Back Field Trees
20x24 inches
acrylic on birch panel
1500.00
shipping 95.00
Purchase HERE
Linda Blondheim Art Studio
Landscapes of The South
http://www.lindablondheim.com
lindablondheim@gmail.com
Studio: 386.462.5726
Please forward my newsletters to your friends. I need to grow my business. I'll
reward you with a tiny abstract painting.
Don't forget that I offer 10% of the sale cash referral rewards when you send a
new patron to me who purchases a painting.
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July/2009
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Foodscapes
Back Field Trees
20x24 inches
acrylic on birch panel
As many of you know, I was a chef and caterer for about 13 years. Aside from the
actual cooking and recipes, I had a keen interest in food presentation. I won a
national contest in my day for a dessert tray with chocolate truffles in a chocolate
bag. I also used to hire out to local restaurants for the food show once a year,
called "Puttin on the Ritz" At that time there was no Food Network and foodies
were not as well known.
I still do occasional food presentation, though my focus is on my art. Once a chef
always a chef, my interest in food is just as passionate as it ever was.
Food Presentation is all about design, color and texture, just as good painting
is. Here are some little tips:
When planning a buffet table presentation, use a color theme or texture theme for
containers. Be consistent with the themes for continuity and harmony.
Examples include:
vintage old fashioned platters and bowls, table cloth, napkins, old quilts, etc.
Silver, gold, bronze and other metallics Lots of bling in cloth and napkins, silver
or gold beading, silver or gold flatware and fine linen.
Baskets, flower pots, rattan trays, wooden bowls and platters with tropical themed
cloth and napkins.
The important thing is to use consistency throughout the theme.
One of the things I enjoy doing is using vegetables and fruits for containers for
sauces and dips and using fresh fruit and vegetables as center pieces rather than
flowers. A clear glass vase full of fennel, tall green beans or asparagus makes
a beautiful and exotic center piece.
When you go to a specialty market like Fresh Market, you will see incredibly beautiful
fruits and vegetables which will make exotic table accessories.
My crudite trays were legendary because they were filled with lush and beautiful
vegetables and fruits, not just cut up into convenient servings, but also left
whole and halved so that the natural elements were on display. Just as in my love
of natural Florida, my fruits and vegetables were close to the land where they were
grown. I wanted my food clients to see them in their entirety with all the color
and texture intact. Sprinkled in and through the fruits and vegetables were delicately
cut roses from beets and turnips, graceful swans from melons, and tiny quail families
cut from a variety of pears.
The crudite should be a marriage of easy to eat bite sized pieces, fruits and vegetables
in their natural state, and the bling of beautiful transformations from fruit to
the exotic flowers and animals. A good tablescape will fit the mood of the party
from casual to elegant, making food easy to see and eat. It should be alive with
texture, color and flavor and most of all, it should be fun!! Be sure to create
different heights for the presentation. Like the landscape, there will be little
hills and valleys along the way. A Foodscape will mimic the beauty of nature's landscape
with rivers and fields of food.
I should teach Foodscapes classes!! (Garde Manger) A garde manger is a cold food/pantry
chef.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garde_Manger
http://www.ccsf.edu/Library/alice/subjguides/garnishing.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_5063671_become-garde-manger-chef.htmlhttp://www.jbprince.com/pantry/garde-manger.asphttp://www.gardemanger.com/history.html
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What Features do Patrons Want?
Dark Palms
14x18 inches
oil on canvas
What are the features patrons ask for from artists' online galleries?
Convenience
An easy return policy
Choosing paintings in their own space
Regional pick up or delivery
Security in quality of materials
Testimonials from other patrons
Reasonable shipping fees
Careful packaging
Holiday Wrapping and Gift Cards- Direct Shipping as gifts.
Studio Gift Certificates for your friends.
Convenient sizes for ready made framing.
Convenient, no interest or extra fees layaway.
Risk Free Purchasing
I am selling more of my paintings through my web site than ever before. This is
becoming a trend for many artists and patrons. It is very easy and convenient for
art lovers to pick a painting and have it arrive at their door. I have been asking
my patrons about the features they most want in their Internet shopping experience
and I am providing these features for all of my patrons. The features they requested
above, are all available from my studio and web site.
Most of all they want the security of knowing that they can purchase a painting
and then return it if the color or size is not right for their home. I have extended
my return policy to 10 days from the date a client receives a painting. You have
ten days to decide on a painting and return it to me, no questions asked. I will
happily send your money back, or hopefully make an exchange for another painting
which will work better for your interior space. Most of my friends are more than
happy with their choice, but I'm fully prepared to assist them if it is not a good
fit.
I make it very easy to purchase right from my web site with convenient http://www.paypal.com
[http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=66zp97cab.0.0.ejtjo9cab.0&ts=S0404&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.paypal.com%2F&id=preview]
buttons on my site under each painting.
I now sell all of my paintings through my web site unframed, saving you money on
shipping costs. All of the paintings are in standard ready made frame sizes, making
it easy to purchase frames yourself at stores like Hobby Lobby and Michaels.
I will be happy to deliver and show large paintings in the North Central Florida
region to Lake City, Gainesville and Ocala with my Gallery To Go service.
Don't forget my Layaway service with free storage and no extra fees or interest
on layaway purchases.
Schedule an Art Lover Salon at my studio or at Paddiwhack Gallery in Gainesville,
FL
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Southern Memories
Tall Palms
12x16 inches
oil on Masonite panel
Mt Pleasant, South Carolina
When I was a child my great and wonderful Uncle George lived in a suburb community
of Charleston on an ancient civil war era plantation. I remember that it had a long
driveway with big trees on either side. Uncle George was my childhood hero. In my
young eyes, he could do no wrong. I really think the reason I love the land so
much is due to that early experience on his land. He had horses, a donkey named
Jenny, and a goat. There was a pony too. He also had a big worm bed. He used to
sell worms and people would come to fish at his pond. He had a large family and
they were older than me but two of my cousins were college aged when I was a teenager.
The place was always filled with kids of all ages and it was a very exciting place
to be for me. My cousin Carol had a huge collection of Johnie Mathis records and
we would while away the hours listening and talking about boys. To this day I love
his songs. Her brother Neal would take us into the woods and scare all of us with
ghost stories. I spent happy hours with my cousins Hank and Ann, roaming around.
We enjoyed fresh seafood from the bay and low country food on our visits. I remember
that he had a wonderful cook who turned out huge pots of food for us. My favorite
was a red rice with shrimp and ham. I remember that dish so well I can almost taste
it.
I remember the Isle of Palms, campfires on the beach and long hours playing Spades
and Hearts on the screened porch into the night. Grownups talking about babies,
recipes, fishing and politics. Just as now, the world was going to hell in a handbasket
in those days too ;>)
We have started a game night at our house once a week in honor of those happy days.
I recommend it to all of you. Get together and play Monopoly, Poker, Canasta or
other games you remember and love from your childhood. Remember those slower happy
times and cherish them, but don't think they were better. They weren't. Every day
should be the best day of your life. Celebrate it each morning as I do.
http://www.sciway.net/city/mtpleasant.html
http://www.resortquestisleofpalms.com/about.htm
http://www.sciway.net/city/history/charleston.html
http://www.charleston.com/
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How About a Recipe?
Red Rice with Ham and Shrimp
This is my version of that wonderful recipe from my childhood.
2 cups rice
1 can diced tomatoes
2 T tomato paste
2 T butter
1 T chopped parsley
1 small onion diced
1 green pepper diced
2 stalks celery diced
2 carrots diced
1/2 tsp thyme
1 bay leaf
1 ham steak diced
1 pound shrimp sauteed in butter about 1/2 done
2 cups chicken stock
1 3/4 cup water
1 Tsp brown sugar
salt and cracked black pepper to taste.
Toasted Pine Nuts for garnish
Melt butter an saute vegetables with dry rice until all the rice is coated and vegetables
start to become limp. Add the rest of ingredients and stir until combined. Cover
with lid on low heat for about 25 minutes.
Enjoy!
Cook's Tip
The secret to excellent rice is a rice cooker. They are fantastic and worth the
nominal cost. For good Southern rice use Uncle Ben's converted rice in the box.
Never open the rice to stir after the initial stir. It should be gently fluffed
with a fork after it is completely cooked. If you want to use brown rice, use about
3/4 brown with 1/4 white long grained to make it lighter and fluffier. Brown rice
takes much longer to cook. For crunchier texture, cook rice first and then stir
in diced vegetables just before it is served.
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The Melrose Show is Almost Ready
Yesterday I took a drive over to Melrose Florida to deliver my work for the show.
The gallery space is bright and cheery with lovely cream colored walls and a wood
floor. The paintings will be hung by their expert hanging committee. The menu is
planned, and now all I have to do is go and enjoy seeing the many friends who will
drop in. This is a diverse show for me with work from coastal marshes to the beloved
farms and ranches where I paint most of the time. I hope you will enjoy it as much
as I have in producing it over the last year.
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I'm so glad you read my newsletter. Thank you for the support.
Love,
Join Our Mailing List [http://visitor.constantcontact.com/email.jsp?m=1102546521380&id=preview]
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July Special Celebrates Plein Air
My plein air studies are featured for July. You can find them on the small paintings
page at the bottom, on my web site.
8x10's- 110.00 ( Normally 125.00)
6x8's- 65.00 (Normally 80.00)
To purchase the special, email me lindablondheim@gmail.com and write special in
the subject line.
Offer expires July 31,2009
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