Farmer’s Market Reminder!

Farmer's Market!

This photo is from the archives, but I thought I would post it today as a reminder not to miss your local Farmer’s Market! What better way to buy the freshest produce that is LOCAL! (Asparagus is no longer in season here in Charleston, SC – but right now we have so many options it will boggle the mind!) – I love the green against the pink rubber band – Wow!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Frank Gardner | Marc Hanson – Stunning Work! – Show at Addison Art Gallery TOMORROW!

TWO FABULOUS ARTISTS, Frank Gardner and Marc Hanson – ONE FABULOUS SHOW Opens Tomorrow at Addison Art Gallery!

The opening is Friday, July 30, 2016 from 5-7PM – if you are anywhere near Orleans, MA – you won’t want to miss it! These are two artists I admire so much, they both push themselves and the results are breathtaking!

Read a bit about the show, from Addison Art Gallery – then check out a sample of the paintings in the show – oh, how I wish I was close by:

Orleans MA — On Saturday, July 30 from 5 to 7, the Addison Art Gallery will host an opening reception for Marc Hanson of Mississippi and Frank Gardner of Mexico. Long time friends, Hanson and Gardner have often traveled together to paint, and have exhibited together in Addison Art Gallery and museum shows on Cape Cod. This past winter, they decided to join talents again. 

 

 frank gardner

Peaceful Harmony by Frank Gardner 24x30 Oil

Peaceful Harmony by Frank Gardner 24×30 Oil

Just look at the reflections in the water! The light on the ladder, the colors and textures in the pilings. WOW! I have always loved Frank’s paintings, they have something about them that are definitely all his, but this latest group of paintings is different and I love every one!

Snorkel by Frank Gardner 30x24 Oil

Snorkel by Frank Gardner 30×24 Oil

SNORKEL jumped out to me – I could look at it forever. There is a quiet innocence to it. That wonderful feeling of being a kid of vacation, remember the days when the family would be packed into a car and head for some place wonderful like Cape Cod? Frank’s paintings pull at your memories of those times. I love the kid in this painting, as well as the water behind him, with all the wonderful colors, this is stunning.

Frank’s comments on this show:

“My earliest memories of Cape Cod take me back to summer vacations with my family in the late 60’s and 70’s. We would load into the Chevy Impala for the much anticipated road trip every July. ‘Summer on Cape Cod’ is the theme for the new work I am painting for this season at Addison Art Gallery. My inspiration for this series is drawn from old memories and photos from my earliest trips to the Cape as well as from my most recent summer trips. Subjects range from fun on the beach, to classic Cape Cod scenes and some things in between.” — Frank Gardner 

Read a bit about Frank, from his website:

My paintings are interpretations of my experiences. They come from the desire to share the beauty that I see every day by arranging bits of color and ideas to tell a story. Drawn to the colors of fleeting light effects on the landscape I try and accurately represent color I see. However, I also interpret and push color if it is useful to convey how the scene makes me feel. Color combinations and juxtapositions are a lot of what make a subject appealing to me. I look for situations that are unique to a particular place at a certain time, depending on lighting conditions, but also filtered through my mood at the time a piece is painted.

Painting in a representational style, and influenced by the impressionists, I am drawn to fleeting light effects and color while sometimes sacrificing detail. A controlled chaos or loose spontaneity is my favored look, although each color and stroke is well thought out and carefully placed. My goal is to convey to the viewer my feelings about the scene through my use of color and brushwork. I’ll let the subject and my mood determine how much detail is required to complete each painting.

Paint application is important to me. It is a very personal facet of my work. An artists brushwork and paint handling is what sets their work apart from another artist’s interpretation of the same view. It is as unique as a fingerprint. I not only brush paint on, but lift it off, or smear it with a finger or paint rag. It is often the lifting off of the paint or moving it around after it is on the canvas that gives the look I am after. Continue reading HERE

marc hanson

A Little Cedar by Marc Hanson 11x14 Acrylic

A Little Cedar by Marc Hanson 11×14 Acrylic

Marc knows how to make a painting really stand out – I think the lavender in A LITTLE CEDAR adds so much, it makes the rest of the painting stand out. Marc is a master when it comes to landscapes, his paintings will blow you away – His skill has been acquired from years of hard work creating MANY paintings – just look at the light! A that bit of unexpected blue on the horizon… really nice! Everything about this painting is first class!

Brilliance by Marc Hanson 8x10 Oil

Brilliance by Marc Hanson 8×10 Oil

Utter perfection! Some of you may have heard about my affinity for orange. I can feel the warmth from this painting! It’s stunningly beautiful in every way! Marc has a way of portraying a scene without overdoing. I love the simplicity of this painting. Sounds easy, but it’s not.

Marc’s comments on this show: “In my work for this show, I have concentrated on the quieter side of the Cape. That’s the side that I enjoy the most. Although the harbors and towns are all part of the experience there, I prefer to spend most of my time exploring those areas that see less traffic. In particular the Fort Hill area is a favorite. The marshes and lowland areas draw me in and have me thinking about the history of the area pre-settlement. In the end, it’s the light on the Cape that is the real subject of all of the work I’ve done there.”— Marc R. Hanson

Read a bit about Marc, from his website:

Having grown up in a military family, Marc’s youth was spent on the move. He was born in Oxnard, California and spent some of his early school years there. But his geographical resume soon included Alaska, Florida, Arkansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and Norway. After his father’s retirement from the Air Force, Marc’s family settled in the small northern California community of Loomis. Marc began college as a biology major, but soon applied to and was accepted into Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, majoring in illustration. After Art Center and a brief stint as a staff illustrator in Sacramento, California, Marc moved to Minnesota where he lived for 33 years while raising a family and pursuing his art. Marc relocated to Colorado in the Fall of 2012.

“I have pursued a career as a painter for many years now. Along the way my methods, materials and focus have evolved. A naturalist at heart, the landscape is the perfect vehicle for expressing the joy I have for the world that surrounds me. My real interest and challenge as a painter is how to best manipulate the core principles of painting into effective visual statements. I’m most successful when I’m able to communicate that joy to the viewers of my paintings.”

Marc teaches landscape painting workshops in many locations nationally. “ I love working with other painters in their pursuit to better their craft. My goal is not to have them assimilate my style and technique, but to teach them how to more closely exam- ine the subject and apply the principles that representational painters must follow to become effective visual communicators.”

He has shown his work in galleries and museums nationally and internationally since the early 1980’s. He is a Signature Member of The Oil Painters of America (O.P.A.)… Continue reading HERE

All images via AddisonArt.com, FrankGardner.com and MarcHansonArt.com used with permission…

Images are not for reproduction, they are property of the artist.

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Check out the 27 Aiken Street House Plan by Our Town Plans!

27 Aiken Street by Our Town Plans

27 Aiken Street by Our Town Plans

27 Aiken Street by Our Town Plans. It’s a beauty isn’t it? This is true Lowcountry style, yet a style of home that would fit anywhere. Such wonderful details make it look like a house that has been in a charming neighborhood for years. It blends in seamlessly and has so many details that make this the perfect house plan!

This plan is 2,233 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms. The exterior of this home is simply gorgeous. The metal roof is like the icing on the cake, just beautiful! How nice would it be to have a substantial porch. This front porch measures 10′ deep and over 30′ long – can you imagine?

27 Aiken Street by Our Town Plans

27 Aiken Street by Our Town Plans

This plan has an open Kitchen/Living area so nice with all those French doors! It also has a real masonry fireplace. You don’t see that too often anymore in newer homes. The Master Bedroom/Bath/Closet is on one side of the hallway and there are two Bedrooms/Bathrooms on the opposite side, along with a Powder Room.  This really gives everyone there own space, very nice!

27 Aiken Street by Our Town Plans

Upstairs is a Bunk Loft room with built in platform beds in the dormers. Pretty cool, hmmm? That leaves a wide open space to use as another living area. Nice Bathroom and Closet as well.

Be sure to check out real images of this plan (I love how Our Town Plans does this!) – and more here on Houzz! Wow! I’m dreaming that I am already there!

All images via OurTownPlans.com, used with permission…

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

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Featured Artist: Erin Hanson!

Crystal Dawn by Erin Hanson 50x40 Oil

Crystal Dawn by Erin Hanson 50×40 Oil

Erin Hanson. Unique, different, colorful, fabulous! I love her paintings. Just look at these fabulous tree shadows, that wonderful color against the purple and the magical trees. Talk about drawing you in! Wow. Erin’s work is fresh.

Saguaro Dusk by Erin Hanson 48x48 Oil

Saguaro Dusk by Erin Hanson 48×48  Oil

Another one of Erin’s paintings that just blew me away. I feel as if I’m right there in the Arizona desert with her. Erin hikes, rock climbs and visits all kinds of wonderful locations. Be sure to read her bio, it’s amazing, as is her website. She gives so many details for those looking to buy. Very nice!

Read a bit about Erin, from her website:

Hanging precariously and horizontally from red sandstone, hundreds of feet above the ground, may not seem like it would inspire the creation of beautiful oil paintings, but that is exactly what happened with Erin Hanson. After a lifetime of experimenting in different styles and mediums, it wasn’t until Hanson began rock climbing at Red Rock Canyon that her painting style was consolidated by a single inspiration and force of nature.

Erin Hanson began painting as a young girl, voraciously learning oils, acrylics, watercolor, pen and ink, pastels, and life drawing from accomplished art instructors.  She began commissioning paintings at age ten, and by age twelve, she was employed after school by a mural studio, learning the techniques of acrylics on the grand scale of forty-foot canvases.  Two years later, a high school scholarship took her to Otis College of Art, where she immersed herself in figure drawing. Graduating high school at age sixteen and once again demonstrating that she was a child prodigy, Hanson next attended UC Berkeley, excelling further in her studies and creative development and attaining a degree in Bioengineering. 

After graduating from college, Hanson entered the art trade as a professional, inspired by landscapes and vantage points only beheld by the most adventurous. Rock climbing among the brilliantly colored cliffs of Nevada and Utah, watching the seasons and the light change daily across the desert, provided endless inspiration for her work.  In these beautiful surroundings, Hanson decided firmly to dedicate herself to creating one painting every week for the rest of her life.  She has stuck to that decision ever since and has for the past decade been developing a unique, minimalist technique of placing impasto paint strokes without layering, which has become known as “Open-Impressionism.” As other artists began emulating her painting techniques, Hanson was credited as the pioneer and originator of this contemporary style.

Through the years, Hanson has continued to use the outdoors to inspire a huge collection of work.  She visits the Colorado plateau every year, backpacking and hiking through areas such as Zion National Park, Canyon de Chelly, and Monument Valley.  Other favorite haunts include Paso Robles, Joshua Tree National Park, and the Anza-Borrego desert.  Erin Hanson transforms these landscapes into abstract mosaics of color and texture, her impasto application of paint lending a sculptural effect to her art.  Her oil paintings stand out in a crowd, bringing a fresh new look to Western landscapes.

All images via ErinHanson.com, used with permission…

Images are not for reproduction, they are property of the artist.

Catch you back here tomorrow!

A day filled with beastie wishes!

HaPpY BiRtHdAy cHaRLiE!

HaPpY BiRtHdAy cHaRLiE!

Beastie wishes? Yep. Happy Birthday to Charlie (our Jack Russell) – he turns 7 today!

SEVEN?! Where does the time go? Ha ha…  It seems like yesterday that he was pulling toilet paper off the roll and tearing through the house with it. Charlie still acts like he’s a puppy, for which we are grateful (most of the time). This dog has so much character it’s unbelievable!

Happy Birthday Charlie – we wish you many more!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Featured Artist: Shari Blaukopf!

Carre St Louis Victorian by Shari Blaukopf

Carre St Louis Victorian by Shari Blaukopf

Beautiful watercolors by Shari Blaukopf! Her paintings have such life to them! They are a delight in every way! Shari is from Montreal, Canada – and these two paintings are from that area. Isn’t this such a charming painting?

Brick and Stone by Shari Blaukopf

Brick and Stone by Shari Blaukopf

Look at those shadows! I love them! I also adore the way she painted a few stones to let you know this building is stone, your mind fills in the rest. Such beautiful architecture creates some wonderful paintings!

When you check out Shari’s website, you will see it starts with her Sketchbook, which is a wealth of information and fabulous paintings and sketches. She makes it look so easy! Shari has instructional videos on Craftsy, which is a very cool site if you haven’t heard of it before!

Read a bit about Shari, from her website:

A friend of mine often signs his emails with a short “keep the brush wet…” I try to keep that in mind when I paint. And I think it expresses what I love most about watercolour. When the brush is really wet, when the washes are flowing, when pigment is mixing on paper in ways that surprise me — that’s a happy day. Someone handed me a watercolour brush when I was in my teens, and except for a brief experiment with acrylics and an even briefer one with oils, watercolour keeps pulling me back.

Every time I put a brush to paper I learn something new, and that keeps me painting. Whether it’s in my Montreal neighbourhood or in my travels, it’s always a good day when I can get a bit of watercolour in.

I was fortunate to spend some summers in Maine studying with Edgar A. Whitney, and I don’t think I could talk about painting without giving a nod to this great master of watercolour. The elements and principles of design that he taught — in his entertaining and often emphatic way — come back to me when composing a painting or a sketch, even after many years. That’s the mark of a truly remarkable teacher, isn’t it?

All images via ShariBlaukopf.com, used with permission…

Images are not for reproduction, they are property of the artist.

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Guess the artist ANSWER: Colin Page!

page-image

Tenants Harbor Glare by Colin Page 16×20 Oil

UPDATED! The artist is COLIN PAGE!

This one was guessed before I even had a chance to share it to FB – a record! Thank you to Joe Fidler, Susan Graeber and Mary Sheehan Winn for guessing! Woohoo!! Colin’s paintings are fabulous and he has a style all his own! This is a treasure!

Over the next few weeks (until I run out of paintings), I am posting one of our paintings and then seeing who can GUESS THE ARTIST. I have retouched this photo on the bottom right corner to remove the artist’s signature.

Do you know the name of this artist?

Comment on my Facebook page or on this blog…

Catch you back here tomorrow!

 

House Plan: The Macon Residence by Lake and Land Studio!

Macon Residence by Lake and Land Studio

This is the Macon Residence house plan by Lake and Land Studio. The total square footage of this plan is 4,059 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms. I love the unique layout. There is a guest suite/apartment on the left side (1 Bedroom/1 Bathroom) and a residence on the other. It’s really much more than a guest suite, I would be happy to live in it! Perfect for someone visiting, or a relative that you would like living nearby! It would give them all the space that they need and you would be right next door.

The exterior of this home is exquisite. Can you imagine?

Macon Residence by Lake and Land Studio

(Can click to enlarge image). The guest cottage on the left has a wonderful front porch, you enter into the living room. There is a Living, Bedroom, Kitchen, Bathroom, front and back porch – wonderful, right?! Perfection!

The main house has a nice front porch with entry near the Dining room. This is a nice open plan Kitchen, Great Room, wonderful back porch and a master suite downstairs. I wouldn’t change a thing!

Macon Residence by Lake and Land Studio

Upstairs there are two more Bedrooms, a nice Bathroom, closets and a Family room! Perfect when you need more than one entertaining space!

Check out the Lake and Land Studio website, click on the orange Check out the details for this plan (what a fabulous website they have)!

All images via LakeAndLandStudio.com, used with permission…

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

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Featured Artist: Galen Cheney!

Miss Simone by Galen Cheney 24x20" Oil

Miss Simone by Galen Cheney  24×20″  Oil

Galen Cheney. Her style is fabulous. I don’t know why the word buoyant comes to mind but it does. Her paintings have life in them.

So many wonderful paintings. The oranges in this painting scream PICK ME, PICK ME! Before I knew the title, I thought that this painting looked like a lady’s head. Exactly, this is Miss Simone, and she is FABULOUS! Be sure to check out the rest of Galen’s work!

Stork by Galen Cheney 24x20 Oil

Stork by Galen Cheney 24×20 Oil

I always think it’s fun to look at abstract paintings to see if anything jumps out at me. I looked at this painting and instantly thought STORK. It’s that fabulous stork color that did it, and the curved strokes, fabulous!

There is a crispness to this painting. Together the color palette sings, I especially love the small dark strokes on the “stork” color pink, which makes them look like shadows. Fabulous green against the “stork” pink. Love this one too!

Read a bit about Galen, from the artist:

Galen Cheney has been painting professionally for 25 years.  After receiving a BA from Mount Holyoke College and an MFA from the Maryland Institute, College of Art she lived in Italy and then criss-crossed her way across the US doing a variety of work from writing for a travel magazine in New York City to carving at a bronze foundry in Portland, Oregon.  She now works exclusively as an artist and teacher.  Galen has received much recognition for her painting, including a nomination for a Joan Mitchell Foundation grant and residency fellowships to the Millay Colony, the Vermont Studio Center, and most recently, Da Wang Culture Highland in Shenzhen, China.

It’s pretty impressive to be nominated for a Joan Mitchell Foundation Grant!

There is a fabulous interview with Saatchi Art and Galen from 2013, read it HERE.

All images via GalenCheney.com, used with permission…

Images are not for reproduction, they are property of the artist.

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Charleston, SC Voted #1 City in the World by Travel & Leisure Magazine!

Charleston, SC

Charleston, SC – it’s quite a city, that’s for sure! Charleston, SC has been voted the World’s Best City. Wow.

Last year we were number 2 on the list, still impressive – and we’re the number one city in the US and Canada for the fifth year in a row!

So, if you ever are wondering where to take a vacation, this is the place! I think I would plan ahead, I think it’s going to get busier!

From the historic treasures this city has to offer, to the beautiful architecture and food that will blow you away – it’s no wonder!

This blip about Charleston, SC – from Travel + Leisure’s website:

Charleston moved up from the No. 2 city in the world last year to No. 1. The city has shown incredible resilience and, as one reader wrote, there is still “no place quite like it.” In addition to historic battlegrounds and jasmine-scented streets, Charleston is home to award-winning hotels (including the Spectator, No. 2 in the world this year) and restaurants. Antebellum charm, excellent boutiques, and the beautiful waterfronts at Sullivan’s Island and Folly Beach make this city one of the most beloved in the U.S.—and now, the world.

That’s quite an honor –  Catch you back here tomorrow!

Featured Artist: Amy Williams!

Forsythia and Dandelions by Amy Willams 12x12 Oil

Forsythia and Dandelions by Amy Willams 12×12″Oil

Amy Williams. Fabulous artist, wonderful person (that is so important to me… to like the artist!)- the kind of person you like to be around. One of her favorite spots to paint is Monhegan, Maine as well as other areas of Maine. She captures the light and the essence of a scene, much like you’re there. Her subjects vary, I love this Forsythia and Dandelions. I happen to think dandelions are happy little flowers, a pest to some, they add a bright bit of color. The forsythia in this painting is the star, I love the light!

Silver Lining by Amy Williams 12x12 Oil

Silver Lining by Amy Williams 12×12 Oil

Oh. My! How I love this painting! I am always looking up to the sky, it’s so beautiful, always changing and much more relaxing to watch than TV. Amy has added wonderful swirls of color, I am especially loving the gray on the right hand side and yellow/white bits next to it – a standout painting, especially with the bright white to crisp it up.

These two paintings are at Northlight Gallery in Kennebunkport, Maine. Something tells me that they won’t be there long! Be sure to check out Amy’s website!

Read a bit about Amy, from her website (link no longer present):

Brief Biography

Amy Williams has drawn and painted her whole life but she began taking formal art classes at the School of the Museum of Fine Art in 2000 after moving to Boston to take a position as Trustee Professor in Computer Science and Accounting at Bentley University. Over the next few years, in addition to taking SMFA and other museum school classes, she studied with Dennis Sheehan, Diane Rath and Casey Baugh and took workshops with Charles Sovek and Colin Page. In 2009, Amy gave up tenure and negotiated a contract to work half a year for three years so she could study intensively at the Art Student’s League of NY. She studied with Nelson Shanks, Burt Silverman, Ray Kinstler, Dan Thompson, Costa Vavagiakis, and Tom Torak and was invited to be Burt Silverman’s assistant in three workshops. She also frequently went to life drawing classes at Spring Street Studio in Soho. Upon leaving Bentley in December 2012, the university gave her a solo show in the McGladrey Gallery. In January 2013 she became a full time New Yorker. accepting an offer to serve as Director of Cyber Initiatives for the NY Citizens Crime Commission while taking classes and painting when she could. For years Amy really enjoyed helping others with their cyber security issues and painting in the evenings and on weekends but it became clearer with each day that all she wanted to do was paint.  So for that reason plus a few others, in September 2014 she and her husband Kevin Beers sold their apartment in Brooklyn NY and moved to Maine. Amy and Kevin initially met in Maine and spent summers painting together on Monhegan so this move was inevitable. Today they are both currently, happily, working as fine art painters from the renovated barn attached to their beautiful old Greek Revival house in Thomaston.

Amy Williams Artist Statement

Amy loves to paint portraits of natural elements in the landscape as well as portraits of people and is particularly drawn to delicate or vulnerable subject matter. She also loves to crop paintings so that the attention is focused on something unexpected, for example a reflection of an object rather than the object itself or the shrub with the house as accessory instead of vice versa. However she paints anything and everything that visually excites her and is currently having a serious love affair with marshes and tidal areas along the coast of Maine. Painting brings Amy joy and she hopes those good vibrations are somehow transferred to the viewers of her work. Continue reading HERE

All images via AmyWilliamsArt.com, used with permission…

Images are not for reproduction, they are property of the artist.

Catch you back here tomorrow!