ESPN2, and is also broadcast on Eurosport to over 95 million homes in Europe.

In 2001, the Family Circle Cup made a bold move to secure its success for the future. After 28 years in Hilton Head, the tournament moved to a new home in Charleston, South Carolina. This partnership between the City of Charleston and Family Circle magazine is the first of its kind in women’s tennis. Family Circle magazine is the first title sponsor to partner with city and county municipalities to build a tennis facility of this stature. This state-of-the-art facility not only serves as the home for one of the Premier Events in the WTA, but also provides residents of greater Charleston access to one of the finest tennis facilities in the southeast.

Every spring, the City of Charleston and Daniel Island serves as a backdrop to one of the richest and most traditional events in women’s professional tennis. The Family Circle Cup, a WTA Premier Event, has a roster of past champions that include some of the biggest names in the history of women’s tennis including Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Tracy Austin, Steffi Graf, Gabriela Sabatini, Martina Hingis, Jennifer Capriati, Venus Williams, Justine Henin, Serena Williams, and Caroline Wozniacki.

As one of the hottest tickets in professional sports, the Family Circle Cup is more than just a tennis tournament, it’s a festival with some world-class tennis thrown in. During the week, fans are entertained with a variety of activities aimed at making their week on Daniel Island a memorable one. It’s an action packed nine days filled with high-level tennis and a host of other activities that have been created for all age groups from children to senior citizens.

The Family Circle Cup, one of the most traditional events in women’s tennis, will continue to cement itself as an annual institution in Charleston, a city that is truly one of America’s most historic treasures.

The Family Circle Cup boasts a prize money purse of $749,160. Over ninety players compete for a piece of that purse each year and battle for one of the most coveted trophies in women’s tennis – when that is at stake, it is all business on the court.

Where most sporting events settle for status quo, the Cup continues to strive for excellence. The future of women’s professional tennis is as bright as ever, and the Family Circle Cup will continue to be its shining star.

Featured artist… Stuart Roper!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist1 Comment

“The Problem Solvers” by Stuart Roper

Stuart Roper, a wonderful artist from Asheville, NC… I love it when an artist can take a mundane scene and make it spectacular! Something like workers on the side of the road… this is fabulous, what does it for me is the ORANGE. I think a painting that has orange really catches the eye… it draws me to it… same with red, it’s probably WHY I like a painting with a flag in it, it’s that pop of red against other colors that are so spectacular! A friend recently explained how someone had told her about putting at least a hint of red or orange to make a painting really stand out, I think that’s so true! Of course in this painting it’s more than a pop of color, but you get my drift… great loose strokes… Check out Stuart’s website for gallery representation… here in Charleston, SC it appears that he has a few pieces at M GALLERY OF FINE ART!

Here’s a blip about Stuart from his website:

Born in North Carolina in 1953, painter and sculptor Stuart Roper moved to Manhattan in the mid-1970s to attend the Art Students League of New York. There, he studied anatomy and figure drawing with Thomas Fogarty and portraiture with John Howard Sanden. Following New York, Stuart made a brief move to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he studied color theory under the direction of Gerry Wright. In 1980, he moved to St. Simons Island, Georgia for a year, prior to settling in the state’s capital, Atlanta. Over the next ten years, his work included various commissions, both private and corporate, as well as a number of solo and group exhibitions. In the fall of 1991, Stuart moved to France, west of Paris in the small Normandy village of Pressagny l’Orgueilleux. There, he settled in the guest cottage of the Château de la Madeleine. Only minutes away from the home of Claude Monet in Giverny, the place and its artistic precedent guided Stuart’s own paint handling; through plein-air work, he found the approach of the Impressionists, which has since characterized most of his painting. Normandy offered Stuart myriad tones of gray amidst the often-foggy landscapes, however, the frequent inclement weather made plein-air work difficult. In 1993 Stuart moved to the small hilltop village of Fayence in southern France where he would remain for the next five years working under “a glorious sun.” During this time, his work took him to Italy, Corsica and back to Normandy, all the while enchanted by the light, and concentrating on the development of his limited three-color palette. In 1998, Stuart made the decision to return to the United States, where he settled in Asheville, North Carolina. The Grove Arcade Public Market commissioned Stuart to recreate the original 1920s finials that adorn the top of the building, and the City Parks and Recreation Department also commissioned him on the development of “Grove’s Vision”, a station on the city’s historical Urban Trail. He may be spotted almost anywhere, as he continues his love of capturing the landscape and developing his artistic vocabulary. 

Ran across this on his website… if you’re thinking of coming to Charleston May 30- June 1, 2012 this would be a fabulous time for a visit!

PLEIN AIR PAINTER OF THE SOUTHEAST 
Returns to Charleston for a Four Gallery Show 

Opening Reception: June 1st 2012 6-8pm 
Show Closing Date: June 22nd 2012 

Show Locations:

Galerie on Broad 29 Broad Street, Charleston, SC 29401 

Hagan Fine Art Gallery and Studio 27 1/2 State Street, Charleston SC, 29401 

Horton Hayes Fine Art 30 State Street, Charleston, SC, 29401 

Smith Killian Fine Art 9 Queen Street, Charleston, SC, 29401 

Participating Artists: 

Scott Boyle 
Loryn Brazier 
Anne Blair Brown 
Roger Dale Brown, OPA 
Katie Dobson Cundiff 
Dee Beard Dean 
Beverly Ford Evans (New Member) 
Trey Finney 
Paula Frizbe 
Karen Hewitt Hagan 
L. Diane Johnson 
Andre Lucero (New Member) 
Diane May 
Kevin Menck 
Larry Moore 
Gwen Nagel 
Richard Christian Nelson 
Richard Oversmith 
Lori Putnam 
James Richards 
Stuart Roper 
Junko Ono Rothwell 
Shannon Smith 
Hodges Soileau

Sue Stewart

Brett Weaver

Dawn E. Whitelaw 

Attending artists will paint on location in the vicinity of the gallerys (Queen Street, State Street, and Broad Street) starting Wednesday, May 30, 2012 through Friday, June 1, 2012. 

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Dogwoods blooming in Charleston, SC…

On By Barbara StroudIn HOME3 Comments

I’ve heard this story and I think it’s so interesting! {Source info here}

Many Christians consider the flowering dogwood’s showy cross-like inflorescences (“flowers”) to be religious symbols, due to their four white petal-like bracts bearing red dots on their tips; these trees are often in flower during the springtime Easter season in the Northern Hemisphere. Christian tradition claims the dogwood as the tree used to make the cross on which Jesus was crucified, and further, that dogwoods grew taller and broader until the 1st Century AD, making them suitable for use as crosses. In response to Jesus’s death on one, God permanently stunted the growth of the dogwood species to prevent them ever again being used for the same purpose. Today, very few dogwood specimens would provide sufficient wood to manufacture a cross by the primitive means of the 1st Century AD.

Ok, so I couldn’t decide which photo to use, so here’s another one… from our tree in the front yard… and the last one… love the Spanish moss! Catch you back here tomorrow!

Featured artist… Jennifer O’Connell!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist1 Comment

 “Bay Window” by Jennifer O’Connell/Image: Left Bank Gallery

Jennifer O’Connell does some amazing interior paintings! This is an artist not afraid of color! Her bold paintings really make a statement… I love the way she did the fireplace in this one, and the light streaming in the window, fabulous!

A blip from the artist’s website:

Jennifer O’Connell grew up in the Adirondack region of upstate New York. She earned an MFA degree in painting and drawing from the University of New Hampshire and a BFA from SUNY Plattsburgh. Additionally, she studied fine art at the University College Chester in England on a Giltz Family Travel Award. After receiving her MFA, she was invited to show in the Young Talentexhibition in Washington Depot, CT. Since then, she has been the recipient of numerous awards including an Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Fellowship, a Vermont Studio Center Artist Residency Grant, and a Massachusetts State Cultural Council Grant. She has led public lectures and participated in panel discussions on the East Coast. Visiting Guest Artist Lectures include Barton College in NC and SUNY Plattsburgh in NY. Her exhibition record includes national and international shows at Fraser Gallery in Washington, DC and the Bowery Gallery in New York, NY.  In 2008, she was selected by juror Cynthia Reeves for the New England New Talent Exhibition at the Fitchburg Art Museum in Fitchburg, MA. In 2011, she was invited to exhibit her work at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA. Galleries that represent her include Adam Cave Fine Art in Raleigh, NC and Left Bank Gallery in Wellfleet, MA. She currently works and resides in Western Massachusetts.

Catch you back here tomorrow!


Kingsley Bate teak furniture… ahhh lovely!

On By Barbara StroudIn HOMELeave a comment

Years ago my husband surprised me for my birthday with Kingsley Bate teak furniture for the backyard. It’s gorgeous, comfortable and will most likely outlast us! It’s so comfortable that we’ve moved two of the chairs into our sunroom and had slipcovers made. Depending how much time we spend outside, we may move them back outside… I love the above photo (Images: Kingsley Bate website). The comfy chairs I’m telling you about are in the Nantucket Deep Seating section… we also have the sofa, which is perfect for taking an afternoon siesta outside:

Another piece that is so beautiful is the Lutyens bench, it’s gorgeous at the end of the pool (it’s where ours is as well). If you get a chance, check it out, they have a great website!

Catch you back here tomorrow!