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!
I found a treasure for you to try… Last year we got hooked on peppermint ice cream around the holidays, we got the store brand from both Whole Foods and EarthFare, both were delicious… so we were on the lookout this year, and nothing! No peppermint ice cream for the holidays?? Hmmmm… Well Fred found it at Harris Teeter, Edy’s brand, in both regular and light. We had the light and it is TOO GOOD. Very refreshing after dinner… It’s a limited edition flavor, so get it while the gettin’s good! It’s got candy canes pieces crushed up in it… Just a little scoop is all you need to be completely satisfied!
I love a perfectly cooked soft boiled egg. It tastes much like a fried egg without any added fat… I put mine on wheat or sourdough toast. Eggs are good for you, they provide good protein. They’re perfect for breakfast, lunch OR dinner… It’s our “go to” dinner when we’re in a hurry… (sorry Fred!). I like my yolks running and the whites cooked… if that’s the way you like your eggs, it may take a time or two to get it exactly right with your stove, etc., but it is such an easy method… it’s worth a try…
Fill a sauce pan with water that would cover your eggs by about 2″, you want to do this to keep the water hot enough after it comes to a boil and you add cold eggs…
Once the water is boiling, add the eggs, and set a timer for 6 minutes. Now this is the tricky part. Depending upon how cold your eggs are will change the time somewhat. If about 37 degrees it should take about 6 minutes. If you leave them out on the counter for a while, then it will take less time. What I did was took eggs out of the fridge, added to boiling water, and set the timer for 5 minutes the first time (whites too runny), then 5 minutes 30 seconds, whites almost perfect but a little runny, so it was probably 5 minutes 45 seconds – 6 minutes and it was just right… crack them open with a knife and gently scoop the egg out with a spoon (as shown above left). I like to mush around (as shown above right), S&P and ENJOY!
Artist Daniel Corey… whoa! Extremely talented… an artist from Maine with a keen eye for painting everything… I know I have already featured Dan this year (back in May) but he is posting some fantastic work at a very cheap price for a fundraiser in Maine (details below). I am in love with his snow scenes… I miss living in a cold and snowy climate (well, most of the time, I can’t complain about a Charleston winter, that’s for sure) and his paintings make me so happy! For the past several weeks he has been posting paintings on his oh-so-fabulous blog and facebook page, prices are to die for… (AND the guy has a sense of humor, so his blog is as entertaining as it is informative!)… It’s all for a fundraiser for Boothbay Regional Art Foundation, see a description from his website below… the $100 price is a FRACTION of his normal price, and believe me when I tell you that I hesitate to tell ANYONE ELSE about this… I hate for a good painting to get away, hee hee, but fair is fair, and I think everyone needs to know about Dan!
17 Degrees by Daniel Corey
Ok, here’s the deal this month the local Boothbay Regional Art Foundation holds its Art in the Square show. This show donates $25. of every sale to a local Art Scholarship fund. The best part of this sale is all the pieces in this show must be priced at $100. !! So that means the art foundation takes nothing and is just servicing the art community.. Just Great! So no matter who you are or what level of commercial success you have had you are priced like all the rest.. Because of the non money hungry style of this non-profit group and June Rose (a true asset to the BRAF and general sweetheart) I try to go out of my way to help them out. I have put alot of effort into teaching and participating here and hope you may want to help out by buying one of these pieces. Now I plan on donating the same ratio to them and they have no idea I’m doing this til they read this.. surprise! I plan on posting at least one painting a day for sale and the buy it now button should let you pay in many ways so don’t make excuses to not be part of this. The price is so low for these that im guessing they will sell quick and I am not saving the best pieces for last.. so dont wait. The only addition I am making is a one size fits all shipping price of $15. this will help pay for packaging, a little effort, shipping and paypal fees.
OK, now I feel better, I let everyone know about it… but be quick with the PayPal button or I just might beat you ;)
Spirit of Hope Fairy / Image: markrobertsfairies.net
I’m trying to think up some unique gifts to showcase peppered in amongst my normal posts… Have you seen a Mark Roberts Fairy? They are the most magical little creatures! Every year there are new designs. They come showcased in a nice box. It’s a great gift for that someone on your list that LOVES Christmas and decorating! They have fairies for specials causes (for every purchase of selected Limited Edition Fairies, a portion goes to breast cancer research)…
Support the Troops Fairy / Image: MarkRobertsFairies.net
The Support the Troops Fairy, for every purchase of selected Limited Edition Fairies, a portion goes to The Wounded Warrior Project…
They have fairies for different life events, like a new baby, etc…
New Baby Girl Fairy / Image: MarkRobertsFairies.net
And… of course there are many Christmas fairies to choose from!
Decorating Fairy / Image: MarkRobertsFairies.net
Google MARK ROBERTS FAIRIES to see more! I received my first one as a gift many years ago, it came from Nordstrom. Locally we have bought them at Finnicky Filly on King Street, to give as gifts… It doesn’t look like any of the online sites are operated BY Mark Roberts, but they do use his name…
Catch you back here tomorrow!
"On the Go" by Daniel Merriam / Image: ChloeFineArts.com
When I first saw Daniel Merriam’s work, I thought it was amazing. Very different. Each one like it’s own fairytale. As I looked at his pieces I thought to myself… “I could write a story for each and every painting he has”. Then I read his bio. His paintings have been used for books, and rightfully so. They are absolutely amazing! Daniel has an amazing website (click HERE) so check it out, the story about him is fabulous!
Born in 1963 in York, Maine, Daniel Merriam grew up in Naples, a rural town within the vast, quiet spaces of Central Maine. One of seven children in a creative, artistic family, he taught himself to paint at a very young age and used his art as a method of reflective play throughout his childhood. He studied mechanical and architectural design at the Central Maine Vocational Technical Institute. While still in school, he applied his dimensional skills and passion for architecture in the family’s design and construction business.
He then turned his talents to the commercial art field, working as an architectural and commercial illustrator for a number of multi-national corporations. Merriam’s illustrations received numerous awards including several first-place Broderson Awards (the annual Maine advertising industry award) and the first-place New England Scholastics Press Association Award (for editorial cartooning.)
Yet Merriam’s true passion remained painting the expression of his own vision. In 1987 he shifted his focus solely to fine art and had his first solo exhibition at Abacus Gallery in Maine. In the same year, the artist received an Honorary Masters of Humane Letters from the University of New England in recognition of the potential social contribution of his work. Since that time, Merriam has had over one hundred exhibitions throughout the United States, Europe and the Middle East.
In 1998, Monarch Editions, Inc. published The Art of Daniel Merriam: The Impetus of Dreams – selections from a decade of the artist’s work. The book’s second edition was published in 2002. Merriam’s most recent catalogue reisonné The Eye of a Dreamer was released in October 2007. Both catalogues reisonné were inducted into the permanent archives of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the National Museum of American Illustration, and the Peninsular Museum of Art.
The artist’s work appears in Dreamscape: The Best of Imaginary Realism, Volume I and II, published by SALBRU PUBLISH (the Netherlands) in 2006 and 2007 respectively. Merriam has produced paintings for the covers of books by Paula Volsky and Neal Barrett Jr. published by Bantam Books, as well as for an international literary journal, Mid-American Review. Merriam’s work was used for the playbill of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare produced by the Tony® Award-winning McCarter Theatre in New Jersey.
Daniel Merriam has been interviewed on WCSH (Portland, ME); KEYT (Santa Barbara, CA); KUSI News (San Diego, CA); Sedona Now (Sedona, AZ); 7days News (Dubai, UAE); France 3 Quercy-Rouergue (Rodez, France). He has been the subject of feature articles in numerous national and international publications, such as Art & Antiques, Gulf Connoisseur, IN New York, New Art International, Realms of Fantasy, The World & I, U.S. Art, Watercolor Magic. Merriam’s work is included in the public collections of The Riverside Museum of Art, CA; Merrill Lynch, CA; The Gesundheit! Institute, VA; the Manhattan Club, NY, among others.
"1966 Taken at Eastland. Bridget wouldn't have her picture taken. Barbara 4 1/2"
Wow, I didn’t think I remembered back when I was four, but hey, I totally remember this! I remember going to see Santa (such excitement), and I remember my sister Bridget wouldn’t have her picture taken with Santa. Afraid of Santa? Geez… that’s gutsy, not me, I hopped up on his lap, and recited my list that I had most likely practiced for quite some time. (Don’t remember what was on the list, ha ha…).
Part of the happiness of Christmas, or the holidays in general are the memories that come with making the meals, decorating the tree (or setting out the Menorah, etc.). It doesn’t matter what nationality you are, each of us, if we’re fortunate, has good memories that we want to replicate year after year. I was so fortunate to have such a great childhood. No worries, just had a great time, all the time (or at least that’s what I remember). Great parents, a sister who was a best friend, even though she did follow me around and repeat everything I said. It was cool to be the “old one” as my dad refers to me now… I always got to be the teacher (sorry Bridget), I got to be the cashier, while Bridget had to push a chair around with canned goods… Christmas was magical. It still is. Pass the magic on. If you know of anyone who is missing the magic, spread the cheer. No one should be lonely any time of year, but especially this time of year… Be an angel, remember… LIFE IS GOOD!
Several years ago on Christmas night my husband and I were riding around downtown Charleston, SC. Then he covered my eyes and told me he was taking me to my Christmas gift… WHAT???!!! I was trying to pay attention (good luck, I don’t do so well when I can see, HA), but we kept making turns so I had NO idea where we were. He stopped the car. Still unable to see he helped me out of the car and walked me up to the window… I opened my eyes, took in the sight and said… “ME Barbara, YOU Fred?????!!!!!” Not meaning to sound like Tarzan, I just couldn’t believe that the tag on the painting in the window that everyone can see was TO: Barbara FROM: Fred. Holy Cow! That was so special. Thanks to Eva and to Karin Olah, the gallery manager at the time, for making it so special! Do I have a cool husband or what? What fun!
Winter Path by Walt Pasko / Image: PaskoFineArt.com
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! WordPress offers falling snow on their blogs until January… So enjoy the little blizzard, I know I will…!
I. LOVE. THIS. PAINTING! This is done by artist Walter Pasko and it is fabulous! Winter scenes are a favorite. I love the colors in the snow. From this painting you can feel how cold it is when you look at the deep greens. You can also feel the warm sun on your back when you look at the light in the snow.
My husband and I met Walter years ago on Monhegan. For several years we happened to be on the island at the same time, along with another artist friend of ours, Tim Bell. It was fascinating to listen to Tim and Walter talk about the more technical side of painting, it was all I could do to try to take it all in.
This is a magnificent painting done by an artist that is not only very talented, but a very, very nice and brilliant man. Here is a blip about Walt from his WEBSITE:
Walter J. Pasko has devoted his creative energy, for the past forty years, to the painting of landscapes directly from nature. His broad oil painting style has evolved from a need to capture the fleeting play of light and shadow patterns on the landscape, essential to the design of his paintings.He has been living for most of his adult life in the Berkshire Hills of northwestern Massachusetts where he regularly scouts the back country looking for saw mills, sugar houses, streams, and small villages as subject matter for his paintings.Primarily self-taught, he studied and painted with the late Maurice Kennedy, friend and former student of Lester Stevens (N.A.). He has a Ph.D. of M.E. degree from the University of Massachusetts.
I’m sharing with you a great recipe from Cooking Light (link now takes you to Eating Well website)… This is a relatively quick and easy meal. Each recipe makes 2 servings and believe me, the servings are generous. I pretty much followed the recipe, except I like to use grape tomatoes instead of regular tomatoes… If you have dinner for four make two packets then slide it into a pretty dish. Gorgeous, tasty and without the guilt… then you can indulge in dessert! I hope you enjoy this as much as we do! Catch you back here tomorrow!
Basil Shrimp with Feta and Orzo
Ingredients
1 regular-size foil oven bag
Cooking spray
1/2 cup uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 cup diced tomato (I used grape tomatoes)
3/4 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
Preparation
Preheat oven to 450°.
Coat inside of oven bag with cooking spray. Place the bag on a large shallow baking pan.
Cook the pasta in boiling water 5 minutes, omitting salt and fat; drain. Place the pasta in a large bowl. Stir in 1 teaspoon oil and next 7 ingredients (1 teaspoon oil through pepper). Place the orzo mixture in prepared oven bag. Combine shrimp and basil. Arrange shrimp mixture on orzo mixture. Fold edge of bag over to seal. Bake at 450° for 25 minutes or until the shrimp are done. Cut open bag with a sharp knife, and peel back the foil. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon oil.
Eddie Bauer Down and Fleece Throw / Image: Amazon.com
You know how it is when you know about something so wonderful that you just want to get the word out? Last year my parents bought me this Down and Fleece Throw from Eddie Bauer. We were in Michigan, it was cold, I used it immediately. I. COULD. NOT. BELIEVE. IT! This thing radiates heat just like an electric blanket with the added bonus of no plug! It’s filled with 550 Goose Down and let me tell you it could not be warmer. It’s good looking, generously sized, does great in the washing machine/dryer. So if you’re looking to give a wonderful gift, this is a start! It’s $99 OR $49 WITH ANY PURCHASE! Trust me, it’s worth every penny!
THIS is the pan to get. I can tell you from experience… We used it on Thanksgiving Day, greased the rack and the bird with olive oil, tossed a little salt and pepper and whipped it into a convection oven where it came out tan and crispy. I then used the pan to make the gravy… Let me just say… AWESOME! It’s beautiful, looks like a piece of art! We invested in a nice roasting pan because I didn’t want a repeat performance of the last holiday that we hosted… turkey made to perfection, using a cheap nonstick roasting pan with a nonstick rack. Turkey was perfect. Started to make gravy and I’m thinking to myself “What are all these black floating things”?? You guessed it… THE PAN! So I started over with the gravy, thanks to a call to my dad, Christmas was saved and the gravy was wonderful! So BEWARE if you have a nonstick roasting pan… no need for it, since when you make gravy it deglazes all the stuff on the bottom, so nothing sticks anyway!
(Note: I bought this roasting pan at Coastal Cupboard in Mount Pleasant, SC, but it’s readily available everywhere, as well as AMAZON, click HERE for link!)
Knowledge is power. Hee hee… Catch you back here tomorrow!
DO WHAT YOU LIKE – LIKE WHAT YOU DO, the motto for Life Is Good. How brilliant for a company to come up with positive messages on high quality t-shirts, a simple but happy design. They have a few Christmas long sleeve t-shirts for women. I happen to love them both (dilemma)…
Life is Good holiday t-shirt / Image: LifeIsGood.com
I like their short sleeve, long sleeve, holiday, regular, yoga, and pssssst, their socks to wear at night… AWESOME! Enjoy! Oh, did I mention free shipping and free returns? Yep. A great company indeed. Note: Locally they also sell LIFE IS GOOD on Market Street downtown Charleston, SC…!
My husband and I took a ride through a few of Charleston’s beautiful cemeteries. Let me just say, you go back in time. They are old, very very old and the photo ops are amazing. YES, it would help to have a camera with you… These were taken with my phone on a cloudy day, but I think you can still see how spectacular the view is. The magnificent grand live oak trees are everywhere, it’s a beautiful place. There were several people out with big cameras taking advantage of the day… NEXT TIME I will bring a camera, sigh…
Do you watch Army Wives? It’s a great show, really. It’s pretty cool to watch it and try to figure out where in Charleston, SC they’re really at… it’s amazing how they can take worn out dumpy buildings and make them look so nice, at least on the outside… This is a photo of the HUMP BAR. Its used regularly in the show. It’s located down by the cemeteries in town. Looks like a real bar. It’s not…
Here’s a close up… catch you back here tomorrow, and if you get a chance, check out that show! They’re filming now, the new shows air “WINTER 2012”!
The Boat Ramp by Jonathan McPhillips /Image: AddisonArt.com
Ok, so I couldn’t choose. Ahhh, the magical combination of shadow and light, sun and dark clouds… wow, this makes for one fabulous painting! This painting, entitled “The Boat Ramp” was done by Jonathan McPhillips, and appears in the Addison Art Gallery in Orleans, MA.
But then how this one captures the magical light, that special golden light that makes EVERYTHING look so good (why don’t they make light bulbs that reflect this golden shade?? Hmmmm!). “Before the Bustle” was awarded Honorable Mention at Gallery 297. Fabulous! Congratulations Jonathan!
Before the Bustle by Jonathan McPhillips /Image: JonathanMcPhillips.com
Jonathan is in many galleries, so check out his website (VERY nice). Here is a short blip about Jonathan from his website, (but there is more, so check it out)! He seems like an interesting guy, he’s from Rhode Island, so if you’re in the area, check him out. I look forward to seeing his work in person one day!
“Collectors, fellow artists, and friends often comment on my work as having distinct and engaging “atmosphere”. I am so very appreciative of this recurring compliment. It is the air surrounding the landscape that I hope to depict in my paintings. The air is an unseen filter that guides how we visualize the “things” in front of us. In coastal New England, the atmosphere is always changing, therefore I am very fortunate to live and paint in such a visually engaging area.
Chasing the available light and air in our surroundings is what drives me to paint. I hope to achieve atmospheric effects with an impressionistic style, tempered by a touch of realism and draftsmanship. Painting large and small, indoors and out, I find that a multifaceted approach to studying and practicing allows me to achieve a unique quality in my work”.
JM
Jonathan graduated from Connecticut College in 1993 with a Cum Laude Distinction in Fine Art. Now residing in Saunderstown, Rhode Island, Jonathan’s artwork has evolved into a celebration of coastal New England. Working equally in the studio and on location, his work includes the harbors, beaches, vessels, and architecture of our coastal marine environment.
Recent accomplishments include a juried acceptance into The Oil Painters of America Eastern Exhibition in October, 2010. In addition, Jonathan was invited to participate in The Carmel Plein Air Art Festival in Carmel, California, and the Modern Marine Masters Exhibition at the Mystic Seaport Museum Gallery, both in May of 2011.
Awards and exhibitions span McPhillips’ career. Of note would be his 2004 First Place “Best of Fleet” Award at the New York Yacht Club in Newport, Rhode Island for “Courageous Convictions”, his 12 meter yacht replica. Jonathan is also honored to have been invited by the U.S. Department of State to participate in the “Art in Embassies” program in 2006, which expanded his work to an international audience.
Jonathan has recently rediscovered the joy and personal fulfillment that teaching brings to an artist’s life. He periodically arranges workshops and courses in oil painting. His artistic journey can easily be followed through social media and e-newsletters, as well as his blog and website. Video samples of selected works in progress are also available, and have been especially popular among his collectors and fans.
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