Tag: Charleston

Want to play Santa? A tax deductible way to have a blast!

On By Barbara StroudIn HOME, THOUGHTSLeave a comment
Image: FHFCharleston.org

Is there truly any way to feel better than to do good for someone else? There is nothing that will make you feel better than helping someone who needs it, especially during the holiday season. I normally don’t start talking about the Christmas season so early, but this is for a good reason. FAMILIES NEED YOU. Kids need you. Senior citizens need you. YOU can make a difference in someone’s life. Families Helping Families is a great organization that my husband and I have been involved with. There are different ways that you can help make a big difference.

You can make a tax-deductible donation by going to the FAMILIES HELPING FAMILIES WEBSITE. Once on their website click on the MAKE A DONATION link.  These funds will allow FHF to provide gifts for unsponsored families and cover their relatively low operating expenses. PERFECT!

The other option… 

You can become a sponsor for a family (or families) by clicking here  to go to the FHF website, click on the SPONSOR A FAMILY link by Nov. 18.  FHF send you a profile of your family that will include specific needs and the children’s wish lists.  Most sponsors say they spend an average of $50 on each family member.  This my friends, is what the holiday season is all about. Bringing a smile to someone’s face on a day that can be difficult for so many. Can you imagine being a child on Christmas and not having one single gift to open? I was fortunate, I never had that worry. No child should. Don’t let the $50 scare you. The average is $50 spent per person, but with larger families that may be $30 or $40 per person. Whether you adopt a family on your own, go in with some friends or neighbors or get your office to adopt a family/families – please do it today. They’ve made it so easy. The process goes something like this:

You fill out the form. If you like, you can specify the number of people you would like in the family and they will try their best to match it (i.e. a single parent family with 3 children, or a senior citizen, or hey… BOTH!).

You will be sent a packet with information on your family, it will give their names, ages, and a wish list. A wish list is just that… it doesn’t mean you have to purchase everything on the list. If you have big plans (TV, Computer, Bike) you may want to mention that when requesting a family so they can hook you up with someone who has big wishes :)  Sometimes the adult may ask for an item, sometimes they just want everything to go to the child. Hey, it’s Christmas for us all… the last family we had the mother asked for a clock. A simple everyday item we take for granted. We shopped the sales and got her some great things, and a clock was one of them. I cannot tell you how much fun we’ve had shopping for our FHF Christmas Families… you can’t help thinking about them, you’re excited on Christmas Eve for them to open their gifts the next day. You wonder if they enjoyed their gifts. You. Care. AWESOME!! It’s nice when Christmas is all about someone other than ourselves…

A nice thing to include is a gift card so the family can buy food for dinner. If you pick a place such as Walmart, if they don’t have items for a Christmas meal they can use the gift card, or if they need household items… they can pick. Christmas dinner doesn’t have to be fancy, but it’s nice to know with a small gift card, that your family is enjoying their own Christmas dinner. That’s perfect!

And did I mention the bonus for you?? Families Helping Families is a tax deductible contribution. You just keep your receipts (or make copies if you want to include the receipts for your family to exchange if they need), along with a copy of the letter that comes in your packet and voila! You have a tax deduction!

Can you get some people together who may be interested in participating?? Maybe instead of exchanging gifts at the office everyone chip in some $, then have a wrapping party…

After the purchase you wrap the gift, put a name tag and include the Family ID# (will be in your packet), then if possible, put the gifts in a big clear plastic trash bag labeled with their Family ID#.

Drop off of gifts is at the Strobel Tire Warehouse located at 1101 N Main Street/Hwy 17A, Summerville, off I-26, Exit 199. If you need help getting your gifts to that location you may contact FHF, please DO NOT BE DETERRED if the drop off location is not near you, they will work with you to get the gifts there!

If you have any questions, here’s the email: FHFCharleston@PalmettoProject.org

I would love to hear any of your stories! Catch you back here tomorrow!

Artist to watch… Chris Groves!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist1 Comment
Image: HortonHayes.com

Chris Groves has got an eye for art. His paintings are breathtaking. Most (to me) have that rare old world look to them. This one is a bit different, this one is looser, but is so awesome. Chris has his work at the Horton Hayes Gallery downtown Charleston. This is one beautiful gallery and his work fits perfectly within its walls.

Here’s a blip from the Horton Hayes Gallery. If you’re in the area, stop in the gallery, if not they have an excellent website! I just love his pieces from Italy!

Chris Groves’ love of art grew from his early experiences with nature and the introduction of a master sculpture in his youth.

Groves was born in Boulder, Colorado, but soon moved with his family to Slidell, Louisiana. Those early years in Slidell were spent outside, exploring the woods, swimming in the bayou, boating, fishing, playing with snakes and other wild animals. It was during those years that Groves learned to love the outdoors and nature.

At the age of ten, Groves’ family returned to Boulder where he continued his exploration of nature with countless hikes, mountain climbs and camping trips. His parents gave him a nature-drawing book and Groves latched onto it as a source of awe and inspiration. He would spend countless hours copying the drawings and enhancing them with his own interpretation. His parents, recognizing their sons’ talent and appreciation of art, hired a private tutor to instruct him in basic techniques. Soon, Groves’ interest turned from nature to people. Groves looked to magazines, friends and siblings as a source of inspiration and drew detailed portraits of their faces.

In high school, Groves met sculptor, Glenna Goodacre, the mother of a school friend. Meeting with her and seeing some of the success she enjoyed as a artist (Vietnam Women’s memorial, Sacagawea US Dollar design) helped to inspire Groves’ own artistic aspirations.

After graduating from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a B.F.A. in Environmental Design, Groves spent the next ten years as an art director for two large companies, all the while continuing to study and hone his fine art skills.

Groves has studied at the Florence Academy of Art in Italy, the Colorado Academy of Art, the Loveland Art Academy, the Cottonwood Art Academy and the Denver Arts Students League. He also enjoyed a private, two- year mentorship with artist Jay Moore, which he considers a turning point in his artistic career.

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Artist to watch… Betty Anglin Smith! October Skies show opens Friday!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured ArtistLeave a comment
Image: SmithKillian.com

Talk about spectacular paintings. Ohmygosh! I love Betty’s work. I love her style, her GREAT colors and fantastic subject matter. Most of the time what Betty paints is what she looks at from her studio, on the water in Meggett, SC. A setting that makes you think you’re back in time with the big old oak trees, the water, the cottage that has been restored beyond preciousness… the fabulous porch, the backyard, it’s a mecca of beauty! The most perfect spot for an artist to paint!

Betty’s paintings have presence. You notice them. They’re beautiful on brown walls :), they’re beautiful on ANY color wall! My husband and I are both big fans. We have so many favorites, well, Betty is just one of our very special favorite artists. You know how I’ve mentioned before that we just can’t buy a painting from someone we don’t admire, respect or at least like? Betty is the absolute nicest woman, she’s a blast to talk to, we love catching up with her about her painting trips around the country. Check out their (Betty and her triplet kids, two painters and a photographer, all amazing!) website, they’re in a gorgeous gallery downtown Charleston, SC. It’s like a movie set, a perfect backdrop for beautiful paintings!

If you’re in Charleston you simply cannot miss Betty’s show… OCTOBER SKIES will be in the gallery for the art walk on October 7, 2011… check with the gallery if you have any questions. Click HERE to go to the Smith Killian Gallery website.

A blip about the artist from the Smith Killian Website:

A native of the Carolinas, Smith has firmly established herself in Charleston’s artistic community. With a style consisting of large brush strokes and bold, vibrant colors, Smith has grown exceptionally accomplished at capturing the expansive marsh vistas, beaches and waterways that are an integral part of the Lowcountry landscape. Following the birth of her children, who incidentally are triplets, Smith enrolled in art classes at the Gibbes Museum of Art in downtown Charleston, where she further developed her love of painting. “I really became serious about it immediately”, Smith recalls. “It was like a part of me that I had not been able to fulfill yet. I was lost in it.” For the past twenty-five years, Smith has dedicated herself to painting, and though her subject matter frequently reflects the Lowcountry landscape, her success has far outgrown the confines of South Carolina. Her work has been shown in prominent galleries across the nation, from New York, Washington D.C. and Martha’s Vineyard, MA, to San Francisco, and Carmel, CA. In addition, many of her pieces are included in some of the nation’s finest corporate collections such as Walt Disney World, IBM, and Johnson and Johnson. But despite being a native of South Carolina, her love of broad and encompassing landscapes, which are frequently the subject of her work, grew out of a trip she took to Santa Fe, New Mexico in the late seventies. The tidal landscapes of the Lowcountry presented Smith with different challenges to the ones she encountered in New Mexico. Rocky Mountains, awe-inspiring canyons and windswept deserts were suddenly replaced with mile-upon-mile of flat marshland – a world seemingly void of the diagonal lines that artists use to balance a painting and add depth. Seeking out diagonal lines in a predominantly flat environment forced Smith to examine the Lowcountry more closely. It was then that she discovered that the lines were to be found in the colorful shifting clouds and meandering creeks. Using large brushstrokes and eye-catching colors, Smith has grown adept at capturing not just the physical nature of a place, but the feeling as well. Her paintings, whether they depict vibrant sunsets or the sweeping expanses of the Lowcountry marshland, give the viewer a sense of the immediacy of the moment as though Smith, working against the clock, was able to capture the essence of her subject. “I can’t emphasize enough just how much I want my work to look quick, impulsive, and spontaneous, like it just happened and flowed, as opposed to appearing overworked”, Smith explains. She adds that the bold colors she uses give the paintings an element of surprise “so that you are not looking at something you have seen a thousand times before. It is making you more aware of the colors that are actually in the landscape”, Smith explains. “These colors are there, I just exaggerate them as much as possible. I want my work to be expressionistic, whilst also remaining in the realm of reality.”

See you at the art walk! Catch you back here tomorrow!

Our favorites at Trader Joe’s!

On By Barbara StroudIn FOODLeave a comment
Image: BringTraderJoesToCharlestonSC Facebook page

Well, Trader Joe’s has finally arrived in Charleston, SC! We made it there the first day and it was CRAZY. We didn’t make it there early, it wasn’t until Fred got off work that we shot over to see what the hoopla was about… it was busy beyond belief but we got some good stuff and were excited about the prospect of yet another grocery store in the area. Trader Joe’s isn’t just a shopping trip, it’s an adventure, ha ha… there is a following for Trader Joe’s that is rather unique. Prices are low, quality so far appears to be very good. They don’t have the large selection of products like Whole Foods does, think of them more like a ’boutique grocery store’. Trader Joe’s rotates what they carry, so you may find something you love and if it’s a limited supply item or if it isn’t a big seller then you may not see it in the upcoming weeks. A new concept, always some new items to try. Keeps things exciting! Of course there are the Trader Joe’s brand products and I would assume that those stick around, we’ve tried many and all are fabulous, coffee, olive oil, bavarian chocolate covered almonds, popcorn air popped with olive oil, low fat  cheese doodles (hee hee), pitted kalamata olives, organic oatmeal with flax and the HAVARTI CHEESE (ooooh so good) just to name a few! CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP! Woohoo! If you’re near a Trader Joe’s but haven’t been in a while check them out!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Husk Restaurant in Charleston, SC is the top new restaurant in AMERICA!

On By Barbara StroudIn FOODLeave a comment
Image: HuskRestaurant.com

It’s pretty exciting that Bon Appetit magazine has named Sean Brock’s new restaurant HUSK, the top new restaurant in AMERICA! Woohoo… Sean Brock is a man with a vision. He renovated a worn out building (or two) and made it into one exquisite space! I know the old building, I’ve taken art classes there… I love the plan for HUSK, LOCAL INGREDIENTS… love it! Makes my mouth water… We look forward to visiting HUSK soon… CONGRATS SEAN!

Here’s a blip from their WEBSITE (gorgeous website, complete with the daily menu, check it out!), and pictures from the website below…

HUSK IS

centrally located in historic downtown Charleston, Husk, the newest offering from James Beard Award-winning Chef Sean Brock of McCrady’s and the Neighborhood Dining Group, transforms the essence of Southern food. Led by Brock and Chef de Cuisine Travis Grimes, a Lowcountry native, the kitchen reinterprets the bounty of the surrounding area, exploring an ingredient-driven cuisine that begins in the rediscovery of heirloom products and redefines what it means to cook and eat in Charleston.

Starting with a larder of ingredients indigenous to the South, and set within a building complex dating to the late 19th century, Brock crafts menus throughout the day, responding to what local purveyors are supplying the kitchen at any given moment. The entrance beckons with a rustic wall of firewood to fuel the wood-fired oven and a large chalkboard listing artisanal products currently provisioning the kitchen, but like the décor that inhabits the historic building, the food is modern in style and interpretation.

At Husk there are some rules about what can go on the plate. “If it doesn’t come from the South, it’s not coming through the door,” says Brock, who has even stricken olive oil from the kitchen. As he explains, the resulting cuisine “is not about rediscovering Southern cooking, but exploring the reality of Southern food.” This modern approach results in playful dishes such as Deviled Eggs with Pickled Okra and Trout Roe, and new classics like South Carolina Shrimp and Choppee Okra Stew with Carolina Gold Rice and Flowering Basil.

Seed-saving, heirloom husbandry, and in-house pickling and charcuterie efforts by the culinary team are the basis of the cuisine at Husk. The restaurant is as casual as it is chic, evoking a way of life centered on seasonality and the grand traditions of Charleston life—one lived at a slower pace, preferably with a cocktail and a wide porch in the late afternoon. It is a neighborhood gathering place for friends, and a destination dining spot for travelers, with a little bite of the South for everyone’s palates.

Image: HuskRestaurant.com
Image: HuskRestaurant.com

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Artist to watch… Shannon Runquist!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured ArtistLeave a comment
Image: HortonHayes.com

Shannon Runquist always paints the neatest subject matter. Regular everyday things come to life with her paint brush! This painting is entitled HOW ‘BOUT A HUG? Here’s a blip from the Horton Hayes Gallery :

Shannon Runquist was born is Savannah, Georgia and has spent most of her life in the South. She has lived on St. Simons Island, Georgia and currently resides in the Lowcountry of South Carolina and spends summers on Cape Cod. Spending time near the shore, she has developed a great love for coastal regions and the elements that define them. She has painted and studied in Europe, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.

Runquist has participated in many national and international exhibitions including consecutive years at the Salmagundi Club in New York City and the Salon International. She enjoys traveling and painting en plein air as well as working in her home studio. Her paintings hang in both corporate and private collections in the United States and abroad.

Artist’s Statement: “I would like for my paintings to convey a timeless aesthetic. They are often an extension of an emotion at the time I am painting but I hope my work remains ambiguous. I paint what is familiar to me, what I have collected or a place I have been. My favorite paintings are ones that tell a story but leave a little mystery for the viewer.”

Hey, if you get a chance, stop in the gallery… and if you aren’t in town, check out their website. It’s a gallery full of amazing artists!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Artist to watch… JB Boyd!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured ArtistLeave a comment
Image JBBoyd.net

JB Boyd, an artist that shows such an interesting perspective on this painting… Kind of like when you’re a kid and you’re  sprawled out on the grass watching the clouds in the sky… I love when paintings take on a new angle, something different. The way the yellow “pops” against the darkly shaded tree trunks and brilliant blue sky. JB Boyd is an interesting and accomplished  young artist represented by Robert Lange Studios in Charleston, SC. Check him out if you get a chance!  Here’s a blip about the artist on the gallery website, there’s more, but you need to see his work to appreciate the words! Catch you back here tomorrow!

Boyd currently lives and paints on Goat Island, a barrier island on the outskirts of Charleston, SC. Boyd is a graduate of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, has shown his work across the United States, and has been collected around the world. Boyd recently received the Michael and Donna Griffith Lowcountry Artist’s Award.

Please visit www.robertlangestudios.com or call for more information 843.805.8052. 


Artist to watch… Dee Beard Dean!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist2 Comments
Image: KarenHagen.com

What a wonderful painting of King Street in Charleston, SC. You can feel the hustle and bustle. If you haven’t heard of Dee Beard Dean I urge you to check out her WEBSITE. She’s a magnificent artist with a great website (oh so important)! She’s in many galleries, the image above is from the Hagen Fine Art Gallery and Studio located at 27 1/2 State Street in Charleston.  She offers workshops all over the country… check her out!

I’ll catch you back here tomorrow! If you get a chance, check out my photo blog!

Hootie and the Blowfish… Concert – Family Circle Cup Stadium

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

That’s right… Hootie and the Blowfish this weekend at the Family Circle Cup Stadium on Daniel Island… We’re very fortunate to have such awesome local talent!

Here’s info from the Family Circle Cup website:

Hootie and the Blowfish Homegrown Weekend
Marking their ninth anniversary at Family Circle Stadium, Hootie & The Blowfish will come together for a two-night musical engagement kicking off Friday, August 12th with opening act Toad the Wet Sprocket.  The weekend continues with a daytime festival on Saturday, August 13 beginning at 1:30 pm featuring Ken Block & Andrew Copeland of Sister Hazel as well as other national and regional acts (TBD).  Hootie and the Blowfish will wrap up the festival with a performance Saturday night at Family Circle Stadium starting at 7 pm. 

Catch you back here tomorrow!


Artist to watch… George Pate!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured ArtistLeave a comment
Image: WellsGallery.com

George Pate has the most unique style. His paintings have caught my eye for a number of years now… love the little beach birds that he paints. I like how he paints Charleston scenes… not typical, it’s a style all his own. After reading about George, I see that he’s originally from Detroit, (Yay, George! Me too!) although now resides in Santa Fe… a place that is on our list to visit one day! The Wells Gallery in town carries his work, as does the Wells Gallery on Kiawah at the Sanctuary. If you get a chance stop in, if you’re out of town visit their website!

 Catch you back here tomorrow! If you get a chance visit my photo blog… http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com !

Bowen’s Island… where you either like it or you don’t!

On By Barbara StroudIn FOODLeave a comment

 

 It’s funny when you look at this picture. If this were anywhere else on earth it would be deemed a catastrophe. But for some reason it just WORKS and works perfectly at Bowen’s Island seafood restaurant… (I guess that’s why it’s in so many magazines!) where the motto is something like YOU EITHER LIKE IT OR YOU DON’T… ha ha… no kidding. This isn’t where we ate this year, they built a new building, where you can still write on the walls, but it is a little more refined… no paint or anything, but it’s big and the food is delicious! I noticed since my last Bowen’s Island post that the link to their menu no longer works… hmmm. I’ll have to see what I can do about that! This is the building closest to the water (right on the water) where I believe they have parties, charity functions, as well as other functions. It’s very “Bowen’s”… unique, likeFolly Beach. Nothing dressy, but hey, the food is beyond fantastic and you see people there who have just woken up (quite possibly after a looooong winters nap?), dressed for church and everything in between. Someone sent me a comment asking if they serve oysters in months that don’t have an “R”. We were there in May and YEP, they were serving oysters. Another commenter mentioned that things have changed since that rule was in place long ago… who knew? Thanks to those of you who keep me up on things! Catch you back here tomorrow!

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

Artist to watch… Sue Stewart!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured ArtistLeave a comment
Image: SueStewartPaintings.com

The artist to watch today is Sue Stewart. Love her paintings. It amazes me how so many people can paint well and some people can paint so differently (in a good way!). You can recognize their style anywhere. Sue has a nice website, check it out www.suestewartpaintings.com! She’s got a diverse collection of subjects, I love that! After reading about her on her website I see that she has taken workshops with Kevin MacPherson, Charles Sovek, Kim English and Kenn Backhaus… Whoa! A pretty impressive list! Locally Sue shows her work at the Wells Gallery in Charleston, SC, stop in and check it out!

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

Charleston Farmer’s Market Poster

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, HOMELeave a comment
Image: charlestonarts.sc

The Charleston (SC) Farmer’s Market is on Saturday’s at Marion Square from 8AM until 2PM. For more information, click HERE.  It’s a good time with lots of good vendors, fresh fruits and veggies, both organic and conventional as well as arts, treats and pretty much everything else you can imagine.

This years poster entitled PETER PIPER’S PEPPERS by Ginny Versteegen captures the essence of the Farmer’s Market perfectly. A great souvenier if you’re visiting, or nice to hang in a poster frame in kitchen! If you get a chance, check it out!
Catch you back here tomorrow!

Artist to watch… IAN MASON!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured ArtistLeave a comment
Image: DogandHorseFineArt.com

Tomorrow, Saturday, May 7th is the Charleston Dog Show located in Marion Square from 9Am-2PM. Last year we saw original paintings by Ian Mason. He is represented by Dog and Horse Fine Art. THEY ARE WONDERFUL! If you’re in Charleston check it out, if not, check out their website!

Here’s the LINK for the Charleston Dog Show if you would like more information!
 
Catch you back here tomorrow! If you get a chance check out my photo blog at http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com!