Keeping it local... An artistic day in Charlotte

This Saturday we decided it was just about time to make art for ourselves. So we got up early and headed out to the South Park Area... 

In order to be at our best, we needed to get some breakfast... so where better to go than Paneras...

Left: Picture of my lil' sis' lookin cool in her shades as always...

Right: This is what is called 'The Breakfast Power Sandwhich' it's quite good although I still prefer ciabatta bread =) The egg was just right and the ham not too salty... I had the cheese left off of course, wouldn't want to start the day off badly!

Left: It wasn't the traffic that was loud... instead it was the construction going on across the street.

Now onto Paint with a Twist...

Right: Blanket canvas... yes they really are as ominous as they seam... but you have to start somewhere don't you?

Below: Some of the art work on display. They do a different painting project everyday.

Left: Getting started.

Right: Next comes the background...

Left: Now for some branches...

Right: Adding in some more details...

Left: The finished product.

Around Town - The Arts in Charlotte - April 14th

First stop... Reid's Market. This time we decided to eat in. They have wonderful lunch options... you can make your own salad, sandwhich, sample their soup of the day... or order some of their ready made treats.

I opted for the salad. Fresh spinach, garbanzo beans, portobello mushrooms, goat cheese (heavenly), salmon, and croutons.

Yum!

                                                                                          

Seating

Right: These were some of some of the most comfortable chairs ever... and we got to sit right across from a cooking class that was in progress...

Note to self... you must attend one of these classes, they sound absolutely amazing!!!





After looking around Reids we headed to our next destination... Red Sky Gallery... we got to
see some absolutely amazing things...

Left: These little guys welcome you into the gallery...                        

Left: This was a mixture of purses, vases... I think I liked the glass creations on top the most...

Right:  This little 'well not that little' guy was amazing. I totally wanted to take him home... But where would I possibly put him?

Left: Close up shot of the glass creations I mentioned earlier...

Right: This rabbit is just chillin'...

Left: No it's no real water dripping from that pipe.. but it's pretty cool though... They have several of these around the shop... Go check out the gallery and see if you can find all of them for yourself =)

Right: You can't see me can you... said one Zebra to to the other. (This art piece was genius... not only were the zebras masterfully placed between the tall trees, but they were also reflected in the water.)

Left: Loved this... Lexi (my 9 year old Papilllon) loves hanging her head out the window any chance she gets.

Right: Very architectural...

    




   
Left: This was one of my most favorite pieces in the whole gallery... I absolutely adore flowers no matter what medium they're in.




Next: We headed off to Jerald Melburg Gallery... to see the works of an amazing charcoal artist Susan Grossman. There aren't words to describe her amazing work... So take a look and see what you think....

Around Town: The Arts in Charlotte - April 6th Art Crawl

The first Friday of every month an Art Crawl takes place at various galleries around Charlotte.

Of course every trip out requires some delicous cuisine to get it started... so we headed to 300 East located (as it's name suggests) on East Blvd, in the Southend area of uptown Charlotte...

Right:

This delicious dish you see here is what is known as Roasted Free Range Chicken. It consists of  Pan Gravy, Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes & Seasonal Veggies....Of course I had to have the mashed Potatoes substituted for red potatoes, but the end result was no less delicious! 

Left: The first stop for the night was Hiddell  Brooks Gallery located on 1910 South Blvd. where we got to see the wonderful works of art... but this was one of the only things I managed to 'sneak' a picture of in one of the back rooms...      

  
Check out their website to see some of the amazing pieces by Chris Metz and Christopher Terry...




      

Next we were off to the Ciel Gallery, an amazing 
gallery full of everything Mosaic (note the picture
at the beginning of the blog... bee-utiful yes?)


Right: Of course this amazing creation isn't too
shabby is it?

At the Ceil Gallery you can not only see     

beautiful mosaics, you can also take
classes to learn how to make some
creations of your own... Hmm... I
think I should put a visit on the books
don't you?    

Lovely bird... even more impressive in person

Woman among the flowers

Right: Every single item in this gallery is beautiful and unique... the intricate, painstaking details all seem to trigger the same response, absolute amazement...

 

That would be one heavy dress right?

                                                                                  

Next we headed right next door to one of my favorite Galleries, one I've visited a few times before... Lark and Key... Unique doesn't even begin to cover the art that fills this amazing little gallery... 

The featured works for this exhibiting were titled "Memory and Metaphor" featuring works by Honora Jacob, Duy Huynh and Jennifer Mecca....

Check out some of the other amazing works below...

The Enigmatic Memory of Love

Left: I love the use of butterflies in this picture by Honora Jacob... the use of yellows and reds is perfection... 






Below: Another picture by Honora... but this time it's bees...

  

Right: At Peace with a Memory... note that while the painting is covered by plexiglass, the entirety of the art work is not below the surface, but on top of it as well...

To see more of the art work by Honora Jacob, either go to the gallery yourself or check out the lark and key website...

http://www.larkandkey.com/artwork.php?artistName=honora%20jacob

Below: More of the artwork on display at Lark and Key...

Slow Food for Thought- Duy Huynh

Left: This is one of my very favorite pieces... unique and unbelievably beautiful... 

                                                           

Right: 'They told him sally was shy' by Vicki Sawyer...

Below: Other paintings by Vicki Sawyer... I think it's brilliant that she uses black as the background as it really makes the paintings pop...

Left: Broken Shell, by Diane Hoeptner... 

Below: Bird in Flight (artist unknown, to me at least)

Well that concludes this addition of The Arts in Charlotte... I look forward to sharing more in the weeks and months to come!

Around Town- The Arts in Charlotte

Sometimes it doesn't taking driving hours away to find something fun to do... Your hometown can sometime surprise you with it's hidden treasures... the art scene in Charlotte, NC is one of those unexpected surprises just minutes from your front door.

The beginning of every trip should begin with good food... enter Nolen's Kitchen in the heart of Charlotte's Myer's Park/Cotswolds neighborhood.

The Cobb Salad will have you coming back for more.... Fresh romaine lettuce, garbanzo beans, red peppers, egg, bacon and creamy basil dressing...

I chose to top mine with salmon grilled to perfection and topped with herbs and onions...

YUM!!!

                  

Next stop.... Shain Gallery... which is literally right next door to Nolens... This beautiful gallery... It may be small but quality not quantity is always better…. 



The Shain Gallery is one of the treasures on Selwyn Ave... It's a small gallery but it continues to bring new and exciting pieces that are sure to speak to the artist in all of us...

     






Left: This sculpture was made entirely out of plates and marbles... I know not the best of pictures... but if you live in the area or are thinking of making a trip into Charlotte you'll just have to check it out for yourself...

 

Right: Who says that all art has to be paint and canvas...
These flowers were even more breathtaking in person...
Hello Spring!!!

Left: These paintings were so lifelike you felt like if you reached out you could pick the jar of flowers off the table... Every detail from colors to the veins in the flowers was perfection...

                                                                                       


Right: Cityscape's... how I adore them... You can see the reflection off the windows... hear the cars as the drive past you... and drink in the feel of the city...

Hmm... what to do next.... oh I know... walk two doors down and head into Reid's Market... the premiere market for everything fresh and convenient. No wonder they've kept going since 1928....

                                                                         

This cozy little market has a lot to offer from fresh produce, meats, cheese, and ready made items… or if you prefer have a little bite to eat in their onsite eatery… What did I get you ask….

Item #1 Shirley Temple (way sweeter than I remember)

Item #2 Chai Tea Mints (yeah... those will add a bit of spice to your life...

Item #3  Orange Spice Moravian cookies.... ah....

No trip is complete without a little bit of bead shopping... yes... jewelry designing is one of my passions and it was time for me to add some more to the collection...

                     

Beads... beads of every shape and color are just waiting for you to pick them up and put them in your basket... A girl could really get herself in trouble...

 No... you don't need one of everything... you don't... you don't... yeah... didn't work for me either...

I'm just trying to make up my mind.... that one... no that one... oh, the choices to be made...

 Just one more and I'm done... I promise... maybe two more?

Seems I'm not the only one who can't decide just what to get... Did I not tell you that there is a tree filled with earrings designed by the girls that run the shop.... I didn't... well now you know....

Well that's it for now... join me next time for more of The Arts Scene in Charlotte!