Paul Rasch, Paul’s Home Improvement Service, Florence, AL

If you live in the Shoals Alabama area, are remodeling your house, and need an experienced, professional painter to help you achieve the look that you want, we have a name for you--Paul Rasch of Paul’s Home Improvement, Florence, AL. We assure you that you will not be disappointed. Paul Rasch is the kind of person that you will welcome into your home. When he arrives at your home, he will be dressed in neat clothing--blue shirt featuring his logo and khaki pants. When he leaves, he will look just as neat, without a drop of paint on his clothing.

We have never encountered such a fine craftsman as Paul Rasch. He tackles every job with the same determination and skill to create the very best result. We were amazed at the amount of preparation that he applies to every step in a job. He pays special attention to using the very best materials and equipment--whether it is primer, caulking, brushes, sandpaper, or paint. He holds a light to inspect every aspect of his preparation (repairing, caulking, and sanding) to make sure that every surface becomes as smooth as possible. We were amazed as we watched Paul hold a light in one hand as he painted with the other. After the project is completed, Paul works to ensure that he leaves your home as neat as he found it by scrubbing every surface with clean cloths and vacuuming every floor.

If you need an expert painter, whether inside or outside your home, be sure to call Paul Rasch, Paul’s Home Improvement, at 256-762-8125 to receive an estimate on your job.

Leiper’s Fork, TN Gets New Fine Art Gallery

The quaint village of Leiper’s Fork, TN, now has a new fine art gallery. The Upstairs Gallery is located at 4208 Old Hillsboro Road, Suite 6 in Leiper’s Fork, TN. The Gallery’s hours are 10 to 5 P.M. Wednesday through Saturday and 1 to 5 P.M. on Sunday.

Bob Jones, Owner/Director of Upstairs Gallery, Leiper's Fork, TN

After a lifetime of experience in all phases of art, artist Bob Jones has opened Upstairs Gallery and invited some of his friends to join with him in the Gallery. He served as Graphic Design Director for Thomas Nelson Publishing of Nashville, TN, for more than 20 years. Jones also designed album covers for Sun Records of Nashville for many years. In the beginning, he studied art at Harris School of Advertising Art.

Jones’ pen and ink originals depicting the famous and the not-so-famous exhibit a meticulous attention to detail. “The pen and ink medium allows me to create textures and detail in a wide range and lighting that can be striking in contrast or quite subtle,” he says.

“Black and white is my focus,” says Jones. “It is elegant, clean, and honest. Many people think of pen and ink as a rigid and hard-edged medium, but I find that to be untrue. With patience, an artist can create an image whose range of effects is unsurpassed.”

Artists Exhibiting in the Upstairs Gallery:

Bob Jones, Spring Hill, TN Pen and Ink Artist
Tommy Thompson, Florence, AL Oil Artist of Landscapes
Michelle Rideout, Brentwood, TN Artist in Oil, Watercolor, and Pastel of Landscapes
Wanda Wright, Franklin, TN, Oil Artist of Still Life and Animals
Wendell Short, Photography

On your next visit to Leiper’s Fork, be sure to stop by to visit with Bob and enjoy the original artwork in his gallery. For more information regarding Upstairs Gallery, call 615-293-5299

Upstairs Gallery Location, 4208 Old Hillsboro Road, Suite 6, Leiper's Fork, TN

Upcoming Event:

Cork in the Fork in Historic Leiper’s Fork Village, Saturday, October 6, 2012
Time: 7 P.M. to 10 P.M.
Wine, Fine Catered Cuisine, Live Music--$75 per person
To benefit activities, festivals, and concerts of Downtown Leiper’s Fork Association

For more information and to purchase tickets online go to:
http://www.corkinthefork.com/

Always Pet the Cat

One day when our daughter, Melanie, went outside to water our flowers, she was distracted by “Blackie” the cat who had other plans. Blackie, the neighborhood cat, likes to sun himself in our backyard swing because there are no dogs to bother him in our yard. The only other creatures nearby are those that cats love to pursue like chipmunks, squirrels, bluebirds and coi in the fish pond. Whenever a human being enters the backyard, old Blackie ambles forward to get his back scratched. Tommy Thompson could not resist preserving this scene in the figurative oil painting, "Always Pet the Cat," 18x24 inch oil on canvas. 

Perfect Graduation Gift

"Preserving Bell's Bend" 20 x 24 inch Oil on Canvas by Tommy Thompson

Perfect graduation gift idea--Start a fine art collection for your favorite graduate. Bethany Reiser at Laurel Leaf Gallery (4208 Old Hillsboro Road in Leiper's Fork, TN) has several examples of Tommy Thompson's oil paintings to choose from. "Preserving Bell's Bend" is one example; this 20" x 24" oil on canvas would make an excellent beginning to a graduate's fine art collection.

Father's Day Gift Idea

"Afternoon Hunt" 10 x 20 inch Oil on Canvas by Tommy Thompson

A great idea for a Father's Day gift is Tommy Thompson's "Afternoon Hunt," a 10" x 20" oil on canvas. Don't miss this one-of-a-kind creation at Laurel Leaf Gallery in Leiper's Fork, TN. Thompson paints every day, and collectors are wise to add this talented painter's works to their collection. Invest in great art rather than gold; you can enjoy artwork everyday as it enhances your life.

Demonstration of Wide Range of Values Observed in Light and Shadow

Observing a house across the street from my house, as I squinted looking toward the house, I noticed that the sun shining on the black roof caused it to appear lighter than the white carport in shadow. I had always known that a white piece of paper appeared black in a dark room, but I had never thought that black in bright sunlight would appear to be a light gray. A painter must always keep this in mind because your mind tells you that white is white and black is black. To produce a good painting, you have to paint what you see in this case rather than what you know. Notice the matboard device that I made to demonstrate the wide range of values that I observed between sunlight and shadow. I use this device in talks presented to art groups.

If other artists would like to use this demonstration in their art talks, they can receive a high resolution image to use in their hand-outs by emailing me at tommy@tommythompsonart.com.

Reception for Tommy Thompson and Michelle Rideout

The Father/Daughter Artistic Team of Tommy Thompson and Michelle Rideout was honored with an Opening Reception to mark the beginning of their exhibition of oils and pastels at Belle Meade Plantation's Art Gallery on Thursday, February 4, 2010. Ms. Joanne Hostettler-Floyd and her staff did a remarkable job of organizing the reception featuring "Valentine Wines" from West Meade Wines and Liquor Mart and hors d'oeuvres from Belle Restaurant. A delightful evening of art, wine and food was enjoyed by everyone.

Sandra Harris, Brentwood artist, visits with her friend and fellow artist, Michelle Rideout.

Nashville artist, Jennifer Padgett, views the paintings by Tommy Thompson and Michelle Rideout.

Tommy Thompson with Nashville art enthusiast, Sue Ann Moore.

Give a Valentine Gift of Fine Art, A Gift That Will Be Enjoyed Every Day and Handed Down for Generations

"Harpeth at Fulton Greer Park" 11x14 Oil by Tommy Thompson

A Valentine gift of fine art is a gift that will be be enjoyed every day and handed down for generations. A gift of original fine art gives pleasure to the recipient every day, not just on Valentine’s Day, and it increases in value over time. To make your Valentine shopping a unique experience, visit Belle Meade Plantation Art Gallery, 5025 Harding Pike, Nashville, TN, where a special exhibition of oils and pastels by Tommy Thompson and Michelle Rideout is being displayed for sale until February 28, 2010. The Gallery’s hours are: Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m, and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. As an added bonus to your Valentine shopping experience, one-half of the purchase price of your gift will be tax deductible since the Plantation is a nonprofit organization.

When you visit Belle Meade Plantation Art Gallery to see the Thompson/Rideout Art Exhibit, why not have lunch or dinner upstairs in the Belle Restaurant (http://www.bellerestaurant.com), where you can view Thompson’s beautiful oil painting of the Belle Meade Mansion. This painting is also for sale by the Belle Meade Plantation Gift Shop (downstairs).

After several years as a commercial and architectural illustrator, Thompson moved on to traditional oil painting in 2002. Since that time, the artist has painted onsite throughout the country. With other artists and friends, he has painted on location not only in Alabama but also in Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, New Mexico, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, and Wyoming, plus Canada. His artwork has been featured in national publications including American Art Collector, Southwest Art, Horses in Art; in regional publications like Hills and Hamlets and Greater Nashville House, Home, and Garden; and in Nashville area newspapers, The Tennessean and Brentwood Life. His work has been featured online by Area of Design--In the Spotlight, The Judge's Choice, The Journal of 100 Miles (Natchez Trace), Discovered Artists, Painter's Keys, Chestnut Group, Plein Air Artists, Landscape Artists International, and Oil Painters of America. Thompson’s artwork was recently juried into a special exhibition called “Saving Paradise” of Belmont University’s Leu Gallery, September 1-December 2, 2010. For more information on Thompson’s work, check out his web site at www.tommythompsonart.com

"Biltmore Goose," 11x14 Pastel, by Michelle Rideout

After graduating with a degree in graphic design from the University of North Alabama, Rideout worked for several years for Village Prints (www.villageprints.com), creating hundreds of architectural-style composite pencil drawings of towns across 12 Southern states. After moving to Tennessee, she studied with some of the country's top artists including Carolyn Wright of Chattanooga, TN; Jason Saunders, Leiper's Fork, TN; Dawn Whitelaw, Pat Thompson, and Roger Dale Brown of Franklin, TN; Jeremy Doss of Townsend, TN; and Jeanne Mackenzie of Colorado. Besides painting on location at various Nashville area sites with her father, Rideout also enjoys painting with friends in Nashville's Chestnut Group, "plein air painters for the land." For more information on Rideout’s work, check out her web site at www.michellerideout.com