Featured Artist… Christina Body!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured ArtistLeave a comment

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American Classic by Christina Body

What is it about paintings of an Airstream? The neat reflections that bounce off it? The happy memories they might bring back? Whatever it is, it seems that everyone is enchanted by an Airstream painting… This is a nice one by Christina Body… love the flamingos!

I think it is so interesting when artists show what they’re painting along with the actual painting. It’s neat to see what they see and how they can transform the canvas and make it so much more interesting than real life! See what I mean?

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Christina Body calls this “Painting a Silver Twinkie” – sense of humor, I like it!

This painting has already sold, but I just had to show you! Christina paints a wide variety of subjects. If you aren’t familiar with her work, check it out!

Read a blip about Christina from her website:

“There is nothing more exciting in my life than ‘seeing’ something to paint” – stopping dead in my tracks and saying “I’ve got to paint that!  City life, boats in a harbor or my son in my arms my heart pounds with inspiration and excitement from the onset of the idea until the final stroke on canvas. I paint what I know, what I love and new people and places that strike my heart… “

Christina has been making art since childhood. Strongly influenced by her Great Uncle and First Uncle she became familiar and comfortable with many forms of art. Charcoal and Sumi ink drawings, watercolor, acrylic and oil painting, woodcarving and sculpture. She experienced first hand the passion to make art and the excitement in experimenting in multi-medias. It was the beginning of how she would forever see the world. 

Christina’s formal training began with an art scholarship under the mentorship of professor emeritus Robert Paulson at Southern Illinois University. It was in Carbondale, IL that she had her first plein air (outdoor) painting classes. It was Robert Paulson that taught his students how to capture fleeting light, compare values and temperature, and see the big shapes. And uniquely he also inspired his students to not always paint exactly what you see but to paint how you feel about your subject and environment.

After receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in painting and minors in Photography and Theatre from SIU she continued her studies at the American Academy of Art and the acclaimed Palette and Chisel Academy of Fine Arts in Chicago and under the tutelage of renowned artists David Leffell, Ken Auster and Henry Yan. Inspiration also came from her extended stays plein air painting in Key West, Jamaica and travels abroad. Christina’s inspirations consist of notable artists Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, Joaquin Sorolla, and the early twentieth century artists of the Ashcan School. She paints in oils both ‘en plein air’ and in her studio from models, sketches, oil studies and photographs.  

“My passion to make paintings has only grown stronger after having my children. The love I feel mothering my children and making a painting are parallel; I can’t see myself any other way. I feel an urgency to paint and a directness that I didn’t feel before I had my kids. My time is precious as well as my aspirations. When I paint I wear my ‘mental suit’ armed with confidence, clarity, excitement and spirituality. When I connect with my subject everything else around me becomes a blur. Raising and caring for my children has enlightened me and the way I see and opens up new doors everyday. Children and painting together is a stream of rewarding moments. I am truly grateful.”

Christina’s award winning paintings have earned her participation in juried shows and national plein air painting competitions and invitational’s, including ‘2008 Plein Air Festival, Door County, WI and ‘2007 Plein Air Easton’, in Easton, Maryland. Most recent awards include “Best of Show” at the 65th Annual Salon Show, at Bachman Gallery, in Munster, IN and two “Honorable Mentions” at the Cedarburg Plein Air Painting Festival, in Cedarburg WI. In May 2008 Body’s solo exhibition “Chicago in a Blink” at The Palette and Chisel Academy of Fine Arts was reviewed by Chicago Art Critic Alan Artner in the Chicago Tribune – a first for The Palette and Chisel Academy in 100 years. Her work has been published in American Art magazine and is included in Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s corporate art collection in Chicago.

Christina is a founding member of the Plein Air Painters of Chicago, a member of Oil Painters of America, International Plein Air Painters and an Artist Member of The Palette and Chisel Academy of Fine Arts, in Chicago. She exhibits her work in galleries and juried exhibitions nationally and her paintings hang in corporate, public and private collections worldwide. Christina resides in Chicago with her husband Jake and sons Emil and Walter.

Catch you back here tomorrow!

A Colorful Monhegan Shed… Love this place!

On By Barbara StroudIn THOUGHTS, TRAVEL5 Comments

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Another colorful creative photo taken on Monhegan Island, Maine. Those of you who have been there know… your heart will always be there, long after you’re gone…

I know there are some of you who get there and think it’s horrible that there is no television, no phones in the rooms, or hair dryers… Electricity is so expensive on Monhegan… For example, (as of late 2012) the price per Kilowatt-hour on Monhegan was $.70 (seventy cents). Doesn’t sound like much?  To help put it into perspective… The national average (price per kilowatt-hour) is $09. Nine cents. Yep. There is a reason there aren’t hair dryers in the rooms… Monhegan is either a place you love, or you’re ready to hop on the next ferry once you hear there isn’t a mall, golf course or tennis court. There is also no fast food and very little cell coverage (YAY!). Like I said… Heaven!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

The Laura B – Monhegan Boat Line – Port Clyde, ME

On By Barbara StroudIn TRAVEL7 Comments

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This is a photo I took of the Laura B. back in 2008… Isn’t she one classy boat? She underwent a transformation this past winter. If you like Monhegan Boat Line on Facebook you can then see images of the Laura B Project. Tough work! The Laura B. is owned by Monhegan Boat Line in Port Clyde, ME. Here is a blip about Monhegan Boat Line from their website:

. . . transporting you through the waters of beautiful Muscongus Bay to enchanting Monhegan Island. You’ll embark in the charming village of Port Clyde, at the tip of the St. George peninsula. Once passengers and freight are loaded on board, we steam out of the harbor past Marshall Point lighthouse. As we follow our protected route among pine-clad islands, we see birds of many varieties. Sometimes, porpoises and small whales rise from the water just beyond our bow. Our course usually takes us by lobstermen hauling their traps, schooners gliding before the wind, and pleasure craft of every description. On the return trip, we pass close to Seal Rock, where we often spot entire families of seals frolicking in the water and basking in the sun.

Sounds like Heaven, doesn’t it? It. Is.  And also from their website, about the Laura B.

The world-famous Laura B makes the early-morning trip to Monhegan every day during the summer season, and delivers all the freight to the island year ’round. She has both indoor and outdoor seating. She is also available for private charters and for hauling freight to any of the islands.

Built in 1943, the 65-foot Laura B is rigged as a heavy-duty work boat. Originally designated a U.S. Army T-57, she spent World War II in the Pacific, where she served as a patrol boat and carried troops and supplies. She came under fire during those days, and carried two 50-caliber machine guns on deck. This rugged vessel was brought to Maine in 1946, and spent the next few years transporting lobsters from Vinalhaven to Boston and New York City.

For the past half century, the beloved Laura B has been ferrying passengers, freight, and mail between Port Clyde and Monhegan Island. A prominent marine surveyor has described her as the best-maintained wooden vessel on the Eastern Seaboard.

What a great place to visit! If you’re headed to Monhegan, check out Monhegan Boat Line, you’ll be glad you did!  Catch you back here tomorrow!

Mia Bergeron show, July 5, 2013 at Robert Lange Studios (RLS) in Charleston, SC!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist4 Comments
"Anarchist" by Mia Bergeron Image: RobertLangeStudios.com
“Anarchist” by Mia Bergeron
Image: RobertLangeStudios.com

S P E E C H L E S S.   I.   Am.   Speechless. It doesn’t happen often… It was difficult to come up with words to start this post. The detail in this face is amazing. The background is genius. The more abstract background makes this beautiful face pop. Mia Bergeron is the artist, and she is fabulous! Mia’s show opens July 5, 2013 at RLS (Robert Lange Studios) in Charleston, SC. This is Mia’s first solo show. Mia, I wish you much success, you certainly deserve it!

Here is information about the show as well as a question and answer interview from RLS… If you haven’t been to Robert Lange Studios I highly recommend it. It is cutting edge and so unique! Catch you back here tomorrow!

In her first solo show, Gradual Thaw, Mia Bergeron has created a series of paintings that will take viewers on a visual journey of what drives, motivates and inspires her creative process. 

Gradual Thaw Questions with the Artist:
 
1. What inspires you?
A lot of things inspire me. I’m drawn to everyday abstractions I see in nature… subtle variances in shades of lights and colors, big, unusual compositions. People are a huge source of inspiration for me, both strangers and close friends. 
 
2.What are three words that describe both you and your work?
Introspective, Experimental, Inquisitive.  (And some would say moody! Ha!)
 
3.When you look around your studio, what do you see?
A lot of paintings I have worked on and destroyed, and worked on again. I probably painted double the paintings I have in this exhibit, but destroyed half of them over the course of time.   And books. I’m addicted to art books. I have books that range in subjects from John Singer Sargent to the Alexander McQueen retrospective at the Metropolitan. I have little pieces of paper in all of these to remind me of ideas for paintings. I also have a huge amount of printed images in my studio…paintings of other peoples’ work, photos that inspire me, even scraps of textiles that remind me about a particular color harmony.
 
4.What project are you currently working on?
Mostly I’ve been working on paintings for my solo show at Robert Lange Studios, and a few paintings for a Women Painting Women show I will be involved with in September. 
 
5.What was the impelling force for the current subject matter and show?
 I think I’m in a natural evolution with my work. Mostly, I have been focused on two ideas for this show. One is to really dive into my fears as a painter, and my strengths. When I was in school in Italy, I was constantly told I was better at getting an effect than achieving details. This was said to me as a weakness I had in my painting skills. I was also told  I was a temperamental painter. For years, I thought these two “defects” would hurt my work. In the past year, I’ve really dug into making my vulnerabilities my strengths. I think it’s sort of creative problem solving and simply being curious. Instead of denying that I am a erratic painter and  that I like big, overall effects in a painting (like mood, for instance), I decided to accept those parts of me and even play them up in these paintings. I think the work looks like it could change at any moment, and the moods are very purposeful. The other idea I have been exploring with in my work is loss of information. The paintings in this show are the results of  a bunch of questions I had with paint. I will paint a model for days and days, then slowly start to erase parts of my painting, wiping out entire passages I have worked hard on,  making transitions that don’t exist. I will purposefully look to lose areas of a painting that I want to grow into something more. 
 
6.What do you hope people walk away from the show talking about?
I hope they ask questions. I’m not offering any real answers in my work, mostly just posing questions to the viewer. 
 
7. What do you think both visual and conceptually your strengths are as an artist?
Visually, I think I am strong in depicting light and mood. Conceptually, I think I am strong at looking at broader topics that relate to inner feelings. 
 
8. Can you talk about the title of your show, “Gradual Thaw”?
I picked this name because it represents both what happens in spring time, just before plant life blooms, but also as it relates to a mental state. I had all these rules for being a person, a painter, etc. I think I’m in a transitional stage of my life, as many people are, and some of those previous rules and ideas about myself, my work,  and my world are melting away to make room for new growth. A lot of the titles of paintings in this show refer to this evolution. 
 
9. How do you choose your models?
Most of the women I paint are artists. There’s this sense of understanding I find with them about poses and intentions.  It’s a bit of an unsaid symbiosis. I’m also a huge advocate of women artist visibility, so I think it is a natural choice for me to be drawn to creative females to paint. 
 
10. When do you call a piece finished? 
When it no longer seems to have any obvious needs. 

 Thank you to RLS for providing this information!

House Plan Thursday (on Wednesday this week)… Holly Grove by Southern Living…

On By Barbara StroudIn HOME, House Plans3 Comments

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Holly Grove (SL-1581) by Southern Living House Plans – An Exclusive Design for Southern Living by John Tee, Architect

* Beep * Beep * Beep * I would like to announce that House Plan Thursday will be today instead of tomorrow due to the 4th of July holiday… Didn’t want you to miss out on this sweet little house plan! It boasts a nice front porch to sit, drink iced tea and catch up on a good book… Ahhh, the possibilities are endless! Here’s a description of it from the Southern Living House Plan website:

These days you need every square foot in your house to count, just like each dollar of your paycheck. Our Holly Grove plan offers a modest 1,269 square feet, and this design is as straightforward as it is charming. Based on a shotgun house (so named because you can see clear from the front door to the back), Holly Grove boasts a combined living, dining, and kitchen area that’s suited to today’s casual lifestyles Two bedrooms and baths round out the other half of the house.

For great looks and space-savvy rooms, Architect John Tee designed this plan to give you the biggest bang for your buck!

So, if you’re looking to downsize, or if you need a small getaway… this could be the plan for you!

I really like that there is a separate utility room, as well as a back porch. Wouldn’t it be great with bead board and lots of hooks for hanging coats, etc.? As well as a place for shoes? Perhaps a dog wash station?!

As you all know, I’m a fan of an open plan, this way if you’re cooking you can still be a part of whatever might be going on! Perfect that the sink looks out a window… I do a lot of dreaming while I’m washing dishes looking down the street from my kitchen window… Hey, don’t laugh… DREAMING. IS. FREE. ha…

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Catch you back here tomorrow!

All images are from houseplans.southernliving.com

Fast & Healthy Summer Side Dish… Cucumbers in Greek Yogurt… my favorite!

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, HEALTH, Recipe5 Comments
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Dinner!!

This isn’t as much of a “recipe” as it is an idea… This is my all time favorite when the cucumbers are local and oh so good… summer is when we like a lot of cold salads, boiled shrimp… keeps the house (and us!) cooler! I used to make this with low fat sour cream… then it hit me… USE GREEK YOGURT! We always have it, might as well use it! That way you feel GOOD about eating it! There are no feelings of guilt with this recipe…

Start off by chopping up a green onion (if you like them), or chive, minced onion, whatever makes you say WOOHOO! Then peel and cut the seeds out of a cucumber (this is for two people, for more, just double, triple, etc.).

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Next… Put a spoonful of Greek yogurt into a serving dish… I scoop one big tablespoon (not measuring spoon)… and slice the cucumbers…

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Then… add some cider vinegar (I use unfiltered, it’s supposed to be healthier). If you like vinegar add a big gulp, if you aren’t big on it, put a little gulp, if you can’t stand it then use lemon juice!

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Now… stir together the green onion, greek yogurt and apple cider vinegar… lovely!

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Toss in the slices of cucumber, and stir it gently, coating the cucumber pieces…

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Then sprinkle with dill, and pepper if you like. One thing to mention… don’t make this too far ahead of time, it can get watery… I will make it and put it right back in the fridge while I finish dinner so that it stays cold. Take it out of the fridge, stir again and voila…

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Dinner’s ready!

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Catch you back here tomorrow!

Featured Artist… Josh Clare!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured ArtistLeave a comment

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White by Josh Clare / Image: Josh Clare Facebook

WHAAAT?!!! Are you kidding me? Josh Clare… artist. A young artist with incredible talent. Each and every painting is so fresh, there is a clearness to his paintings (if that makes sense?). They are so pure. The combination of the light hitting the white barn, the color of the mountains and that perfect green in the trees behind the barn is so perfect. The colors are gorgeous. The subject matter, clear and focused without being tight… there is such a fine line between being focused and being tight. (I’m not poo-pooing artists who paint realistically, it is just a different painting style, obviously, meant to be realistic)! A definite pat on the back is in order for whoever maintains Josh’s website, very nice!

Read more about Joshua Clare from his website:

Born in 1982 and raised in the Rocky Mountains of Utah, Josh has been interested in art ever since he can remember; but it was when his fifth-grade teacher sincerely complimented him on an art project that he became an artist. He says concerning that defining moment, “a large part of being good at something is believing your good at it—and I’ve believed in myself ever since.”

Josh graduated in 2007 from BYU-Idaho with a BFA in Illustration and immediately began to sell his work in galleries. He currently resides in Queen Creek, AZ with his wife Cambree and their son, Nathan.

 WHY I PAINT

“Behold, all these are kingdoms, and any man who hath seen any or the least of these hath seen God moving in his majesty and power. I say unto you, he hath seen him; nevertheless, he who came unto his own was not comprehended” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:47-48).

There is no artist greater than God, and no beauty more perfect than His creations—His art; to see any, even the least of them, is to see God himself, “moving in His majesty and power.” There have been times in my life when I have done more than merely look—times when I’ve seen. Those moments are sacred and precious to me, and I desire to share them. I want to see more clearly, I want to comprehend more fully—and I want to help others do the same. That’s why I paint.

My aim as an artist is not to redefine beauty—no one can do that—but to discover for myself, through the Spirit of Truth, those eternal laws that govern it, and obey them.

If I am anything good, if there is anything in my art that is good—it’s because of and thanks to God. As often as I forget it, I know that I am nothing of myself, and I’m deeply grateful that Heavenly Father has allowed me to be an artist.

Peruse Josh’s website… Read his blog and I’ll catch you back here tomorrow!

Featured Artist… Bruce Gomez!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist3 Comments

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Final Thoughts From Far Away by Bruce Gomez – Image: TellurideGallery.com

Bruce Gomez, artist… Spectacular, right? The composition of this painting is amazing. The colors… perfect in every way! If you haven’t seen work by Bruce Gomez I highly suggest you check him out, he’s got such beautiful subject matter! Bruce is a pastel artist, living in Denver, CO.

Here’s a blip about him from the Telluride Gallery of Fine Art:

Bruce A. Gómez was born in Denver, Colorado in 1957 and was educated at Colorado State University and the University of Colorado at Denver, where he received a degree in Political Science as well as a degree in Romance Languages.  The Telluride Gallery of Fine Art has represented Bruce since 1985.

He has been working in pastels for thirty-nine years, full-time for the past twenty-nine. Entirely self-taught, Bruce works exclusively in that medium on cold-pressed watercolour paper. In addition, he has taught for the last twenty years at the Ah Haa School in Telluride, CO, where he has been one of the school’s highest rated instructors for years. He has also had the opportunity to teach workshops in Sedona, AZ, Moab, UT, London, England, and Cortona, Italy. He is currently a regular instructor at the Abend Gallery of Fine Art in Denver.

Bruce has participated in more shows than he can recall and his work has been featured in The Artist Magazine, Art and Antiques, and in Southwest Art Magazine several times where he was noted as an Artist to Watch Over $5,000.

He has appeared in numerous Pastel Invitational shows as well as Plein Air Invitationals including The Denver Golden Triangle Invitational, and The Sedona Plein Air Festival, in which he won The Collector’s Choice Award, The Artists Choice Award, and received one of five Merit Awards in 2011 and the Merit Awards in 2012.

Bruce has also produced the artwork for numerous festivals and events including The MAAD poster Detroit 1998, The Telluride Jazz Festival, The Telluride Chamber Music Festival, The Sheep Mountain Alliance, and many others. He has contributed his work to numerous fundraisers and benefits including fundraisers for The Millicent Rogers Museum in Taos, The Telluride AIDS benefit, The Ah Haa Art Auction, The Alzheimer’s Foundation, KRMA Art Auction, and The American Cancer Society.

His extensive travels range from Aspen and Telluride, New Mexico and Arizona, Wyoming and Montana, up to Banff, and crossing the Pond to Europe; he has painted across London, Amsterdam, Paris, Provence, Florence, and Rome.

Truly gifted! Catch you back here tomorrow!

House Plan Thursday: Tidewater Cottage SL 998 (Southern Living)

On By Barbara StroudIn HOME, House Plans2 Comments

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Tidewater Cottage (SL-998) An Exclusive Design for Southern Living by LRK, Inc.

For today’s plan, I was searching for something a little edgier, with a more modern flare to it… and look what I found! The Tidewater Cottage (Southern Living Plan SL-998) is 1,710 square feet. It’s got that open plan that we love (and it’s not for everyone, but it fits our lifestyle quite well). It would be neat to build this house out in the country or on the water… I’m not picky, I would take either one! I LOVE all those windows… especially if you had spectacular trees as your view! Perhaps on the edge of a forest.

Here’s a blip about the Tidewater Cottage from the Southern Living House Plans:

Our Tidewater Retreat (SL-998) is a 1,710-square-foot escape that maximizes indoor/outdoor living. After a day at the beach, stow gear in the storage room and wash off sand in a bathroom located on the ground floor. On the main level, the kitchen flows into the dining room and living room and two bedrooms are quarters for friends and family. Walls of windows look out to the wrap-around porch, a perfect place to enjoy ocean breezes and sunsets over the water. Upstairs await the master bedroom and a bunk room. A third-floor loft offers a panoramic view.

The ground floor… great for living at the beach, a bathroom so you don’t have to track back through the house…  a shower to rinse off… Hmmm… not sure I would want to clean all that. Personally, maybe a toilet, tiny sink and make the rest storage…

Rinse off with the garden hose ;)

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The first floor has everything you could possibly think of… two small bedrooms down are nice, in case one day it’s difficult to climb the stairs… hmmm… although you would still need an elevator to get you to the first floor I suppose. I’m not a big fan of caddied walls… I would see if that one wall could be straight…

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The second floor… the Master Suite… matter-of-fact… I might even make the two bedroom downstairs into the master bedroom… I would put the toilet and sink where the bathtub is, and make a doorway to the bedroom, closing off the hallway door. I would put a little tiny powder room (toilet/sink) under the steps. I would let guests have the upstairs bedroom. The bunk room could either hold another bed, or be used for storage. Storage. Wow… that would be great!

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WHAT A GREAT ARTIST’S STUDIO!! Buns of steel from going up and down three flights of stairs, an added bonus! Wow!!

House Plans Tidewater loft

Catch you back here tomorrow!

All images: http://houseplans.southernliving.com/

Featured Artist… Susan Gilbert (opening reception today)!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist2 Comments

Susan Gilbert Washer Woman

Washer Woman by Susan Gilbert

I love this piece by Susan Gilbert. The rich, warm colors, the pounding surf, the splash of the wave in the distance… and oh, how the toned canvas shows through. Remarkable. Susan lives on Monhegan Island, ME. Her work is featured at the Island Inn this year… be sure to check it out!

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Susan’s work is shown at the Lupine Gallery on Monhegan Island. This is the neatest gallery. I just love the atmosphere, the art (obviously), and the people. Everything about it makes it one fabulous gallery. Susan’s opening reception is today from 2-4, so if you happen to be on the island, don’t miss it!

Read a blip about Susan’s philosophy from her website:

Philosophy

Heard on the Elizabeth Ann, ferry to Monhegan, Maine:

“One kind of work describes its object and is about the object. The other work is about art.” “There is nothing wrong with illustration, but it should be acknowledged, that is what it is.”

What do I believe? All art work is about art. All people see and respond to the world in an unique way. Art is the product of a true eye, a personal vision which one may or may not have the privilege to uncover. The truth of art will be revealed when given the chance to become itself through time and work.

Alex Katz,  visiting lecturer to my school in the early 70’s,  showed his recent work, cutouts- wooden silhouettes of figures with his characteristic, flat , simple delineation. He described that work as seen with “quick light,” and explained that he meant the impact to be gotten immediately, all at once. I compare this to the to the painting of Vermeer, timeless, still, yet endlessly unfolding,to my vision seen in the slowest light.

Broad categories are used to organize art, and to try to understand it. Context, history surround us. The frame of reference can be daunting. Where in this sea of time do I belong? To  work, to  search,  to find my vision knowing that truth in art can only  become itself through time and work.

The artist who continues to open may interpret vision. Like  DNA, art which becomes  signature expression is predetermined. Style is secondary to vision. Incorporating  much or little of history,  art is narrative,  figurative or abstract, minimal or baroque, technological, conceptual. With quick or slow light, art is always about itself.

So, art may be about describing a harbour, may be about color and pattern, may tell a story,  or  not. Art can be almost anything.  How to organize art is personal.  I  choose not to draw a line. Why subvert my need to be surprised by the unexpected, to be enlightened, refreshed. When viewing art I ask, does the color sing? does the paint move me?  does this work have a life? can I return to it? will it be thrown away?  Is this rich, true, right? Art is.

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Image Credits: SusanGilbert.com

No GMO, no poison, just fresh veggies… are these guys cool or what? Say hello to Sothel Farm!

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, HOME, THOUGHTS5 Comments

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Sothel Farm. Have you heard of it? It’s located in scenic Byrnes Down, right off the West Ashley Greenway. You may have noticed a few houses that made ample use of the unused space behind their homes. They planted a garden. Not any old garden. A community garden. You won’t see a little Farmer’s Market stand, with scales, calculators and a cash box. The vegetables are free. What?! I know… since when do you hear news like that?

Planting a garden on an easement… What a brilliant idea! Instead of looking at space that is unused and just sitting there, to make something of it that the community can learn from, get people active in is great. New friendships are forged. Kids see how cool a garden is, how it grows and then are excited to eat what comes of all that hard work! And hey, pulling weeds… it’s good for you!

A photo from Sothel Farms earlier days, wow, it’s like these guys know what they’re doing!

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So thank you to those of you who put yourselves out there in the heat… tending these gardens, making them so prolific AND for sharing everything! I look forward to meeting you one day to say THANK YOU! I had a squash with my dinner one night, and a tomato on my salad. I’m telling you, it’s the little things in life that make you smile!

They seem like a fun bunch… this is how they describe the farm (very creative I might add):

Free & fun. Sothel Farm. Byrnes Down, USA.

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Hee hee… who couldn’t love that?

Read more about the Sothel Farm (and see the many photos!) on their blog at http://sothelfarm.tumblr.com

It’s free. It’s fun and it is oh so entertaining! Check this out…

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Sothel Farm as seen from the Greenway… no zoom… so you can see it’s way out of the way…  I’m starting to think we should make the entire Greenway a garden!! How smart!

Here are a few other gardens planted in out of the way, unexpected places (easement)…  

This one does not have a sign that says the veggies are free… so please don’t pick unless you ask first ;)Byrnes Down garden

Talk about using every square inch!

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I love this sign… creative! Pull a weed… that’s not too much to ask!

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Two photos to show this garden… it’s pretty, it’s full of wonderfulness!

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This garden has expanded the space accommodating even more fresh veggies! LOTS of hard work!

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Catch you back here tomorrow!

Featured Artist… Sam Robinson!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist1 Comment

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Interior painting by Sam Robinson – Image: SamRobinsonFineArt.com

I enjoy interiors. Everyone that I speak to loves them, yet you don’t see a lot of them… Sam Robinson has a fabulous website, you can view paintings by subject, Figures, Interiors, Landscapes and (tada!) Interiors! He does a wonderful job with each subject. This interior is such a sweet painting, the nice warm colors, view of the outdoors, light on the wall from the lamp and the shadows that it provides… very cool! Sam also does portraits and equestrian sporting art (foxhunting and steeplechase). Check out his website if you get a chance!

Below is a painting that was done for a show at McBride Gallery… the light in this painting is incredible!

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Pemaquid Sundown by Sam Robinson – Image: SamRobinsonFineArt.com

Here’s a blip about Sam from his website:

My credo as an artist is, “Expression without Description”. I work directly from life as often as is practical. I prize the vivid suggestion of appearances through brushwork and color tones. My artistic concerns can be understood as a pursuit of a “New American Impressionism”. It is the effect or impression I am after, stated directly from observation. I aim for painterly warmth and pursue my taste for subjects and effects that have charm and beauty.

Equestrian Sporting Art is a particular passion, deeply connected to the landscape and country life of the surrounding region. Several of my shows on the subject have shared the title, “Portrait of a Tradition”, summing up my intention to capture the particular character of the landscape and the subjects; human, equine and canine that inhabit it.

I lived in South Korea for most of my childhood where my parents served as missionaries. My earliest art training was in Asian brush painting. On my return to the United States I studied at the Maryland Institute College of Art, graduating magna cum laude with a BFA in painting in 1978. I live in Maryland with my wife and two children.

I am a member of the Mid-Atlantic Plein Air Painters Association and participate in their paint-outs and shows. I am also a member of the Portrait Society of America and have received the “Best Portfolio” award twice, a Certificate of Merit in the International Portrait Competition, and an Honorable Mention in the members only Self-Portrait Competition. I have also received Honorable Mentions in plein air event “Quick Draw” competitions at Paint Annapolis and Plein Air Easton.

Catch you back here tomorrow!