In a hurry for dinner? Here’s a trick!

Quick Dinner | ArtFoodHome.com

Whole Foods (and many other stores) sell their homemade pizza that you can take home and bake… we buy a small pizza and split it. It IS small, but if you buy the cheese pizza and add sliced mushrooms and/or veggies and a nice salad it fills you up! I just added a few handfuls of arugula, sliced cucumber, radish and a sprinkle of dill and olive oil! No bad ingredients, and it’s indulgent yet healthy!

We keep one in the freezer, take it out that morning, and it’s perfect!

What is a quick/healthy meal that you can whip up when things are busy?

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Emerging Artists… check them out!

ArtFoodHome.com | barbara stroud

It’s been a while since I introduced the first set of Emerging Artists… I have more for you! Check out their work, and keep tabs on them in the future!

Eliza Calkin

Eliza Calkins Good Harbor ec

Good Harbor by Eliza Calkins 36×90″  – SOLD

Eliza has some nice light going on doesn’t she? This is a happy painting that really makes you want to grab a book and a comfy chair and head to the beach!

Read a bit about Eliza, from her website:

Eliza Calkins (Liza) takes inspiration from her local surroundings on the North Shore, where she grew up. After living in Boston for four years while studying painting at the BU College of Fine Arts, she has returned home to paint. She works in her studio in Gloucester, painting abstractly and representationally, depending on the mood.

Eliza has studied under artists such as Richard Raiselis, Hugh O’Donnell, Harold Reddicliffe, Jill Grimes, and North Shore artist Caleb Stone. She has completed many commissions and her paintings are held in private collections internationally and in the United States.

She has also taught art to all ages ranging from preschool to adult. Recently, Eliza worked at Rockport Elementary School as an assistant art teacher, earning her a second degree from BU: Master’s in Studio Art Teaching.

Shari Goddard Shambaugh

Shari Goddard Waiting for Dusk | ArtFoodHome.com

Waiting for Dusk by Shari Goddard – 8×8″ – Oil

Nice cloud reflections in the water! The very subtle colors are nice. Shari really shows distance with this piece!

Read a bit about Shari, from her website (I love when artists give us a little story of their life and not just accomplishments, great work!):

PAINTING THE 45th PARALLEL

​Living in Maine has done more for my work as an artist than any other step taken in my life. It is a landscape littered with jaw-dropping beauty, and filled with a clear light that seems to fill things up from the inside.  It is also filled with artists drawn here: writers, musicians, poets, woodworkers, fiber artists, film makers, and traditional painters to name a few. Rather than trying to block others from entering this creative world, Maine artists tend to be generous and approachable. It is artistic heaven, especially for someone who has inched her way into this world over decades. Decades of working without an art school background, but with a need to create that drives the work I do as I grow in my craft. Each place I have lived, from several national parks to Paris, and Portland, Oregon, to Portland, Maine, has inspired the direction of my art.

My grandmother painted in a Grandma Moses style, but gave it up under the demands of a busy life. She “made do” with inexpensive paints and toothpicks wrapped with cotton, creating exquisite scenes that still amaze me. I stared at her work over my youngest years, trying to deconstruct how she achieved each effect. It eventually led me to try to do the same. And, although our styles are completely different, I like to think she would approve of the work.

 I mostly paint the world in which I live, doing the things that I love. While I sometimes sketch on site, and occasionally paint outside, most of my work is done from photos I have taken while hiking or exploring my world. I try to recapture the beauty of light or composition or feeling that drew my attention to a particular scene. Besides the varied landscapes and activities of Maine, I spend part of each summer at a family cabin in Northern Michigan. These two locations provide a rich and changing source of material for my work.

I hope you enjoy your visit to this site. If you have questions, comments, or would like to purchase a piece, I would love to hear from you. I hope this body of work captures a little of the joy that I have found in this place and work.

Susan Elizabeth Jones

Susan E Jones five-till-noon | ArtFoodHome.com

Five Till Noon by Susan E. Jones 20×16″ Oil

Susan paints interiors (one of the many subjects she paints), and they’re wonderful. Everyone loves an interior painting!

Read a bit about Susan, from her website (but… there is more, and it’s wonderful!) Also: read the story of how Susan became an artist – so perfect, told with good humor, it made me smile the entire way through, as well as Blog, etc…):

Artist Statement

Susan’s style of painting has been described as impressionistic, loose, and charming, capturing subjects near her home in middle Tennessee in simple settings, very fluid and intuitive, and full of color! Although she has experimented with several mediums over the years,she now concentrates mostly in oils. Transparent Oils are her latest passion. And Alla Prima (painting in one session) is her style preference.

“Born into a family of artists and being a child of the divine Creator, it is impossible to deny the spirit of artistic and creative stirrings within me. We are all artists. It’s our nature. We just choose different mediums. Mine is paint. Transparent oils, mostly. And I will forever be a student, inspired with unending natural beauty and limitless talent of other artists that surround me in rural middle Tennessee.

Keeping things simple and letting the details work out by themselves is my life’s philosophy, and this shows in my work… simple subjects, uncluttered backgrounds, and lack of details are the recurring characteristics of my paintings. Life is full of many blessings, big and small.  Embrace them. Count them…a game-winning touchdown, the yawn of a puppy, the smell of bacon frying and freshly brewed coffee, Elvis’ Trilogy playing on the radio, the charms of a secondhand bookstore, a new white canvas and a paintbrush between your fingers. May you live your whole life fully engaged, fully appreciating all the beauty and blessings around you, creating happiness, fulfilling your dreams, and building a legacy of love.”

Susan resides in a century-old Craftsman cottage in middle Tennessee where she can be found capturing free moments sipping sweet tea on the front porch with numerous well-loved and misbehaved, rescued fur babies and being inspired by every day objects and the beautiful seasons around her home. 

All images used with permission from the artists…

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Fish House – Monhegan Island, Maine

Fish House - Monhegan | ArtFoodHome.com

Fish House Restaurant on Monhegan looking towards Manana. Look at that dark blue water… it’s as gorgeous as it is cold! Wonderful, fresh seafood! Lobster and crab rolls and much more! Read about it here! You can pick up your food, then sit at the picnic tables overlooking the harbor. Does a more peaceful place exist? We don’t think so!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

A special day! Hearts and Crosses by artist Barbara Biel…

Heart by Barbara Biel |artfoodhome.com

Barbara Biel creates these amazing hearts and crosses and they are stunning! ESD (Elizabeth Stuart Design) in Mount Pleasant, SC has carried them for quite a while.

Both are perfect for this day… friends are getting married today, woot! Woot!

Hearts and Crosses by Barbara Biel | artfoodhome.com

Kate & Hamp…

Congratulations you two, may God bless you both today and for the rest of your lives!

Happy Day!

xoxo, barbara, fred & charlie!

 

Featured Artist: Shawn Fields – Show begins TONIGHT at Dowling Walsh Gallery!

Shawn Fields |Honey's Room (Horses) |artfoodhome.com

Honey’s Room (Horses) by Shawn Fields 27 x 36 Oil/Board

Shawn Fields. Get out! This man has such a fabulous imagination and it shows in his paintings. His kids must have a magical childhood based on the paintings! It’s a childhood like I remember, back when kids played and really used their imagination. Each of these paintings is so heartwarming. They just make you smile!

Honey’s Room has got so much character. Shawn has painted this room in different paintings and each is WOW! I love Honey, with her sweet hair, her horses, the lights in her room, she’s a cool kid for sure!

Dowling Walsh Gallery in Rockland, Maine is having a show for Shawn and it begins TODAY and runs through September 26th. The opening is from 5-8PM (tonight). So if you’re in the area… DON’T MISS IT! This guys work is something special. Here’s a bit about the show from Dowling Walsh:

UPCOMING EXHIBITION: SEPTEMBER 2015 – opening 5-8pm Friday, September 4th, 2015

Shawn Fields’s current group of paintings are visual descriptions of experiences that symbolize what humanity has in common. In order to recreate these experiences in paint, Fields finds the objects unique to him, that will serve as a building blocks for a narrative. A specific TV, an Afghan blanket, a 1981 Grand Marquis, are collected, arranged; figures are introduced to the composition who can interact with these visual cues, magnify them, and bring them to life. Fields’ goal in every painting is to preserve the original inspiration, the idea that sparked the painting. The editing, and honing, of this idea results in the drawing (and redrawing) which supports each finished painting– a result that Fields hopes most clearly communicates the idea. The studio props, sketches, loose and final paintings here, show in detail the source and the process of Shawn’s work.

Shawn Fields’s studio itself reveals the process from object to image. The space, on the top floor of a former Buggy Whip Factory in New Marlborough, Massachussetts, serves as stage and subject. Stacks of drawings mounted on blue board insulation line the walls. Studies paper every surface. Behind each door, shelf and easel, are paintings, busts, textiles, and musical instruments and other props waiting to be incorporated into the work. Below his studio, on the ground floor, is a furniture maker who built the frames for the paintings in this show.

Afghans by Shawn Fields | artfoodhome.com

Afghans by Shawn Fields  33 1/4″ x 37 1/2″  Oil/Board

I know! I know! Precious! Two kids, watching TV (remember those TV’s??), covered with an afghan, having the time of their lives. Cereal bowl or ice cream bowl? Ha ha… This is another perfect example of how Shawn has the ability to not only paint a great painting, but to tell a story as well.

Read a bit about Shawn, from the Dowling Walsh website:

ARTISTS STATEMENT

Gene Wilder turns to the character Veruca Salt in the movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1969), and says: “We are the music makers, / And we are the dreamers of dreams…”

The children in these drawings and paintings are stand-ins for the universal person. They are celebrating present freedom and possibilities.

“We are the music makers, / And we are the dreamers of dreams, / Wandering by lone sea-breakers, / And sitting by desolate streams;—/ World-losers and world-forsakers, / On whom the pale moon gleams: / Yet we are the movers and shakers / Of the world for ever, it seems.” – Arthur O’Shaunnessy

BIOGRAPHY

Shawn Fields is a representational artist, telling stories of childhood with convincing detail. Shawn reminds us of the simplicity of a childhood full of resourceful, economical play. His paintings begin centered on a particular object – a “cabbage patch kids” bicycle, a bathing suit, a pillowcase – familiar from his own childhood and echoed in his children’s. The object becomes embedded in layers of narrative until the picture is complete.

Using practiced color, composition and anatomy, Shawn amplifies his narratives with make-believe. He has been inspired by Pixar and Spielberg, as much as by Winslow Homer and the Wyeths, in their ability to tell a story. Shawn understands that a painting can seem even more real when it takes liberties with reality. He cleverly invents ways to weigh down the mattress beneath the feet of a feather-light child, allowing it to crease and fold in a way that our mind reads as true. He billows the cape of a young boy jousting on his bike, the ribbons and grasses blowing with vigor, capturing the speed the viewer and the child have imagined. Shawn’s paintings signal to our recollection of reality.

Growing up outside of Baltimore, Maryland, Shawn’s early conception of art was formed by a monthly subscription to Mad Magazine, and exposure to traditional American painting and illustration. Shawn studied drawing and painting at the School of Visual Arts, and at the New York Academy of Art. Shawn lives in the Berkshires with his wife and three children.

Be sure to check out Shawn’s website. There are also prints available for a few of his paintings, and these are some of my favorites!

Images via ShawnFields.com and DowlingWalsh.com, used with permission from the artist…

Catch you back here tomorrow!

House Plan: The Bucketmouth Bungalow House Plan by John Tee!

Bucketmouth Bungalow by John Tee | ArtFoodHome.com

The Bucketmouth Bungalow (1382) house plan by John Tee is 1,970 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms. I think this is a sweet cottage plan that fits right in an established neighborhood with older homes. It’s got character and detail, is a great size and the plan… well, John Tee never disappoints!

Bucketmouth Bungalow by John Tee | ArtFoodHome.com

What I notice right off are porches. The combination of both a covered porch and a screen porch is wonderful! There is a covered porch that leads you to the front door, and off to the side there is a Deck that leads you to the Screen Porch that is off the Great Room. This plan has a Powder Room off to the side of the Foyer area, which is so nice. It’s nice to have a Foyer area, especially in a smaller plan.

The Kitchen, Dining, Great Room is in the back of the house and the Master Bedroom/Bathroom is on the front. The open design keeps the family together. No one is missing out on any conversation just because they’re cooking and cleaning! In nice weather the ability to have the french doors open in the Great Room, pulling a nice breeze from the Screen Porch is heavenly! I wonder if some drawers or a small panty could be built in underneath the stairs maximizing space where you always need it… the Kitchen!

Bucketmouth Bungalow by John Tee | ArtFoodHome.com

The upstairs boasts two Bedrooms, two Bathrooms and a Game Room (or separate Living Room for those who need to get away, or to use for painting, sewing, working out, etc. Having a separate space is a luxury!

I always love John Tee’s plans, be sure to check out his website – he’s got so many wonderful plans. It never is easy to chose!

All images via JohnTee.com, used with permission…

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Featured Artist: Barbara Kitallides!

Barbara Kitallides | Love is a Battlefield 7 | ArtFoodHome.comLove Is A Battlefield 7 by Barbara Kitallides 1200 x 1500mm (47.25 x 59.06″)   Acrylic on Canvas

I ran across Barbara’s work on Pinterest. I mean, how can this not stand out and make you pay attention? Fabulous colors, shapes and movement. Barbara has many different series, this is from the Love is a Battlefield series (great names on all of them!). The pinks and oranges are stunning and the nice blues make them really sing!

Be sure to check out Barbara’s website!

Read a bit about Barbara, from a great blog The Design Files – fabulous photos as well!

All images via BarbaraKitallides.com, used with permission… 

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Brown Rice Bowl with Grilled Chicken, Black Beans, Avocado and more…

ArtFoodHome.com

This is one of our staple recipes. The ingredients can vary due to preference and what you have on hand, also what is fresh! It can be made with or without meat (chicken, steak, shrimp or just black beans!) – we’ve made it both with chicken and without and it was equally delicious!

Click HERE to print the recipe minus all my words…

BROWN RICE BOWL – Serves 2

Ingredients

1 package Trader Joe’s Brown Rice (freezer), it’s just rice, but you microwave it so it cooks quickly, but you can always use cooked brown rice!

1 Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breast (we usually split one for this meal)

1 carton or can Black Beans (use however much you like), drained and rinsed

Avocado, diced (or you can use fresh guacamole)

Fresh Salsa (or you can cut up tomatoes, onion, a little garlic, lime juice)

Pepper Jack Cheese, shredded

Blue Corn Chips (or any tortilla chips)

Lime wedges

Directions

Cook the protein (i.e. we grill the chicken with olive oil, or you could sauté shrimp, etc.)

Cook the brown rice according to package directions.

Put black beans in a small pan and heat on stove or in glass dish in microwave, just until hot.

Set up the diced avocado, shredded cheese, and salsa (we bought Heirloom Tomato Salsa from Whole Foods, it was out of this world!)…

DISH UP!

Spoon some rice into your bowl (it can look like not much and end up being a lot!)…

Add cheese, Black Beans, Avocado and Salsa. Squeeze lime over the top (owie, this is so good!)… top with a few tortilla chips.

Out. Of. This. World, right?

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Last Day of August… and one last hot tip…

Coffee Cubes | ArtFoodHome.com

Ahhh, coffee iced cubes. These things got us through the hot summer months! Take your leftover coffee and refrigerate it (and pour some in an ice cube tray and freeze to make cubes). What a refreshing drink, and the cubes don’t dilute the coffee.

WIN * WIN !

I am finding it hard to believe that it’s already the end of August. TIME FLIES! Frighteningly fast! Normally summer drags on with the heat and humidity. This year was much better! The mosquitoes weren’t as bad, which meant we could use the pool, that helps immensely! We also had to replace our unit (AC/Heat) and WOW is this one ever nice! It’s so quiet but pumps out the cool air! It’s been a pleasure! We can’t complain our other unit was 20++++

Enjoy your last day of August! Catch you back here tomorrow!

View from the Dining Room of the Island Inn (Monhegan) – my favorite place!

Island Inn Monhegan | ArtFoodHome.com | barbara stroud

I love this view! Can it be any more charming or scenic? This is the view from our table at the Island Inn Dining Room… a wonderful place to be. If you haven’t visited Monhegan before, you may want to add it to your bucket list. The food served in the dining room is some of the best on the planet! Truly! The Island Inn is a fabulous place to stay while you’re on the island.

It just doesn’t get better!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Low dew point and sunny skies = time to spend outdoors!

ArtFoodHome.com | barbara stroud | Charlie

We have had several weekends that have turned out to be so nice, warm but without the usual humidity that makes you stay indoors! We really enjoy our backyard during those days! Those are days to catch up on reading and spending time with Charlie… In this photo I ran in the house for something and he sat there patiently waiting. Notice he sits on the cushion and not the ground, sigh… You’ve trained us well Charlie!

Enjoy your weekend! Catch you back here tomorrow!

Featured Artist: Anne Blair Brown – Opening Reception Tonight 7-10PM at Simie Maryles Gallery…

Anne Blair Brown - Just a Peek

 Just a Peek by Anne Blair Brown  14×18″  o/l

Anne Blair Brown. Most of you know who she is and are familiar with her work. Her ability to add light in a painting is undeniable. She takes what would be a nice painting and makes it out of this world. I love everything about this painting above. It’s a place I want to be… right now! Look at the underpainting in the sidewalk. I love that! Every time I attempt it I paint over it, sigh… the brushstrokes in the road are fabulous and the road with sunshine… WOW! Anne knows just what to leave in a painting and what to carefully edit out to make it less busy and keep it interesting.

Here is a little blip about the show from Anne:

One Man Show, “Seeing the Light”, at Simie Maryles Gallery, Provincetown, MA. 

Opening reception Friday, August 28, 7-10 pm.
I will be demonstrating my painting process starting at 7pm. Come by if you are in the area! 
 
“Seeing the Light” is a compilation of paintings inspired from my travels near and far. Regardless of where I am or what the subject matter, I am attracted to light and shadow more than any one subject or object. Seeing this way makes painting so enjoyable- everything under the sun looks exciting and interesting to paint!

Anne Blair Brown - Me and My Shadow

 Me and My Shadow by Anne Blair Brown  14×18″  o/l
Oh how I wish I could be there! I would love to see Anne demo, if you’re in the area, don’t miss it! One more of Anne’s paintings… Me and My Shadow (I love her titles). Again, that fabulous light. The little blips of color among the side. Man and his shadow, it doesn’t get any better than that!
By chance did you catch the radio interview with Anne on Artists Helping Artists Blog Radio? It’s fabulous! Check out their other interviews as well, they do a great job!
Also… I shared a recipe a while back from Anne, we have it almost once a week! It’s one of our favorites… Pasta with Kale, Pecorino and Toasted Walnuts!
Read a bit about Anne from her website:

Anne Blair Brown was born in North Kingstown, Rhode Island and currently resides in Nashville, TN. Her work centers on both rural and urban landscapes, people, and interior spaces. While she enjoys the quiet solitude of her studio, she delights in painting on location. Brown says, “Painting from life creates an intimacy with the subject that I just can’t get from a photograph, and it heightens my sense of spontaneity. That energy is translated to the canvas in and out of the studio.”

All images via AnneBlairBrown.com, used with permission…

Catch you back here tomorrow!

House Plan: Compass Cove Plan by Flatfish Island Designs!

Compass Cove plan by Flatfish Island Designs

This is the Compass Cove plan by Flatfish Island Designs! This plan is 2,418 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms. It’s a sharp looking plan, don’t you agree? It embodies true living in this area. The porches are wonderful with the double front door leading inside… (View Detailed PDF). The Compass Cove plan is listed in the COVE COLLECTION… read more here.

Compass Cove plan by Flatfish Island Designs

Up the steps, onto the front porch and into the entry hall. Very welcoming, and a nice place for a little table with a lamp by the powder room (which is handy, by the way). A wall divides the kitchen from the hallway. Once you enter the kitchen, it’s an open Kitchen/Dining area, with a WALK IN PANTRY (yes!) and a laundry room off to the side.  At the back of this plan is a fabulous Living Room surrounded by a covered porch. Compass Cove plan by Flatfish Island Designs

A nice upstairs with 2 bedrooms with private baths and STORAGE! I love when people think of the necessities!

All images via FlatfishIslandDesigns.com, used with permission…

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Featured Artist: Christine Swann!

Christine Swann - Cold

Cold by Christine Swann

This is the most stunning pastel painting ever. The way Christine captured the light, the just-washed hair, and the sweetness of this child. The eye contact is heart warming, I also love the bits of red in the faucet…

There were so many wonderful paintings, so hard to chose. Facebook made it easy for me… right now there is a problem when posting more than one image, it seems to grab the last image, even though my words are referencing the first image. So I’m going to wait a bit and see if they can work it out. Be sure to check out “I Didn’t Do It” – precious? Just look at those wisps of hair, that innocent face, so very sweet! One more to be sure to check out is a portrait of Corinne, “Invisible”, she is a beautiful young lady who Christine captured so stunningly. All three are Christine’s children.

If you are a pastel artist, check out Christine’s upcoming workshops!

All images via SwannPortraits.com, used with permission…

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Monhegan Potato Salad (no mayo!) – BEST EVER!

Monhegan Potato Salad - ArtFoodHome.com

This is the freshest, tastiest, most wonderful potato salad in the entire world! Use fresh tomatoes when possible – these were a “tomato medley” from Whole Foods…

I call it “Monhegan” Potato Salad, because that’s where I was the first time I tasted potato salad minus mayo AND the freshest ingredients imaginable! This recipe is inspired by a true friend, [Thank you Jenn :)] She went to the Farmer’s Market that day, bought the best veggies and whipped this up (along with LOBSTER!)… what a treat!

This is how I remember it, and when I tasted it, whew! It was amazing! This is a true favorite! I will never make potato salad with mayo again! I was never even big on mayo in the first place, but this… it’s an entirely different beast!

Click HERE to print the recipe minus all the blah, blah, blah…

Monhegan Potato Salad | ArtFoodHome.com

Monhegan Potato Salad – Pretty Bowl from West Elm, Charleston, SC

MONHEGAN POTATO SALAD – Serves 2

Ingredients

2 Red potatoes (more if they are small)

Onion (sweet or red, whatever you like), chopped or minced

Grape or cherry tomatoes – good sweet ones! I used 1/2 container… cut in half or thirds

Extra Virgin Olive Oil – I used about 8-9 quick swirls around the bowl, you can always add more.

Salt, Pepper, Dill (I use a lot of dill)

Arugula, Kale or Spinach chopped (fresh) – or whatever green(s) you like!

Directions

You can boil your potatoes until you they are barely tender when you pierce them with a fork, or you can do what I did (I’m always in a hurry). I took 2 red potatoes and washed them, then cut into bite size pieces. I spread on a plate and covered with another plate, and I (shhhhhh!) MICROWAVED THEM! (Truly, I am not a microwave cook, but needed to whip this up in the time it takes a hamburger to come off the grill, so boiling wasn’t an option, however, if you can plan ahead…).

In a large bowl, add the olive oil, tomatoes, onion, salt, pepper and dill. Mix it together and then add the potatoes (they can still be warm). Stir to coat.

Chop some arugula or spinach, however much you like, and add that to the bowl, tossing to coat.

Taste and season if necessary.

I’m making this again in a few minutes! Too good for words!

Catch you back here tomorrow!