Featured Artist… Dean Mitchell!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist2 Comments
Morning in the Quarter by Dean Mitchell 20x30" Watercolor
Morning in the Quarter by Dean Mitchell
20×30″ Watercolor

Dean Mitchell. EXQUISITE. Watercolor paintings can be so refined, can’t they? Look at the level of detail. The shadows really heighten the interest on this piece. So lovely!

Mr. Northern by Dean Mitchell 24x34" Watercolor
Mr. Northern by Dean Mitchell
24×34″ Watercolor

This man looks so content. Relaxing on his porch. Again, the detail amazes me. The face, arm and hand are perfection. I know hands are hard to get right, and Dean has them down. I don’t think there is a thing in the world this man cannot paint (and excel at)!

Read a bit about Dean, from his website:

Dean L. Mitchell was born 1957, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and reared in Quincy, Florida.  He is a graduate of the Columbus College of Art & Design in Columbus, Ohio.  Mitchell is well known for his figurative works, landscapes and still lifes.  In addition to watercolors, he is accomplished in other mediums, including egg temperas, oils and pastels.

Mitchell has been featured in numerous publications, including the New York Times, Christian Science Monitor, American Artist, Artist Magazine, Fine Art International and Art News.

His art can be found in corporate and museum collections across the country, including: Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri; Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, Mississippi; Saint Louis Art Museum, Saint Louis, Missouri; Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, Missouri; Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, Missouri; Beach Museum of Art, Manhattan, Kansas; The Autry National Center, Los Angeles; The Arkansas Art Center, Little Rock, Arkansas; Gadsden Art Center Quincy, Florida; Canton Museum of Art, Canton, Ohio and the Library of Congress.

He has received the American Watercolor Society Gold Medal, Allied Artist of American Gold Medal in Watercolor and Oil, Thomas Moran Award from the Salmagundi Club in New York, Remington Professional League, and for three years in a row the Best in Show Award from the Mississippi Watercolor Society Grand National Competition.  In 2004 and 2007, he received the Autry National Center Award for Watercolor at the Masters of the American West Fine Art Exhibition and sale.  Mitchell is a member of several professional societies, including the American Watercolor Society and the National Watercolor Society. 

Dean L. Mitchell is represented by Astoria Fine Art in Jackson, Wyoming, E&S Gallery in Louisville, Kentucky, J. Willott Gallery in Palm Desert, California, and Medicine Man Gallery, in Tucson, Arizona.

All images via DeanMitchellStudio.com, used with permission…

Until tomorrow…

A bit quirky?

On By Barbara StroudIn Charleston, Photograph, THOUGHTSLeave a comment

barbara stroud | ArtFoodHome.com

Fred and I have started doing something over the past few years… it might be odd, but we like it… we’re removed some paintings from their frames. Not that the frames were bad, it’s just that we have so many paintings, and after a while it seems like you’re looking at so many frames it becomes distracting. We’ve taken a few paintings out of frames and have hung just the canvas over the years, and love it.

On left wall from top to bottom: Tim Bell, Marc Hanson, Dan Corey

On wall in front of you starting at top left and going clockwise: David Kasman, Marlee Brown, Don Stone and Ted Tihansky

Nothing like great memories, and each and every one of our paintings have just that!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Featured Artist: Catherine Kehoe!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured ArtistLeave a comment
After de Heem 10x8" Oil on Panel
After de Heem
10×8″ Oil on Panel

Catherine Kehoe. What a cool painting style she has! Just look at these vivacious green grapes! This is a looser version of a Cornelius De Heem painting, I love it!

Frosty by Catherine Kehoe 12x12" Oil on Panel
Frosty by Catherine Kehoe
12×12″ Oil on Panel

Who doesn’t need to see a glimpse of Frosty the snowman after the high heat that summer has provided us so far? Growing up our first house had a basement, and if we had a Frosty (we didn’t) stacked near a window I’m quite sure it would look like this. What an interesting combination of things to paint!

I love the basement window, orange jacket, hoola hoop, ha ha… a happy painting for sure!

Read a bit about Catherine Kehoe, from her website:

Catherine Kehoe was born in Hartford, Connecticut. 
She received her BFA in painting from Massachusetts College of Art and Design in 1989 and her MFA in painting from the School of Visual Arts, Boston University, in 1992.

Kehoe has received the following awards: Lillian Orlowsky and William Freed Foundation Grant; Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant; Berkshire Taconic Artist’s Resource Trust Grant; Massachusetts Cultural Council Finalist Grant; Blanche E. Colman Award; St. Botolph Club Foundation Grant, and the Sam and Adele Golden Foundation for the Arts Award. 

Kehoe is represented by Miller-Yezerski Gallery, Boston, where she has had several solo shows.  

Kehoe has been a visiting artist at Swarthmore College, Salve Regina University, Rhode Island College, Colby College, University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, Indiana University, Boston University School of Visual Arts, and Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas.

Kehoe teaches painting and drawing at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. She has also taught painting workshops at Art New England (a summer workshop program of Massachusetts College of Art and Design at Bennington College), The Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill,  the Washington Art Association, Cullowhee Mountain Arts, and at JSS in Italy, Civita Castellana, a program of the Jerusalem Studio School.

Images via CatherineKehoe.com, used with permission…

Until tomorrow…

House Plan: TNH-PC-15A by Moser Design Group!

On By Barbara StroudIn HOME, House PlansLeave a comment
TNH-PC-15A Moser Design Group
TNH-PC-15A Moser Design Group

TNH-PC-15A house plan by Moser Design Group. This plan is 999 square feet with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. It fits right into any neighborhood in the Lowcountry area. A great layout for a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom home. Lovely entry porch, perfect for visiting with neighbors, or having your cup of coffee in the morning!

TNH-PC-15A Moser Design Group
TNH-PC-15A Moser Design Group

This plan offers many wonderful windows letting the sun shine in! There is nothing like daylight to make everything look so beautiful! When you cross the threshold you enter the living space, which is a combination living/dining – which works for me. I actually like that more than I do a separate dining room. I would say YES to the optional corner porch, and I would screen it! Then you have the best of both worlds! The kitchen is situated nicely with steps to the second floor to the right of the entrance to the kitchen. The kitchen has a pantry! Woohoo – happy dance! The side entrance takes you into the kitchen, or to the bathroom or washer/dryer area. I wonder if there is any room to put a tiny powder room underneath the staircase? That would be really nice!

TNH-PC-15A Moser Design Group
TNH-PC-15A Moser Design Group

The upstairs has a bunk room and loft, which is perfect for those who want to hang out in their own space. Depending upon your needs you could leave the section on the other side of the loft open to the downstairs living space or you could make that optional living space! It’s so nice that this plan was designed to give you options! Can’t beat it!

All images via MoserDesignGroup.com, used with permission…

Until tomorrow…

Featured Artist: David Dewey!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist1 Comment
Tall Windows by David Dewey 58x36" Watercolor
Tall Windows by David Dewey
58×36″ Watercolor

David Dewey. WOW. WOW. WOW. This painting blows me away. I find paintings that are painted so dramatically different are absolutely stunning. They catch my eye and hold my attention. The composition in this painting paired with the WOW blue of the sky and the captivating height of the house just make me want more. Look at those shadows. Perfection!

The detail in the woodwork… Exquisite!

David provided this information about the painting:

Tall Windows comes from a series of large scale architectural watercolors produced from a number of painting trips to San Francisco in the mid 80’s. Tall Windows and others from that San Francisco period marked the beginning of my Iconic Architectural works that came to an end around the later 90’s. It has been stored by me since it was painted and never shown in New York. All others were sold into collections throughout the US. It’s one of those things artist’s do with special works – at this point now, it is available.

Are you interested in taking a watercolor workshop? Well, if you are going to be in the Owl’s Head, Maine area either July 20-25, 2015 or September 10-14, 2015 you may be in luck! Click HERE for more info! If a workshop isn’t in the cards, David has written a wonderful book “The Watercolor Book”, see more below…

Read a bit about David, from his website:

For over 30 years, David Dewey has regularly exhibited his extraordinary watercolor paintings in New York City, Maine and throughout the United States. His work is included in many major museums, as well as public and private collections. Susan C. Larson, PH.D., writes
David has had a long successful teaching career, having taught at Parson’s School of Design, The National Academy of Design School, and The Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts. In 2008, David was named Professor Emeritus at Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts, and in the same year appointed curator of the painting estate of Joseph A. Fiore, NA (1925-2008). He continues to conduct his very popular workshops in New York, Maine, New England, and will continue his European workshop tours in the near future.His comprehensive book on the watercolor medium titled, The Watercolor Book, Watson-Guptill Publications, has been a must-have book for serious watercolor painters and educators since it’s publication in 1995.David is currently represented by Bernarducci-Meisel Gallery in NYC, and in Maine by Caldbeck Gallery. He and his wife Kathy divide their time between their homes in Blairstown, New Jersey and Owl’s Head, Maine.

Image via DavidDeweyWatercolors.com, used with permission…

Until tomorrow…

Green Smoothie – Recipes!

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, HEALTH, RecipeLeave a comment
ARTFOODHOME.com | barbara stroud
ARTFOODHOME.com | Barbara Stroud

Smoothies are an amazing way to get blasts of nutrition with great taste, and in this heat, they really help you cool down! They’re so quick to throw together, and you really can’t go wrong!

For those of you who don’t like “green”… I read where if you keep the ratio at 60% fruit to 40% greens you cannot taste them. I can attest to that… my husband said he would make a smoothie… I was rushing around to get ready and I was thinking… ahhhh, he won’t add spinach! But I didn’t say anything… he handed it to me, and I guzzled it down without even really seeing it (we were in the midst of talking about something else), I was almost done when I noticed his glass was GREEN! What?! I swear I thought it was his regular banana smoothie (which is awesome  in itself)! No evidence of anything “green” as my sister would say :)

Here are a few to get you started:

Fred’s Spinach Banana Smoothie

2 BIG handfuls baby spinach

2 cups unsweetened vanilla flavored almond milk

2 frozen bananas

Ice to the consistency you like

Start out by blending the spinach and almond milk until the spinach is liquified. Then add the frozen bananas and a few ice cubes to get it to the consistency that you like.

Uh huh! I KNEW you would like it! You don’t even taste the spinach do you?? Amazing!

Another good recipe from Simple Green Smoothie’s, I bought the large container of organic baby spinach, and large bags of frozen fruit (make sure it’s unsweetened!) from Costco:

Simple Green Smoothie

2 cups spinach

2 cups water, coconut water (we use almond milk sometimes), etc.

1 cup frozen pineapple chunks (unsweet!)

1 cup mango chunks

Same process as above, first blend water/spinach until smooth, then add frozen fruit (or fresh + ice cubes).

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Featured Artist: Karen Tusinski!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist1 Comment

Karen Tusinski | ArtFoodHome.com

Ironstone by Karen Tusinski – 30×20″ Oil & Graphite on Canvas

Karen Tusinski. Bright, happy paintings.  Wow, what a statement they make! It’s fun to find artists with a whimsical, fun style!

Poppies are a personal favorite and hers have spunk! Also see her pebble strew beaches with tranquil sees and more. I love how she provides links (they’re on the right) to click on to see the different magazine articles – and photos! Great to see the images in a room… Like I said, WOW!

Oranges No. 9  –  48×48″ Oil & Graphite on Canvas

Bright, happy and a stunning accompaniment to any room! The 48×48″ size commands attention!

Read a bit about Karen – from her website:

Tusinksi subscribes to the natural contrast found in our world. Geometric and organic form play together in each piece, combining in an energized abstraction. Common themes include bright poppies in a variety of color schemes, pebble strewn beaches with tranquil seas, and reoccurring circular patterns in both abstracts and expressive still lifes. Tusinski’s work offers pleasing tonal relationships through common motifs and patterns inspired by nature. Her keen observation of the seemingly ordinary allows the viewer a new lens to hold against everyday images, from horizon lines to buds to bowls.

Image via TusinskiGallery.com, used with permission…

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Oh say can you see… Photo of the day…

On By Barbara StroudIn Photograph, THOUGHTS2 Comments

ArtFoodHome.com | barbara stroud

Happy 4th of July, or more appropriately – Happy Independence Day! How many of you remember the words to the national anthem?

If you’re a little rusty, this is for you! Enjoy your day and I’ll catch you back here tomorrow!

Star Spangled Banner

O say can you see,
by the dawn’s early light,
what so proudly we hailed
at the twilight’s last gleaming,
whose broad stripes and bright stars,
through the perilous fight,
o’er the ramparts we watched,
were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket’s red glare,
the bombs bursting in air,
gave proof through the night
that our flag was still there.
O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
o’er the land of the free
and the home of the brave?

O thus be it ever,
when freemen shall stand
between their loved homes
and the war’s desolation!
Blest with victory and peace,
may the heaven-rescued land
praise the Power that hath made
and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must,
when our cause it is just,
and this be our motto,
“In God we trust.”
And the star-spangled banner
in triumph shall wave
o’er the land of the free
and the home of the brave!

Words by Frances Scott Key, 1814

Charleston Gate Photo – The Workmanship is Amazing!

On By Barbara StroudIn Charleston, Photograph1 Comment
Charleston, SC Gate
Charleston, SC Gate

Look at the skill and workmanship that went into making this beautiful gate, I’m not sure who the blacksmith was? When you stroll around Charleston, SC the beauty is evident everywhere you look. We have wonderful craftsman that have created some beautiful things, all of which add to the charm of this great city. Phillip Simmons was the famous Charleston blacksmith that created many works of beauty until his death in 2009. Iron gates live on forever… a testament to his passion and skill.

Catch you back here tomorrow!

You may have noticed I have been posting photos this week – back to normal posting next week! b.

Talk about peaceful!

On By Barbara StroudIn Photograph, THOUGHTSLeave a comment

Joe Fidler | ArtFoodHome.com

Photo Credit: Joe Fidler (Thanks Dad!!)

Peaceful, huh? The fog rolled in, and suddenly the beautiful view on the St. Clair River (in Michigan) was g-o-n-e ! But not for long. Fog is like that, which is amazing to watch. We really noticed it when we were in Maine the first time. Sitting by the harbor having dinner outside with another island in full view, suddenly *POOF* the island was gone, then the water was gone and all you saw was fog. Sudden.

I love weather, so I’m always happy when there is something different (anything!)… weather that stays the same gets boring ;)

Good photo dad (I cannot take credit for this one)!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

You may have noticed I have been posting photos this week – back to normal posting next week! b.

Port Clyde Cairns… Feel your shoulders fall away from your ears…

On By Barbara StroudIn Photograph, THOUGHTS2 Comments

ArtFoodHome.com | barbara stroud

Years ago we rented the most wonderful cottage in Port Clyde, Maine. It was situated on the ocean, actually, rather close to the ocean. There were several cairns (sets of rocks stacked high) – I think they’re so peaceful. Some people used them as markers since way back in time. On the cottage porch railing they just looked so nice. They calm your thoughts… or perhaps that was the ocean. I want to go back, and never leave. That cottage is no longer available to rent. We feel fortunate to have rented it a few times. It was like a movie set… stunning, especially the time spent around the wonderful fireplace! It was a rustic cottage (no heat), and just a short walk to Marshall Point Lighthouse or the Port Clyde General Store!

If you build some of these along the coast, or anywhere else, be sure to knock them down after you’ve enjoyed them… part of the LEAVE NO TRACE movement to leave nature as it is, and to have only the true trail markers left behind…

To see more photos of the inside of the cottage (rustic), click HERE…

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Show me the way to Lobster Cove!

On By Barbara StroudIn Photograph, THOUGHTS6 Comments
Monhegan Island, Maine
Monhegan, Maine

Monhegan, Maine. The most wonderful place in the world! Beauty as far as the eye can see. Good friends from years past. Hiking trails that lead you to the most remarkable areas. I could take photos there forever!

If you haven’t been there before, click on the links for more info… the Island Inn is our “home away from home” (I like to call it)… there is something familiar and wonderful about it. It’s filled with wonderful memories, and memories still to be made, more people to meet and food that I dream about until the next year!

Usually on Monday’s I post a Featured Artist, that will continue next week – This week I am posting photos! Enjoy!

Catch you back here tomorrow!