Ahhh, Broad Street in Charleston, SC. It’s not the highly publicized shopping district on King Street, but what it does have are the kinds of shops that are unique. Less commercial. More small businesses. Many galleries are located on Broad Street, unique shops, some great eating places, not to mention Normandy Farms Bakery – great coffee, pastries, bread, sandwiches, etc.
It’s important to support the locals! They have a lot to offer!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Fred and I were on our way home from downtown and there was a sunset so bright I thought it was going to blind me! It was crazy bright! Not sure what was going on but the beautiful light that it cast on everything was spectacular!
This was taken from the parking lot at California Dreaming, were we stopped by to pick up a salad to go… I assure you, we don’t take for granted the beautiful area in which we live… WOW!
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These are the tastiest Christmas cookies in all the land. THE ONES that put the biggest smile on Santa’s face! Perfect for those of you who are uber creative! Each cookie is a blank canvas and you can get as fancy as you like… or you can just squeeze on the colorful frosting, and that’s beautiful as well! The recipe has been in our family since I was teeny tiny and has become a yearly tradition! My parents found it in a magazine… wonder which one? Click here to read the last post about these wonderful cookies!
Click HERE to print the recipe as shown below…
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Cabin plan 452-3. This signature plan, designed by David Wright for Houseplans.com packs a powerful punch. It’s not a large cabin but it has presence! Who doesn’t love a wonderful porch like this plan has? This plan has 1,015 square feet with 2 bedrooms and 1.5 bathrooms. Just. Right.
When you click on the link that takes you to the plan it shows many photos, you’ll see notes on the plan that say “Metal Sliding Door Cover” oh yeah, that is too cool. You’ll see another that says “Sliding Metal Window Cover” – awesome! Perfect if you’re using this space as a cabin, OR great for storms, etc. There is a lot of living space to be had outside if your climate is right! It’s nice that there is even a pantry!
The upstairs has a loft bedroom with a bathroom and closet area. It’s open to the living area below. Are you looking for a cottage style plan? What do you think?
All images via Houseplans.com… used with permission.
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Brad Holt. Dazzling! Ahhh, can’t you feel the warmth from the sun… nice, very nice. Even the shady area has an intense warmth to it that is fabulous. Very nice!
Nice movement in the water, along with the reflections… what stands out to me in this painting is the sun on the rocks, I love that. This painting makes your eye dance around, from the foreground to the cove, up to the funky cool tree, to the distance, the water, and then the sunlit rocks. At least that’s where my eyes travel! Nice touch with that bit of purple… love it!
Read a bit about Brad from his website:
J. Brad Holt grew up in Cedar City, Utah. He is a graduate of Cedar City High School and Southern Utah Universtiy. He spent childhood summers working on his grandfather’s ranch in Orderville, Utah, hauling hay and punching cows. At age seventeen he joined the Utah Army National Guard where he served for the next twenty years as a member of HHB 2/222 FABN. Brad is a musician specializing in Early Woodwinds. He spent several seasons as a musician/performer with the Utah Shakespearean Festival in Cedar City, Utah.
Brads desire to become an artist began with a childhood facination with the images of the surrealists, particularly those of Yves Tanguay. Eventually he was mentored by the renowned landscape painter Jimmie Jones, who was a friend of the family. Jimmie gave him a lot of old paint and brushes, taught him how to stretch a canvas, and showed him how to lay out his palette. Brad recalls: “Raw Umber and Ultramarine were the core of Jimmie’s palette, and they remain the core of mine to this day. They allow a subtle interplay of temperature in the underpainting.”
Brad Graduated from Southern Utah State College, (now SUU), as an Art Composite Major. He studied under Tom Leek, Arlene Braithewaite, Glen Anderson, Nina Marshall, and Spike Ress. After college he shifted gears and studied Early Music performance practice, and Lutherie. “I guess it’s just something I had to get out of my system. For years I strove for an ever more perfect illusion of reality, and the closer I came to that ideal, the more empty and tedius the exercise became. When I returned to painting I realized that I had to let paint be paint. Landscape painting is not about a perfect portrait of a physical place, it is about the eye, the hand, and the mind of a confident observer. The paintings that I admire are those in which the artist has enough confidence in his own vision to allow bold elegant brush artifacts remain. They serve as a visual testimony to the joy of the process. I do not want to leave my viewers exhausted with a labyrinth of detail. I want them to feel the joy that I feel when I stand before nature with a brush in my hands.”
Brad has taken First Place in the Everett Ruess Plein Air competion in Escalante, Utah in 2006. He twice recieved the Artist’s Choice Award and was Featured Artist in 2012. He has been an artist participant in the Zion Plein Air Invitational: In The Footsteps of Thomas Moran, since its inception. Brad has participated in numerous juried exhibitions and invitational shows including: The Springville Spring Salon, The Southern Utah Invitational, The Sears Dixie Invitational, Art for the Parks, and Land of Contrast: The Dixie National Forest Service Show. He has been published in Poulton and Swanson’s: “Painters of Utah’s Canyons and Deserts, and ” The Gallery: Antiques and Arts Weekly.”
Images via jbradholt.com, used with permission…
Catch you back here tomorrow!
I ran across the best recipe for Split Pea Soup with Sweet Potato & Bacon Garnish in People magazine! Tyler Florence‘s recipes are always fabulous and this is no exception. We had a bag of organic split peas from Whole Foods, yet hadn’t used them… actually, I have never used split peas. Neither of us are big on thick soups. So the one thing I changed? I didn’t blend part of the peas after cooking (which thickens the soup), it still thickened itself somewhat, it was just perfect! The garnish made it over the top good. Cutting up a few slices of good bacon and putting it on a baking sheet along with sweet potatoes cut up small… oooowie, magic happens I’m telling you! It is unbelievable to me how much taste is in split peas! As you see below, in the actual soup part of the recipe, there are split peas, salt, pepper, lemon juice, (I didn’t have thyme leaves, so I did not use, and I only used parmesan once, could barely tell a difference). Yet those pretty green peas are TASTY with a capital “T”!
There aren’t a lot of ingredients – this is simply too easy! There is no soaking of the peas before hand. Another step that makes it that much easier! ✨Just be sure to give the split peas a good rinse right before adding to the pot (rinses away any dirt)…
Click HERE to print the recipe (as shown below!)
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Richard Lindenberg. A truly talented painter. Country Road is a beautiful painting… I love the shadows in the road before it bends… he gives a nice sense of distance with this painting. Very nice!
Richard’s description of this painting: Created at the 2014 Sonoma Plein Air Festival. Out Western Ave. in Petaluma.
Just. Look. At. This. Light. Pretty fabulous isn’t it? I am always drawn to paintings with light… that fabulous light!
Richard’s description: Went out to China Camp State Park to paint the waters edge late in the day… and saw this beautiful backlit stand of trees on the shoreline.
Read a bit about Richard, from his website, to read in full, click HERE:
My truth lies somewhere between a life well lived thus far… and the dreams of what can still be.
The discovery and joy of painting came to me quite late in my life path, but not unexpectedly. Landscape photography was my chosen creative medium for thirty years after attending Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara. Large, medium and small format cameras… using primarily black and white images and the magic of polaroid transfers on watercolor paper. Most of my adult career was spent as an entrepreneur importer and graphic designer. Then in 2006 I became more heavily involved in the art industry as the product manager for Savoir Faire, the exclusive importer of Sennelier fine art materials where the history from the French manufacturer opened my eyes to the impressionist era and to art materials in general. In 2010 he joined with Plein Air Magazine as their Marketing Manager.
Catch you back here tomorrow!
There are so many beautiful, ornate gates here in Charleston. Just look at the stunning shadows that are cast in the sunlight! If you get a chance, and the weather is nice, pop outside and snap some photos that you can look back on!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Broad Street in Charleston, SC is just so… historic! These buildings have stories. Can you imagine? Wouldn’t it be interesting to know what went on in each of them? The stories, the different businesses that have come and gone? It’s fascinating to say the least!
Next time you’re in Charleston, check out Broad Street. I think there is a great marketing job mentioning King Street. But the non-commercial places seem to be on Broad Street, so when you’re in the area, check them out! Matter of fact, if you’re downtown today, stop in The Gallery on Broad, check out the great art work on display!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Thomas Torak. STUNNING! I love this guys style! This painting reminds me of being a kid trying to capture lighting bugs… ahhhh the memories! Just look at how magical those stars are? Radiant and like jewels in the dark sky.
This is what Thomas had to say about his nocturne series that he did… beautiful words!
Starry Night was one of 21 Nocturnes I painted for a solo show at the Principle Gallery in Alexandria, VA. The exhibit was a tribute to the music of Chopin who wrote 21 nocturnes for solo piano. Starry Night was the final piece in the series, a quiet moment to let the exhibit drift off into sleep.
It’s pretty cool to get a glimpse into the artists’ studio… where a gorgeous nocturne is being painted. Very clever!
Read an excerpt about Thomas from his website: Click HERE to read in full; interesting reading, you’ll want to click! Then while you’re there check out the many beautiful paintings!
Thomas Torak is a modern master painter working in the classical tradition. His paintings are known for their breadth and luminosity, rich color and lively brushwork. In the fall of 2008 he was hired as an instructor of portraiture and figure painting at the Art Students League of New York. His paintings have been recognized with the American Artists Professional League Medal of Honor at their 66th Grand National Exhibition; the Audubon Artists Gold Medal of Honor at their 59th Annual Exhibition; the Allied Artists of America Silver Medal of Honor at their 93rd Annual Exhibition, the Academic Artists Gold Medal at their 61st National Exhibition of Contemporary Realism and the Honor Award for Oil at the Academic Artists Association’s 50th and 54th National Exhibitions, the Frank C. Wright Medal of Honor at the 2005 American Artists Professional League Summer Members Exhibition and Best of Show at the 8th Annual National Small Oil Painting Exhibition in Wichita, KA. He has received the top awards at the Salmagundi Club in New York at their Thumb-Box Exhibition and a special members exhibit of Flowers. His painting, The Artist, was purchased by the Masur Museum of Art in Monroe, LA for their permanent collection.
Thomas began studying at the Art Students League of New York in 1974, studying the first year with Robert Beverly Hale and the next seven years with Frank Mason. Under Mason he learned not only the art of painting but also the craft. He prepares his own canvas, mediums and varnishes and uses only hand ground paint, often grinding the colors himself. A difficult and time consuming task, abandoned by most contemporary artists, but vital to the quality of his work. The methods and techniques he employs are those of the Old Masters but his paintings are decidedly contemporary. Many of his still lifes contain timeless subject matter such as fruit and flowers, but in others you will find more modern objects such as pizza, comic books or baseball mitts. Landscapes are often inspired by walks near his Vermont home or a stroll along the Maine coastline.
Catch you back here tomorrow!
House Plan 140-149 by Houseplans.com is a wonderful contemporary plan with wonderful porch access from almost every single room! This plan is 2,693 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms. A nice, unique plan for the way we live now. This plan is one of the 2013 Howie Award Plan of the Year Finalists! You’ll see why in just a sec…
Check out their website, there are LOTS of photos! Be careful with the window coverings… to me, in a house that’s contemporary, less is more!
(You may have to click on image to enlarge… or grab your reading glasses!) See how the master bedroom is located on the right hand side, along with the master bathroom and closet. Sweet, right? Out of the way, a private oasis all your own! Located off of the master bedroom is the office space and a powder room. I love having an office space, ours would be more like a reading room with a desk/computer… , then you walk through to the living, dining, kitchen which is oh so sweet! I think personally I wouldn’t have the kitchen counter on an angle. I would keep it straight, but I would cut it off, so it doesn’t enclose the kitchen space. Now as you walk out of the kitchen/dining/living space you enter a screened porch to get to the guest rooms. Part of me likes this and part of me doesn’t… I think maybe I would make this a sunroom? Well, depending where I live! I like the degree of separation it gives you though! Two bedrooms and a utility room, which is great if you have teens and are doing lots of clothes, but if it’s just the two of you, then maybe find a way to incorporate a utility room elsewhere in the house!
Cool plan, eh? Yep, JUST LOOK AT THE PORCH ACCESS all the way across the rear of the house. Can you imagine?
Images via Houseplans.com, used with permission…
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Mary Jabens. She’s got a great eye. My favorites are her clouds. They are magnificent! Her colors are fabulous, composition is interesting and ooh the little touches like the cloud break in the sky… makes this a stunning painting!
I’m telling you… Mary is an artist who’s work you need to check out… before her prices go up… up… UP!
You can see the rain in the distance, yet still see some of that wonderful light… makes for a beautiful, moody painting!
Read a bit about Mary, from her website:
Being creative has always been a part of my life. Different mediums, subjects, places, people and events continually give me inspiration. My passion is Plein Air painting. Living in Southern Utah provides a lifetime of subjects that are irresistible to my desire to paint! Trying to replicate nature in painting is a challenge: Warm and cool, light and dark values, soft edge versus hard edge- all the elements that make a great painting outdoors are a paradigm to me – one not existing without the other. Merging these elements together is my challenge. To make the results dynamic is my goal.
For more information regarding Mary’s thoughts and views on plein air painting check out the article (Clouds for Clouds’ Sake) by Bob Bahr for Outdoorpainter.com in June 2014!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Most everyone loves a good pot roast. The taste is so wonderful, like you’ve been slaving away for hours and hours, when in reality, it basically does most everything itself. Some people prefer to make mashed potatoes, if you’re on of those people, you can certainly pull the veggies and pot roast out when done, and maybe stir in a little corn starch/water mixture and and to pan, heat to thicken the gravy. I don’t bother, the juice is just that good. I usually throw my carrots and potatoes in the pot instead of making mashed potatoes, it’s just too easy this way!
I follow this recipe from Cooking Light magazine – not exactly, but its a starting point. Add more of what you like, less of what you don’t!
My notes on the recipe below… I rarely use wine, I just like the taste of pot roast best without it, same with Thyme… garlic I use occasionally, but rarely… I buy a large container of Kitchen Basics Beef Broth (unsalted), and use about 3/4 of it. I don’t measure I just make sure it covers most of the veggies… I use a lot of carrots and a few potatoes. For a 1.5# roast, I usually bake it for about 45 minutes, then add the potatoes and carrots (I put the roast on top) and bake another hour. It’s perfect when the meat falls apart easily.
Recipe from Cooking Light Magazine!
Preheat oven to 350º.
Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chuck roast with salt and pepper. Add roast to pan; cook 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove roast from pan. Add onion to pan; sauté 8 minutes or until tender.
Return browned roast to pan. Add the red wine, thyme sprigs, chopped garlic, beef broth, and bay leaf to pan; bring to a simmer. Cover pan and bake at 350° for 1 1/2 hours or until the roast is almost tender.
Add carrots and potatoes to pan. Cover and bake an additional 1 hour or until vegetables are tender. Remove thyme sprigs and bay leaf from pan; discard. Shred meat with 2 forks. Serve roast with vegetable mixture and cooking liquid. Garnish with thyme leaves, if desired.
MyRecipes is working with Let’s Move!, the Partnership for a Healthier America, and USDA’s MyPlate to give anyone looking for healthier options access to a trove of recipes that will help them create healthy, tasty plates. For more information about creating a healthy plate, visit www.choosemyplate.gov.
Ok, now for my step by step shots!
Sear the meat first!
Since there are only two of us, I usually go to Whole Foods or EarthFare and buy a pot roast (chuck roast) and if it’s really thick i have them slice it in half lengthwise, I usually end up with about a 1.5 pound roast, but if you have more than two people in your family (this is several meals for us), then you may opt for the larger cut, just keep it in the oven longer.
Start by adding a little olive oil to the pan so it won’t stick, get the pan nice and hot so you hear SIZZLE when you put the roast in the pan… you aren’t cooking it through just browning on all sides, at medium high, I even sear the sides… keeps all those juices where you want them to be! Once it’s seared, move it to a plate…
Now sautee the onions… smells wonderful doesn’t it?
Now add the seared roast and the beef broth to the pan – cover and bake OR… go ahead and add potatoes and carrots (If roast is small) and bake all together for around 1.5 hours or until it starts to fall apart! I tuck the potatoes and carrots all around the roast… you can check on it a time or two, splash a little more broth on top… a few hours later (and a WONDERFUL smelling house)… you have…
This is what BEAUTY Looks like when you pull it out of the oven… oh. my. word.
Too good for words!!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
Patricia Canney. She has some interesting work out … she’s painting dresses, all kinds of dresses. Beautifully! Hey, if you were getting married, wouldn’t it be cool to have a painting of your dress in the store window? Take a peek at Patricia’s paintings, very nice! She’s in several galleries, below is a Q&A from the Abend Gallery in Denver, CO.
Patricia is in the process of creating a new website, so be on the lookout! For now you can continue to use this site as well as Facebook and Pinterest!
I also like this one from the study/sketch section of Patricia’s website, the bright happy color really pops:
Read a bit about Patricia from her website:
When people ask, I say, “I paint dresses and garments and stuff!” Garments, dresses, costumes, hats and shoes appeal to me as variations on figurative work. They are portraits without the figure, embodying the essence of a person or dream. I love that each viewer can read their own story, memory and emotion into the painting.
I like small scenes of people, places, garments and quiet moments that are loose and alive with color, connecting it all with places and times. I am drawn to that certain kind of light that captures the unguarded moment and captures both the “now” and “forever” on canvas.
Lately I have been assembling still life arrangements of garments, shoes and hats on hangers, dress forms and coat trees in my studio. They hang from the walls, drape on chairs and get moved around with the light. I paint them from life and photograph them in morning or golden late afternoon light.
It’s great fun.
I use my graphic design background when composing a painting. Childhood memories of my parent’s small town café inform paintings of restaurants and interiors. Paintings of garments and shoes remind me of my grandmother who worked as a tailor in a men’s store….or of my mom who taught me to sew.
The Abend Gallery in Denver, CO wrote a Q&A with Patricia, I love knowing who artists have taken workshops with, as well as who inspires them!
Is my work more about realism or abstractionism or combo?
It’s a combination…a bit abstracted in the paint quality but aiming for realism of the emotion. I’d like to achieve the truth of a quick sketch, quickness and light , in the larger pieces.
Studied with?
Kim English was my first workshop teacher and the artist whose work always inspires me. I have also studied with, Peggi Kroll Roberts, Maggie Siner and others.
Inspired by?
All the above and more. Kim English for his amazing skills and sense of light. Paul Oxborough, a modern master. Nancy Franke, with her lovely ease of paint. Dan McCaw inspires me with his unwaivering curiosity and daily challenges to himself.
Of course, inspired by…
The classic, three…Sargent, Zorn and Sorolla
My work in the future?
Always working toward painting effortlessly (with precision)…or to appear effortless!
What would I say to a viewer?
Thank you for stopping for a look. I want every painting to live in a “good home”…like the “foster children” they all are!
What do I want the viewer to take away?
Enjoyment. I hope the viewer can imagine a story or bit of a story in the paintings.
How has my work changed over time?
I hope it has improved. So many ideas and not enough time to grab them all and get them down!
Favorite medium?
Oil on canvas but I’d like to improve my skills with acrylic, just for fun.
Images used with permission from the artist…
Catch you back here tomorrow!
What stands out the most in this photo? Is it the stunning shadows that play brilliantly against the pretty color of this building? Or is it the light that seems to dance across the building with each gust of wind? Whatever it is, it’s beautiful and its just so Charleston!
Enjoy your day! Relax while you can, Christmas is 25 days away!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
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