Serene.
Beautiful.
Those colors, wow!
This is sunset – Key West, FL.
Catch you back here tomorrow!
The year before we discovered Maine…
I like photos that don’t show an entire scene. One that shows a cool element of a location. This photo was taken in San Francisco in 2005, TYBWDM. (The year before we discovered Maine). We haven’t been back. We had gone to San Fran in 2003 – 2005, then thought lets switch between east coast and west coast. So we headed to Maine and that was the end of that!
I love this cool window with the fire escape. San Fran is a great city, so much to do and see, and the weather… wow!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Featured Artist: Matt Story – Show at Robert Lange Studios!
Blue Roll Reach by Matt Story 48×48″ Oil | Robert Lange Studios
Robert Lange Studios is a gallery in Charleston, SC that is not to be missed. They are cutting edge and display the most amazing, jaw-dropping artists. Matt Story is no exception. They are featuring a show that runs through February 26, 2016 for him, and it’s going to be fabulous! Matt is one talented guy. His paintings are stunning. His perspective is wonderful. Colors are dramatic and make you not want to look away. How??? Wow!
This painting Blue Roll Reach hit me. Those colors! The bubbles, reflections, and movement is amazing. I cannot imagine the amount of difficulty involved just drawing a figure in that position!
Pink Top Swim To by Matt Story 36×36″ Oil | Robert Lange Studios
These reflections are mind boggling! Read Matt’s blog to see the process of photographing, etc. Fascinating! I love reading about Matt, he loves painting, that much is for sure, it’s in his blood – and it shows!
If you’re in the Charleston, SC area, be sure to stop in to check out this show!
Info from Robert Lange Studios:
Robert Lange Studios upcoming exhibit, Water, features the work of the contemporary painter Matt Story. Water, as its title suggests, is an entertaining collection of underwater figurative paintings. The work will hang until February 26 and can be seen daily from 11-5pm.
Story, currently located in New York, has become recognized for his large scale underwater paintings and his work is enthusiastically collected throughout the United States and Europe. In the mid-2013 Story began visiting the Charleston area and now in 2016 Robert Lange Studios is excited to have his work return to the city.
Story says, “I try to paint contemporary life as to capture crystals of pristine memory that we all share but never describe to one another. Each composition uses the gesture of figure or setting to evoke a platonic form, an archetypal notion, a distilled essence, that thing that lasts beyond the moment.”
Story’s realist, bordering on hyper-realist, style gives his figurative works a strong vibrancy but it is not the technique, as much as the subject matter, that sets Story apart. Each painting depicts casually beautiful women submerged beneath the surface. It is evident that the steps needed to capturing these images are a large part of the artists process.
Read a bit about Matt from Robert Lange Studios website:
Matt Story studied art from an early age and demonstrated a unique skill for rendering verisimilitude, or hyper-realism. “I was lauded for ‘photo-realistic’ technique, but I was never after that, really, after what a camera impartially sees, because there’s so much more there, captured only by the human filter of memory. We all posses these invisible imprints, through experience and living, but often its only artists who can play it back for us, to remind us. The paint surface needs to be a mirror for the viewer, reflecting back not his or her superficial self, but a deep shared humanness. This is the essence of looking at a piece that’s totally unfamiliar to you and yet, being awed with a sense of recognition. Your reactions, those memories and feelings are uniquely yours but you’re suddenly filled with a sense that, you share them, at least with the artist, but probably even with everyone else. That of course is art at its best: the artist, sometimes doesn’t even know what he’s doing because he’s a conduit of his or her own collective awareness.”
Story worked as a technical illustrator and graphic artist from his early teens, and studied art in the United States and Western Europe. After graduating from U.C.L.A. he worked extensively throughout North America in film and television production. “The collaboration drove me crazy at some point. Of course, the isolation in the studio can be challenging too, but it suits me far better. In fact, I’m filled with a melancholy at the end of the day and I can hardly wait to rise early and launch into the studio (to the chagrin of my family).”
Story has worked for over twenty years from his studio in Los Angeles but in mid-2013 began traveling with his wife, first with a long hiatus on the Isle of Palms near Charleston, South Carolina, and recently a long stint near Santa Fe, New Mexico where he paints today, often twelve or more hours a day and seven days a week. His method of oil painting on canvas and panel closely resembles the classical method, used for centuries by masters such as Titian and Caravaggio, two of Story’s heroes, fastidiously building up thin glazes, painting “fat over lean” with traditional materials. His work is included in private and corporate collections in the United States, Europe and Asia.
Story worked as a technical illustrator and graphic artist from his early teens, and studied art in the United States and Western Europe. After graduating from U.C.L.A. he worked extensively throughout North America in film and television production. “The collaboration drove me crazy at some point. Of course, the isolation in the studio can be challenging too, but it suits me far better. In fact, I’m filled with a melancholy at the end of the day and I can hardly wait to rise early and launch into the studio (to the chagrin of my family).”
Story has worked for over twenty years from his studio in Los Angeles but in mid-2013 began traveling with his wife, first with a long hiatus on the Isle of Palms near Charleston, South Carolina, and recently a long stint near Santa Fe, New Mexico where he paints today, often twelve or more hours a day and seven days a week. His method of oil painting on canvas and panel closely resembles the classical method, used for centuries by masters such as Titian and Caravaggio, two of Story’s heroes, fastidiously building up thin glazes, painting “fat over lean” with traditional materials. His work is included in private and corporate collections in the United States, Europe and Asia.
Please visit www.robertlangestudios.com or call for more information 843.805.8052.
All images via RobertLangeStudios.com, used with permission…
Images are not for reproduction, they are property of the artist.
Catch you back here tomorrow!
House Plan: W331612R from Architectural Designs!
Plan W33161ZR from Architectural Designs! Wow, is this a wonderful old world Florida plan! This is a net zero plan with an L-shaped lanai. For those of you wondering what a lanai is, it’s basically a covered porch, which helps keep out the elements, and in sunny climates helps keep the house cooler by reducing the amount of direct sun streaming through the windows. Lanai’s are coveted spaces used for entertaining, relaxing, just like another living space, but outdoors. The back of this plan is FABULOUS, I urge you to check it out (click on the link above to see more photos and details).
You enter the house from a nice entry porch, then walk into the Great Room and Kitchen areas. Nice open wonderful areas with plenty of room! Down a hallway you will pass two Guest rooms, each with their own Guest Bath, then at the end of the house is the Master Bedroom/Bathroom. On the way to the garage is a Powder Room, Utility Room and Storage (YES!!). The stairs for the Guest Room are located near the garage, which is so nice!
Did you notice the built in dressers in the Master Closet? What a nice touch! As is the WALK-IN PANTRY! ❤️
Changes we would make to suite our needs: I would change Guest Bedroom 1 into a reading room, study or equivalent. If possible I would make Guest Bath 1 into the Utility Room with washer/dryer. I would take the Utility Room near the Garage, and make that a nice mud room with storage, or expand the Storage space (I love that they include a place for storage – it’s something we all need!) – It’s fun to think of changes I would make… of course I could easily live in it just as it is.
Can I say… I love a Guest Suite?!! What a great space. It’s a large space, with closets, storage, a Guest Bath, what more could you ask for? Also nice as an office or studio!
All images via ArchitecturalDesigns.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: Tracy Yarbrough!
Life is Good Today by Tracy Yarbrough
Tracy Yarbrough is an artist from the Nashville, TN area. She has some fun paintings that are sure to put a smile on your face. I like the abstract quality of this one, the “drips” which I think add to the painting and the wonderful happy colors. Check them out, she has a great website!
Read a bit about Tracy, from her website:
Creating art that is colorful and expressive, I hope to share some happiness with the viewer. I have fun painting and I want it that to come across in my artwork.
Using acrylics and sometimes collage, I layer texture, color and line intuitively to create my paintings. I like to use color in an expressive way. I often paint over old paintings to create something entirely new. The layers of collage, texture and paint underneath my paintings are similar to ourselves, there are many layers and some secrets are hidden.
My recent abstract landscapes are inspired by… the beach and the beauty of the where the land and sky meet. the joy of just being. unplugging and enjoying nature.
Note: I have changed the way I feature artists that submit via the submission form on my website, instead of calling that post an “Artist to Watch”, I am keeping it as “Featured Artist” to lessen confusion. I will try to thank those who submitted. Most of my featured artist posts I run across are artists that I contact, whether it be word of mouth, Facebook, Instagram, a gallery or a slew of other ways. On occasion I will feature artists who submit to me – what a treat to find an artist I could have otherwise missed! Thank you Tracy, for submitting your work!
All images via chick-pea-studio.com (Tracy’s website), used with permission…
Images are not for reproduction, they are property of the artist.
PS to those who receive this post via email: Yesterday I inadvertently mentioned a before and after photo. Oops! I had changed my thought process part way through the post and didn’t delete that line. If you ever see something that doesn’t make sense, please check my site (you can just click on the title in the email and it will take you there) – chances are corrections have been made. I despise mistakes, but they happen, ugh!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Paintings… and frames!
Artists: (From top left to right): Dan Corey, Alison Hill, Dan Corey (Middle row): Tim Bell, Tim Bell, Robert Abele, Tim Bell, Tim Bell, (Bottom row) Bjorn Runquist, David Kasman
We have got a lot of paintings. Wonderful paintings. We have so many that we have started to hang them gallery style on a few walls (it’s either that or store them, and we just cannot do that). The frames became too prominent. We wanted to see more of the paintings, less of the frames. So on four we switched to floaters… I know that those of you who are traditional might want to keep the frame, but for those of us who can go both traditional or a bit more modern we were all in for the switch.
This is an example of a lot of frames, too many for my eyes… we have since reconfigured this wall, and there is one large abstract 60×60″ painting by Carol Bass. Some of these paintings have come out of the frames entirely, and I like the look of them hanging with no frame. I like it a lot! Two on this wall have been put into floater frames (MORE ON THAT NEXT WEEK).
What do you think about floater frames? Is there ever a time when there is just too much frame for you? I know there have been problems getting frames off and on. We found some great floaters at Frankenframe!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Featured Artist: Derek Gollaher!
White Sand Beach by Derek Gollaher 24×30″ Oil on Canvas
This painting grabbed me right away. I am drawn to paintings that have a dark, dark, if you know what I mean. Not just close to dark, but really dark, look how the deep shade of the water makes the sand that much more stunning! I love how the light is hitting this painting. Really nice… those shadows in the sand… sweet!
Sister by Derek Gollaher 22×28″ Oil on Canvas
This style seems a bit different, and I like it just as much. He captured this woman so perfectly. I have a thing for interiors, and not everyone can pull them off, but Derek did a great job capturing the essence of this scene!
Read a bit about Derek, and be sure to check out his Facebook Page (“Derek Gollaher”)!
Derek Gollaher is a contemporary realist painter. He was born in Fresno, California in 1982. Knowing at a very young age that he wanted to be an artist. He worked with many mediums in the pursuit to find his calling as a fine artist.
Now primarily working with oil on canvas, he finds the most enjoyment in painting figurative & portrait works. He currently lives in Farmington, Missouri where he is drawn in by the areas rich history & endless subject matters.
His perspective allows him to capture the slightest gestures & emotions of the human figure. Being entirely self taught in oil painting, he goes to early nineteenth century painters for insight & inspiration.
About his work Derek has said ”In my paintings I simply try to represent the omitted beauty that is right in front of us.”
All images via Derek Gollaher, used with permission…
Images are not for reproduction, they are property of the artist.
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Stunning architecture – The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist – Charleston, SC!
Rear view of church
This is such a stunning Catholic church. The inside commands attention. It is full of history. The architecture is so beautiful. This is a photo from the BACK of the church. Just look at that golden light! Stunning.
The history is fascinating, for example, the church originally cost $103,00 to build… in the early 1850’s! Read more about this church’s history…
Catch you back here tomorrow!
A bit of color in the winter…
It’s nice to have a bit of color in the winter. There is just nothing like fresh flowers. I will often pick up a small bunch of tulips, lily’s or sunflowers if they look happy and like they will last a while. Tulips usually last about a week, getting very dramatic towards the end.
Treat yourself… or even better, someone else!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Featured Artist: Cheryl St. John!
Reach for the Sky by Cheryl St. John 11×14″ Oil
Cheryl St. John. Cheryl can paint the scenes that nature offers so fluently. Her paintings are just beautiful. Cheryl is an artist from Colorado who paints plein air (outdoors). She paints the larger paintings in the studio from small plein air studies, so she can capture the feel of her location and portray that onto a larger canvas.
The painting Reach for the Sky makes me happy just to look at. The combination of colors is so beautiful to me. Just fabulous!
Lavender Sky by Cheryl St. John 11×14″ Oil
I think it’s so fabulous when an artist can really capture the light, and I would say Cheryl did just that. The sky is wonderful, the bright sun is spellbinding!
Are you an artist interested in taking a workshop with Cheryl? Check out her 2016 Workshops!
Read a bit about Cheryl, from the Saks Galleries website:
Cheryl St. John is a fourth generation Colorado Native; it’s in her blood to appreciate the nature and environment. She says she is a preserver of both. Cheryl draws inspiration to paint from her vast travels from the wide-open spaces of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, the high deserts of New Mexico, the colorful hillsides of Tuscany, to the charm of San Miguel de Allende.
She is a member of the American Impressionist Society and member of the Plein Air Artists of Colorado. She says of plein air painting, …”it’s always a challenge, never-ever routine. The changing light and weather conditions create a sense of urgency that translates to a spontaneous and loose interpretation of the scene.” Transporting structured chaos into the studio for the much larger pieces proves an undertaking Cheryl is well equipped to handle.
She is deeply connected to her environment. Her paintings reflect harmony and tranquility. They reflect the soul and spirit of the land to the viewer
Cheryl is known for her “plein-air” landscapes as well her breathtaking large landscape paintings created from the plein air studies. “It’s a bit difficult to paint on a 36X48 canvas on location so working from small studies, created in the field is the perfect solution!” Now, she can enjoy being outdoors, which is where she wants to be most of the time, and enjoy the comfort of the studio when she wants to work large. The nice thing about creating a small study on location is it takes me right back to that “special place” so I can create a large work with the same feeling and emotion.
Cheryl’s inspiration comes from the wide open spaces of the rocky mountains of Colorado, the high desserts of New Mexico, the colorful hillsides of Tuscany and the many other landscapes she is yet to discover. Painting en plein-air is always a challenge, never-ever routine. The changing light and weather conditions create a sense of urgency that translates to a spontaneous and loose interpretation of the scene, which is something she retains in working much larger in the studio. “Besides, it’s a great excuse to be outdoors and what better way to take the viewer to all of the wonderful places I get to visit! My hope is that the viewer can actually feel the breeze, smell the fresh air and soak in the warmth of the sun in each and every one of my works of art. I want my paintings to let you escape to a very special place and enjoy.”
Cheryl studied fine art and design at The Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design and The Colorado Institute of Art, as well as with well known artists: Kim English, Melinda Morrison, Michael Workman, Robert Spooner and many others. Read more HERE…
All images via CherylStJohn.com, used with permission…
Images are not for reproduction, they are property of the artist.
Catch you back here tomorrow!
House Plan: 229 Greer Road – Guest Cottage? Studio? Stunning!
Our Town Plans has the classiest of plans. Each one is as stunning as the next. They don’t skimp on details when it comes to a guest cottage either, just look at this sweet plan, this is 229 Greer Road. It is a 1 Bedroom, 1 Bathroom plan with 312 square feet. Perfect for a guest or… as a STUDIO! Many of us would like a little getaway, but be close enough to home, wouldn’t this just be perfect? A wonderful front porch leads to the front door. Beyond that is the Bedroom/Living space, a refrigerator and sink, a closet and bathroom with shower. Perfect!
I love their sketch with the fire pit and adirondack chairs. Just wait until you see real images of this guest cottage. You’ll see what I mean! CLASSY!
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: Don Weller!
Wade and Spade by Don Weller 20×20″ Watercolor
Don Weller. What he can do with watercolors is breathtaking. This gorgeous blue sky is mesmerizing! He captures movement with horses so well. Just beautiful!
Ridin’ and Racin’ by Don Weller 10.5×18″ Watercolor
You can tell that Don has spent a great deal of time around horses. He paints them so well. I love to see his landscape within the painting as well. He has a way that is unique and wonderful. His palette is gorgeous – his paintings are a treat for the eye!
Don has a few wonderful books available – just beautiful!
Read a bit about Don, from his website:
As a boy Don Weller drew horses and cowboys when he wasn’t exploring with his horse along the Palouse River or over the rolling hills that surrounded his childhood home near Pullman, Washington. He roped calves in high school and college rodeos and sold some cartoons to Western Horseman magazine. His passions were horses and art.
Graduating from Washington State University with a degree in Fine Art, he sold his horses and moved to Los Angeles where he spent decades doing graphic design and illustration. His work appeared on record covers, posters, in advertisements, and on hundreds of magazine pages. He did covers for Time Magazine, TV Guide, and illustrated stories in Sports Illustrated, Boys Life, Pro, Readers Digestand many others. He did posters for the Hollywood Bowl, The National Football League, The Rose Bowl, and the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. He illustrated three children’s books and published a coffee table book about cutting horses, Pride in the Dust. He created five stamps for the United States Post Office.
Besides illustration and graphic design, he taught school part time, three years at UCLA, where he met his wife Cha Cha, and eleven years at the Art Center School in Pasadena.
Finally Don realized he had seen all the cement and palm trees he could stand. They moved to Utah, near the skiing at Park City. A book project for the NCHA introduced him to a neighbor who trained cutting horses. The west of his childhood came flooding back. It was still there, just as he’d left it. The cutting horse book project took him to Texas and Arizona, California, and Montana. He was in arenas and on ranches.
He began to wonder what it would be like to ride those cutting horses. He found out, and his adventures expanded to cutting contests, rodeos and ranch life.
Now Cha Cha and Don live in rural Oakley, Utah, with Buster the border collie, two cats, and five horses who are bred to cut. Don creates western paintings and rides the cutting horses. In the summers the menagerie grows to include cattle and sometimes buffalo. In winter they ski. Read more HERE…
All images via DonWeller.com, used with permission…
Images are not for reproduction, they are property of the artist.
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Charlie – Photo of his laser goggles…
Charlie with his googles on (reminds me of Snoopy) ready for his first laser treatment (Companion Therapy Laser by LiteCure) at West Ashley Veterinary Clinic. (Thankful for this fine group of doctors)!
Charlie had surgery seven weeks ago today for a torn CCL (like an ACL in humans). He has progressed so much. After surgery, these laser treatments were recommended. They speed healing, help with inflammation and pain. I swear that he healed faster and with less pain than if he didn’t have them. It only took a few minutes (depending upon condition and dog, etc.). This was the only time he wore the Doggles, darn cute, glad I snapped a photo! The other visits (he had ten), Fred just held him with Charlie’s head facing the opposite direction of the laser (we had special goggles on as well).
Interested? Click HERE to find a practice near you that offers laser therapy. In Charleston, there are quite a few that do offer it.
To read more about all this laser can help, visit the Companion Therapy Laser website!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Featured Artist: Tony Karpinski!
Painting by Tony Karpinski
Tony Karpinski. Wow! His paintings are enlightening. They tell a story about where he lives (UK) – these are paintings of London and they are stunning. Don’t you just love his brush strokes and colors? The way he portrays light is amazing. He gives you a glimpse at what London looks like, and let me tell you, it makes me want to be there right now!
Painting by Tony Karpinski
Tony captured this scene so well. The statue is just stunning. The background is fabulous, and the light in this painting is crazy wonderful! I love how the woman is perched against the column reading her book, sun hitting her face. What a delight! This would be me! I would walk around, grab a bite to eat, and maybe a coffee or tea, and then take time to just be… either write, read, or sketch. How wonderful! The song “Leaving on a Jet Plane” comes to mind right now… on it’s way to London!
Check out more paintings by Tony, available via Haynes Fine Art of Broadway, located in Worcestershire (UK). Stunning paintings (& sculpture!), I encourage you to take a peek!
Read a bit about Tony, from his website:
My heart is rooted in London. I was born in London, I grew up in London and I spent most of my adult life in London. Yet it is quite remarkable that despite having also spent most of my adult life as a professional artist it is only now that I have started to paint my beloved City.
It could be seen as a long and necessary apprenticeship that has led me to this moment. A combination also of how I see London now and a new style of painting in which I think my subject should be interpreted. I would like to align myself with such stellar company in terms of vision if not talent as Blake, More, Dickens and Chaucer all of whom were obsessed with the light and darkness of a London. To paraphrase Ackroyd “In a city that is built in the shadows of money and power; all of them were entranced by the scenic and the spectacular, in a city that is continually filled with the energetic display of people and institutions. They understood the energy of London, they understood its variety, and they also understood its darkness.”
I live just outside of London now and going into town allows me to look at it with fresh eyes, seeing the smaller things that I could possibly overlooked if I saw it day in day out.
I’m filled with a great sense of excitement when I’m in the streets, I feel like a fly watching a fast moving City in slow motion. I love watching people, my focus is always on the people of London simply going about their daily business and moving around living their lives, I don’t look for action, just simple beauty.
Of course this new avenue I have entered has opened up exciting new worlds to me of all the great cities on this planet, a never ending stream of reference material and so much to see and paint. The truth is though I could spend my whole life in London, never get bored and constantly see something incredible and new.
All images via TonyKarpinski.com, used with permission…
Images are not for reproduction, they are property of the artist.
Catch you back here tomorrow!
From the Archives: Another Charleston Photo – A window in Charleston.
This is one beautiful home located in Charleston, SC. Gorgeous flower boxes. The color of this home is stunning! It’s so classy and well taken care of.
Beautiful, just beautiful!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
ARTFOODHOME.COM 