[featured product] is something that I really like… in this case its something that is so useful, cuts down on foil and plastic in landfills and is a treat to the eye… whatever could it be??
One of the gifts I received for my birthday from my mom and dad were a few of these Charles Viancin silicon lids. I was thrilled! They know I LOVE THIS STUFF! I’ve had my eye on silicone lids for a while, but haven’t bought any… Why am I so excited about silicone lids you wonder? NO PLASTIC WRAP (can you imagine?) or FOIL to cover bowls with! Sweet! Everyone loves dealing with plastic wrap, right? Ugh. And foil… the price keeps going up like crazy (what’s up with that??)…
As you can see these silicone lids are good for many reasons, they’re BPA free, the may you eco friendly but reducing waste, they seal tightly, I tried it on a cereal bowl (the small size, 6″), I just set it on top, and I could pick the bowl up by the center stem that sticks up…. the suction is unbelievable. To get it off, set it down, and lift it off… comes off easier than you can imagine. The lid creates an airtight/waterproof seal keeping your food fresh! You can even use it while cooking to retain steam… you can use it in the dishwasher and the microwave!
As you can see they make all sizes, even small lids for glasses, stoppers for wine bottles (how cool is that?), cutting boards, etc. All different flower patterns, and I saw on their Facebook page that they have a snowflake design coming out soon for the holidays! Check out their STORE LOCATOR to see where you can purchase them near you… if there isn’t a place, you can find them on Amazon.com!
I love smart things! Catch you back here tomorrow!
Vineyards… what’s not to love? Oh how I would like to surprise Fred for our 22nd anniversary and have a wonderful dinner beneath this magnificent tree overlooking the vineyard. Wouldn’t that be something?
I always like to see what it is in a painting that draws me in. In this case it’s the overall feeling that I get from it. Peace and quiet, good wine, maybe a bit of cheese and a hunk of good bakery bread. Silence. The sunlight peeking through the tree dancing on the slats in the back of the chair… and on the ground like fireflies… I think I need to get my paint out so that I can start making some money to make this dream a reality… ha ha… This would be a nice surprise!
Kristine’s paintings all have a good vibe coming from them… here is one more example. She’s got such great style! Check out her website if you get a chance!
LOVE the clouds and the looseness of the tree… I truly enjoy plein air paintings, you really can get a feel for what the artist is seeing at that moment in time!
Aren’t these flowers just gorgeous? This photo was taken years ago while Fred and I were in San Francisco, CA. This is THE BUD STOP… wildly beautiful flowers! They’re located on Union Street right near Fillmore… Speaking of Fillmore Street… best place that we ate lunch… THE GROVE FILLMORE, I had done a previous post on this place, but it’s worth mentioning again!
This would make one heck of a challenging rooftop painting wouldn’t it? Whew, not sure I would want to give it a whirl, but I would enjoy seeing the progression of an artist painting a similar scene. It facinates me how there really is no right or wrong way to paint. I see people break the “rules” all the time and they’re awesome artists… what works for one doesn’t always work for another… I like knowing I have options, ha ha…
Have a good weekend! Catch you back here tomorrow!
I adore Michelle Hero Clarke’s style! It’s fresh and loose and so very fabulous. I see a bit of a Charles Sovek likeness to her work (especially her architectural paintings), at times a little Eric Hopkins (the swirls in the water and some of the clouds)… which make this a style uniquely her own. Her paintings are fresh and have great movement. You really get a sense of the place… Michelle has several paintings of Monhegan, and let me tell you she captures the feeling perfectly… be sure to check out her website, it’s full of wonderful paintings!
“Monhegan Woods” by Michelle Hero Clarke
I love this “Monhegan Woods” painting… it so reminds me of walking through Cathedral Woods, the beauty, the peace, the silence… ahhhhhh! Just by looking at this painting I feel happy! That’s what art should do. Make you happy, or make you feel something!
“Clouds and Rock” by Michelle Hero Clarke
Another stunning piece… I love how she did the rocks, the water… ahhhh, I want to have this kind of style!
Painting landscapes provides me with a way to respond and record not only my observations of a place but my subjective experience of it as well. In my artwork I am primarily interested in capturing the essence of places as I perceive them, rather than documenting a photo-realistic scene. All of my artwork is done “plein air”. I paint on–site, and always from life rather than using photographs as references. I find this method the most effective in that it allows me to fully immerse myself in the sensations of the moment. When painting outside, the biggest challenge for me as an artist is dealing with the potential for rapid change. Light, color, and subject are all in a state of flux. A cloud can move, changing the shadows and intensity of colors, or a dense fog may roll in, obscuring what had been my subject but creating new opportunities. Responding to these constant changes gives a sense of urgency and immediacy to the act of painting, which I find very energizing. I rarely go back into my paintings and rework them in the studio. I like to keep the images fresh, authentic, and representative of how I experienced being in that place at that time. I emphasize elements that strike me; the movement of the water,the interplay of colors, or the thoughts and feelings that I have in response to a particular visual experience. Each painting I make enhances my appreciation and awareness of the richness of life around me, and I try to share these vivid moments through my artwork.
The media and materials I use consist of a mixture of alkyd and oil paints on handmade wood panels which I will sometimes layer with primed canvas but often just seal with an acrylic wood varnish. For larger work, I may use stretched canvases as they are lighter weight and easier to carry in the field.
First photo taken of us at my sister’s house… 1991!
Twenty one years ago today I said “I do” to the sweetest man on Earth, my husband, Fred Stroud. I remember that day well! We were so excited to get married, we didn’t want to wait for an evening wedding… we were married at noon on a hot August day. We had a beautiful wedding in Summerville, SC – we left the reception on the way to the John Rutledge House Inn (Charleston, SC). It was such a treat to spend the first (luxurious) night in Charleston!
John Rutledge House Inn Balcony, Charleston, SC [image]After we checked in and put our bags in our room we had family meet us at the inn to sit out on the veranda. Spending time with my husband and family at the most beautiful inn was such a treat! As was the breakfast the next morning… we had slept through it and there was a knock at our door, they brought us breakfast in bed… it was scrumptious and so beautifully delivered. Something I’ll never forget!
John Rutledge House Inn Suite [image]I swear, if this isn’t our room it was one very similar… When the bellman was showing us the room, he told us to “feel free to walk around the hotel and enjoy the beautiful art work, such as the piece above the mantel“… it was a piece that my dad had painted!!! He snuck down early that day and asked them to hang the painting… what a wonderful gift! Here is a photo of it… it’s not a good one… reflections make this a tough one to take a photo of… so disregard the reflections, and the fact that I had to crop off the frame, this is a watercolor by my dad, Joe Fidler… (frame cropped to get it somewhat square, sigh…).
Painting by Joe Fidler
From the moment I met Fred I KNEW he was the one. There was something about him. We clicked. Is it cliche to say that we’re soul mates? Well, we are, I can’t think of any other word to describe it. He is an amazing man, and I pray that I am as wonderful a wife as he is a husband. Something tells me I got the “lucky end of the stick”… ha ha…
Fred, 1992 – I love this guy!
Here’s to you Fred! You’re the best! I feel so blessed…
“Evening Light” by Neil Patterson [image]I like the strong use of color in Neil’s paintings. The bold brush strokes, the bright happy color with the more muted background that brings it together so nicely. Neil is an artist that truly loves what he does. If you read the blip about him (below) you’ll see that. This man wants to paint not just for money, but because he absolutely loves it. It’s what he wanted to do and he did it, that’s a great message to send to others! This piece is available at the RS Hanna Gallery in Frederickburg, Texas (a wonderful gallery full of fantastic artists!). Check it out!
I was born in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan and it was a reproduction of a Tom Thomson painting in my elementary classroom that first got me to dream about painting. Unfortunately, there weren’t any art galleries in Moose Jaw and I had little exposure to original art until I visited my aunt in Ottawa when I was twelve. She took me to the National Gallery and that’s when I decided to become a painter.
I bought a book titled “How to Paint” and read it on the train ride back to Moose Jaw. My aunt sent me a set of oils for my thirteenth birthday and I created my first masterpiece on a canvas belt I found in my father’s workshop. That belt was so thick it almost stood up by itself and I didn’t even know to prime it first, but that’s how I got started.
My mother always told me that if I wanted something bad enough I would find a way to do it. My mind was set on painting and so I determined to make a success of myself. Over the years I’ve come to realize that there’s really no such thing as talent. It’s more desire than anything. Anyone can learn to paint competently and after that it’s just a little something of yourself, call it soul, which has to go into the work.
When people ask me what inspires or motivates me to paint, I simply tell them “I love painting.” Painting to me is like being a kid again; I get to play, but now it’s with paint instead of toys. I like how the paint moves on the canvas, how it can be a million different colors, what happens when you set one color next to another and what happens when they’re mixed together. For me painting is about feeling rather than thinking. It’s a spontaneous, creative, serendipitous process whereby I allow the evolving shapes and colors on the canvas to speak to me. I use loose brush strokes which, by definition, involve a certain lack of control. They are intuitive rather than calculated.
I paint mostly from memory. When I see a sky, I like to put that in my visual memory bank, and on another day I might add an appealing cluster of trees or an intriguing bend in the river. As I paint, I become a creator. I simply plant a tree or move a mountain in order to create a scene that pleases me visually. The final composition becomes a composite of many impressions. Each of us remembers things in a certain way that is our own reality, so I am painting things the way I remember them, perhaps not exactly as they were.
I think of my work as a visual expression of the emotion and passion evoked by a particular image. It is more important for me to capture the feeling of a place than it is to copy it realistically in every detail.
I paint what I love and see around me, scenes that speak to me, places I want to explore. I try to capture moments of light, color and atmosphere which spark my imagination. I want to create my own personal version of reality and entice the viewer to share it with me.
“A photograph is what it is; a painting is what you want it to be.”
In my 50+ years I have yet to see a double yolked egg… until the other day! I was making scrambled eggs with spinach and cheese (an all time favorite)… I tossed the eggs in the pan (I scramble them in the pan)… and out of one of the eggs a double yolk appeared! I think it might be time to go buy a lottery ticket, ha ha… weird, eh? I read that a woman in the UK bought a half dozen eggs and every one was a double yolker! Interesting, huh??
Carolina Antique Maps & Prints sure has a cool building. I love the trim color, it’s so Charleston! Walking downtown and taking photos is so much fun, there is beauty everywhere you look! Of course I can find beauty just about anywhere, but some great strong colors downtown. I’m not really into maps or prints, but I just looked through their website and I have to say, they’ve got some really interesting things!! I’ll be stopping in this place!
Walking around Monhegan you run across the most unexpected beautiful sights… butterflies everywhere, gorgeous sunsets, happy flowers, the sea and a bouquet every now and then appearing in a spot you just wouldn’t think to see one. It puts a smile on my face every single time.
Can you imagine how wonderful these two old homes must have been at one point in their lives? Kate captured the character of these buildings and you see how sweet they were at one time. A long time ago, no doubt!
Maynard Dixon Country is much more than just an art show. In fact, it’s not really an art “show” at all. Maynard Dixon Country is a gathering bringing together artists, collectors, community, and friends who love art.
The guiding principles of the event are two fold: we want to help artists in America and we want to ensure the viability of historic preservation. We are deeply connected to the art of Maynard Dixon and his contributions to American art. But rather than focusing solely on the beloved paintings of Maynard Dixon, we focus on the “art spirit” and intention of Maynard Dixon, the artist, poet, and whole person. In choosing to remember Dixon this way, we believe his legacy becomes even more meaningful when it is illuminated by the artists who are living and making art in 2013.
Maynard Dixon Country is also our only fundraising event of the year to support the Thunderbird Foundation for the Arts. In bringing serious collectors to this event, we help the artists on the forefront of American art continue to thrive, and we fulfill our mission for historic preservation. All art sales from Maynard Dixon Country directly fund the artists as well as the annual operating budget of the Thunderbird Foundation for the Arts and the Maynard Dixon Living History Museum.
Kate Starling is an oil painter who lives and works in the canyons of southern Utah. Educated in geology, she spent years working outside as a geologist and National Park ranger. After formal academic art training in the 1980’s she devoted her work to painting the landscape. Schooled in the importance of direct painting from life she has spent years painting outside, learning the way light plays on the land. Now she splits her time between the roadways and trails surrounding her home and the studio.
Starling’s paintings portray the natural world and focus on communicating a sense of place, atmosphere and light, retaining the immediacy of the painting experience. She knows the strength of emotion that the landscape seen in a particular light can trigger in her – she strives to paint in such a way that memory and emotion are triggered in the people who see her work.
Low Country Beach HouseThis is a neat house plan if you had a great water view… Perfect for the Charleston area, but would be great anywhere there is water! This home is 2,621 square feet…
As you can see by the sliding door system, this plan optimizes the use of windows to capture the view. That feature coupled with the wonderful deep porches makes this quite the perfect home… and if that isn’t enough, if this plan is a bit too large for your needs, they have created another plan that is a bit smaller and it’s fabulous! Plan W44116TD: Low Country Beach House (1,581 square feet) – personally, I would go for this one!
One good thing about this plan is it offers a space for everyone to spread out and have their own quiet time. A nice feature! From Architectural Designs:
Video Tour: Fly around this house plan in a 32 second You Tube video. What a novel concept!
Jacobus Baas, amazing painter, and a founding board member of LPAPA (Laguna Plein Air Painters Association). These schooners are amazing, that goes without saying… but the water with those reflections is over the top! The sleekness of the ships against the glassiness of the water is so beautiful! I would say that Jacobus approached this painting masterfully.
This is absolutely the sweetest painting, “Spruce Head Blues’ (Spruce Head, Maine) – so very nice! Take a look at Jacobus’ website, he’s got some amazing paintings!
Read a blip about Jacobus from the Dowling Walsh Gallery website – they always do such a great job with their website… check it out! Click HERE to read the full biography including some fabulous articles!
Biography
Jacobus Baas was born in the Netherlands in 1945 and spent his early years in Rotterdam, surrounded by rich landscapes and cloud-laden skies made famous by the Dutch Masters throughout history. Jacobus arrived in the United States in his early teens with an interest in art already indelibly imprinted.
Fascinated with surfing, he spent most of his after school hours in the ocean but never abandoned his passion for art. After graduating, he traveled extensively in Europe and enjoyed all the Old World had to offer, especially the art. The desire to create deepened.
Returning to the United States, Jacobus decided to channel his creativity in a new direction, one that would enable him to use his artistic ability and also provide some financial stability. He began to design and make jewelry. His unique and original works captured a following and contributed to his success as a goldsmith. He opened his business “Jacobus Goldsmiths” in Laguna Beach and is still in the same location since 1975. This afforded him the freedom to pursue his first love, painting. Since 1978, Jacobus has exhibited his paintings along side his jewelry at the Festival of the Arts in Laguna Beach. The paintings were strictly done in the studio, but in 1994 he began painting on location during a trip to Santa Fe. “It was like discovering a new world!” Jacobus exclaimed. On subsequent trips to New Mexico and Hawaii, he produced vibrant color-filled landscapes that inspired him to begin a remarkable series of work that continues to be widely acclaimed and admired.
A founding and current board member of LPAPA (Laguna Plein Air Painters Association), Jacobus divides his time between California, Hawaii and Maine. In addition to many one man shows, he has participated in many group exhibitions in concert with LPAPA’s venues, including the Laguna Art Museum.
Jacobus found the satisfaction he had been seeking as a plein air artist. “Painting has become my full time passion, there is no time to make jewelry. The act of applying paint to a canvas has always been intriguing to me. To transform a two dimensional surface and give it a feeling of space with carefully arranged brushstrokes, using the right colors and values is pure magic. Every time I paint on location, with each brushstroke I experience that magic again, and hopefully the viewer will experience it as well in the finished painting.”
I found this recipe while searching for a couscous recipe that had cranberries and nuts in it, I had an idea what to use for dressing, but ran across this recipe on Epicurious – it used spices that I definitely would not have used, but am so glad that I did. This recipe is one that was apparently created at Whole Foods. I checked their site for the recipe, but it wasn’t there. I did find it on Epicurious. This is a great side dish/salad that goes well with pretty much everything! It can be served warm or cold. This is a quick and easy recipe that will put a smile on your face! I added fresh orange wedges to it, and that makes all the difference, it takes it from a really good recipe to a blow your mind recipe. Yep, just with a few oranges!
Note: This recipe calls for Israeli couscous. I always thought of couscous as the tiny grain like pasta, which I never cared for, but after reading about it on Cookthink.com I saw that it was entirely diffferent. It’s puffier, this is what it looks like (the other couscous looks a bit like sand)…
Like couscous, so-called Israeli couscous are small, round, pasta-like granules made from semolina and wheat flour.
While the Israeli company Osem claims to have “invented” Israeli couscous in the 1950s, it is simply a marketing term for what was known previously as North African berkukes or Palestinian matfoul and popular in Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.
Unlike familiar small, yellow semolina-based North African couscous, Israeli couscous (which is sometimes called pearl couscous) is twice as big and is toasted rather than dried. This gives it a nutty flavor and a sturdy composition that gives it a chewy bite and makes it stand up to sauce.
Israeli couscous can be used in salads, soups or as a base for chicken or fish. It works well when prepared like a rice pilaf.
Here’s the recipe – Click to print this recipe from Epicurious
Salad:
2 cups Israeli couscous, uncooked
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup toasted pecans, quartered
2 scallions, minced
Dressing:
3 tbsp canola oil (I used olive oil)
1.5 tbsp champagne vinegar (I used white wine vinegar)
1 orange, zest
1/2 orange, juiced
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried tarragon
Salt and pepper to taste
NOTE: I added 2 1/2 oranges, cut into wedges (the other half is juiced in the above steps) – this made the recipe over the top good!
preparation
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, and add the couscous. When it’s done (roughly 8-10 mins, or when it’s al dente), drain it but do not rinse. Set aside and let cool while you mince the scallions, toast and chop the pecans, and make the dressing.
In a small bowl, whisk together the canola oil, vinegar, orange zest and juice, spices and salt and pepper.
In a large bowl, combine the couscous, cranberries, pecans and scallions. Pour the well-whisked dressing over it and toss to combine.
Serve immediately, or chill in the fridge for a few hours to blend the flavors.
This is what I did:
Set out ingredients…
Toast nuts in a dry non stick pan just until they start to turn a light brown and you can begin to smell them; beware, this step can go from good to bad quickly, so get the pan off the stove once you start to smell them roasting.
Zest your orange (not the white part) – In a bowl mix the olive oil, vinegar, fresh squeezed orange juice, zest and spices…
Cut oranges into wedges or smaller pieces, however you like it… this will add a nice sweet burst of flavor- I don’t think you can have too many!
After you cook the couscous in boiling water, as you would pasta (I did mine 6 minutes and it was perfect), drain it and put it into a bowl. Then, chop your green onions…
Pour the dressing over the cooked couscous – oooowie, smells good, doesn’t it?
Add the dried cranberries and orange segments…
Add the green onions that you chopped a few minutes ago…
Then add the toasted nuts…
T A D A ! !
Now you would think that I would put a serving in a pretty little dish and take a photo… but did I? Nope… I was hungry and I totally missed this step! It would have been pretty too! We had grilled chicken, couscous and sautéed spinach – close your eyes a picture it… on a pretty plate… smell the wonderful combination of orange, roasted nuts, mmmmm… you know you want it… now go get busy! ENJOY!
![John Rutledge House Inn Balcony, Charleston, SC [image]](https://artfoodhome.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/rutledgeinnbalcony-jrhi.jpg)
![John Rutledge House Inn Suite [image]](https://artfoodhome.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/rutledgehousesuite-jrhi.jpg)
!["Evening Light" by Neil Patterson [image]](https://artfoodhome.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/screen-shot-2013-08-13-at-2-45-29-pm.png)
![Low Country Beach House [image]](https://artfoodhome.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/hp-lowcountry-beach-house-architecturaldesigns-com.jpg)
![[image]](https://artfoodhome.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/hp-lowcountrybeachhouse-down-ad.gif)
![[image]](https://artfoodhome.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/hp-lowcountrybeachhouse-up-ad.gif)
![Israeli CousCous [Cookthink.com]](https://artfoodhome.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/israelicouscous-cookthink-com.jpg)
ARTFOODHOME.COM 