“Their roar is around me. I am on the brink of the great waters—and their anthem voice goes up amid the rainbow and the mist.” —Excerpt from “Niagara,” Grenville Mellen, 1839 In the 19th century, realistically painted works of the Romantic period offered viewers in America, and across the Atlantic, the chance to glimpse the…

Not just for pretty porches and coastal cottages, painted floors are taking over home interiors. Images of quaint, rustic country homes or sprawling Southern porches may come to mind when you think of painted floors, and for fans of classic design, the trend is nothing new. But the latest looks prove painted floors are for…

The old dark knotty pine paneling of the ’50s covering many basement and rec room walls can be lightened and revitalized by removing the varnish. But it’s a lot of work. We think it’s worth it, because when the dark varnish is gone, the natural beauty of the wood shows up, giving new meaning to…

“I always loved those little creatures, always feeling blessed when they appeared nearby. There’s a magical quality to them.”—American musician Leonard Cohen Hummingbirds are a source of endless fascination for human beings throughout the Americas. With their gracefully rapid movements and shining spectrum of colors, hummingbirds are one of life’s intrinsic pleasures to behold. Like…

When Air Force vet Nicholas Timm, 40, bought a dilapidated building in Okanogan, Washington, at the end of last year, he stumbled upon a lost work of art behind the walls. Carrying out demolition work with his crew in January, he was removing plaster from a wall when he glimpsed something unexpected. “A spot caught my…

Carmen Gloria Perez always dreamed about traveling the world. Then, when she was just 10 years old, her parents split up, and her mother took her from New York to Puerto Rico in hopes of starting fresh. Life was difficult, and her family had to rely on government assistance to get by. “When I was…

No arms, no limits!

An artist swapped her paint brush for a garden rake to re-create a giant version of a famous 123-year-old masterpiece on a deserted beach. Claire Eason, 55, spent four hours painstakingly etching the image into the sand on Beadnell Bay in Northumberland before the tide washed it away. She created the 50-foot-long beach drawing as…

Faith comes first for American representational artist Kristen Valle Yann. She aims to glorify God in all she does, and she’s constantly asking herself how her art can appeal to everyone, regardless of their beliefs. The 24-year-old Floridian artist, of Cuban descent, is at the start of her career and is eagerly exploring the different…

A drawing by one of the most famous German artists in history turned up in Massachusetts and is set to be officially cataloged for the first time. It could also be worth a cool $10 million, according to one expert. Only a handful of finished drawings depicting the Virgin and Child were ever completed by…