North Light Studios

Unlike many of these places that I blog about that I want to visit, I've actually been to St. Petersburg. Not recently, of course. This was about fourteen years ago, and I went in the middle of winter with my husband. We were crazy, of course, but it was an amazing experience and so worth it. From the gorgeous architecture and brightly painted buildings to the eerily beautiful cemeteries and roomy town squares, I loved every minute of it. I remember walking into shops or buildings and I would start to thaw, mascara and phlegm running down my face. The instant I would walk back outside it would all freeze up again. Very cold, but so full of history and intrigue that it filled my blood and intoxicated me. We stayed in the Hotel St. Petersburg, which at the time was undergoing renovation. We didn't have the money to stay in the nice rooms, so our room was an old communist un-breeding ground with two smaller-than-twin beds nailed to the walls end to end. My husband and I still ma...

I’ve been holding off on this one, simply because I know it so well and could go on forever about it. But the Springville Museum of Art is one of the best museums I’ve ever been to. So why am I talking about it now? Because it’s director, Dr. Vern Swanson, is retiring this August. I’m both hopeful and fearful for whoever is taking his place, because he is seriously irreplaceable. I’ll start with the exterior. The building was originally a high school, built in Spanish Colonial style . Two paintings were donated to the school, which transformed into a museum when a bigger high school was built. The step-down gallery is home to exhibitions, whatever the flavor-of-the-month is. From the International Spring Salon that runs May through July every year, to the Quilt Show in the fall, there is always something fantastic to see here. I admit, Mike’s piece is in that room right now, and I love to go look at it, along with the other pieces. Each room on the main level is spacious and...