The NJ Report: Truly an art form - paint, food, makeup!

BIG CONGRATS to Suzy Shealy, my mother-in-law, who's fine art creation has won the First Federal Bank's Purchase Award. It was featured in the the Charleston Art Guild's annual People's Choice Exhibit. In case you checked out my previous blog, yes, she won! Suzy's awesome!

"Tradd Street Window Boxes" will now hang in the lobby of the Broad Street bank. Suzy's creative work was skillfully painted with watercolor paints on rice paper. The soft colors were a quite complimentary to the almost rough texture of the paper. The imagery evokes a true Charleston feel - from the overhanging floral decor in the windows, narrow sidewalk, and detailed wrought iron fence design - all too familiar to the locals here.

Last weekend we had a road trip down to the Bluffton/Hilton Head area. Husband William had to work, so I shopped around and ate some delicious food! USC Journalism school friend Holly Bounds and I experienced art, in the form of food! Cute pic!!

Wise Guys is a charming tapas lounge with an extensive wine list and intricate, tasty dishes. Chef Russell Keane whipped us up the creamy yet light, risotto with shrimp and lobster. It was a very comforting dish and highly recommended by Holly and myself, if you make it out there. The Mediterranian Vegetable pizzetta, while delicious, was quite the contrast of flavors from our first dish. The bold flavors of feta cheese, salty olives, and sweet caramelized onion truly stood out. The eggplant added a good balance to the more robust flavors, while the flatbread added a nice crisp! Here it is saying, "I'm yummy, drink me with white wine such as a reisling!"

William and I also enjoyed Truffles Cafe. (Holly gave it raving reviews!) It was a perfect Sunday afternoon lunch spot. The bread course included a spectacular lightly whipped sour cream and chive butter, that William had to take away from me as I was gobbling it all up! Then we had a beautifully designed tomato bisque - the perfect balance of sweet, creamy, and savory from the tomatoes! We ordered our sandwiches (a cheeseburger and a turkey and cheese croissant) with fruit, which was all made to order fresh with tasty ingredients. Can't wait to go back! Located in Bluffton and two in Hilton Head.

Working with internationally trained makeup artist Andrew C. Petersen has truly made me realize how much of an art makeup is! The face, a canvas, is accentuated ever so slightly with various colors, and it is transposed into something that makes the beholder look again, not just because of the makeup, but because a woman's true confidence and inner beauty shines out even brighter. We had two weddings with almost one dozen lovely faces to accentuate. Here's Andrew at work with Amy, who works in the Charleston area in sales and marketing!