south street art gallery – ARTFOODHOME.COM

“Still Life With Monarch and Blueberry Crate” by Leah Bell

Years ago we met this cool artist on Monhegan Island (Maine)… he had this huge easel set up outside of the Island Inn and was painting Uncle Henry’s, and it was amazing! His name was Tim Bell and he turned out to be a neat guy that we’ve kept in touch with over the years. His paintings are fabulous and he is a larger than life character. Those of you who know him know what I mean… he makes you laugh. About everything. He’s a good guy, he often talked about his wife Leah, who we have yet to meet, but have emailed with. Another very nice person and very talented. Between the still life paintings and the portraits, wow! I love how she leaves bits of white showing through on the canvas, and big loose strokes.

A blip about Leah from the Bell Art Studio website:

Leah Bell (nee Torney) graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Painting from Towson University in Towson, Maryland. She studied Northern Italian Renaissance Art in Florence her Junior year. Following her graduation she returned to Florence, Italy to attend the Charles Cecil Studio and subsequently the Florence Academy of Art. At the Academy she further developed her drawing skills, learned classical materials and techniques and studied the history of Renaissance Art. She had the unique experience of copying master drawings from the Gabinetto del Disegno in the Uffizi Galleries. Leah has been a long time member of Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts in Annapolis, Maryland and has studied pastel portrait painting with Bonnie Roth Anderson. Leah also studied at the Corcoran School of Art. She studied watercolor with Frank Webb and Erika Walsh. She has studied portraiture with the well-known artists Cedric and Joanette Egeli since 1993.Leah is an active member at the Rehoboth Art League in Delaware. She is a Certified Member of the Maryland Society of Portrait Painters, the Maryland Federation of Art and the Muddy Creek Artist Guild. Leah exhibits in a variety of shows and exhibitions throughout Delmarva. She paints portraits of any type by commission. Her paintings are inspired by her home by the Chesapeake Bay. Flowers from her garden, still life objects and her children and their friends are gathered as subjects for her paintings. When she travels the landscapes, towns and countryside become the subject matter of her work. Her paintings hang in private collections throughout the United States, Italy and Great Britain.

If you’re around the South Street Art Gallery (Easton, MD) pop in and say hello, see Leah’s work in person – catch you back here tomorrow!

: Image from artist’s website – JillCarver.com

Jill Carver. I love her work, it’s got such a neat twist to it. One look and you can tell this artist is a pro. I’m familiar with her work from South Street Art Gallery’s website, facinating! The image being featured is “Winter Harmony” Matter-of-fact here’s a blip about Jill from South Street Art Gallery’s website:

Jill Carver – Originally from England, Jill Carver moved to the United States in 2002 following a twelve-year career as a research assistant at the National Portrait Gallery in London. She now divides her time between Austin, Texas and Rico, Colorado. Recognition for her work has come quickly, and she has won numerous awards including “Artists Choice” most recently at the Laguna Beach Invitational in 2009, also at Telluride in 2009 and at Plein Air Easton! in 2008. The Art Academy Museum in Easton, Maryland has purchased two of her paintings for its permanent collection.

A self-confessed “addict” to outdoor painting, she frequently packs up her pick-up truck and two dogs for “hunter-gatherer” painting trips across the West. “I spend as much time walking and observing and sketching as I do painting. It tunes me into the landscape. My first step is exploring and just looking. I do hours of that, and I find lots of paintings as a result. You pay attention to what your mind keeps wandering back to.”

Although Jill painted often as a child, she never really thought she would pursue art for a living, and majored in British history at the University of Sheffield in England. After graduation she worked briefly as an art teacher only during the period she was applying for “real” jobs. During the next 12 years she continued to paint while working in the archives at the National Portrait Gallery in London. But after a four month painting sabbatical in New Zealand, she returned to London, and married American Larry Carver who encouraged her to start her painting career after their move to Texas. Inspired and taught by Scott Christensen, successes came quickly to Jill, and awards followed.

In January 2009, the editors of Southwest Art Magazine named Carver as one of ten artists to watch. Peter Trippi, editor of Fine Art Connoisseur, named her as one of three artists to watch in the Sept/Oct 2010 issue of FAC. In 2009 she was invited as ‘guest artist’ to participate in the prestigious Maynard Dixon Country event in Mount Carmel, Utah and in 2010 she returned as an ‘invited artist’.

The artist also has a great website, she’s in several galleries, and is teaching a few workshops. If you get a chance check her out!

Catch you back here tomorrow!