Old-As-Dirt Architecture in Greensboro

(This picture is of a real log cabin built near Greensboro around 1788!!- it's now downtown at the Greensboro Historical Museum and you can tour the sucker!)

It's fairly obvious that I have not attended to my blog for a few months. I just haven't had it in me to write and elaborate any more than I'm required to in my online classes. That's right...online classes! I started a master's program in January that will officially certify me to teach in the N.C. school system. Hooray! Lateral entry jobs have not really been out there for the past two years, so I decided to buckle down and make myself official once again. Sometimes I think all life really requires is the ability to jump through hoop after hoop in order to make one's self "official." That's a little on the sarcastic side though so I'll refrain from further elaboration.

Anyway, I have COMPLETELY enjoyed one of my classes this semester (I've also completely resented one class that requires me to spew at least 19 paragraphs of BS each week. You know what I'm talking about education majors!). The class I love is called art history methods and content, and it's supposed to teach me how to impart little minds with knowledge of art history.

(I drag my poor husband along on my local architecture binges. Fortunately he's up for entertaining historical exhibits and it's given me an excuse to visit a number of fascinating places in Greensboro)

That's the easy part. The hard part is the fact that my professor (beloved, quirky, demanding), has made it her personal mission to make sure her students know all the art history people and architecture bits that she deems crucial. She claims that Americans know more about European art and architecture than they do about American art and architecture. It's true! I can tell you a lot more about French Impressionism than I can about the Hudson River School. Surely we can cover 250 years of American art and architecture in 16 weeks... right? Right! In my class, her difficult hour-long quizzes have produced anxiety, tears and strangely-- even joy.

It surely is a doosey, but I've enjoyed having my art history gaps filled and cemented. I didn't know a darn thing about American architecture, but thanks to this professor, I've discovered that it is THRILLING and that it is ALL AROUND US! I've also discovered new art history movements and painters that were just waiting to reach me. Ever heard of Luminism?

Just last Friday I drove out into the country and found a Georgian/Federalist style home (circa early 1800's) that was supposedly built by John McCain's great-great-great grandfather. I guess old-money helps one become a senator in some circumstances. Regardless, it was LOVELY! Here's a picture:

And below is a photo of yet another REAL colonial house in Greensboro. This is the McNairy house that was built between 1762-1781--that's OLD. It used to be located near Battleground and Horse Pen Creek, (roads still there!) but now it is smack-dab in the middle of downtown Greensboro (Historical Museum on Summit Ave.) The house was actually used as a hospital after the revolutionary war battle of Guilford Courthouse- March 15, 1781. That's a mere 230 years ago this month! Can you imagine being carried form the wooded battleground (battleground park) and then landing in this house where some doctor with a knife would have amputated your injured leg? I can't imagine that but it's wild to think about it.

It's so easy to imagine that history was "out there" or that none of these buildings exist anymore. It's just not true! Did you know Greensboro's Elm St. was named that because a former slave planted beautiful Elm trees along the street? Sadly, they were cut down in order to make the town look more urban later on. Sigh... I don't like that trend.

If I wasn't so allergic to dust and afraid of power tools I may have been more into historic preservation. This weekend was a marathon of seeking and finding buildings and homes with fascinating history. For my next blog post I'll tell you what Sponge Bob Squarepants has to do with Beaux Arts architecture in Greensboro...

Eat Your Heart Out

I am cheesy. There is nothing that I love more than red and pink hearts, glitter, roses and a box of chocolates. I know there are the valentine-haters out there. There are people who think this holiday is stupid-- that instead, we should celebrate those we love with reckless abandon every day-- or any day, for that matter. I agree with the logic. However, it's often the case that I forget items on my to-do list that don't have a specific deadline. So I am thankful for the deadline of Valentine's Day because it forces me to stop, eat a bite of chocolate, and make pretty cards for some of the special folks in my life.

With that said, I got together with two of my newest friends (Carla and Woodie) on Saturday and we made Valentines like crazy.

There were sweet valentines, cheesy valentines, hilarious valentines-- and between the glitter and pretty patterned paper, we took bites of chocolate croissants (another yearly tradition in the Podracky household).

Here are some pictures from our party. It is sure to be an annual event and I hope more people can join in the fun next year.

Evolution of the Red Tree

It always comes back to the same thing. I realized this week that I've been painting red trees for 7 years now. I LOVE the color red. If everything I wore was red, I'd be happy. If everything I ate was red, I'd be happy (red wine, tomatoes, cherries, Cheerwine, lollipops, steak-- hey, even shrimp are kind of red if you stretch it). I just love the color red.

Here's my latest red tree painting along with all the others that I actually have pictures of. The first one is the one that started it all-- way back at W&L. I enjoyed seeing them all together. My most recent painting is the last one.

Fire Tree, 2004, 30x40 inches, Permanent collection of academic affairs, University of Wyoming

Maple Beauties, 2009, 36 x 48 inches, private collection, VA

November Splendor in Red, 2009, 48 x 60 inches, private collection, NC

November Splendor in Violet, 2009, 48 x 60 inches, private collection, NC

Duke Chapel in the Fall, 2010, available at Studio 91, Chapel Hill

Fire Tree II, 36x48 inches, 2011, available at Studio 91, Chapel Hill

The latest painting just happened out of the blue (or out of the red, rather). I drove home one day and found the sunlight hitting my neighbor's Japanese maple tree just right. I rushed to take some photos and I finally returned to those images in the past few weeks. My favorite parts of these paintings are where the blue sky comes in against the red leaves. There is lots of impasto paint there-- It feels a little abstract and has so much energy! That's when I just lose myself in the thrill of painting colors.

I'll be at Studio 91 tonight from 6-9 p.m. and I'm going to paint on site! I have no idea what I'm painting yet, so this could go either way. I hope you'll stop by and see me for a bit.

January Struggle vs. White Christmas

I'm struggling at going back to real life today. Dave went back to work this morning and I've been trying to get my act together ever since. It was so nice to have a week to recover from 2010. Not that it was a bad year at all-- it was a glorious year! It's just that after all that cooking, cleaning, entertaining, working at the chocolate shop, wrapping, painting, exhibiting, house buying, moving stuff, we were wiped out. So much happens in a year... I'm sure next year I'll be at a completely different point than this year, but for now, I'm happy to stay put in a warm house with a fireplace. Maybe I could drag my easel up close to it and then I'd be more productive in the first week of January. So instead of new paintings, here are some fun pictures from our very first White Christmas in N.C. Hopefully there will be many more to follow.

Christmas Day in Greensboro-- It began to snow around 2:30 p.m.
By 9:00 p.m., this is what our street looked like!
We went for an obligatory walk in the neighborhood to see the globe lights. Apparently, this is something that Greensboro goes gaga for! Next year we will be in on the action too.
And my favorite photo of the evening.... our neighbor's tree draped in sparkly lights and dusted with glittery snow. Now how about that cuppa hot chocolate and a cozy book by the fire?

Terrariums, Fairys and Gnomes

Last year I received a beautiful bell-shaped glass cover as a wedding gift from my Aunt Joyce. I've already found so many uses for it! It's covered cookies, pies, cheese & crackers, and now it will cover my latest creation... a terrarium display!

To make your own, gather a tiny potted plant (like a fern) and a few things from around the house and yard. Then stick a glass cover on it and you're done! Here you see my collection without the glass cover.

My dear friend, Brynn, brought me the little birds nest earlier this fall. I think it looks sweet with a tiny star ornament nestled inside. Toss in some pine cones and moss and voila! You'll have a delightful display! If you have children, call it a fairy home instead and have them place a miniature chair or seat in there for the fairy.

This little set-up reminds me of a special gnome tree on a path at W&L. Someone had carved a tiny wooden door, complete with a handle and secured it with little hinges to a hole in the tree trunk. I found it one day with my little buddy, who was in elementary school at the time. We opened the door and found a stash of notes and wishes that had been written to the mythical inhabitant. When we put all the little notes back in, we even added a few wishes of our own for Mr. Gnome. I wonder if he still lives there...

Four Peaks: Colorado Mountains

"Four Peaks" is a painting for a couple that I met over 5 years ago in Wyoming. When I lived in Laramie, they saw my senior thesis work at a coffee shop and commissioned me to create a painting to celebrate their 10-year wedding anniversary. Naturally, I was thrilled when they found me again to help them celebrate 15 years together! What a compliment!

In the last 5 years, they've adopted two sweet girls. The four peaks in this painting represent the four members of their family-- The big overlapping peaks represent years of strength and love in their marriage and the two smaller peaks represent their sweet girls. In addition, the mountains in the painting are Colorado mountains-- close to the family's current home.

This painting is a beautiful way to celebrate their special occasion and I am honored to help Eric and Julie mark their milestones together! Thank you Eric and Julie and here's wishing you endless years of happiness together!

The Yellow House: a photo journal