Red Dirt Farm and Studio

Hello, and Welcome to Red Dirt Farm and Studio.

Hi, I’m Kim and I have been married to my best friend for over thirty years.  We live in a 1930’s cottage-style farmhouse in Central Virginia. We have been renovating and building an addition to our home for the past few years, and probably will be for a few more.

I am a maker and I am also a small-scale flower and chicken farmer.

 

Mr. Red Dirt is the down to earth smart business-oriented mind.  Me – I’m the head in the clouds, day-dreamer.

Long ago, in another life, I worked for a financial firm.  Completely miserable and out of my element, I eventually left to pursue work that felt more authentic to who I am.

My creative spirit set sail and I have been fortunate to explore many different paths. My home has always been my sanctuary.  A sweet farmhouse and a lovely purple studio where I create art sits under the shade of an old pecan tree at the back of our property.  It has been unused for a number of years.  I currently carve out space to paint and create in the house, usually at the kitchen table.

I like to work with different media.  I started out working with metal, mostly creating garden art.  Then, one year my husband purchased a kiln for me because I was interested in working with glass. I worked with glass for several years.

I used to travel selling my work at art shows and festivals.  Eventually, I gave that up so that my time was available to help care for my mother who had Alzheimer’s.  It was a 15-year journey that left me mentally and physically drained. When my mother passed it rocked me to my core.  I stopped creating and making – my soul was broken for a very long time.  During this time I suffered a head and shoulder injury and then was diagnosed with an Auto-immune disorder.

I turned to my gardens to get my heart and soul and physical being back in alignment.  I cried a river of tears while tending my flowers and through the heartbreak, I was experiencing, time spent gardening and in nature revived my spirit.  I decided to pursue my life-long dream of selling flowers at a little road-side stand here at the farm.

In 2020, I picked up a paintbrush for the first time, I am teaching myself to paint, and I am so full of joy and happiness again.

My work is light-hearted folksy style, heavily influenced by my love of color, nature and animals, in particular birds.

 I run a small roadside farm stand and art wagon on our property, selling fresh eggs and flowers and my paintings and other items I make.

I care for my animals and my flowers the same way, using nature as a guide, no chemicals, no pesticides for the plants, and no harmful antibiotics or steroids, for the animals; lots of love and taking the bad with the good.

Here I share stories and photos of my life and the things I cook and make, but this is not a how-to or a DYI, kind of blog. It is more like a letter written to a friend.  Please, introduce yourself and join along in the conversation, that’s what makes blogging fun for me.

We are blessed to live a beautiful life full of love and respect.  It isn’t always pretty or easy; actually,  caring for this small farm is a lot of hard work and there is never a day off.

And that my friends, is what this blog is about, my life here on the farm, and of course the things I make.

 

Join along as the adventures continue.

XO

Kim

2022 update

P.S.  A new chapter in our life story is unfolding.  As we prepare to retire and begin a new life I hope you will join along.  For a sneak peak at our future home please go here.

Just a little view of my everyday life here at Red Dirt farm.