Here’s where it all started. Years ago, there was an enchanting house, moldering away in a beautiful pine woods. The first time I saw it, it was hidden up a long driveway and surrounded by a carpet of white violets and myrtle ground cover. The pine trees grew up right next to the house and unbeknownst to me, were destroying the stucco. The crown of the roof had blown off and rain dripped through the second floor to the dining room and created a Dali-esque warping of the beautiful mission wood table. There were antique gentlemen’s’ collars rotting into the drawers in the bedroom. And not much worked except the Victrola with it’s records from the 20’s. This amazing place called my name and through my work, my husband and the help of amazing friends, it’s been restored, it’s evolved and continues to change, always needing the next challenge tackled. It seems that finishing one project leads to several new ones popping up and the end is never in sight. It’s taught us to appreciate the process and the “now”, because things keep on evolving, both into beauty and into chaos! We’ve created gardens for painting, and spent time painting the house and not in our studio, and it’s been challenging and never ending. But, the house and the gardens have given us immense joy, and have inspired us for years. There’s something very special about old houses that have been loved and that feel as though they embody the spirits of those who have inhabited the spaces before.
We’ve taken on a new old house rescue in Maine, where we’ve been going to teach & to paint the beautiful landscape and still life for years. Nobody seemed to be stepping up to the plate to rescue 16 South Shore Drive, so despite our misgivings, we stepped in. Now we’re in thrall to our 2 old house divas. And it’s been a wonderful adventure. We’re proud to be part of their histories and thankful to be surrounded by such beauty in two very different places. We’re also often tired, since we do as much as we can do ourselves. I’d like to share some of the stories and the creativity that’s been inspired in two very different and lovely places.
