Featured Artist: Cathleen Windham!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist3 Comments

Cathleen Windham | Morning Deliveries | ArtFoodHome.com

Morning Deliveries by Cathleen Windham  12 x 9″ Oil

I love how Cathleen chose such an everyday scene to paint. Most of us wouldn’t think much about painting a delivery area full of trash cans, old trucks and buildings… BUT just look at the interest that there is. Those trash cans are so cool, as is the dumpster. The yellow on the side wall guides your eye to it, and (to me) that subtle mark at the top right brings your eye towards the upper center where the various lines take it across, down to the trashcans, and back up again. I love the bright strokes in the truck window. Very nice!

Read a bit about Cathleen, from her website:

Cathleen Windham is an American artist who works in oils. Windham’s paintings are characterized by the use of every day scenes and settings in an atmosphere where recognition plays an important role. By addressing daily life as subject matter, every day objects undergo transubstantiation. 

In search for new methods to “read the city”, she seduces the viewer into a world of ongoing equilibrium and the interval that articulates the stream of daily events. Her works are an investigation into representations of (seemingly) concrete ages, often providing a backdrop to recapture an abandoned memory. 

Through her interpretation, Windham’s nocturnes in particular evoke a sensation of mystery within a familiar theater. Composed principally in plein-air, these portraits of refulgent light in contradiction against the piceous ambiance of the dark, entice the viewer towards palpitation of intimacy and immense intrigue. Cathleen Windham currently lives and works in Nashville, TN.

All images via WindhamStudio.net, used with permission…

Catch you back here tomorrow!

House Plan: Taylor Creek by John Tee!

On By Barbara StroudIn HOME, House Plans2 Comments

Taylor Creek Plan by John Tee

This is the Taylor Creek Plan by John Tee. This plan is 2,890 square feet, with 3 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms. It also includes two fireplaces, ahhh! I love how you can customize these plans. The outside is just as fabulous as the inside. Be sure to check out their website, because John shows you real images, not only of the outside of this plan, but the interior as well! His renderings are fabulous. This is quite a house!

There is a fabulous front porch, but there is also a very nice side porch! Nice and private, and it expands the living space, especially on those nice days… I would be out there most of the time!

Taylor Creek Plan by John Tee

 

It’s an open plan with Great Room, Dining Room downstairs, as well as a powder room, and the aforementioned side porch! I would screen the side porch so you could leave windows or french doors open to catch a breeze!

Taylor Creek Plan by John Tee

Upstairs is the Master Bedroom/Bathroom on one end with a separate entrance onto the porch area. There is also a Flex Room, that can be used for just about anything. Add to that, two more bedrooms with bathrooms and you have yourself one heck of a house!

All images via JohnTee.com, used with permission…

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Featured Artist: Beverly Ford Evans!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist2 Comments

Leaf Catchers by Beverly Ford Evans | artfoodhome.com

Leaf Catchers by Beverly Ford Evans  Oil  18×24″

A striking painting indeed! I love the pop of color from the sky reflection as well as the color of the leaves. Nice movement in the water and reflections. Very nice!

Beverly has some shows coming up this year and next, so be sure to check it out!

Read a bit about Beverly from her website, check out her other paintings as well!:

Beverly is a native of Nashville, Tennessee. As a child she was drawn to the beauty that surrounded her. Encouraged by her parents, she began drawing and painting. As and adult Beverly has become a prolific artist. She has studied with accomplished artist Roger Dale Brown, OPA, Dawn Whitelaw, Paula Frizbe and Jeremy Lipking.

What inspired Beverly to return to her love of painting, after a carrier in interior design, was the beauty of her home state. Tennessee is abundant in natural beauty and history. Beverly captures its essence and shares it through her paintings. She also loves to pack her paints and travel to other parts of our beautiful country, where she is inspired by the diversity and beauty at every turn in the road.

Beverly assists her husband, Roger Dale Brown, teaching plein air and studio workshops across the country. Visit www.rogerdalebrown.com    for their workshop schedule.

In recent years, Beverly has combined her love of the outdoors and animals into her art, and has become known for her sporting art. 

All images via BeverlyFordEvans.com, used with permission…

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Does your dog eat too quickly? A Quick Fix!

On By Barbara StroudIn THOUGHTSLeave a comment

A spoon in the dog dish slows eating

Does your dog wolf their food down? Or do you have a dog eats at a nice leisurely pace? Well, for those of us with the dogs who eat too quickly (which can cause problems) – Here is a quick tip!

I was researching different dog bowls/dishes, they make some that make it more difficult for your pet to get to the food which in turn slows down their eating. They aren’t cheap, but apparently they are effective. While checking into the dog dishes I ran across a hot tip.

PUT A SPOON IN THE DISH.

What? I truly didn’t think that would work, but guess what? IT WORKS! Charlie doesn’t like the noise, which is ok, he works through it, and quickly became used to it. We had stopped for a while because he was eating at a normal pace. He just started the eating-fast situation again, so we’re back to the spoon :)

I love when there is a solution that doesn’t cost a lot! Catch you back here tomorrow!

Featured Artist: Kelly Berger!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured ArtistLeave a comment
Cumulous Collective by Kelly Berger 48x48Cumulous Collective by Kelly Berger  48×48″

Kelly Berger. Just look at this fabulous painting. Bold brush strokes, color that says WOW as well as great subject matter! I love this!

Read a bit about Kelly from Kelly (I love stories like hers!); be sure to check out the Brush Strokes Studio website:

Denver painter Kelly Berger embodies mid-life reinvention, having ditched a career in public relations, part-time philanthropic work and full-time parenting for a long-shelved pursuit of painting. Kelly’s contemporary representational art is gaining regional note and is widely collected in the mountain West and beyond.

During her p.r. phase, Kelly took periodic detours to the art world via drawing classes at the Art Students League and Parsons in New York, as well as the League in Denver. At a career crossroads five years ago, she had the opportunity to commit full-time to painting, which had been her passion all along. Kelly was soon showing her work at Denver area galleries and was invited to join Denver’s prominent Brushstrokes Studio-Gallery as it’s fourth artist/partner in early 2012.  

“Years in the marketing arena have informed the underlying graphic structure of my work,” Kelly explains.  “I’m drawn to strong color, powerful contrast, and dramatic perspective. In terms of process, I’ve recently turned to painting studies en plein air, complementing visual information from my own photography. My formative years in Nebraska and college in Iowa are evidenced in pieces depicting rural towns and plains; my family’s zeal for Colorado mountain life inspires mountain and ski themes; and several years in NYC has driven my passionate focus on urban themes.”

Artistically, Kelly has been further exploring elements of abstraction—casting aside detail where possible, honing in on the center of interest, and letting the viewer mentally  “finish” of the piece.  “This is hardly and original goal, but one I’m pursuing nonetheless,” she explains.  Her medium of choice is primarily acrylic due to its immediacy.  “Today’s pro acrylics are not your granny’s chalky stuff; I find I can build the painting more quickly without risk of muddy color, as is the risk with oil. I actually have had galleries sell my work assuming they are oil paintings.

Though largely self-taught, and a voracious student of the masters, Kelly credits Denver artist Mark D. Nelson with much of her evolution, having attended his studio class regularly for years. She also thanks her partners at Brushstrokes for their tutelage in painting and the art business.

All images via BrushStrokeStudio.com, used with permission from the artist…

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Just look at this sky!

On By Barbara StroudIn Charleston, PhotographLeave a comment
Over the Bridge - Charleston, SC
Over the Bridge – Charleston, SC

This is the view over the bridge that takes you from West Ashley to downtown Charleston, SC, through the car window. Those big things in the sky aren’t weird birds, they’re flowers from the crape myrtle that are on my windshield.

Just look at that dramatic sky!

P.S. I promise I wasn’t the one driving (you can see the passenger side mirror)!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

A Window in Charleston…

On By Barbara StroudIn Charleston, Photograph, SCLeave a comment
A Window in Charleston
A Window in Charleston

A window in Charleston, SC – Just look at the colors in that window box! The flowers are beautiful and compliment the color of the house so nicely!

There is nothing like a well taken care of historic home. There is so much maintenance with houses downtown, especially the homes that are built so close together, not allowing sun to get in between, requiring constant painting. But BRAVO Charleston – most homes are just beautiful!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

View From The Gate – Charleston, SC

On By Barbara StroudIn Charleston, Photograph2 Comments
A gate in Charleston, SC
A Gate in Charleston, SC

How many times have I mentioned that I simply cannot walk around Charleston without snapping photos? Ha ha… It’s just so beautiful! Every home you pass is gorgeous, with beautiful landscaping, wonderful ironwork and stunning architecture! This is another example!

Photo taken mid-day, hence the bad lighting, but I think you can get the gist of it :)

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Cool cabin… Monhegan (Maine)!

On By Barbara StroudIn Maine, Photograph, THOUGHTSLeave a comment

The Stanley Apartment - Monhegan | ArtFoodHome.com

This photo is from a while back, I love it. The door on the left is so striking against the gray weathered shingles and the window above with the flower – so sweet. Years ago a friend of ours rented this cottage. If you’re looking for a place of your own to rent while on Monhegan, there are many cottages to chose from. Plan ahead!

Check out the Stanley Apartment | Brackett Rentals website… great photos!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Photo: Window View Monhegan…

On By Barbara StroudIn Maine, Photograph, TRAVEL2 Comments

Monhegan | ArtFoodHome.com

This is Uncle Henry’s cottage on Monhegan Island (Maine). It’s got a ton of charm, and is rentable! I always love a shot looking into one window and out through another! Uncle Henry’s cabin is a short distance from the wharf (between the Barnacle and the Island Inn) and has quite the view! They have a great FB page with photos, check it out!

Read about the history of this cabin here! (It’s short)…

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Featured Artist: Conn Ryder!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist1 Comment
Malapert by Conn Ryder 48x48
Malapert by Conn Ryder  48×48″   Acrylic/Canvas

Conn Ryder. Fabulous color and movement. I love the fluid brush strokes and those pops of colors with an otherwise subtle background. This Colorado artist gives it her all and it shows! I love the story about her high school art class… so true! What a great instructor! Check out many of Conn’s fabulous paintings on her website (kudos on the website too!).

Read a bit about Conn, from her website:

Conn Ryder was drawn to and garnered praise for her art from an early age.  But it was an incident during a high school drawing class that expanded her way of thinking about art.   Assigned to create a pencil drawing of a shoe, Conn sorted through a box of old shoes and, after choosing a clean white Keds sneaker, tied the laces in a neat bow and began sketching. Noticing this, her teacher lunged toward her desk and heaved the sneaker across the room where it hit and bounced off the wall.  He wildly dug through the box of shoes, eventually pulling out an oversized, raggedy, high-topped basketball shoe with the tongue half ripped off and shredded shoelaces.  He slammed the tattered shoe down in front of Conn and said “Draw this! This shoe has character!”  Conn created the best drawing she had done to date and received an A+ for her efforts.  More importantly, she walked away with a lesson in seeing the character, interest and beauty in the least obvious places.
Conn studied fashion illustration at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, and later studied painting at the Kansas City Art Institute.  One day during college, Conn’s instructor led a group of art students into the painting studio to show them a large vibrant abstract Conn was working on.  The instructor pulled the painting out of the storage slot, only to discover the previously colorful canvas had been covered with thick, black paint.  Conn later explained that out of frustration, she painted the entire surface black, and in doing so, freed herself from the creative fetters of the previous image.  The next afternoon, she feverishly scraped back into the black surface, reworking areas as she went and uncovered a more complex and texturally varied abstract that suited her sensibilities. The instructor said she knew then that Conn was a true artist.  

Conn later turned to representational painting with a focus on oil portraits and still lifes. During that period, she studied with Daniel E. Greene, Joan Potter and Robert Vaughn.  But as other aspects of her life began to take over, Conn’s artistic pursuits became sporadic at best or placed on the back burner altogether. Though the course of her artistic evolution zigzagged through fashion illustration. representational art and at times was suspended, by 2008 Conn found her way back to the abstract painting that resonated in her core. Since that time she has painted with increased dedication to cultivate her own unique artistic voice. Her work has been included in regional, national and international juried exhibits—most recently the prestigious 2014 Governor’s Art Show in Colorado.

Conn draws inspiration from the experiences of her life, from the music that stirs her, from the landscape that surrounds her. . . and most of all from viewing everything in her life with raggedy-shoe awareness.

Image via ConnRyder.com, used with permission…

Remembering those who lost their lives on September 11, 1993 – World Trade Center as well as those who helped and did all they could…

Bless you!