One of the reasons I like this house so much is because it doesn’t look new, like something built in a subdivision with 100’s of homes that all look the same. It has character and class, not to mention a fabulous front porch!
The Bartlett plan by Allison Ramsey Architects
When you walk into this home there is a nice foyer space and an elegant staircase. The first room you come to is the living room with a wonderful fireplace. It seems like a majority of the plans I feature are open plans, where the living/dining/kitchen are all relatively open to one another. This plan is different, for those of you who aren’t big on the open plans. Our home now is not an open plan, they both have their pluses and minuses… One good thing about a plan that is not open… MORE ART because there are MORE WALLS!
This plan has a nice size kitchen and dining room with french doors that head out to a deck, how nice for when the weather is beautiful! I like that there is a downstairs Master Bedroom/Bathroom with a Utility room close by.
The Bartlett plan by Allison Ramsey Architects
Two bedrooms upstairs with a shared bath and sitting room – perfect!! This is a really nice plan!
Kevin Beers. He’s always a pleasure to watch paint. Fred and I have seen Kevin on Monhegan several years toting his large canvases for plein air painting. He just shows up at the same spot and same time the next day to continue working. His paintings are treasures! Especially if you love the island as much as most people who visit do!
I love nocturnes, and this one is extra special! A short walk from the wharf is a cabin called Uncle Henry’s. I love the moodiness of this painting, and those few stars make it extra special!
Kevin is fortunate to be married to one of the nicest people on the planet, Amy, who is also an artist! They have recently made the big move to Maine, and they couldn’t be happier!
Arriving at Gleason Fine Art on Thursday…
Stars ‘n Stripes by Kevin Beers
If you’re in the Boothbay Harbor, Maine area be sure to stop in to see the “View from Here” show at Gleason Fine Art. it should arrive in the gallery on Thursday! Here it is… Dennis Gleason shared some info with me about this painting… This truck painted with Old Glory – does it look familiar? You may have seen the real thing on Rte 90 just off Rte 1, where Jay Sawyer has his sculpture “garden”. This is going to be a fabulous show, don’t miss it!
The show opens TOMORROW, June 18, 2015 and runs through July 28th! The reception is on JULY 3, 2015, from 5-8PM so if you would like to meet Kevin in person, be sure to stop by Gleason Fine Art!
Painting by Kevin Beers 30×40″ Oil
Kevin can paint the lightkeeper’s house on Monhegan in the most unbelievable way, but just when you don’t think there could be another twist… POOF! A painting within a painting – Clever!
Check out Gleason’s website and see all the other fabulous paintings that Kevin has been working on!
Monhegan has come to mean a lot to Beers. It is where Beers transformed a passion for painting into his life’s work. It is also where Beers met his wife, Amy Raye, who, in a scene right out of a Hepburn and Tracy romantic comedy, literally ran into Beers while admiring a magazine article about Beers painting on Monhegan. Fittingly, Beers and Raye married on their island a couple summers after their serendipitous meeting. To his many collectors, a Kevin Beers painting represents everything they love about Maine: intense blue seas and skies, puffy white clouds, and sunlight dancing off neat clapboard houses. To Beers himself, “Monhegan is a dazzling place with incredible, beautiful light. I love to paint the buildings on the island—the color and structure of weathered buildings, the patterns of sunlight and shadow, and the sharp contrast between a red roof, white clapboards, and bright blue sky.”
See how one small change can make such a difference? This slipcover was made by Cheryl Arnold from The Slipcover Shop, her slipcovers are always beautiful, fit perfectly and she makes the process so convenient!
Just look at what a transformation these slipcovers make! (I’m going backwards here, you’ll see the “before” at the end of this post)… This is the latest slipcover, we wanted no pleats, and just plain white cotton duck fabric. It washes and dries like a dream! Simple too, no loading up your car and dragging a chair (or worse yet, a sofa!) somewhere! In most cases, Cheryl orders the fabric, once it comes in, she comes to your house, cuts out the slipcover (which amazes me!), then takes the fabric home and a week or so later, brings you back a slipcover. So the chair never left the house!
If you have a sofa or chair that is still in good condition, but you think needs an update, check out a slipcover. How can you beat it? Throw it in the washer/dryer – it’s great!
Slipcover made years ago…
We had this slipcover made years ago (10+), saw one similar in a magazine and showed it to Cheryl. We bought the fabric at ABC Carpet and Home when we were in New York City – what a great place! Cheryl made the slipcover and W O W ! What a difference it made… you’ll see why…
“BEFORE”
Here is the original chair. The fabric is in good shape, but didn’t go with our furnishings – but all that changed! If you need a slipcover, or pillows, I highly suggest Cheryl. We love it! She has also made us covers for pillows and cushions and even a dog bed! The cotton duck is amazing stuff, and the slipcover truly transformed this chair!
Here’s her card – Highly Recommend!!
UPDATE: Had a question about the weight of the fabric, trying to decide between 9oz or 14oz – I asked Cheryl, and she said that our fabric is 10oz. She said 10-12oz. would be nice. 9 oz. is a little light in her opinion and 14oz is too heavy. She does prewash the fabric. Hope that helps! I love our fabric, it’s perfect!
Lead the Way by Steve Curry 30×24″ Oil – Available at the Vault Gallery
Steve Curry. I really like his paintings, they have a moodiness about them! These trees seem to be dancing in the light, don’t they? Quite like an enchanted forest!
Born in Milbrae, California in 1957 Steven spent the first 21 years of his life in the beautiful surrounding of Northern California. Both parents were practicing artists who nurtured Steven’s love of drawing and painting from an early age.
In 1982, he obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Visual Communication from California State University, Long Beach working the first 6 years of his professional art career as Graphic Designer in Los Angeles, CA.
From 1988 to 2003 Steven owned and operated the Curry Design Agency based in Santa Monica, California. CDA’s many prestigious clients included Nissan North America, Sony Pictures, and the Academy Awards. CDA’s significant impact on the graphic design industry is emphasized by having three graphic design projects selected to be archived in the collections of the United States’ Library of Congress.
After more than 15 years of commercial success, Steven retired his design agency in order to pursue his fine art passion full time, choosing the Ojai Valley of California as home and inspiration.
This is the perfect painting for Flag Day! Painting by the uber talented John Matthew Moore! Nicest guy on the planet and such a fabulous artist! Check him out if you haven’t already!
I took this a few weeks ago. We’re walking along, early to beat the sun… we turned down a street in the neighborhood and look at this! The lone pine tree standing so tall against the bright sky with the sun peeking through the horizon… the dramatic trail of the airplane against the brilliant blue sky.
Katie Dowling. Around the Bend is a great example of simplified strokes making a knock out painting. A painting without a lot of detail leaves something for your imagination to fill in. The color palette, brush strokes and composition are very nice. Check out more of Katie’s work!
Katie grew up in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. At age 18 a family friend invited her to go painting outside. Weeks later the same friend told her she must sign up for a workshop given by Don Sahli, a nationally recognized plein air painter, so she did. On the third day the entire process clicked and there began a new love and a new career in the fine arts.
Don Sahli introduced her to the tradition and heritage of Russian impressionism, to the work of Sahli’s teacher Sergei Bongart and to the palette and techniques of the Russian masters. With this springboard of information she was equipped to experience nature in a totally new way.
Katie began to win awards in local art festivals and then was included in Southwest Art magazine’s section, “21 Young Artists To Collect Now.” She was featured in the exhibition “Legacy of the Russian Masters” with Filmmaker and painter George Gallo along side her teacher Don Sahli and most recently won the Artist’s Choice award for the 9th annual Sedona plein air festival and the Crested Butte Invitational in the open class division.
As she grows she has developed and discovered the importance of both the outdoors and the studio. This has enabled her to explore the elements of design, structure and balance in pieces painted from her field studies. As a native of the Vail Valley in Colorado, she searches for beauty near her home and throughout the west.
This is the Shad Shack Retreat plan (1381) by architect John Tee. This plan is 1,826 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms. Just look at that sweet front porch, the wonderful screened porch and the lines of this house that make it look like a cottage built years ago, when there was so much charm. I love this!
Shad Shack Retreat 1381 by John Tee
The Master Bedroom/Bathroom is in the front of the house, with the Living/Dining/Kitchen in the back of the house, which I really like. It’s more private. It’s wonderful to have a screened porch off the Great Room, so you can open those French doors and have a nice breeze flow through the house on a nice day!
Shad Shack Retreat 1381 by John Tee
With two bedrooms upstairs and a little living space, I think that’s perfect. I would opt for only one bathroom, unless I had two people upstairs that clearly needed their own space. John gives two options for the upstairs, this is my favorite. You check it out and see which you like best, or what would work for you!
Fred and I signed up to do the 30-day Green Smoothie Challenge. This is going to be big fun. Get healthier and have more energy, woohoo! Started with our own concoction this morning… hmmm, arugula I knew would be a bit weird and it was, but it was doable. They say if you keep to 60% fruit/40% veggies, you won’t taste the “green” – arugula is kind of hard to miss… Spinach next time!
Check out the Beginner’s Luck recipe (SimpleGreenSmoothies.com) – sounds tasty! The next 30-day challenge begins July 1, 2015!
Have you heard of www.WhereInTheWorldIsPleinAir.com? Quite the brilliant concept! Check out their website – you can see last years video’s. So cool, just like you’re there, at a fabulous plein air event! You’re able to keep up with over 100 artists (painting from all different locations) posting three videos per day, you will see over 300 paintings in that short time! What fun! All from the comfort of your own home! Another cool thing?? You can buy these paintings! Check out their website for more information!
Click HERE to view the videos from 2014! Fabulous! Some details from their website:
2nd Annual “Live” Online Plein Air Art Show!
June 10th, 11th & 12th, 2015!
Three Days!
Three Hundred Paintings!
Three Live Videos per Artist Daily!
You get a chance to “Buy It Now” – woohoo! This show includes some of the country’s top artists – click here for a list of artists… impressive! Check out the website for more info!
We’re all looking for a quick, but healthy, weekday dinner… something we can throw together in the blink of an eye. Yet… something that will taste like we really spent time preparing…
Let me start by saying that I do not normally purchase processed food. Processed food is basically anything that makes it quick and easy. If you pick up breaded chicken strips in a regular grocery store, you will see a lot of ingredients that are chemicals and not food. This is good chicken, it’s quick, (from freezer to oven it takes 25 minutes, or less if you sauté on the stove!).
We put the chicken on top of some nice butter lettuce, and made a dressing of EVOO + Lemon + Pepper. (2 parts oil to 1 part lemon).
It was delicious! I sprinkled maybe a teaspoon of parmesan on mine, it added a nice flavor.
Happy Birthday Max (very old photo… getting in the ice cold river!)
I have to give a quick shout to our uber cool nephew, Maxwell! Today is his birthday – hope you have the best birthday ever kiddo! I call him a kid, HA… he’s taller than all of us! This is a very old photo, but one I love!
h a p p y b i r t h d a y m a x w e l l ! ! ! ! we love you, barbara, fred & charlie too!
Blue Tulip Pitcher by Karen O’Neil 30×30 Oil – Available at Thaddeus C. Gallery
Karen O’Neil. Gorgeous paintings! Different! I’m not sure how to describe, but the technique is so clean and just absolutely beautiful! She can paint these still life’s so beautifully. Refined and a little delicate, simply beautiful! Such nice color harmony and so pleasing to the eye!
August by Karen O’Neil 24×24 Oil
LOVELY! Karen is a master painting glass, isn’t she? Beautiful! Click HERE to see Karen’s list of Workshops/Classes for 2015!
“My goal is to capture the brief and fleeting visual excitement of our everyday lives…” Karen O’Neil studied at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston, and in Provincetown with Henry Hensche. Since 1990 Karen has been an instructor of painting at the Woodstock School of Art in Woodstock, NY. Her work is represented in many private and corporate collections throughout the United States.
Home is where the heart is, right? Absolutely! I would rather be home than anywhere else! Our backyard is turning into an oasis. Hard work? Oh yeah, getting everything cleaned up and ready for summer. It’s so worth it! I love the hydrangeas peeking through and the focus on the palm in this photo.
Happy (almost) summer! Catch you back here tomorrow!
Jacob Tarazoff. Nice work! Very different! Love his style. This guy looks like he loves life. I think it’s so cool how he travels around and paints. Check out the photos (link towards end of this post)… This is a nice street scene. Love the colors! The power lines add so much! So nice!
Velvet Hues by Jacob Tarazoff 16×20 Oil
Velvet Hues… pretty cool, eh? This is what Jacob is known for. His love of skiing, rock climbing and snowboarding really shows through in his paintings, doesn’t it? Check out his work, he paints pretty much everything… Great work!
Info from Jacob:
Over the last twenty years I have had some incredible experiences rock climbing and riding my snowboard in the wild areas of the Western US and Canada. It has become important for me to find ways to memorialize these experiences, and oil painting has provided me with a means to record that reaches beyond the scope of photography and video. I want to help people to make their climbing and ski memories something more substantial than just a helmet cam video or a ton of pictures after a ski day. Let me help you make your climb/ski experience last a lifetime, with an archival and fully reproducible original oil portrait by Jacob Tarazoff. Options for ski /climb portraits would be generally be one of three;
-Send me photo references and short synopsis of the day
-Meet me at spot of your choice for a custom climb or ski day portrait
-Meet me at the Festival/Event of your choice for a custom climb or ski day portrait
I was born in Santa Fe New Mexico in 1982, and grew up exploring the high dessert of Northern New Mexico. Snowboarding, rock climbing and mountain biking led to a deeper appreciation for the land and eventually paint and brushes became a means of exploration. I have a BFA from the University of New Mexico, 2006, and have had the opportunity to study with many wonderful painters in and around the Western US. I have had many public showings of my work and have won numerous awards at plein air events throughout the US, and my work is represented in private collections around the world. I am available for commissions, as well as an adventure-painting guide in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and throughout Northern New Mexico.
Three Days!
ARTFOODHOME.COM 