This painting is titled "Barns of Ashe County No. 2, New River Road" and is the second in a series titled "Barns of Ashe County." Ashe County is located in North Carolina in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains and home to so many beautiful, weathered old barns! The painting is oil on stretched, gallery-quality canvas. It measures 24 inches by 24 inches with a 1.5 inch gallery-quality wrapped edge. Painting wraps around the edge so no need to frame. About the artist: I'm an artist and high school art teacher currently living in Jacksonville, FL. After earning a degree in Art from Auburn University, I started teaching art in Florida and painting in my spare time. Like most artists, my style of art has changed quite a bit over the years as has my artistic focus and medium of choice. I now specialize in creating customized oil paintings on canvas in a variety of subject matter on a commission basis. I love painting everything from nature and landscapes to abstracts. For more info and examples of my work, visit my website, artistlaurendoran.com I also am happy to customize the perfect piece for you! Contact me!

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I LOVE Ashe County Cheese. Don't you??

Here are more quilts from Barn Quilts and Beyond-the Ashe County Quilt Fair, 2017, held last weekend in West Jefferson,NC. The first three pictured are the viewers' choice winners, in no particular order. This quilt by Josephine Segal is titled Jacobean, and the design is from Pat Campbell's book Romantica. I was very intrigued by this collaged quilt with lots of text, birds, and interesting fabrics. It is titled The Dress, by Bobbi Garden, from a pattern by Laura Heine. It reflects the scripture in Matthew 6:26. This is a detail of The Dress quilt. The third Viewer's choice was a seasonal floral appliqué by Claudette Jacobs called Seasonal Silhouettes. Here is a detail of one of the blocks. Here are some more quilts that caught my eye. I liked this bright star medallion quilt, which was pieced by Carl Stevens and quilted by Helga Ricci. The pattern is by Judy Niemeyer. Summer Solstice, Carl Stevens I like bright quilts, especially for children, and have several WIP's using the "crumb quilt" technique. Crumb Quilt, by Susan Bradshaw, quilted by Laurel Springs Quilting This is a very nicely done Double Wedding Ring quilt by Claudette Jacobs, quilted by Laurel Springs Quilting. Friendship, by Claudette Jacobs Here is a detail of the quilting. Love the feathers! The next quilt would look great in my log cabin! I could not read the title on my photo of the label, but it is by Tammy Hutchinson. I very much liked this floral appliqué called Flower Box Medley by Janet Ward. The flowers look lovely against the soft blue background. Flower Box Medley, by Janet Ward And here is one more, which I selected because of the skillful feather quilting in the golden border. Unfortunately, I can not find a photo of the label to identify the maker/quilter. It was a very nice quilt show, although for a summer show an air-conditioned venue would have been preferable! It was in the gym of an elementary school. I believe the previous shows by this guild have been in September. I think that finding a place to stage the show presented some problems this year, and the school was only available in the summer. I brought home an application to become a member of this guild. I need some friends up here in my new mountain home...and quilters are the nicest people!

Ashe County Cheese is Carolina's oldest cheese plant, producing quality cheese since 1930. The Ashe County Cheese viewing room is open year round at no charge. The cheese making schedule changes from week to week, so be sure to check their cheese making schedule or call ahead and they will tell you what they are making.

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Army Mom, Foodie, Traveler, Best Friend

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While it was great to photograph along the Blue Ridge Parkway, I’m always interested in documenting the culture as well. So I took to the backroads in Ashe County, North Carolina to make some…

Digitized Wills and Estates for Ashe County NC #genealogy #northcarolinapioneers http://ift.tt/2dza9ih via Tumblr http://ift.tt/2djJfNC

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This old store is at the intersection of Hwy 194 and Helton Creek road in Sturgill NC in Ashe County. What is so interesting there is an old Bush Quayle 1992 poster still on the building.

Here are more quilts from Barn Quilts and Beyond-the Ashe County Quilt Fair, 2017, held last weekend in West Jefferson,NC. The first ...

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I just love this little town!

These are scenes one may see in downtown West Jefferson NC in Ashe County. WJ Hardware.

Today I am bringing you more eye candy from the Ashe County Piecemaker's Quilt Guild show that I visited last weekend in West Jefferson, North Carolina. Here are some of the more traditional quilts from the exhibition. First up is a Triple Irish Chain in reds, pinks and white. I liked the quilting design in the large white open spaces. This star quilt is very inviting in soft country colors. This blue quilt has a very simple block enhanced by machine embroidery. I have always been fond of blue, yellow, and green color combinations, log cabin quilts, and floral fabric. This quilt had it all! I was intrigued by the raised lines in the solid yellow fabric. Does it come like this, or was embroidery added? This quilt could not be missed in its bright flaming colors and graphic design. The black really makes the orange and reds pop! Here is one of my favorite traditional quilts of all time, a beautiful, exquisite Grandmother's Flower Garden. Perhaps this "Drunkard's Path" quilt caused problems for the quiltmaker, as she named it, "Never Again!" I had just seen pictures of a One Block Wonder Encore quilt at Feeling Simply Quilty's blog. Very intricate design! I don't mean to be saving the best for last, but just look at the sparkling setting of these white stars on red background! Wow! And here is the opposite color scheme: red stars on white. There is a little bit of pink and also a dark green fabric added. This quilt benefits from some fabulous custom quilting in the negative spaces. Check back next time for more pictures from the Ashe County Piecemakers show.

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