A funky set up for sure, but wanted to show you that our hydrangeas are in full bloom and they are gorgeous! Fred cut a few and we put them in this jar (they make the best vases, I swear!)… I have snapped photos of them all over the house in the late afternoon sunlight… hmmm, on the floor in front of the door? Perfect, different… gorgeous!
Enjoy your weekend!! Catch you back here tomorrow!
Charles in Charge, hee hee… that’s me! Well, I don’t go by Charles, my name is Charlie! Thankfully my people changed my name because when I came into their lives my name was Rooster. Ugh. I know, Rooster? I definitely like “Charlie” much, much better!
I have decided to give my mom, Barbara, the day off… I mean look at this desk… it’s a mess! I told her I would take care of this post today (if she would please take care of the desk!). So here I am!
Hope you have all been well! I’m anxiously awaiting playing in the sprinkler, the heat is here and there’s nothing like the sprinkler to cool you off on a hot day!
This plan has charm written all over it, doesn’t it? The house (plan by Southern Living House Plans) is 2,089 heated square feet. This home has 3 bedroom and 2.5 bathrooms.
One thing that I love right away is the breezeway/mudroom/laundry room that connects the garage to the house. What a efficient use of space! This is a great plan because there are so many ways to use it based on how you live… For Fred and I, a dining room really isn’t a big deal, so I would make that an office area, with a place for Charlie to look out the window, I see the perfect spot, don’t you? I would have a cushion made for the bay window, hee hee… that would be his new spot! Perfect! Nice kitchen, with a place to eat that isn’t so large… once again, perfect! Nice porches back and front… I’ll take it!
I like that the upstairs is kept simple, 2 bedroom, one bathroom and a study loft AKA treadmill room or separate “living room” for kids or spouses who watch bad TV (hee), or… storage… once again… OPTIONS!
Ralph Bush… an amazing artist! Fred and I first saw his work, an impressive large watercolor hanging at the Lupine Gallery in Monhegan, Maine. It was breathtaking. Well, it appears that Ralph paints many stunning scenes… here are just a few! Wash Day (above)… that brilliant orange sky, the clothes blowing in the wind on the clothesline, the very cool cottage and those luscious greens in the landscape. Lovely! Monhegan Island is one place where scenes like this actually happen, and happen quite often. You hear people talk about the “light” on the island. It IS different… and oh so spectacular.
Quiet Harbor… oooh, another fabulous painting, darker and moody with the brilliant sky that just makes this painting P-O-P ! As you’ll read below, Ralph Bush’s paintings are being featured at the Island Inn on Monhegan. Each year a different artist is selected, and their work is showcased in the Inn’s fabulous dining room. It’s so exciting to see the work from year to year. The Lupine Gallery will be hosting a reception for the artist on Wednesday, June 25th, be there if you can!
Read a blip from an email from the Lupine Gallery on Monhegan Island:
RALPH BUSH, 2014 ISLAND INN SHOW
We are pleased to present the 2014 summer solo exhibition at the Island Inn: Selected Oils and Watercolors by Ralph V. Bush.
Ralph Bush is a Copley Master at Copley Society of Boston, a member of The New England Watercolor Society, Rockport Art Association and North Shore Arts Association. His painting The Old State House In Boston was selected from 3,000 entries as a winner in the First Annual Arts For the Parks competition, exhibited at the Great Hall of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC. He is a three-time recipient of Yankee Magazine’s prestigious Robb Sagendorph Memorial Award for Art, presented by the Copley Society.
The paintings will fill the Inn’s large, light-filled dining room, and will be on view May 26—July 26 and August 11—October 13. The Island Inn will host a reception for the artist on Wednesday, June 25 at 2-4 pm; all are welcome.
Well, it’s official, Spoleto kicked off on Friday and it’s in full swing right now! If you’re in the Charleston area this is something you do not want to miss… Theater. Music. Opera. Dance. Jazz. Art.
Click HERE for info on all the performances, shows, etc. The city is booming with people right now, it’s a festive time here in Charleston!
This is where the [HOT TIP]comes in…
Spoleto has plenty of free events, which is what makes this city so cool… but another “free” thing to do is to stop in the wonderful galleries in Charleston! We have an abundance and they are all amazing. Be sure to head on over to Historic Gallery Row, located on Broad Street, this is Charleston’s “Fine Art Destination”. Pop in Galerie on Broad! I hope to see you there!
When my parents were in town a while back we headed to Botany Bay and then to the beach at Edisto. I’ve always loved these kinds of shots, underneath the pier… very cool! Literally… much cooler than in the sun! The sound of the waves was wonderful!
Enjoy your day, may it be peaceful like lounging on the beach with the waves crashing beside you!
Landscape with Gray by Julie Schumer 50×40″ Acrylic on Panel
Gray is hot right now… I love the light pinks and the grays, very nice… beautiful soft palette with some darks to make it all p-o-p!
Barra de Santiago by Julie Schumer 60×48″ Acrylic on Panel
This one is a bit more colorful, and I love the bright colors that Julie has chosen, I like the airiness of this painting as well as the drips at the bottom, very nice work! You must take a look at Julie’s collection. The colors, ahhh, wonderful! All are different, very fun!
Julie Schumer began painting at age 5 and continued through high school. She was an abstract expressionist early on, being chastised by her elementary school teachers for her drippy non-realist work.
In college her practical nature asserted itself and she became a lawyer instead of an artist. In the following years she collected art, wishing all the while she had painted what she collected.
Finally, in 2000, she reconnected with an old friend, artist James Koskinas. He sensed her long suppressed desire to create art and asked her why she wasn’t painting. Schumer answered she didn’t know. Koskinas brought her several pieces of wood, acrylic paint and a few brushes and said, “Paint.” Schumer hasn’t stopped painting since. She and Koskinas joined forces and moved to New Mexico from the Bay Area, California, in 2002. They paint companionably together in their Santa Fe studio, a modern day Jackson Pollack and Lee Krasner.
Since reengaging with her art, Schumer has studied at the College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, California and with artists Robert Burridge, Mira White and Edward Gilliam. Her paintings immediately resonated with viewers. Her work has been exhibited across the United States and in Europe and is in many private collections.
Have you heard about the Southern Living Inspired Communities? What a cool concept. They are traditional Southern neighborhoods full of charm, beautiful architecture encouraging get togethers and real neighborhood values.
They are located in the following areas (note: this might also be a great way to see some of the Southern Living House Plans!):
For nearly 50 years, Southern Living has served as the leading inspiration for the region, featuring the best ideas and emphasizing the positive aspects about life in the South.
Southern Living Inspired Communities is a collection of neighborhoods marked by charm, taste, and Southern spirit.
These hand-picked neighborhoods embrace a pride of place and encourage new traditions of living in the South
Community Philosophy:
To embrace the natural beauty of Southern landscape.
To display the best of Southern Living inspired architecture.
To create environments that foster gatherings, interactions, and celebrations.
Deer Skull on Blue by Sarah Sedwick 23×28″ Oil on Canvas –Available
Intriguing painting, isn’t it? I like Deer Skull on Blue by Eugene, Oregon artist Sarah Sedwick. Its got a cool feel to it! I love the wall with the subtle differentiations in color. The skull… wicked good, and I’m not even from Maine! Nice shadow cast on the wall… If you like it too, you’re in luck… this painting is still available!
In the Gallery is a nice painting… nice gallery was my first thought! I really like seeing the tree through the window and the paintings within a painting. Be sure to check out Sarah’s work! Sarah has a great BLOG be sure to check it out! She’s also on FB and Pinterest (among other social media sites)! If you’re in Eugene, OR be sure to check Sarah’s work out at The Gallery at the Watershed… what a cool gallery WOW!
Born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1979, Sarah Sedwick began oil painting at age ten. In 2001, she earned a BFA from Maryland Institute, College of Art, with a focus on illustration and painting, and a minor degree in art history. She and her husband live in Eugene, Oregon, in a house on a steep hill surrounded by cherry and pine trees. They welcomed a baby daughter in 2009.
Sarah writes a studio blog, and teaches painting workshops. Her paintings have found homes across the globe, and can be seen locally at The Gallery at the Watershed in Eugene, and at her home studio, by appointment.
Catch you back here tomorrow!
All Images via SarahSedwick.com with permission from the artist…
This is one cool app. Fit Radio plays great music, and depending upon the genre/station you choose the BPM (beats per minute) vary. For example, the Top 40 has 128 BPM which keeps you walking/running at a brisk pace for sure! I don’t normally walk with headphones on because I walk with a friend during the week, and my husband on weekends… but for those rare times when I am alone, this gets my legs going as fast as they will go.
It. Was. Fun.Did I just say that?
This app is available for iPhone/Android and Blackberry devices and your first 3 hours are the premium version for free. If by then you don’t upgrade to the premium version it automatically strips you down to the free version. Their words, not mine… I am still in the premium/free version, so we shall see. From what I’ve read they have excellent customer support, and that my friends, means the world!
Change your workout, speed it up, make it count… Fit Radio can help!
Forsythia Spring by Carole Rabe 24×18″ Oil on Canvas
Stunning, right? That gorgeous sunlight exploding on that fabulous yellow wall, wow! This painting was done by artist Carole Rabe.
What a great window… ahh, I could spend a lot of time in this room!
Night: Blue Chair by Carole Rabe 30×20″ Oil on Canvas
What a great nighttime painting of this cool chair… look at all the colors! I think it makes it so interesting when everything isn’t perfect, like a photo… you can see the cool reflections in the windows which really adds a lot of pizazz! Nice work!
Another great piece, more subdued in color but equally as fascinating. I really like the base colors showing through, and that wonderful shadow on the floor… Not to mention a glimpse out of the window and a painting within a painting! Love it!
Intense observation and my response to what is around me is how I receive my inspiration. The way light hits a countertop or the side of a chair is the spark that gets the painting started. The color of light influences the color of objects and creates interactions between disparate things. My paintings are about the relationships between these elements. My imagery is personal; I need some connection to my subject matter in order for me to claim it in a painting. I work from direct observation; I am very interested in how the human eye perceives the things around us, and how the hand and heart work to put the image down on canvas. It’s a wonderful feeling when the reality of the painting takes on a life of its own and exists on its own, apart from the objects observed. It seems like such a simple thing but there is something magical and transcendent about this aspect of representation that has a very strong power for me.
All images via CaroleRabe.com with permission from the artist…
The restaurant was packed and I couldn’t find my way to a menu (well, at least not where I would have enough room to set it down to photograph), so I settled for the sign… It gives you all the information you need!
See yesterdays post to see what the fried shrimp looks like… oooooh, too good!!
THIS my friends is the 1/4# (small) shrimp dinner at Bowens Island Restaurant. The fresh, local shrimp in their delicate coating fried to perfection. This isn’t the thick batter that’s fried deep brown, this is succulent and out of this world good… so is the cole slaw… and the hush puppies… french fries are good too (and I’m not a french fry gal). I do wish you had a healthier option to go with the fried shrimp, but if you only go every once in a while its a splurge worth waiting for!
Bowens Island Restaurant is close to Folly Beach in Charleston, SC… check them out! (More details on the post from tomorrow)…
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