“An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching.” ~ Unknown
Amid monotony came brother Jeff Suchanek and wife Jeanne with an invitation to meet Richard “Dick” Levine at his award-winning home, Raven Run Solar House. As the name suggests, the house is near the nature sanctuary of the same name in Fayette County near the Kentucky River. You can see and learn more about it here. Jeff has been conducting life history interviews with Levine for nearly two years, and he’s been regaling me with stories about his architectural design prowess and intelligence. I felt as if I’d known Levine forever the moment we met, and as the day progressed, I was increasingly fascinated by his design, his understanding of our impact on the climate, how to lessen it as much as possible, and how forward-thinking he was when he designed it in the early 1970s. Plus, he’s funny as all get out. He reminded me so much of Lance Hughes that it was sometimes eerie but in the best possible way. I could say so, so, so much more about Dick and the house, but there will be more opportunity for that. I’ve been invited back, which I will absolutely do as many times as he’ll let me. I’ll say this: the second you drive onto the property, it’s obvious an artist of extraordinary understanding is seated there. Being ushered through the house made that all the clearer. This day and these people could not have come at a better time. They inspired me, and my little artist’s heart was buoyed again. In fact, Dick is good friends with photographer Guy Mendes and had several of his pieces throughout the house. I thought I’d take a stab at a Mendes-inspired image, but I’m pretty sure Guy would never compose a selfie quite like this one.
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