Thanksgiving with the Browns 11 '10

We were blessed to be able to share Thanksgiving weekend with Bruce' daughter. Laura  and his son in law, Kenyatta Brown,  and  with our grand daughters , Delaney, and Macie, from New Jersey.

 It is a long trip so the first evening was spent  in quiet time activities like coloring.

 

My goodness  they are so prolific.  I almost ran out of paper before I ran out of wall space.

The weather was splendid do a trip to the Pawleys Island Beach seemed in order.  Below is what they were dressing like when they left home

Needless to say the girls 

 were really enjoying the fine weather

and worked gleefully  together

on building a sand castle covered in shells

Kenyatta and Niela seemd to be enjoying catching a few rays as well

All too soon it was time to hug everyone and bid them a  safe trip home.

We'll miss you guys.

Happy Thanksgiving 11 '10

Happy Thanksgiving,  Everyone

 From our home to you and yours

Mixed feelings about selling art 11 '10

Island Art sold one of my paintings of the Hobcaw Barony Watchtower yesterday.  I always have mixed feeling about parting with a painting.  They are like children.  I want and expect them to  leave me, and to  find a home of their own, but when they do, I feel sad, and hope they are somewhere they are loved.

SAG Fundraiser Continues 11 '10

You may remember this painting from an October  post as one of the paintings I donated to the Sea Coast Artist Guild's Holiday Fundraiser.

I also donated this little 4"x6"  oil (above)

Below are some of the paintings donated by other members. 

Funds from the sale of these painting will be used to purchase art supplies for our local schools art classes.

My New Teapot 11 '10

Laura Ross Tea Pot

I wasn't planning to purchase any souvenirs on my visit to the Blue Ridge Mountains, but then I found this little tea pot by Kentucky artist Laura Ross.  I ask you, how often do you find something you would really enjoy using every single day?  Bruce couldn't resist. He insisted upon buying it for me as a birthday gift.

Painting on my birthday 11/20/10

For my birthday, I treated myself to a mini-workshop (5 hours) sponsored by the Sea Coast Artist Guild on the Grisaille, or Old Master's technique of painting .

 Our instructor, Jolyn Kuhn provided us with several different still life set ups I chose the one below.

The idea was to first sketch out the still life  in burnt umber, then refine it further into a fully developed value study.

 

 The idea was to first sketch out the still life  in burnt umber, then refine it further into a fully developed value study.

 

By using  thin layers of oil paint (thinned with turpenoid not oil) one can achieve a very finely finished painting.

Over lunch we let the paintings dry, then sprayed them with Damar Retouch Varnish.

Once this dried we were ready to start applying thin layers of color over the value study. 

Unfortunately, for most of us, our value studies did not dry in time to do this step.  Never the less we did learn enough to use the technique at home.

Blue Ridge Mountains: Gallery Hopping '10

Sorta - Gallery Hopping in the Blue Ridge Mountains with pictures

The Blue Ridge Mountains may not have many name brand chain stores, but they are home to some of the finest artist and craftsmen in the United States. So in between enjoying the scenery, and the local produce, and the out of door recreational activities, I spent much of my time seeking out and exploring the area's artists. It wasn't hard to do... They were virtually everywhere. 

Towns Brevard

 Along the smaller roads, quilters announced their presence by painting a quilt on the sides of their home, wood carvers and basket weavers sat their wares in open display stands in their front yards.

Black Mountain Coop.

Slightly larger communities might have a coop gallery representing several artists working in different media. And of course, the larger towns like Hendersonville

Silver Fox Gallery in Hendersonville, NC

  Slightly larger communities might have a coop gallery representing several artists working in different media. And of course, the larger towns like Hendersonville

Blue Spiral Gallery Asheville, NC

and cities like Asheville

had multiple galleries pulling in art from all over the region.  We  saw some of the finest contemporary artwork we have ever seen anywhere in these galleries, and  I got enough gallery hopping in to satisfy me  for a good six months.

Blue Ridge Mountains: Lake Lure Surroundings '10

 Lake Lure Surroundings

The low mountains around Lake Lure were ablaze with fall color when we were there

Tiny creeks have cut steep ravines throughout the entire area. 

.Homes, farms,, and entire communities, with names like Bat Cave and Chimney Rock, cling to the sides of these ravines, linked precariously by miles and miles of narrow winding roads

 and a countless number of bridges

The downside to all this quaintness is the driving.  Bruce swore the civil engineer who laid out the roads was drunk and had us going around in circle.  Even our Garmin GPS system couldn’t find a direct route to anywhere. 

Then there was the problem of finding provisions

This little building had the only Groceries and gas available for miles Open 12 noon - 5 pm closed on Sundays.   AND NO BOOZE of any sort!

      Welcome to Appalachia

Sorry folks no  hard cider sold here.

But the unpasteurized freshly squeezed apple cider was the best I had ever tasted. We brought a gallon of it home for each of our neighbors..yum 

Blue Ridge Mountains Golf Nov.'10

Of course, we couldn’t stay on a golf course and not let Bruce play golf

 

Lake Lure on the one day it was sunny.

Lake Lure is a small resort town on the east face of the Blue Ridge Mountain in southwestern portion of North Carolina. The skies were gray for most of the time we were there, but the first weekend was clear and beautiful ( albeit very cold)..

 

Our condo was tucked into a valley above the lake. It sat high above the Rumbling Bald Golf Course with beautiful views of both the course and the surrounding mountains

Bruce couldn't resist playing a round of golf. Golf is always a lot of exercise, but even with a cart this course involves a lot of walking and much of it was up and down hills. 

The Rumbling Bald course is challenging to say the least. Much of the terrain is steep, and there was a strong wind sweeping across it. 

When Bruce teed off from the top of a slope he held his breath and prayed he could see where the wind had carried it into the leaves below.

 Where did that darn ball go?

All in all Bruce did pretty well, parring several holes and playing well on most of the others.  He still thinks he prefers warm weather golfing

I don’t enjoy golfing so on this round I went as a ride- along photographer.

Blue Ridge Mountains Nov '10

We spent a week in southwestern North Carolina on the eastern slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Home base was a small resort town called Lake Lure, but other than a round of golf at the local course, most of the trip was spent investigating nearby areas of the Appalachia.

Lake Lure, NC in the late afternoon 

BJ on the Blue Ridge Mts 

Top on our list of things to explore was the Blue Ridge Parkway. On a previous visited to the area we traveled the Southern-most portion between Cherokee and Asheville, so this trip we explored another hundred miles north of there on the Parkway between Asheville and Boone North Carolina.

CC on mile high Grandfather Mountain

While there was still plenty of fall foliage to see at the lower elevations, a storm the week before had stripped the upper ridges of most deciduous vegetation. The good news is that it cleared away the foliage so that one could see all the way to Charlotte NC some 90 miles to the South

Did you know that the Blue Ridge National Parkway gets more visitors annually than Yosemite, Yellowstone and Sequoia all put together? With good cause, in my opinion. The scenery is absolutely magnificent.

Mihaly Cjkszentmihalyi Flow Theory '10

I just learned an interesting theory about the physical mechanics behind what artists call being "in the zone".  It seems that our brains' neurons can only process data at a rate of about 120 bits per second.  By way of comparison it takes 60 bits per second to just listen  to someone speaking.  Which means that it is hard to understand for us to listen with comprehension to more than two people talking  at the same time.  So when we perform a complex  action visualizing a subject while simultaneously rendering on a canvas there isn't enough "bandwidth" for us to notice our physical sensations or our surroundings.  Hence the feeling of being outside ourselves when we are fully absorbed in the painting process.  Same thing applies to any other fully engrossing activity like playing jazz or doing yoga. Cool Heh?

Click on the following  link for Wikipedia 's  more detailed, but understandable explanation, of what  Mihaly Cjkszentmihalyi called his Flow Theory :  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mihaly_Csikszentmihalyi

References for Gallery hopping in Appalachia '10

We just came home from a week in the Blue Ridge Mountain area of South Western North Carolina.

The Blue Ridge Mountains are home to some of the finest artist and craftsmen in the United States. So  We spent much of my time seeking out and exploring the area's galleries. It wasn't hard to do... They were virtually everywhere. Along the smaller roads, quilters announced their presence by painting a quilt on the sides of their home, wood carvers and basket weavers sat their wares in open display stands in their front yards. Slightly larger communities might have a coop gallery representing several artists working in different media. And of course the larger towns and cities had multiple galleries pulling in art from all over the region. I visited too many to name them all, but here is the list of my favorites ( and their links):

• The Folk Art Center On the Blue Ridge Parkway had some of the finest art quilts I have ever seen, as well as wod carving, basketry, pottery, glassware, and many other local crafts. ...Folk Art Center. Milepost 382 Blue Ridge Parkway, Asheville, NC or http://www.blueridgeheritage.com/attractions-destinations/folk-art-center
• 
  
•  The Blue Spiral Gallery in Asheville features Contemporary Fine Art and Craft for sale by Artists of the Southeastern United States The light-filled, 15,000 square-foot gallery spans three floors connected by an open stairway. Within the gallery are some of the finest contemporary art/craft I have ever seen anywhere! .... 8_Biltmore Avenue, Asheville NC 28801 or http://www.bluespiral1.com/gnews.htm
•  
• The Haen Gallery just down the street from the Blue Spiral is home to two of my favorite artists... Lynn Boggess and Larry Gray... See them at : 52 Biltmore Avenue Suite 101, Asheville NC 28801 or http://www.thehaengallery.com/ .
• 
  
• The SevenSisters Gallery in Black Moutain features fine arts and crafts including pottery, jewelry, sculpture,  paintings, glassware, and metal works all handcrafted by local artisans at: 117 Cherry Street, Black Mountain, NC.
• 
  
• And finally, The Silver Fox Gallery in Hendersonville was a new discovery for me and is  certainly destined for many return visits. This quietly elegant upscale gallery in Hendersonville is a delight. Color is a dominant theme with brilliantly hued ceramics by many fine regional and national artists. The glass art is equally eye catching particularly the richly hued works by Victor Chiarizia. The gallery walls are covered with fine paintings and intricate textile art and the rooms are warmly appointed with inviting hand-made furniture. It was as much of a home decorator store as a gallery, but almost everything was one of a kind,   Go to 508 N. Main Street Hendersonville, NC 28792 or http://silverfoxonline.com/index.html