Friday, January 7, 2011

HGTV Dream Home in Stowe Vermont.?...Shut Up!



It has been awhile...

Happy to pop in and say hello...so...Hello!

Imagine my surprise to find the HGTV Dream Home 2011 is located in Stowe, Vermont. Mere miles from my favourite of Burlington, VT ~ Truth be told, I love all of VT and hope to explore more of it in 2011.
Back to this stunner of a home (view it here! ) ...It's truly fantastic. I watched some videos that delved into the intense construction and attention to detail, both environmentally as well as structurally and with attention paid also to heating and sealing efficiency = Happiness!  This sturdy, architecturally appealing abode also exhibits a not-too-shabby interior, though more modern than I prefer. I actually prefer the guest bedroom over the master bedroom, especially the colours as they are very similar to my current master bedroom colours. Needless to say, I am entering twice per day as allowed and as time allows. I would go in a heart beat if I were to win this stunner! I am not a skier but hey, I can invite friends and family up to ski and I will simply sit with my hot cocoa and watch them having a great time. Did I mention how swoon- worthy that copper chimney is? Rocks my world! I would love to have the gutters on my home redone in copper and add some copper rain chains. They are so unique! and I can even envision a copper roof = exquisite! 
 I digress, sorry,  fyi, Mount Mansfield is the largest mountain range in VT. This home is located at the base of the mountain.  I love it there!

I also have some paintings to share. I have several that never made it onto this blog due to business, bad internet and honestly, some lousy photos (need a DSLR camera). This particular painting was made as a gift. It is a large 24 x 36 mixed media on masonite. I love working on masonite and was totally aiming for an *industrial* look. Photo is not the best but you get the idea, in fact, I'll include some photos of it in 3 different pieces.

 PASSION in part




I have to say working on this one was a great experience. This one went through many a transformation before I decided on the finished version. So many layers, techniques and this is one of my fave palettes to work with.

Next up...these are all very recent paintings...haven't even uploaded them to my art site as yet. (I better get busy!)...


Pulse I ~ 16 x 20 mixed media on canvas


Pulse ~ the series ~ 9 x 12 mixed media on watercolour paper

This is a series  (in progress) I have entitled PULSE...this stems from my desire to capture a more visceral existence on canvas; the pulse or heartbeat of life and love. I have found myself drawn further and further into depicting the *visceral* through word and paint. I respond to the raw and to the real and all of my art attempts to create from an emotional stance vs. intellectual. This has always been my method, though I wasn't always able to put IT into words.

 In Repose ~ 16 x 20 mixed media on canvas


The Masculine Force ~ 16 x 20 mixed media on canvas

*The two above were painted back to back and are displayed as stacked. These were also gifted. Many of my recent paintings have been gifted...Tis the season ;)



These two are as yet untitled and were both created with mixed media on 9 x 12 watercolour paper.

This is just a sampling of what I have been up to. I am working on a few projects but especially on the PULSE series, which has been very therapeutic, especially during these frigid temps we've had to endure here in NY.

I hope you have enjoyed catching up and I will catch up with you soon at your places...:) Happy New Year!

until next time~


11 comments:

Caio Fern said...

wow, what a post .
the house is really lovely , pretty and looks very cozy . I like this style .
and the paintingfs ! , so many things .
I like when you get abstact and figurative ... because you always keep your "brush" style on your work .
the are intence and full of moviment .
have great times !

GYPSYWOMAN said...

well, hello there, dear lady!! am SO happy to see you and your magnificent work again! have missed both very much! and your work - well, i so love it - i've not done anything on masonite - do you prep it first? and what kind of paint did you use here? oil - acrylic? - anyway, love these pieces you've shared with us - and so love seeing you again - please come over when you can! and happy happy new year - wishing you all your wishes come true!

Calli said...

Well, this thing just wiped out my return comments...yikes!

Anyway, Caio, thank you. I too prefer my abstract and figurative paintings...maybe, I am finally finding my niche'...great times ahead! It is going to be a fab year ~ I can tell!

Hello Gypsy and thanks so much! Yes, I do prep, mostly with gesso but also with spackling compound. It depends on if I want a chunky, layered background. Sometimes, I barely glaze it with gesso as it allows me a more porous base to work with so I can build it up. I use many mediums, acrylic, oils, calligraphy ink, gel mediums and more recently, metallic paints and gold leafing.

I love to experiment and the masonite allows me to create on the cheap, as my local guy cuts it to size for me. It's sold in 8 foot sheets. I just have to learn how to to frame it out.
I hope all your wishes also come true! Happy, happy new year!

Nevine Sultan said...

Calli, I must say I do love your Pulse series. Your other paintings are lovely, as well. But it was the pulse art pieces that truly touched something inside me. Okay, I forgive you, now, for being gone for so long. That's what you were doing! ;-)

Nevine

Calli said...

Oh, Nevine, thank you! I would be lying if I didn't say that we artists LOVE when a piece has an effect on a viewer. That is a part of why we do what we do and I am sure it's the same for you...And, that you pardon my lengthy absence is just icing on the cake ;)
Happy Weekend!

Zuzana said...

So glad to see you back again.;)
LOVE your new paintings, the colours are amazing...
Happy New Year to you and yours,
xoxo

Calli said...

Oh, Thank you, Zuzana...and so wonderful to see you. I wish the same for you and yours to include that Irishman of yours....This will be a fabulous year ;)

Craftsman of light said...

'Pulse', 'Visceral' tells me so much about you, the way you grasp life.
You're so amazing Calli....i hope you'll bask and roll gleefully with intense creativity.
May colours rain all around you forming and unforming your lovely soul!

Besides, i love abstracts....the other expressions too!

Calli said...

Craftsman of light that is a beautiful and very much appreciated comment ~ Thank you for such ultra lovely words.

steveroni said...

If I don't get on here soon, it will be June and I'll be wishing you a Happy New Year! Calli-Girl, there is a word I used once during 2010, and already it is now again the only fitting one for me to describe ME!

So here it is in truth for 2011:

I am enthralled...ENTHRALLED, Calli (that was the word). Just to sit here shivering--not certain if it's the cold, or the chill and thrill being deeply immersed into the work of a developing MASTER!

I absolutely love 'Passion', 'In Repose', and 'Pulse'--as if I were living with 3 wonderful, beautiful, disparate women.

I could write a dissertation on each series...you see, I am really impressed! Right?

Back to work, You...and me, too.

Calli said...

Well, Steve, I am (almost) speechless. That is one lovely and generous comment and proves to inspire me further. 'Enthralled' is a fabulous word, one in which signifies one is truly engaged in living!

Thank you very much and yes, we must get back to work! ...and Happy New Year to YOU!