Meeting for coffee…

Kate!

Meet my new friend and fellow blogger, Kate Mura. Kate has an interesting daily photo blog (it’s not easy to post something daily!), VISUAL ST. PAUL, check it out if you get a moment!

What a nice lady! We met at Cafe Medley on Sullivan’s Island. What a cool place! Hint, hint… GREAT coffee! They had some good looking food, bottles of wine, all kinds of delicious treats! I see a future post for sure! Fred and I will have to go back in the name of research ;)

Kate is cool. She is so interesting and full of wise words. I hope that I’ll be like that one day! It was nice to meet you Kate! I look forward to meeting you again next time you’re in Charleston!!

Kate and Barbara

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Featured Artist… Christine Sharp!

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Yakima Canyon Spring by Christine Sharp

Christine’s art is different. I like that! The colors are vivid, the content not cluttered with detail. It seems to be the most simplified version of what she’s seeing. The colors and subject matter make for fabulous and interesting paintings! I urge you to check out her other pieces!

Here’s a blip about Christine from her website:

Chicago native, Christine Sharp moved to Seattle in 1978 to complete her Master’s Degree and teach at the University of Washington.

Sharp is a renaissance woman, having reinvented herself several times. “My friends say I am like a curious cat with many lives,” says Sharp. So far she’s thrived as a nurse/family therapist, college teacher/researcher, entrepreneur, documentary writer/producer, CNN news director/investigative reporter and for the past 12 years a respected fine artist.

“While some may see my choices as random and disconnected there are interesting links,” says Sharp. “I started out in the health and healing arts and gradually moved into the literary/visual arts . I’ve never been afraid to learn something new and seek out the best teachers to show me the way!”

Along the way, Sharp’s picked up some of the nation’s top awards for her writing and directing. In 1990 Sharp won the coveted Peabody Award and the Gold Medal in the New York Film Festival for her documentary “BACKHAULING” on unsafe trucking practices that aired on MacNeil Lehrer NewsHour.


After sharing the Peabody stage with luminaries like Ted Koppel, CNN’s Boys from Bagdad, Ken Burns and David Lynch, Sharp was recruited by CNN to pioneer the first Northwest News Desk. She investigated/directed news coverage of all the major stories of the 90’s…from Clinton, Gore, Dylan, Santana, and the Queen…to Harding, Simpson, Lewinsky and Unabomber. Sharp told the world the news of the day through her unique lense.

Then following a brush with death from a misdiagnosed genetic blood clotting disorder, Sharp put down pen and camera and picked up the brush. “I always loved to draw and paint but thought I’d wait until I was in the rocking chair to get serious about art. I’m so glad I started a bit earlier to pursue this path. No one knows how much time they have here!” says Sharp. 



Sharp began her art career tackling WATERCOLORS and studied with some of the best artist/teachers like Eric Weigardt, Charles Reid and Zolton Szabo. Sharp earned her signature status in the NWWS, Northwest Watercolor Society, in 2012.

Sharp began painting in oils in 2010 after studying with renown master Ned Meuller. She enjoys Plein Air painting for inspiration but prefers to paint her carefully designed oils in a larger format in her studio in Kirkland,Washington. Sharp is a juried member of the Oil Painter’s of America. Her work is widely collected by corporations and private collectors.

Sharp has been in numerous national and international art shows and galleries. She writes for Artist Magazine and is the founder of the annual Kirkland Artist Studio Tour.  

Currently Sharp is exclusively represented by LISA HARRIS GALLERY, one of the oldest and most respected gallery in Seattle, Washington located in Pike Street Market. CONTACT/DIRECTIONS

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Introducing House Plan Thursday! Cottage of the Year (SL 593) by Moser Design Group for Southern Living!

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Cottage of the Year (SL593) | Moser Design Group

House Plans. Fred and I have looked at house plans since we first met. Matter-of-fact one of our first dates was a home tour… we’ve always loved design, furniture, and great homes… Fred has safely tucked away so many wonderful house plans that it boggles the mind. Our affinity for house plans is the reason I’ve decided to make a weekly post dedicated to house plans… I might as well pass along the oh-so-great-ones to you, right?

Continue reading “Introducing House Plan Thursday! Cottage of the Year (SL 593) by Moser Design Group for Southern Living!”

Featured Artist… Andre Reynaldo Lucero!

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To The Pond by Andre Lucero

I really enjoy Andre’s work. I love the spectacular light and the fabulous tree. The shadows and footprints in the snow are very cool reflecting the warm light of the day. Very nice! It looks like the first day of Spring (2013), ha ha…

Read a blip about Andre from the J.M. Stringer Gallery of Fine Art:

Painting is my passion. I was trained in a more traditional academic setting, but in recent years I have combined my love for the outdoors with my art. It is most exciting attempting to capture on the spot the way the light falls on a beautiful scene or a fleeting aspect of nature. I complete more than 100 plein air paintings a year. I am most at peace painting before nature, outdoors.”

Born in Tehran, Iran in 1967, Andre’s U.S. Military family returned to the states soon after his birth, settling in a Washington D.C. suburb. Early on, Andre’s artistic nature was encouraged by his parents who were both patrons of the arts. He showed early promise, and in high school Andre’s artwork was recognized by the Scholastic Art Awards, which resulted in his work being displayed two consecutive years at D.C.’s Corcoran Museum of Art. In college, Andre continued his study of art, ultimately taking his background in fine art and applying it to the study of illustration at Virginia Commonwealth University, where he was awarded the first Annual Mallory Callan Memorial Scholarship for Illustration. In each of his college years, Andre’s work was prominently displayed in juried shows and began to sell.

After earning a BFA, cum laude, in 1989, Andre worked for more than a decade as a free-lance illustrator. During that time, his illustrations appeared in numerous publications including The New York Times, Playboy, U.S. News & World Report, The Washington Times, Arthritis Today, Business Law Today, and Government Executive. While his illustration work was honored with the 1995 Virginia Press Association Best of Show Award and the 1994 Award of Excellence from the Art Directors’ Club of Metropolitan Washington, D.C., Andre decided to leave the field of illustration and devote his full attention to his first love, painting. Andre Lucero lives and maintains a studio in Richmond, Virginia.

Andre is an associate member of the Oil Painters of America and a member of Mid Atlantic Plein Air Painters Association, and The Jack Woodson Sketch Club (plein air painting group, Richmond, Virginia).

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Enamel garden sign at South Windermere Antiques…

Enamel garden sign

Look at the cool little garden sign we picked up a while back at the antique store in South Windermere (Charleston, SC)… (Matthew’s booth for those of you who are locals). An enamel sign sure looks much nicer than anything else you could possibly hang there to remind people to close the gate! Inexpensive and I think it’ll be around for a long, long time!

Gee, who painted the gate so nicely? Hmmmm, what a hard worker, hee hee… Note to self: next gate will have no scrolley things to paint… yikes! A project I thought would take 30 minutes took a good bit of the day, mostly in positions similar to the game TWISTER, anyone remember that? Fun when you’re young… I tend to get stuck now, hee hee…

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Featured Artist… Don Demers!

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Weathered Way by Don Demers

Isn’t this a fabulous painting? I love the warm palette… it’s that nice golden light warmth that I find so appealing in paintings. The dirt path with it’s subtle shadows is fabulous, as are the trees and sky. It makes this come together to be one fabulous piece of work! Those two dead trees… spectacular! Don paints a diverse number of subjects from maritime art to landscapes, each as fabulous as the next! Don’s art has graced the covers of many magazines, whoa! He also gives workshops (check out his website for more information!)… I also see that he’ll be a judge at Plein Air Easton. Now THAT’S an event I would love to make it to!

Read a blip about Don from his website, click HERE to read in its entirety:

Mr. Demers was born in 1956, in the small, rural community of Lunenburg, Massachusetts. His interest in painting maritime subjects began while spending his summers on the coast of Maine near Boothbay Harbor.

After finishing an exemplary high school art program, he furthered his education at the School of the Worcester Art Museum, Worcester, MA, and the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston, MA.

Don’s maritime experience came about as a crewmember aboard many traditional sailing vessels including schooners and square-riggers.  He continues to be an avid sailor.

His professional career began as an illustrator and expanded into the field of fine art. His illustrations can be found on many book covers and in national publications such as Reader’s Digest, Sail Magazine, Field & Stream, Sports Afield, Yankee, and National Geographic.

Demers’ diversity has enabled him to apply his skills to clients ranging from American Airlines to the National Park Service.  Various projects have included creating art for national television advertisements, educational television programming and designing art glass for Steuben.

Demers’ body of work has expanded to the study and creation of landscape painting.  These works are created from subjects across the country and beyond, often in consort with other artists of similar inspiration.  His landscape work has garnered him two awards at the Laguna Plein Air Invitational in Laguna Beach, California in 2001 and 2002.  He has also received an award for his painting at the 2007 Crystal Cove Invitational sponsored by the Irvine Museum in Orange County, CA.

Take a minute to check out his website! Catch you back here tomorrow!

Charleston Photo: Bowens Island Sophisticate building…

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Bowens Island Restaurant… Simply the best seafood in a cool, relaxed (as in very relaxed) atmosphere. It’s a good time, every time!

This is one of the outbuildings, the restaurant is upstairs and the all you can eat oysters are downstairs (different building). There is an eclectic assortment of buildings on the premises. All add to the charm and character for sure!

If you’re in the area, be sure to check it out! Need a menu? Here’s a link back to my August post that includes the menu… It may have changed… I need to get back there… all in the name of research, hee hee…

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Recipe… Tyler Florence’s Roasted Sweet Potatoes… QUICK, EASY & IMPRESSIVE!

Sweet Potatoes ready to eat!

EYES-ROLL-BACK-IN-YOUR-HEAD-GOOD! A fabulous recipe from Tyler Florence… just gotta love that guy! After you make these sweet potatoes the first time this will be in your stack of favorites forever. Healthy sweet potatoes, olive oil, honey, a wee bit of salt and that’s it! Who doesn’t love a recipe that’s quick, easy and tastes like you spent some time?! We used to have baked sweet potatoes, but they take a good hour to bake, and sometimes it’s too hard to wait that long. I wanted something that would be done by the time the chicken came off the grill… so it had to be a little snappier than an hour. Tyler cuts his sweet potatoes into 1″ chunks, and it takes about 30 minutes. If I put the oven on convection it’s even quicker. And if I need it even quicker than that I cut them up a little smaller. This recipe never disappoints. One thing I do, that Tyler doesn’t mention is to lightly toss (to coat) before putting in the oven, and flipping once about halfway through the roasting process. they get gooey and brown and just fabulous! I also didn’t drizzle with olive oil at the end, I didn’t think it needed it, and didn’t want to add the extra fat/calories… My photos… and Tyler’s recipe with a link to the Food Network (for easy printing) below…

Scrub and peel… (clearly these aren’t peeled)

Scrub and peel

Cut into 1″ pieces. I cut in half longways, then each half cut in half longways, then cut into 1″ chunks

Cut in even 1" pieces

Drizzle the honey…

Drizzle honey oh la la

Drizzle the olive oil… then sprinkle a little cinnamon and pop it into a hot oven! TADA! Look at the first photo again… Heaven, right?

Drizzle olive oil

Here’s the recipe from the Food Network (click to get the printable version):

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Honey and Cinnamon

Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence – Prep Time: 15 minInactive Prep Time: — Cook Time: 30 min  Level: Easy

Serves:

4 servings

Ingredients
4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling potatoes after cooked
1/4 cup honey
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper


Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Lay the sweet potatoes out in a single layer on a roasting tray. Drizzle the oil, honey, cinnamon, salt and pepper over the potatoes. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes in oven or until tender.

Take sweet potatoes out of the oven and transfer them to a serving platter. Drizzle with more extra-virgin olive oil.

SERVES: 4 (SIDE); Calories: 304; Total Fat: 15 grams; Saturated Fat: 2 grams; Protein: 2 grams; Total carbohydrates: 41 grams; Sugar: 24 grams; Fiber: 5 grams; Cholesterol: 0 milligrams; Sodium: 216 milligrams

Copyright 2012 Television Food Network G.P.
All Rights Reserved

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/cda/recipe_print/0,1946,FOOD_9936_34948_RECIPE-PRINT-FULL-PAGE-FORMATTER,00.html?oc=linkback

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Featured Artist… Stacy Barter!

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Pickin Punkins by Stacy Barter

Doesn’t this have a fairytale quality to it? The pumpkins are so cool, and the big one in the wagon is quite like Cinderella’s carriage! The little girl’s face, concentrating on not dropping the big heavy pumpkin… and the dappled sunlight tie this up into one pretty painting. Very nice!

Here’s a blip about Stacy from her website (this is a tiny portion):

Stacy Barter’s oil paintings depict her intense fascination with light and atmosphere. “I am constantly striving to capture depth and dimension in my oil paintings. Working from life, whether it’s from flowers or a model is exhilarating and ever changing.”  “This is my passion, life dedication and contribution”.

She resides in Orlando, Florida with her husband Terry and teaches workshops and is on Senior Faculty with Crealde’ School of Art in Winter Park. 

Before I forget, let me wish you a HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SPRING! Whoa, time flies!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

X FACTOR AUDITIONS TODAY- Charleston, SC – Do you have what it takes?

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Do you have the “X FACTOR“? You know, the overall package of confidence, singing ability, performance skills, love for a camera and a great story? Well my friends, today is the day… auditions for X FACTOR are happening  at the North Charleston Coliseum… I can’t imagine how many people will be overflowing that place!

It’s always exciting when one of our own ends up on one of these reality shows… pretty cool! I wonder who the judges will be for the 2013 season? Rumor has it (why is it that I can’t say or even write those three words without the Adele song popping into my head and likely staying there all day?) that Simon Cowell has wanted Lady Gaga for some time, but she’s a busy gal… oh wait… she tore something in her hip, and has just had hip surgery with a four month recovery time… hmmm, wonder if she’ll take Simon up on his offer? If anyone can spot the “X Factor” you would think it would be someone who has it in spades! I also read that L.A. Reid and Brittany Spears will no longer be judges (which is OK with me!), so, hmmm… just who the judges will be remains a secret, at least for now!

UPDATE: X Factor tells News 2 the auditions in May will be in front of cameras rolling for next season, the episode with Charleston’s auditions will air in September.

Catch you back here tomorrow!

(Image from X FACTOR website)

Featured Artist… Jeremy Mann!

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The White Vanity by Jeremy Mann – Image: Principle Gallery

How amazing is this? The intricacy of this girls top is amazing. Her reflection in the mirror… spectacular! The rough looseness of the wall, vanity and mirror – out of this world! Jeremy isn’t fooling around, this dude can paint!

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After the Storm by Jeremy Mann – Image: Principle Gallery

I think it’s so cool when artists are diverse. Jeremy lives in San Francisco and paints many downtown scenes that are out of this world. If you haven’t yet discovered Jeremy, check out his work, it’s pretty darn amazing!

Read a blip about Jeremy from his website:

Jeremy Mann – Biography
Jeremy Mann(b. 1979) graduated from Ohio University with a Cum Laude degree in Fine Art-Painting. Afterward, he ventured out to California where he earned his Master’s Degree with Valedictorian honors at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Since then, Mann has garnered substantial attention in the art world. Praised by critics and collectors alike, his work recently graced the cover of American Art Collector magazine.Executed on medium to large-scale panels, each exciting work demonstrates the artist’s unmistakable style. Working on wood panels provides a strong support, where Mann can utilize a number of techniques: staining the surface, wiping away paint with solvents, and applying broad, gritty marks with an ink brayer. Mann paints with confidence and flair. He addresses complex compositions with a mature eye and his colors are both vivid and atmospheric.

Living in downtown San Francisco, Mann paints his immediate surroundings with intimate, dynamic expression. A number of unique compositions are inspired from the city’s pavement, where reflected street lamps and neon signs glitter in the rain. In each work, Mann imbues the city with drama, mood, and personality..

Ever ambitious, Mann covers a wide range of subjects beyond cityscapes: interior scenes of lone, young women as striking and restless as the city itself; a bold and intriguing self-portrait, masterful still life paintings, and pastoral scenes that recall the landscape of his hometown.

Catch you back here tomorrow!