Wild Mustangs of Grayson Highlands

Nestled in the southwestern corner of Virginia, the Appalachian Trail weaves through the Mount Rodgers National Recreation Area and the lesser known Grayson highlands State Park. Throughout the 4,500+ acres of the park, 13 hiking trails traverse mountain balds, meander through Rhododendron covered Trails and skirt the cascading waterfalls along Wilson Creek. From the park, it is also a short hike to the highest peak in Virginia Mount Rodgers. Impressive in its own right, Mount Rodgers is the second-most isolated peak in the state as well as the highest highpoint of any eastern state that does not have any roads or pavement leading to its summit and can therefore only be accessed by hiking.

But what if I told you none of those things are what brought us to the park in the first snowfall of the season this January?


Ponies....wild ponies....

Grazing the hillsides and balds, the wild horses freely roam throughout the park. Introduced in 1974 to prevent reforestation of the highland balds, the herd here is less known than the wild horses are roam the coastal regions of Virginia and Outer Banks of North Carolina. However, with the backdrop of the Virginia highlands, on a snowy 19 degree day, I could imagine no better scene and no wild mustang more spectacular...

Please, if you yourself visit the wild ponies, do your part to keep the animals wild. As advised the the park "Visitors should not approach, feed or pet the ponies. They bite and kick when they feel threatened, and human food is bad for them"

Composing Kandinsky at the Cary Visual Arts Ball

Many people who have seen my artwork, have seen this piece... "Composing Kandinsky".  

This painting means a lot to me.  It inspires me.  There is inspiration all around, and yet I display this painting because I am constantly inspired by it.  

I remember what influenced it's creation... and that's what I see when I look at it... it's me.  I don't mean literally, but everything that went into creating this painting helped to make me the artist I am.  

I painted it in college.  My life as a dual degree student was just that... a dual.  The only time my mind relaxed was when I went salsa dancing.  I didn't need to know the spanish language; I learned it by doing it.  Art and painting became the same when my professor and artist, Eric Lawing told me to stop trying and "just play with the paint".  This advice is invaluable.    

I'll never forget my art history teacher from the class that introduced me to Wassily Kandinsky telling us how she buys famous artwork instead of living room furniture and when her kids ask why they don't have a couch like their friends she says "it's because you have ART!"  

Wassily Kandinsky was the first Abstract Expressionist.  I learned about the subconscious mind, how turning off your brain and opening your senses allows you to live and create in a whole new way.  It's a spiritual experience.  Faith has always been a part of my life, and to grow in faith by trusting yourself... your subconscious... is freeing.  

According to Kandinsky:  

       

Lend your ears to music, open your eyes to painting, and... stop thinking!

Everything starts from a dot.

Each color lives by its mysterious life.

A painter, who finds no satisfaction in mere representation, however artistic, in his longing to express his inner life, cannot but envy the ease with which music, the most non-material of the arts today, achieves this end. He naturally seeks to apply the methods of music to his own art.

To create a work of art is to create the world.

I took what he said and watched a movie from his lifetime, well... I listened to a movie from his time, picking up on the similarities to my own lifetime.

Artwork is not just something pretty, not merely trying to create something out of nothing, or trying to recreate something that's already been created.  It's not just a tool used for advertising, but a connection to someone.  It's expression.  It's taking something inside of you and letting it teach you something. 

There is something remarkable about the ability to inspire yourself. I have been leaning on this painting as inspiration, and recently realized that I needed to let it go so that I can look within myself again for inspiration... 

So, to whomever raised the money for the Arts by bidding the highest price for this painting at the Cary Visual Arts Ball, I believe that you value artwork like my art history teacher, that you are inspired by this piece like I am, and that you will continue supporting and encouraging the Arts... Thank You.       

greinerstudio.com








 

Grand Opening!

GreinerStudio Etsy Store is now OPEN!

We've loved selling artwork at shows and festivals and it's exciting to have email and phone requests for commissioned paintings, but we wanted to make it easier for you all to see what's available for purchase.  

You can now shop from greinerstudio.com by clicking on "Store" at the top of the homepage or by going to etsy.com and searching for greinerstudio.  

We'll continue posting about upcoming shows, festivals, and other fun things... Keep checking in with us!  Enjoy!     

Your purchases allow us to keep creating.  Thank you!  

GreinerStudio Etsy Store

What happened to the blank canvas!?

We know you're wondering what happened to the blank canvas and like we said in our last post...

                                     

...two four year old twins got to paint!

They kept peeking around our display walls to see what I had just started painting and their parents said all they want to do is paint... so I gave them each a brush.

It was fascinating to see their imaginations at work and to see how no two artists are the same. One kept layering more and more paint until there were layers of brown and the other drew different images, trying to connect them with the layers of brown.  

It was going to be an abstract painting, but I wanted to incorporate what they had done. This had become a collaborative painting.


                         

It's about imagination and child's play.    

We can all be looking at the same thing, but see something very different, which is great thing.

greinerstudio.com

Durham Art Walk Holiday Market Success!

As you know from our last post, the Durham Art Walk Holiday Market was our first show as a team and was a great success in many ways!

A couple paintings will be Christmas presents... SSH!

Several young adults bought their first paintings... one woman exclaiming, "I can buy ART!" 

Newlyweds will be enjoying fun bird conversations for years to come...

We met and befriended many local artisans we hope to cross paths with again...

And two four year old twins got to paint!

We hope you share the blog posts you enjoy below and keep visiting greinerstudio.com.

GreinerStudio at the Durham Art Walk Holiday Market

Embracing the holiday season, and releasing new work to the public, Amanda and Craig have joined dozens of fellow local artists, artisans, craftsmen and musicians in downtown Durham, North Carolina. Sponsored by the Durham Arts Council, the two day Holiday Market is featured across several venues November 21 - 22. From 10-5 on Saturday and 1-5 on Sunday, local art will be featured at the Durham Arts Council, Vega Metals, the Durham Armory and many more.

What is even more exciting - this is our first show as a team. Combining photography and painting, both mediums are on display with new works by both Amanda and Craig. Welcome to the Durham Armory!

We are located at the Durham Armory at 220 Foster Street, and a special feature will be on display. Notice the blank canvas in the middle of the booth??? Come in person to watch Amanda at her craft and check back to the blog later to see the work in progress...

Sweet Potato Harvest is Coming!

Craig and I love to cook together, so we started our garden in hopes of being able to feed ourselves and then some... and it looks like the "and then some" is working out much faster than expected!  
 
We were buying sweet potatoes and baking our own fries and chips because they're just so good!  Seriously, if you like restaurant sweet potato fries that you have to pay at least a dollar more for, bake your own!  
 
I don't mean buying the frozen ones or bagged potato chips from the store... although that's a step towards healthier fries and chips.  I mean cut that dirty old sweet potato into strips (after giving it a good rinse), put them on a baking sheet, drizzle a little olive oil on top... maybe a little salt or pepper... and pop them in the oven until they're crispy enough or just the right amount of mushy for you.  They're 10 times better when you make them yourself. 
 
So let's get back to how the "and then some" is working out much faster than expected...
I was out, exploring my new area a few months ago, and saw a very sad sight at the local feed store.  There were shelves of dying plants marked down to $ .25 each.  I had know idea what they were and couldn't believe anyone would buy them, but when the lady at the register said they were sweet potatoes I immediately wanted to save them!  
 
I started digging through them, trying to see if any weren't totally black or moldy.  The lady said she didn't want them to be thrown away but she knew if they didn't sell that day, they were going in the trash.  
 
 

That's when I googled it... how to grow sweet potatoes.  The answer... in a trash can.  Ironic isn't it.

I scooped up all the bundles that had a little bit of green and said "I'll try growing them!".  I'm not sure if she thought it was hopeless or if she was just happy they had a chance... She gave them to me for free!  
 
I realized upon my return home, I didn't have a trash can that I could just drill holes in the bottom of... and still have a trash can for things like actual trash for the next few months. We'll call that an Amanda moment...  
 
So, my husband, being the genius problem solver that he is, came up with the idea to build a container about the same size as a trash can with the scrap lumber that we had.  We really weren't sure they'd make it and we didn't have that much scrap lumber, but we new we could get cheap fence boards a little warped, that would be perfect for making a taller container if and when they chose to grow... 

 

 

It's not the prettiest... but it is prettier than a trash can and worked great since they didn't all grow at the same pace and they need sunlight to grow.  We planted about 20 individuals and 7 survived!  With every rain, they took off!  They grew about a foot long each week. 
 
The trash can technique consists of a thick bottom layer of manure that the potatoes are started in and then when the vine grows, another layer of manure is added, burying the vine so that only a couple inches is visible.  You repeat this with manure or organic soil, like we did, for the life of the vine until it stops growing and the exposed vine and leaves turn brown.  That's when you know it's time to harvest!  
 
Ours were dying to begin with because planting season was over when I bought them... so it's no surprise ours weren't harvested in September like the majority of sweet potatoes... but we do have sweet potatoes to harvest!  
 
And we are pretty sure that we're going to be bringing the sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving and Christmas this year...
 
So, if you know any recipes... send them our way.  We'll probably be sharing some with you soon!
 
   






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