What a great plan this is! Fabulous front porch! This home has so much charm, doesn’t it? Like something built back when they built homes with character and detail! This plan is 2,018 square feet with 3-4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. Has the charm but includes details for modern living! Nice, huh?
The great room, kitchen and dining area is all open, which is nice if you’re the one in the kitchen! A master bedroom/bathroom at the back of the house and a guest room in the front of the house… there is a nice little study tucked away, perfect for an office, or a quiet getaway for reading or writing! What else could you possibly need?
Spring is here. Just a few short days ago we went from winter to spring in the blink of an eye. And then there were more snow storms throughout the country. How crazy is that?
This painting, entitled Rite of Spring, by artist David Ahlsted is a welcome site for most of you who have endured mountains of snow and ice… not to mention the frigid cold temperatures. This painting is like a landscape and a still life all in one. And it’s happy… can you not feel the sun on your face? What a wonderful imagination, and a fabulous painting!
Check out David’s work, it’s so refreshing and different… wonderful in every way!
David Ahlsted is a realist painter who has lived and worked near the Atlantic Ocean in Southern New Jersey since 1976. He describes his work very succinctly by saying it is “content plus geometry, color, light and shadow”. With his representations of still – life, nautical and industrial scenes, and beach scenes Ahlsted thoughtfully explores abstraction, contrasts and sculptural elements in the everyday.
He received his MFA from Indiana University and presently, he is a tenured Professor of Arts at the Richard Stockton College of NJ. Ahlsted is credited with numerous solo exhibitions throughout the eastern United States, including major exhibitions in Philadelphia and New York City. He has participated in over 60 group exhibitions, including the New Jersey Arts Annual, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Aldrich Museum, and the Museum of the City of New York. In addition, he has completed two commissioned public art projects – six large scale paintings for the New Jersey State House Annex and seven large scale paintings for Rutgers University. His work is in the permanent collections of the Aldrich Museum, Glen Mede Trust, Master Card Corp., Noyes Museum, PepsiCo, Inc., Pew Charitable Trust and Rutgers University. His work is represented by Gross McCleaf Gallery in Philadelphia.
Shirtini – new shop on King Street, Charleston, SC
Whenever we have people visiting from out of town, we take them to galleries and the neat shops downtown. We always head to Old Road Mercantile, which is such a cool place… and now this shop… Shirtini located right next door. Owned by the same people (we spoke to Kevin and he is fabulous), this is one classy shop. Reminiscent of a Paris shop this has the best of the best. These gorgeous shirts, and I do mean gorgeous… tailored and special in every single way.
Just a quickly snapped photo (with permission) of just a few of the blouses they have to offer. I have my eye on a few of the longer ones to wear with leggings or slim fitting pants. How nice to look nice with one gorgeous piece of clothing!
The shop just opened, and the website is in the process of being finished, but check back, it’ll be up soon… www.shirtini.com. If you’re in Charleston, SC be sure to stop by and say hello! It is one gorgeous store!
F L A S H B A C K !
O n e Y e a r A g o: Featured Artist… Charles Williams!
I love Robin Cheers work. It is so fabulous. Nice and loose, with great brush strokes and color. I think this is a fabulous perspective, something different! Robin has a great blog, check it out! For several of these paintings Robin set her camera on a tripod atop the dining room table and set the timer… “Selfie’s” ha ha… I like her sense of humor. All are fabulous! I think Robin should paint more interiors… she hits it spot on. Makes it so interesting! I look forward to following Robin’s work for a long, long time!
Texas-based painter, Robin Cheers’ gift is her ability to bring a magnifying glass to life’s simple moments. Her paintings encourage us to appreciate the extraordinary stories that are told in the most ordinary of circumstances.
“To discover and share the hidden treasures of everyday moments is the goal of my work. Light and gesture are my inspiration. I paint quickly – alla prima – because its the most instinctive way for me to work and capture that moment of pure inspiration. My paintings have become a visual diary of my life. In the summer, I turn to paintings of the beach, farm markets, horse shows and swimming holes. Other seasons find me in the city, frequenting coffee houses and museums, and gathering material and inspiration from each stop along the way.”
Robin’s subject matter invites people to stop and explore, while painterly brushwork speaks to the fleeting moments she captures on canvas. Working from sketches, paint studies and photos, she paints with immediacy, preferring to finish a painting in one session, leaving out details and allowing the viewer to interpret the story to their own ends.
Born in Ohio in 1969, her family moved quite often while Robin was growing up; creative play and art helped her adjust to new situations. Robin graduated in 1991 from Virginia Tech where she studied public relations and graphic arts – balancing the practical with the creative. She worked as a graphic artist and web designer in the years following college, moving once more to her current home in Austin in 1994. She studied painting at night in intensive classes with Elizabeth Locke until 2001 when she became a full time fine artist. Studies with Kim English, Peggi Kroll Roberts and Ken Auster, as well as studying the impressionist masters from long ago, have continued to inform her work.
Image via RobinCheers.com – used with permission from the artist.
Last year, Fred, Charlie and I headed downtown on Easter. We walked for almost two hours. It was a gorgeous day and perfect for taking photos. I love how quaint Charleston can be. How lovely to come upon this unexpected bloom of flowers and an Easter basket, complete with a bunny!
Charleston… where you can come to expect the unexpected! Have a great weekend! Back to normal posting on Monday!
Just a reminder that I’ll be back to normal posting next week!
Magazines. Love em! We don’t get as many as we used to, but we get some good ones… I mentioned a few food magazines, now my other two favorites… HOME and HEALTH… Here are a few good ones…
Another great magazine FULL of health tips, recipes and all the things that you SHOULD be doing to stay healthy. But, they make it interesting! Another magazine that has a fabulous website!
I have a few favorite cooking magazines. In general, I tend to gravitate to those types of magazines… I. Love. Food. I try to shy away from the super unhealthy recipes, and try my best to stay on a healthier kick…
Cooking Light – I have been getting this magazine for at least 15 years. There are always recipes I can find in each and every issue. Great selection, variation… easy and fast recipes as well as time consuming ones. All are healthy without tasting like cardboard!
I still make recipes from 15 years ago… they’re fabulous! In addition to recipes, there is health info, exercises and general info to keep you healthy. I find myself sharing this info perhaps a bit too much!
I bought my mom a cookbook of a compilation of their recipes, and i think she’s made every single recipe and has enjoyed each and every one. Now THAT’S a cookbook!
In the midst of the summer the sun beats in our sunroom windows and heats up the space immeasurably. We had to do something… So we ordered custom solar shades. We weren’t working with a standard width window. We ended up having to get two, because the weight of one in the width we needed would be much too heavy. These shades help so much! We get morning sun in those windows, so we pull the shades and it helps block some of the heat. In the afternoon, sun reflects off of the house next door which makes the glare brutal. These blinds protect the interior from glare and harmful UV rays. They look spectacular, are easy to pull up and down and are just such a nice addition. Another bonus, during the day, you can still see out, even though it looks like the blinds would be solid from the outside. So it is nice to be able to see… it’s like having your cake and eating it too!
Back to normal posting next week – catch you back here tomorrow!
We walk past these houses on Church Street each day we work at the gallery… Stunning, each one… I love the porches. I would spend so much time out there… they are so fortunate to be in the heart of everything!
I’ll be back to normal posting next week!! Don’t miss the brownie recipe below… it’s easy, one pot, and the taste… ooooooh my gosh!
HOW can you walk around Charleston without a camera? I have no idea! There is beauty everywhere, especially if you can catch that gorgeous golden light at just the right time!
I will be back to normal posting next week, thanks for sticking with me ;)
When I see all the beauty in this area, all I can think of is that someone needs to paint it! I guess that someone should be me… but it’s hard to find time to write about art as well as do it. Still, I think I would like to pull out my paints, and instead of going in the direction I was going… maybe try something different… it could be interesting, right? Get out and go try something new today ;)
These trees are quite like something in a fairytale… like they could reach out and shake your hand, or move about and speak to each other. They are graceful yet strong, and stunning in every way!
A few years ago we were walking and came upon a few ferns left by the side of the road in the trash. They were beautiful. They were a little tired and thirsty, but nothing that couldn’t be fixed. We took them home, repotted them, gave them water and they have been on our front door step ever since. Absolutely gorgeous and so easy to care for!
They’re called a Bottlebrush Fern (also know as a Fox Tail Fern) they are the coolest plants ever! If you live in a climate where these plants thrive, they are definitely something to think about! They’re beautiful and lush green!
I know we have nothing to complain about weather-wise… the entire country took quite a beating. Cold temps, wind, ice and snow, snow, snow! We even got dusted with the white stuff here in Charleston a while back… also got some ice… ugh… but now look… the azaleas are blooming and thats not all! It’s going to be a gorgeous Spring!
Today is the first day of it… enjoy! And for those of you where Spring has not officially made its presence known… it won’t be long!! Come visit us in Charleston until it gets nice ;)
ARTFOODHOME.COM 