How We Found Out History Was Made in Our Living Room

Remember when I was like, "Hey, our newly discovered fireplace tiles are red and bland and ugly but I DON'T CARE BECAUSE MAGIC HAPPENED HERE!"?

Just two days after we bought our house last June, we found out that our home was the art studio to Jacksonville-based but world-renowned botanical painter Lee Adams. Clayton and I thought this was the coolest thing - because it is the coolest thing - and this only made us eager to learn as much as we could about Lee.

Over the summer, while googling Lee Adams (at work), I found a few black and white photos of Lee working on his 31-foot long painting of Jean Ribault landing at the St. Johns River, which was commissioned by Sears Roebuck & Co. in the 1950s.

I scanned the photos for any kind of clues that would place Lee painting Ribault's Landing in our home. I mean, he just had to have painted this in our home if our home was his art studio at this time, right? RIGHT?! TELL ME I'M RIGHT!

There's a corner right there. 

Uh huh, we have corners.

And the wood flooring.

Yes, we have wood flooring.

There is a wall that contains absolutely no identifying features on or around it or anything special whatsoever.

I DON'T CARE! KEEP SEARCHING!

And then, sitting at my desk, I exclaimed, out loud, "OH MY GOD!"

Those tiles. 

Those tiles are our ugly, red, bland tiles!

If you look at the middle bottom of the photo below (also the first photo in this post), right near Lee's water glass and brushes, you will see that those are OUR MOTHER FREAKING TILES that we uncovered when we demoed the two non-original fireplaces. 

So, that corner is our corner. 

And those wood floors - they are our wood floors. (No joke, Clayton and I both - separately, without knowing the other also did this - tried to look at the grain on the wood floors and where each piece stopped in this photo and match it up with our living room floor. Hahaha, are we intense enough for you?)

I was literally on cloud nine when I discovered this, slightly trembling from the excitement. I just couldn't believe that these tiles that I thought were so unremarkable ended up being exactly what placed Lee Adams painting this incredible piece in our living room. And that is exactly why - no matter how plain Jane they are - they're never getting replaced.

Even better, this painting is hanging in the downtown Jacksonville Public Library! We finally had the chance to see Lee's work this past February when Clayton's parents came into town. 

OF COURSE we had to take a photo in front of the painting that was painted in our living room!

I used the original photo that I found of Lee painting the Ribault to compare it to his finished piece. I mean, could this be any cooler?

I basically spent all of last summer sharing this story with friends, family and coworkers, mentioning quite often how I'd love to have the photo I found framed and placed in our home as a way to pay homage to Lee. I never had to do that, though. For our five-year anniversary this past year, Clayton gave me a large wrapped canvas with the very photo that placed Lee painting this in our home. It hangs in our downstairs hallway, to the left of the entrance so that it is the first thing you see as you open our front door, welcoming you into our home.

We hope to someday get in touch with the Jacksonville Historical Society to have some kind of sign or plaque outside that shares the story of Birtha being Lee Adams' art studio - a way to remember a man who gave so much to Jacksonville - and the world. Until then, we have our unassuming red tiles in the living room and a very special canvas in the entryway, reminding us of the great history that unfolded in our own home.