Moser Design Group has some fabulous house plans. If you aren’t familiar with them, they are located in Beaufort, SC – they have their plans online and the site is easy to navigate. I selected one that I really like. It’s 1,693 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. The ceiling height downstairs is an impressive 10′, while upstairs the ceiling height is 8’6″. I love the bungalow cottage look of this house. The fabulous porch really makes it! What you don’t see is a screened porch around back… very nice!
This is an open plan with the living/dining all in one room, which would work perfectly for us! The kitchen is an impressive 12’x13′ – I cannot imagine! What a treat to have a screened porch off the kitchen. It would be nice to be able to open that door while you’re cooking in the cooler months!
SECOND FLOOR – TNH-SC-47A House Plan by Moser Design Group
Can I say… I love storage? Ok. I LOVE STORAGE! And there is plenty of it fit into this house plan! I’m not a packrat by any means, but it’s nice to have a place to put certain things like Christmas decorations, out of season clothing, or things that you use on occasion (luggage, etc).
Read a blip about Moser Design Group, Inc – from their website:
OUR TEAM:
Over the past 20 years, Eric Moser, President of Moser Design Group, Inc. (MDG), and his staff of professionals have built a reputation as designers of fine custom residential architecture. Their primary focus over the past decade and a half has established the firm as a major proponent of the New Urban movement. As a member of the Congress for New Urbanism, the New Urban Guild, and the Institute of Classical Architecture and Classical America, MDG dedicates their work to the planning and architectural fulfillment of New Urban and Traditional Neighborhood Developments (TND’s).
OUR APPROACH:
MDG’s involvement with New Urbanism began in Beaufort, SC in 1992 with the pioneering neighborhood of Newpoint. Since then, they have been involved with many TND’s including Eric’s home town of Habersham in Beaufort, SC. In 1997 Eric participated with the highly acclaimed firm, DPZ Architects in the planning charrette for Habersham. Today it is a growing, vibrant coastal village where Eric chairs the Architectural Review Board and works closely with town founder Bob Turner in fulfilling the town plan.
Eric is a frequent consultant on charrettes across the United States for new and old towns, infill projects, hamlets, and neighborhoods. He collaborates with other professionals to plan, analyze and reintroduce the historic local and regional building patterns that made most old towns so successful and memorable. MDG has established itself as one of the most prominent providers of Traditional Neighborhood building types, ranging from 600 square foot bungalows, to manor houses to town center civic buildings. Over time, this broad array of experience has allowed the team at MDG to refine the craft of place making.
The firm has also been active in the Katrina and Rita recovery efforts in the Gulf Coast. Eric was a participant of the Mississippi Renewal forum and remains very active in developing and providing emergency housing solutions for the victims of the storms. A significant portion of that work has been the design of multiple Katrina Cottages and building relationships with manufactured and modular home companies to affect the quick delivery of dignified, permanent alternatives to FEMA trailers. A MDG Katrina Cottage design was chosen as one of the first four plans to be engineered into a material package in partnership with Lowe’s Home Improvement Store.
MDG endeavors to provide high quality authentic designs and stay involved with the growing number of New Urban projects. The firm is also dedicated to finding new approaches to make their buildings and projects more sustainable.
First Blossoms by Bryce Liston – 20 x 24″ Oil on Linen
Quite amazing how this woman looks like if she were to stand up, she could quietly walk right off the canvas… the obscure background puts more emphasis on the woman, and I think compliments her perfectly.
If you’re on Facebook, Bryce has a Facebook page – Bryce Liston ~ Fine Art and you’ll see how he starts some of his wonderful paintings and the progression… its pretty amazing, I suggest you check it out! Scroll through Bryce’s website… the paintings are amazing!
“Being an artist and painting the human figure is what compels me.
It wakes me up at night, it’s what I love and I drive myself to do it very well.
Art is my life-long obsession, pleasure and torment”. _______
Born in 1965 in a small town in Utah, Bryce believes his first desire to be an artist was formed at a very young age when he would go out with his mother while she painted the Utah landscape. Later in school, drawing was a comfort zone for Liston. “It was a subject that excited me- I always had energy and interest for it.” It was here that Liston found his love of the human form. “I don’t quite know why I was drawn to the human form; I suspect the seed was planted while studying the art of the great American Illustrators like N.C. Wyeth and Howard Pyle.”
It was then that he knew it was the human form that he wanted to portray in his art. He attended the University of Utah for a short time but dropped out before finishing his degree. “I wanted to learn about the craft of art. I wanted to learn to actually <em “mso-bidi-font-style:=”” normal”=””>produce art, not just discuss it.” With limited resources Bryce found himself working in the studio and foundry of master sculptor, Edward J. Fraughton. The time Liston spent with Fraughton provided him with a knowledge of anatomy that few painters possess and that understanding brings depth and life to the figures he paints. “In Ed’s studio I learned a lot about art. It’s funny, I learned about painting from a sculptor- I don’t think that’s something that happens everyday.”
Bryce’s education has been self-directed and continues to be that way. Not having a formal art education can be a long and hard way to go about it but it does have its advantages. It allows you to find your own voice rather than emulating that of your teachers, a principle lesson that Liston imparts to all of his students. “Take in all the information that is presented to you, then afterwards disassemble it and make it fit into your personal vision and style.”
Bryce’s work is shown in galleries around the country and he participates in many national and international exhibitions each year. Bryce’s artwork has won numerous prestigious awards, including The Tuffy Berg Award, The Honorary Chairman’s Award and the Southwest Art Award of Excellence at the 2010 CM Russell Auction. He is a signature member of the Oil Painters of America and was awarded Best in Show at the 2008 OPA Western Regional Exhibition. He was also named one of the Top Ten Artists to Watch by Southwest ArtMagazine in January, 2009. His art has been published in many magazines as well as on book covers.
He currently resides in Holladay, Utah with his wife and three daughters. “I can’t even imagine myself not painting or sculpting. My mother was a very talented artist and I can already see some of the same abilities emerging in my young daughters.”
All images via ListonArt.com – used with permission from the artist…
Circa Lighting. Fabulous. On trend. It’s nice to have a place here in Charleston to look for lighting and find something every single time. It simply is the best of the best. Inexpensive is probably not a word used to describe Circa, but quality definitely is! Keep an eye out, they do have sales on occasion. Lighting makes a room. It’s so important. More than for the light, which we need, but the look of the lighting makes all the difference! The staff here is knowledgable and helpful. Check them out if you’re in town, you won’t be sorry. (Psssst: they ship… and it’s free, now that IS a deal!).
When my parents were in town they were looking for a light to go beside a chair. Mostly for reading. This is what they ordered and they couldn’t be happier. This lamp has a dimmer switch, so you can turn it down very low, or up as bright as you may need. It’s one gorgeous floor lamp! This one is called the STUDIO ADJUSTABLE LIGHT FLOOR LAMP – Stock # 91025 and it comes in a variety of finishes.
Check it out if you get a chance and I’ll catch you back here tomorrow!
Generations of Frederick by John Porter Lasater IV
John Porter Lasater IV. Nice work. This year at the Easels in Frederick plein air competition, John won Best of Show with Generations of Frederick. Pretty nice, huh? I like the simplicity of this piece. It works nicely. This is not overworked, its a nice painting!
South and Carroll by John Porter Lasater IV
He also took home a Collector’s Choice award for South and Carroll. I think nocturnes are so cool and the light in this one is amazing. The stop lights and street light just add so much, don’t they?
Every once in a while John does an event on his own where he paints 24 paintings in 24 hours. Crazy! Read about one of them, see the paintings… they ALL SOLD! He did another one this month! Pretty cool idea if you can stay up that long!
If you’re interested in taking a WORKSHOP with John, he’s got some great ones lined up, check them out!
Catch you back here tomorrow!
All images via LasaterArt.com – used with permission from the artist…
A hot day near Bowens Island Restaurant. I highly recommend it! Fresh seafood, cheap prices, great (but not fancy, not even close) atmosphere. Anything goes… I wouldn’t dress up! It’s a happening place so check it out! Restaurant is open TUES – SAT, so keep that in mind!
Beautiful, right? There is nothing like walking around Charleston, SC… its just so pretty all the time! The window boxes are over the top gorgeous! It really makes a statement, doesn’t it? I guarantee you that someone is busy keeping that creeping fig trimmed so perfectly this time of year. I remember when we had it on our house. It was great, made the house look like an English cottage, but Fred had to get the ladder and go around the house twice a WEEK with scissors… then the bee’s got bad and we decided to take it off the house. Whew!
Have a wonderful weekend!! Catch you back here tomorrow!
Plein Air Easton, located in Maryland, is an event that you just don’t want to miss. If you are anywhere near the vicinity it’s your chance to watch some of the greatest artist paint stunning works (and your chance to purchase as well!). The Quick Draw event really draws the crowds. This year Plein Air Easton has some corporate sponsors, I.G. Burton BMW, The Star Democrat, Attraction Magazine, Chesapeake Fine Art Studio, Ben Franklin Crafts, The Academy Art Museumand Timothy E. Dills.
There are some amazing artists this year at Easton, be sure to check them out! Click HERE for the list of artists! And check out their Calendar of Events!
Here are a few facts from Plein Air Easton 2013 (from their website)… pretty amazing stuff!
Art sales for last year’s event totaled $325,000 with 313 paintings sold in 2.5 days.
Approximately 6,000-8,000 people participate in the festival throughout the week
In 2013 the Collectors’ Preview Party sold a painting every 45 seconds during a 90 minute period.
Ken DeWaard – A Waterman’s Life – Artists Choice Award 2013Garin Baker – A Buck Twenty a Bushel – Grand Prize Winner 2013Stewart White – Paint the Town – Honorable Mention 2013
I met the neatest artist the other day. This guy is going places. Fast. His name is Isaiah Ratterman. He is a outstanding painter and photographer. I thought “Death Before the Butterfly” was a brilliant painting with such a clever title. It made me smile. I’m happy to know that the little green men’s bullets can’t really shoot… therefore NO BUTTERFLY WAS HARMED IN THE MAKING OF THIS PAINTING, hee hee.
This is a painting of absolute beauty. Isaiah executed it so elegantly, the bottom koi seems to be dancing in the water, while the koi at the top of the painting seems to be in an elegant drift. Gorgeous! Different. Thought provoking. I look forward to watching for more of Isaiah’s work. He is one to keep an eye on! If you’re in the Charleston, SC area, you can see Isaiah’s work in person at Galerie on Broad! He’s got one piece there now and more on the way!
Did I mention that Isaiah is a nice guy on top of it? Modest, interesting, talented, and he truly loves art and it shows!
Isaiah Ratterman is an artist who is committed to working from life. He holds a MFA from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and is currently living and working in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Artist Statement:
I hold a reverence for the Romantic painters of the past, however their ethos has been replaced in our age of excess, leaving a need for our relationship to the landscape to be redefined. Through the landscape, I find a narrative that questions the primacy of Necessity based upon my own travels. Experiences under these circumstances become important and fulfilling, offering a brief glimpse into a deeper meaning of Being. Thoughts are not processed within the moment, but collected and decrypted afterwards. My paintings act as a way of deciphering the felt experiences I hold so close.
All images via IsaiahRatterman.com – Used with permission from the artist… Note: the photograph above was taken by Isaiah. Amazing work!
I tend to be persnickety about my coffee. I don’t like it weak and I don’t like it old… I’m ok if it’s hot or not, but old coffee (you know, when you put cream in and it turns gray, eeeeeek!). I will avoid that like the plague. So every morning when the coffee finishes brewing, I pour it into a thermos (that has been preheated with boiling water). Now, you would think, that adding boiling water day after day would keep coffee from sticking to the sides of the thermos, wouldn’t you?
Well one morning, I went to rinse my thermos and it poured a ton of what looked like coffee grounds into the sink. WHAT?!?!?! So I put boiling water and soap and everything else I could try… nothing worked. It’s a tall narrow thermos, so there is no way to reach down into it. Haven’t I read something about baking soda I thought to myself? Hmmm,, well, let’s see… add boiling water about 3/4 full, because I was unsure what would happen once I added baking soda… I added 2 Tablespoons of baking soda and it start to expand. I put the top on and gave it a GENTLE SHAKE (with a towel over the top, just because I could almost feel the pressure, which kind of scared me…). I couldn’t easily unscrew the top…. hmmm, OK, better wait until it calms down before I try again. I left it alone for 4-5 hours, maybe even longer than that. When I poured it out, it looked like the strongest coffee on the planet. At first I thought AHHHHH! Pouring out good coffee?? Nope, all the black stuff on the sides of the thermos that build up over time… are now… tada….
G O N E ! ! !
Like brand new!!
Just BE CAREFUL with the boiling water! I just gave this a whirl and it worked, but I’m no expert! Did I just get lucky this one time?
Caesar Citraro is an artist (actually when you read below you’ll see that he’s a painter, printer and bookmaker)! His paintings are absolutely gorgeous! The soft blues and yellow’s make this painting above such an eye catching piece. The subtle nuances in the water add such interest. I really want to be wherever this is, sitting on the edge of the water, watching the day go by…
How is this for a dramatic painting? I grew up loving weather… loving storms. This painting is a fabulous depiction! You know how some storms can get so dark and wicked, yet bits of light shine through. Stunning!
Caesar lives in Michigan now, a state I grew up in. He is represented by Elizabeth Pollie Fine Art, a wonderful gallery in Harbor Springs, MI. Elizabeth is a wonderful artist herself, and her gallery is a collection of some of the very best artists. Check out the gallery if you’re in the area, or check it out online! I have heard nothing but great things about Caesar, and I see why!
I am a painter, printer and bookmaker who has dedicated my career to making and preserving works of art. Shortly after receiving my BFA from the Cleveland Institute of Art in 1986, I went to Chicago to further my career as an artist. I became an employee of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1987 and worked as a conservation technician in the Department of Prints and Drawings. During my tenure at the museum I had ample opportunity to explore the various collections that have informed my art making from my earliest days in Chicago. I studied traditional bookbinding methods; the materials and techniques used in medieval manuscript cuttings and volumes, and was inspired by the many exemplars that surrounded me on a daily basis. Some of my earliest work includes a number of reliquary boxes and books that are embellished in a manner that evokes the bejeweled covers of medieval books, their worn leather and time stained pages. My painting techniques were fashioned after the earliest masters of panel painting with their smooth translucent surfaces, rich colors, and incised details.
My career at the Art Institute also afforded the opportunity to travel the globe to places as far reaching as Japan and New Zealand where I was inspired by the flora indigenous to these places. The paintings that followed contained biomorphic and organic forms derived from nature, but not of this world. My painted world was one of pure imagination where tentacles, thorns, and vines intertwined. My materials included wax, colored pencils, and oils that were applied to smooth, gessoed-wood panels. My techniques included rubbing and burnishing these surfaces, incising them, and adding more colored media into the incised lines to create multi-layered images.
More recently, my relocation from Chicago to Petoskey Michigan in 2008 inspired another stylistic turn in my work. Now, I take a broader view of my surroundings and have shifted from painting the minutia of nature to painting broad expanses of land and the flora contained therein. I concern myself with the play of light through trees, across rolling hills, or on groups of leaves, branches, and even single pinecones. Small elements of the abstracted, biomorphic forms found in earlier work are subtly incorporated into these works from time to time, yet the imagery remains solidly rooted in the real world.
“The lush farmlands and mysterious forests near my home captivate me. The beauty and visual diversity in this area are amazing to me and I feel the need to somehow convey that in my art.”
I was represented by Gary Marks Gallery in Chicago. My books were shown at SOFA Chicago in 1992. I have paintings, books, and reliquaries held in a number of private collections. Most recently, my paintings have been included in four group exhibitions in 2010, Four Group exhibitions and one solo exhibition in 2011, at Three Pines Studio, Michigan.
In 2012 I was a featured artist in the Exhibition “as small as a world and as large as alone” at the Crooked Tree Arts Center in Petoskey Michigan.
Currently, I am represented by Huey’s Fine Art, Santa Fe NM& Elizabeth Pollie Fine Art, Harbor Springs MI
I was born in Cleveland, Ohio and presently reside in Petoskey, Michigan.
Fred and I have been so fortunate to always have such fabulous weather when we visit Monhegan. This wonderful Maine island that sits off the coast is so special in every single way. What makes it so beautiful (other than the surroundings)? The everyday things, from the stacked lobster traps to the colorful clothes on the line blowing in the wind.
If you’ve never been to Botany Bay (near Edisto, SC), you don’t know what you’re missing! Beautiful beach, grand old oak trees that form a canopy over the road and are a sanctuary to many birds (and snakes)… beauty everywhere!
Have a great weekend and I’ll catch you back here tomorrow!
Patriot by Charles Movalli Private Collection Image: Bayview Gallery
I’m quite positive I’ve mentioned this painting by Charles Movalli in a past post… I still remember walking into Bayview Gallery in Camden, Maine – looking where there were several large Charles Movalli paintings, each so very stunning. This man is talented beyond belief. I would love to meet him one day, he looks like such a cool guy. Whenever talking with other art loving people, if you mention his name, EVERYONE agrees that he is awesome in every single way. As an artist, as a speaker, as a person. You just can’t get any better than that!
Isn’t this just the best place ever? Monhegan is stunning and beautiful and when you step off the boat this is what you see. The Island Inn sits regally at the top of the hill. It’s worth the climb, trust me! If you’ve never been to Monhegan before, it’s a treat. It isn’t for everyone. If you’re looking for a golf course or a mall or to spend time watching TV, this is not the place for you. If you would like to see unspeakable beauty, meet some of the coolest people (other guests who come year after year quickly become like family) and taste some fabulous food, this is your place!
Catch you back here tomorrow! Back to my normal posts next week!
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