Charleston, SC Porch with Flowers
Don’t you love those regal looking palms? They command attention, especially on a breezy day – I love the sound they make.
Spring has definitely sprung here in Charleston. Window boxes, planters, beautiful flowers everywhere. What a joy! Get out and enjoy your day if you can! 🌸
Catch you back here tomorrow!
We only have one Earth – it should be treated with respect…
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Isn’t this painting striking? Everything about it makes me smile. I especially love the imperfection, the fact that the fruit is not exactly round, which can be so boring. To be able to paint like this would be a dream! Loving those subtle shadows and light, the background, the composition, the brush strokes, absolutely everything! The little touches that Tom makes can change a painting and take it from nice to stunning at the speed of light. Those little bits of orange make my heart sing! Brilliant!
I have always loved Tom’s paintings. He has his own distinct style, his paintings stand out to me. Are you an artist who needs a nudge in the right direction or just wants to see what you may pick up from someone who’s paintings have such a unique quality? If so, you may be in luck! Tom has a 3 day workshop beginning Friday, May 19, 2017 at Del Mar Art Academy and it’s going to be fabulous! From their website:
Tom will be teaching painting in what is called the “gestural color method,” emphasizing the idea of trusting the first impression you receive when observing the subject you wish to paint – whether still life, landscape, figurative or from reference material. If practiced with regularity this approach to painting can take a painter far and help to instill the attitude that “all great painting can be found in the honest and humble study.” Click HERE to read more about the workshop!
Tom also has an ongoing Thursday workshop in Newport, if interested, contact Tom: tombalderas@gmail(dot)com
Read a bit about Tom, from his website. This is one of my all time favorite bio’s. Not only is Tom creative with paint, he is so creative with words!
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, marileigh to name but a few of so many.
Works towards progress.
I love it! Works towards progress… Something we all need to be doing. I also love all the people Tom has studied with, told you… creative!
Be on the lookout for Tom’s new website, coming soon… You can check back here for the link (use the Search on the Home page)…
All images via TomBalderasFineArt.Blogspot.com, used with permission…
New Website Coming Soon – Will add link here once it’s complete!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
This Spring Normandy Farms Bakery begins a new venture – This wonderful old building (a bank for the past 150 years) is taking on new life. The first floor will be a casual restaurant called THE ROOM. Mike Ray (owner of Normandy Farms Bakery) and Ben Johnson will take over the space and make it all their own.
We are so fortunate to live in Charleston, SC. The food scene is over the top amazing. This will be a great addition! More info from CharlestonEater.com!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Pretty as a picture. Love this lavender on a home downtown (Rainbow Row). One thing you will see in Charleston, SC are colorful homes. Not all of them, but they do fit rather nicely in the tropical climate. The shadows on this home are stunning!
CATCH YOU BACK HERE TOMORROW!
Tax Day. In case it slipped your mind, time to “pay the Piper”… Checks sent for taxes owed are supposed to be postmarked by today. 📬
Yippee! NOT…
Hope yours wasn’t too painful – enough said.
Morning Walk – I think these look so Easterly! So I thought I would fit them into this week of photos.
Hope you’ve all had a nice Easter weekend/Spring Break/Time Off/Time Working…
Happy Monday!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
I took this photo years ago – Fresh flowers hanging on the gate at a church downtown really shows you how special this day is! Easter!
If you happen to be in Charleston, SC on Easter and the weather is nice, get out and take some photos, there is magic here in Charleston!
A nice shot for Easter weekend. This is St. Michael’s Church in Charleston, SC.
Charleston has many beautiful, historic churches and St. Michael’s is one of them!
Enjoy your Saturday, happy Easter Eve! Tomorrow is a big day! ✝️
Brennen McElhaney. Nice work! A few Charleston scenes caught my eye (I always love to see the way artists all capture Charleston a little differently). The painting above has been a few different restaurants over the years, it is currently a brewery company/restaurant. The old brick on this building is that wonderful color that turns to magic when that right light hits it. This painting is a beautiful interpretation of that architecture. Right down to the lamp post and the stop lights, Brennen captured this so perfectly.
Be sure to check out Brennen’s website – his paintings, stories, blog, etc. – he has wonderful information!
Read a bit about Brennen, from his website:
Brennen McElhaney was born in 1968 in Santa Barbara, California. He studied fine art and illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1990. Back in California, Brennen married Sheila Springer in 1992. As newly-weds they had the opportunity to run a fine art gallery for a time.
Brennen went on to have one-man art shows at the Delphine Gallery, the Hahn-Horn Gallery, Gallery 113, the Faulkner Gallery, Sterling K Gallery, the University Club of Santa Barbara, Antioch University and the Gallery Off Grand (Los Olivos, Ca.). During that time he served on the board of directors of the Santa Barbara Art Association.
In 2005, Brennen, along with his wife and their three children, relocated from California to Western North Carolina. They live in Fletcher (Asheville) NC.
Mr. McElhaney is creator and curator of the website AVLarts.com which promotes the visual arts in the Asheville area by listing a directory of local artists, galleries and art resources. Brennen works as an illustrator and art director, his main client being Oodles World, a family entertainment company. Continue reading HERE…
Catch you back here tomorrow!
This is the TNH SC 24A plan by Moser Design Group. It’s great plan that has 2,168 square feet, with 3 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms. There is a master suite down, another bonus!
Another wonderful porch across the front of the house. The living and dining are open to the wonderful kitchen. Working in this kitchen you won’t miss anything that’s going on, that’s for sure! There is a master suite downstairs as well as the laundry room and a powder room. Perfection!
Upstairs there are two bedrooms with a shared bath. The front bedroom has access to the wonderful porch. What a dreamy plan, perfect for so many of us!
All images via MoserDesignGroup.com, used with permission…
Catch you back here tomorrow!
The Muse by Jose Pardo 28×22″ Oil
Jose Pardo. Wonderful still life & figurative paintings. I chose one as an example – be sure to check out his website!
Jose can paint detail wonderfully. It looks as if you could reach in and grab a tool right out of this painting. I liked the description Jose gave regarding this painting (I love it when artists add a blip about a painting):
“My father-in-law can fix just about anything, from a commercial airliner to a lawnmower. We’ve inherited quite a few old fashioned tools from him. This is one of the rare still life paintings I did not have to purchase a single prop for.”
Read a bit about Jose, from his website:
I was born in 1964 in Habana Cuba and migrated to Spain at the age of 5 with my mother and grandmother. I spent two years in the outskirts of Madrid learning to play futbol, absorbing the local accent, and trying at times unsuccessfully, to stay out of trouble. When we arrived in the United States, I was overwhelmed at the enormous size of the skyscrapers and cars in New York City. As a child I loved to travel into Manhattan with my grandfather to purchase fabrics for his custom tailor business, all the while hoping to catch a glimpse of Spiderman swinging between the skyscrapers. I started learning to draw by copying comic books. At that early age I couldn’t comprehend how it was possible for people to draw such amazing art, since my attempts to replicate the drawings were abysmal.
Being the first in my family with a serious interest in art, I have to credit my High School art teacher, Thomas Carcich with giving me my foundation in art and being instrumental in guiding me to study art in college. After receiving a BFA from Jersey City State College (now New Jersey City University) in 1988, I worked in several small business to business advertising agencies in New Jersey as an artist before marrying and moving to Orlando Florida to start a family with my wife in 1992. Here I have worked as an artist for Disney, Scholastic, and Universal among others enjoying my share of success in both the commercial and Fine Arts.
I returned to my first true art-love, oil painting, in 2012 after an unintentional hiatus of well over 20 years. Wanting to give my mother a more unique Birthday present than in recent years, I decided to do a small oil painting for her. While delighted at how much I enjoyed the process, I was more than a little dismayed at how much I had forgotten! Although Mom loved the painting, I immediately set out to bring my skill with oils up to where I wanted them to be. I know I can never reach my ever advancing and evolving goal, but I strive to make progress with every painting. I’ve repurposed and refurbished my home studio to paint from life. That’s where I can always be found trying to make up for lost time. With more ideas than time to paint them all, my easel is never empty. I have been fortunate to win recognition in all the juried local art shows and am starting to enjoy success at the regional level. I still live and paint in Orlando with my wonderfully supportive wife, two amazing children, and three very mischievous cats.
Be sure to check Jose out on Facebook and Instagram (PardoStudio).
All images via PardoStudio.us, used with permission…
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Life. Changing. Yes, what I’m about to tell you is just that. PLEASE tell me that you don’t already know about this. How can I be XY years old and never have heard of this? Head in the sand? Who knows, but for some reason I Googled it when I had a cold (what else is there to do? ha) – I watched a few orange-cutting videos. The method I tried didn’t seem like it would be good, so I thought that would be a quick one to cross of the list. Wrong! Here’s the (apparently Top Secret) method: Cut off each end, then slice (not super thin, but not thick). When you do so, you can pick up the slice and it will open (as you see on the bottom) making it INCREDIBLY easy to eat and NOTHING is left over. Not a spec!
Some of my oranges had thicker rind, so I just made a small slice and that worked fine.
Brilliant. You didn’t already know this did you? Please… just say No! 😉
If you do already know this, pass it along to another poor soul who may not! Ha ha.
Sara Jane Reynolds. Beautiful Lowcountry paintings. I especially adore her lily series – Stunning! The pink in this painting is so fabulous with the wonderful greens! And those little flowers, oooh! The distant water is so interesting to me, a variety of colors and brush strokes brings life!
Sara has a wonderful website so be sure to check it out!
Read more about Sara, from her website:
Artist’s Statement
As a plein air painter, I carry my easel and paints into the marshes and islands of the low country. Inspiration springs from the beauty and richness of this untamed landscape. I grew up in Pasadena, California: My father a a Civil Engineer/Architect and mother a Musician/Poet/Painter. We spent part of every summer in Yosemite. The visual impact of the valley, trees, rocks and the core of artists and writers who journeyed there impacted me greatly. I developed a deep love of nature, self expression, passion for our great country.
On canvas I write love letters in gold and green.
All images via SaraJaneReynolds.com, used with permission…
Catch you back here tomorrow!
I love this beautiful boat that sits in the Monhegan harbor. Especially with this beautiful golden light.
Fortunate Island – could the name be any more perfect? To me, this boat looks peaceful, tranquil, elegant, responsible and strong.
ARTFOODHOME.COM 