Wyeth’s “Homer”

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, THOUGHTS4 Comments
Image: JamieWyeth.com

Fred and I were in Maine, we were at a bakery across from the Farnsworth Museum when we spotted this poster in the window entitled “Homer” by artist JAMIE WYETH. It was shortly after our Jack Russell Terrier (JRT), Reginald,  passed away after 14.5 years. We missed him. He was a smooth coat JRT unlike Homer. But this painting was a reminder of his spirit. We don’t usually buy posters, but this one we had to have… the little guy has such spunk. Now we have a rough coat JRT (“Charlie”) who looks amazingly like this painting, except that his face is half light and half dark. He’s a trip! Jamie did such an awesome job of catching every nuance of this breed of dog.

Catch you back here tomorrow, and if you get a chance check out my photo blog at http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com !

Carries a heavy load with a smile?

On By Barbara StroudIn HOMELeave a comment
Image: LLBean.com

 A smile? OK, that may be a stretch, but the LL Bean Boat and Tote bag is an essential bag to have around the house. It performs a myriad of duties and all while looking it’s best! You can have the bag monogrammed with initials, name, company name, etc. stitched onto it. They come in a variety of sizes. I use mine mainly for groceries (especially milk and heavy stuff because the handles are comfortable), and if we take a trip I have those puppies packed full of stuff. They simply cannot be beat. They come in many different colors and I see on the LL BEAN website that you can even create a custom bag all with the colors you select! Kind of like Nike does with the shoes…

If you’re looking for a tote that can’t be beat check it out! Catch you back here tomorrow!

Art Quote Weekend… Brett Whiteley

On By Barbara StroudIn ARTLeave a comment
Image via: ArtQuotes.net

A humorous quote I think…

Never trust an art dealer who’ll sit in a room for more than ten minutes with a crooked picture.

-Brett Whiteley

Brett Whiteley – Australia – 7th of April, 1939 / Died – Thirroul – 15th of June, 1992
Popular Brett Whiteley works include an early period of abstraction, through to semi-surreal figurative works.

At least I THINK it’s a humorous quote??? It is to me… I agree. A crooked painting drives me crazy! Ha ha…

Catch you back here tomorrow!!

Art quote weekend… Whistler’s Mother…

On By Barbara StroudIn ART1 Comment
Image: http://sfist.com

Well, WOOHOO, it’s ART QUOTE WEEKEND… Today’s quote is from James MacNeill Whistler:

An artist’s career always begins tomorrow.

  –James McNeill Whistler

This painting was officially known as “Arrangement in Grey and Black: The Artist’s Mother” (1871) and is the fourth most recognizable painted image in the world!

I love his quote… An artist’s career always begins tomorrow…Well, hmmm, isn’t that the truth? Like I say at least once a week… NEXT week I’m going to start painting again! Wish me luck… hee hee.

Have a great weekend everyone, catch you back here tomorrow!

Quote via: ArtQuotes.net / Image via: http://sfist.com

Katharine Hepburn’s Brownie recipe… yep, the real deal! (Updated 10.07.21)

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, Recipe1 Comment

 My mom sent me this recipe years ago… she had gotten it from the February 1992 issue of Gourmet magazine (still can’t believe that magazine isn’t still around). I didn’t eat fat, so I never made them. I filed it away in case I ever fell off the wagon. Then one day we were visiting Michigan, we arrived to a pan of piping hot brownies. Whoa… the best I ever tasted, with deep chocolate flavor, more fudgy than cakelike, I was in heaven! Then to read how simple these puppies were to make made my head spin (dramatic once again). Trust me, you won’t make these only once. You’ll NEED them, ha ha, and you’ll make them more often than you should (or perhaps I’m talking about my own problems here, hmmm).  They couldn’t be easier, using only 1 pot and 1 8″ pan!

Melt together 1 stick of butter (I know… ugh, but…) and 2 squares unsweetened chocolate*, then take the saucepan off the heat.  *See note regarding type of chocolate to use…

Stir in 1 cup sugar, add 2 eggs and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and beat the mixture well.

Stir in 1/4 cup flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt. (As Gourmet magazine Feb 1992 states, the original recipe added 1 cup chopped walnuts here… I prefer mine without, but that’s up to you)…

Butter an 8″ square pan (recipe says to flour as well, this time I forgot and they came out of the pan easier, so I leave that up to you… to flour or not to flour). Happy Hint: when I use a stick of butter, I put the wrapper in the freezer. When I need to butter a pan I pull the wrapper out and let it sit a minute to thaw, then use it to spread. It works perfectly every time!

NOTE: Update 10.07.21, this works great with an 11×7″ pan as shown below. It’s not pretty but I found it (thankfully) in the cupboard after the disappearance of my 8″ square pan.

Now bake these at 325 for about 40 minutes – When they smell done, they likely are (my oven doesn’t take the full 40 minutes)!

Someone got a little excited about the brownies coming out of the oven, so this is the best photo I can do at this moment, ha ha…

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Note 10.07.21: I deleted a blip about substituting cocoa and butter for the unsweet baking chocolate. After trying it, I truly wasn’t happy with the substitution, too greasy. These brownies are good just like they are. Use the best chocolate for best results. I made it with Guittard Unsweet Chocolate Baking Bar, and it was a night and day difference. It was truly amazing!

Another way to take it over the top when serving, sprinkle (VERY LIGHTLY) with a good flaky sea salt like SALTVERK! Oooooo, Mmmmmm, Geeeeee! You just need a teeny bit!

IMG_8116

Catch you back here tomorrow… I have to go walk, for about 14 hours as I calculate it! Worth every bite!

Artist to watch… Jennifer Smith Rogers…

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured ArtistLeave a comment
Image: SmithKillian.com
Jennifer Smith Rogers is a wonderful lowcountry artist to check out! Wonderful work, Charleston scenes with a fresh eye. She has the ability to capture light in a magnificent way. She is well known for her Charleston street scenes. Jennifer is in the Smith Killian Gallery. Stop by and see her work, or check it out online. A nice family, all talented artists (Betty Anglin Smith, Shannon Smith, Tripp Smith and of course Jennifer Smith Rogers)…
I’ll catch you back here tomorrow… for a special treat!

I am too comfortable to move…

On By Barbara StroudIn HOMELeave a comment
Image: Ekornes.com

Have you ever been too comfortable to move? Ha… This chair will make you so comfortable it’s actually difficult to move! Talk about relaxing. Everything hits you in just the right way, it reclines enough to make it heaven on earth! It’s a wonderful combination of leather and wood that will make your heart swoon (ok, so I’m dramatic… truly, is this the first time you realized that? ha ha). If you’ve never sat in an Ekornes Stressless chair I highly recommend it UNLESS you’re a couch potato trying to change your ways… We walk… alot… but at night when I hit this chair I’m out… Our walls are a deep milk chocolate brown so this leather looks beautiful as a contrast. Many furniture stores carry Ekornes, check it out sometime! The chair pictured is our model, the ROYAL, it comes in Medium and Large. We decided on the Large because Charlie (dog) likes to sit in it with me. Lucky me!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

If you get a chance, check out my photo blog at http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com !

Artist to watch… KEVIN BEERS…

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist, TRAVELLeave a comment
Image: GleasonFineArt.com

Our first trip to Monhegan was in  2006, we were having dinner one evening at the Island Inn and in walked Kevin Beers, it was his birthday and there was a group gathering for a celebratory dinner. We had seen Kevin paint all over Monhegan, he’s hard to miss. He’s just about the only one carrying a large canvas. He appears in the same location at the same time of day and turns out painting after painting of Monhegan. Of course he paints more than Monhegan, this guy CAN PAINT A TRUCK (among other things)! Kevin is a nice guy and a great artist, if you haven’t seen Kevin’s work, check it out, he’s at Gleason Fine Art, he’s also got his own website with links. Take a peek!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Sleek and compact with a very impressive voice!

On By Barbara StroudIn HOMELeave a comment
Image: Bose.com

Have you had a chance to listen to a Bose radio? It’s impressive. How can that much sound come out of such a small body? Incredible! Instead of having speakers and wires (we are becoming a society obsessed with getting rid of wires, ha ha… I agree wholeheartedly!) you have a compact sounds system that you would think would be coming out of a large system.

The Bose system we have is many years old and still plays like a charm! So if you’re in the market for a new radio/CD player/alarm… take a look at it! Nice thing they do is they divide the payments on your regular credit card (at 0% interest!!). You don’t have to get a special card to take advantage of the offer… check it out… www.bose.com!

Catch you back here tomorrow!!

Art quote weekend continues… EDGAR DEGAS

On By Barbara StroudIn ARTLeave a comment
Image: http://EmptyEasel.com

Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.
  –Edgar Degas

This morning as I was looking for a quote I liked and then finding a painting to go along with it by the artist I had a deja vu moment… big time!

This piece was done by Edgar Degas in pastels, it’s entitled SINGER WITH A GLOVE – It created a flashback from this past fall in Maine. We had rented a cabin in Port Clyde and this must have been printed in the newspaper years ago, someone tore it out and stuck it behind something on the wall. It had such presence. It was hard to leave it behind, there was something about it that I really liked. You can feel the movement and almost HEAR her sing. Amazing.

Hope you’re weekend has been a good one!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Art quote weekend… Richard Diebenkorn…

On By Barbara StroudIn ARTLeave a comment
Image: SFMOMA.ORG

 Well it’s here! Art quote weekend…. which only means one thing… IT’S THE WEEKEND… woohoo!

Today, is a Richard Diebenkorn quote. I admire his work. So different. I don’t recall this specific piece, it’s ‘Untitled (Sausalito #3)’.

I want painting to be difficult to do. The more obstacles, obstructions, problems… the better.

  –Richard Diebenkorn

Have a great day and I’ll catch you back here tomorrow!

Artist to watch… TIM BELL!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist, THOUGHTSLeave a comment
Image: BellArtStudio.com

Yeah, I know… Awesome, isn’t it? Fred and I first met Tim on Monhegan Island, ME in 2006. When we first ran into him he was set up in front of the Island Inn. Gutsy! Then I watched him paint… wow. I told him that I was just starting to paint and he gave me tips and explained what he was doing and gave me many many book titles to read. I had so much information, I scribbled my notes inside the pages of Carlson’s Guide to Landscape Painting by John F. Carlson that I had run to the Lupine Gallery to buy! This painting, Monhegan Evening was from that trip. The sun was setting, and Tim was sitting on a big rock, talking and painting away… WHOA!

Congratulations to Tim, he appears in PLEIN AIR magazine, Spring 2011 – It’s on the stands NOW… Barnes & Noble, etc. etc. I’m going to run out and get one this weekend!

Tim has remained a great friend, we have several of his paintings, and they all mean a lot to us. If you get a chance, check out Tim’s work, he has a website, www.bellartstudio.com and is also in galleries, (some include: Walls Gallery, South Street Art Gallery, Egeli Gallery ). Here is a blip from the McBride Gallery website about Tim:

Tim Bell is a painter in the American Impressionist tradition. His work reflects the influences of painters such as John Twachtman, Charles Hawthorne, Hovsep Pushman and Henry Hensche.

A graduate of Frostburg State University, Tim conducted his post-Graduate studies at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts in Annapolis, Maryland and the Cape Cod School of Art in Provincetown, Massachusettes.

Check out my photo blog if you get a chance… http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com !

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Happy St. Patty’s to ya… Hot Corned Beef-Potato Hash…

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, RecipeLeave a comment
Image

This is a recipe I found in Cooking Light magazine years ago… it’s a keeper! Quick and easy too… if you get a chance, give it a try! It’s a nice alternative the otherwise heavy St. Patrick’s Day meal.

This recipe is fabulous! UPDATE: Cooking Light removed the link to this recipe… am going to write a new post about this because it’s truly that good. Will add a link here to access once it’s written!

Totally hip. Awesome. GORGEOUS AND it comes with GREAT customer service!

On By Barbara StroudIn HOMELeave a comment
Image: ElkayUSA.com

Was I right? Isn’t this the most beautiful kitchen faucet you’ve ever seen? We’ve had it for years and I. LOVE. IT! Recently we’ve been having some problems with the lack of pressure coming out of our kitchen faucet. Our water company is flushing the lines and there is no way to get the sediment out of the faucet head. We called customer service and spoke to the nicest, most knowledgeable woman (Thank you Deborah!). Case closed. Problem solved. You don’t mind spending money on something so beautiful when you know that there is a company behind it that backs it up. It’s not just a pretty face folks… hee hee. This company stands behind their products and they want to be sure it works well for you.

If you’re in the market for a kitchen faucet, I highly recommend ELKAY, their faucets are beautiful… so are their sinks for that matter. We have a large stainless sink  that is perfect for large pans, etc. This faucet is the LK7420.

With all the options out there, it’s nice to find something modern that works well, great design AND backed up with great customer service!

Check out my photo blog at http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com – catch you back here tomorrow!

Artist to watch… TIMOTHY HORN

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist, THOUGHTSLeave a comment
Image: HornDesign.com

Timothy Horn, a California artist that can paint “normal scenes” such as a street with a stop sign, and make it come to life. Much like Colin Page, where he can paint something I wouldn’t dream of painting and it turns out to be awesome! A true talent. Timothy Horn is a great artist, if you haven’t been to his website lately check it out! Check out the workshops, the many gallery links as well as the available paintings.

This painting is entitled LOOKOUT and is under the RESPINI tab on his website. Here’s a quick explanation – more detail on his website: Since 2003 I have been participating in the annual exhibit “Ranches and Rolling Hills” which is a benefit for the Marin Agricultural Land Trust. As a participant in this show I have access to approximately 40 ranches in Marin. I have visited many of them and painted on maybe a dozen.

If you get a chance, check out Tim’s website… enjoy your day, it’s going to be a beauty!

Photo blog… http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com…  catch you back here tomorrow!