The Perfect Blend

A creative studio in the woods inspires not only an artist but also her family.

Written by Sonia Thompson | Photos by Joe Worthem

Driving through the stone-and-iron front gates of Splinter Creek — a community of modern lake houses on County Road 343 — and down a winding gravel path to Sarah Frances Hardy’s studio, the prominent colors on display are blues and greens.

The pine trees, the native grasses, the shades of the deepening lake waters all show off the soothing hues of nature. Even the studio exterior itself, with its striking and varied rooflines, blends into the loblollies reaching skyward, evoking the image of a modern treehouse.

But hike the short path up to the front door, and it opens into a riot of color. Floors stenciled with geometric shapes, an orange desk, a paint-covered table, hot pink floral bathroom walls, and a chartreuse-colored bedroom underscore the point: this is an artist’s workspace.

The colorful studio sits on a high elevation, looking down at a spring-fed lake with views of the water on three sides. The large picture windows frame the spectacular overlook, and of course let in plenty of natural light.

“The colors change constantly,” Hardy said. “Sometimes the light will just pop really red or really, really bright acid green.”

Hardy, a painter and children’s book author and illustrator, says her new workspace is a far cry from her previous one.

“For the past 20 years, my studio was off the back of our garage,” Hardy said, laughing.

“Now, I just look around and think, this is too good, it’s too good.”

Her former garage studio space, while dim and cramped, served its purpose, making it

possible for Hardy to pursue her art career while raising three daughters with her husband, John. Now that their children are grown, Hardy is able to devote more of her workday to her art with fewer interruptions. That meant the need for a proper studio, which Hardy sketched out and then designed with the help of friend and architect Frances Zook.

The Hardys purchased their lot during the COVID-19 pandemic, and completed the build in 2024. And, while they’re empty nesters, the studio and accompanying lake house on the same lot were designed with their grown children in mind.

When the whole family gathers, it means lots of coffee, then kayaking or paddleboarding, and hiking the 650-acre property together. Hardy says they all like to cook and enjoy their meals outside. For the nights, John designed the back deck with two benches built at the perfect angle for stargazing.

“Our girls love coming here,” Hardy said. “When we were designing both structures, we did so with the idea of them visiting with their future families. It’s such a great family place for our daughters and our new son-in-law; we are all gathering out here, but then it’s also my creative space. It really is the perfect blend.”

Lately, that creativity has been taking shape through an idea Hardy journaled about nearly a decade ago and rediscovered. She had found a box of her grandmother’s old quilt pieces and was noodling in writing about what she might do with them.

“I wrote, ‘I want to create a wild natural landscape, but incorporate the domestic — the quilt pieces,’” she said.

The idea is gelling to become a series of large-scale landscapes featuring those quilt scraps to be exhibited in a show called Wild Domesticity, slated to open this September at Pearl River Glass Studio in Jackson. Hardy had a previous show in that gallery 25 years ago when her children were young.

Playing with the juxtaposition of nature and the domestic, all in the workspace Hardy envisioned and then created with her family in mind, feels just right.

“The timing is just perfect,” Hardy said.