But Jan’s fourteen-year-old daughter created original masks in her bedroom. Enough creative people for such a small space! The six-year-old son (his kingdom is in the attic) shows his painting talent with abstract paintings, which he has already exhibited and sold! Honza Homola obviously has reasons to be almost always smiling.
In addition, he recently built a separate studio in the garden of the cottage he bought sixteen years ago. With an area larger than their living room with kitchenette in the house. In one part there is a music studio with drums, guitars, computers and a screen on which he also paints. And next door is a painter’s studio with a line of windows and a view of a beautifully grown pine tree.
Vineyards exchanged for forest and village
The native of Vinohrady walks here in a green jacket, and as he adds with his typical smile, he becomes a woodsman here. After all, to this day he still likes to sleep under a canopy or with his son in a modified van. He also traveled a lot by bicycle, and his last biggest trip was to Istanbul with a friend. “Here I got on and we set off to the Blue Mosque. Two thousand kilos, so I tore off the tendons on my hands… The idea, of course, arose in the pub.”
The Homols found the place for the family castle among the advertisements and immediately liked it.
“The nature here is slowly like in Šumava, and I already knew the environment. My parents used to have a cottage nearby and my brother is in a neighboring village. Nevertheless, it was a life change and a challenge for us. But the children were already born here and got used to commuting to school. I only accompany my daughter to the bus in the morning, because now there are a lot of wild boars around.
In addition, we have excellent neighbors here. During the week there is complete peace and I can focus on my work. I get up early so I can be here in the afternoon for the children,” our host confirms the well-being in the family. The woman also works nearby.
“Even here in the nearby center of the village – the kiosk by the pond – there are social events and the locals are active. We live well here. Just because I’m addicted to nature.”
Gradual changes
Originally there was a cabin and sheds. “We are still building and the garden has already been destroyed several times by oncoming machinery. The room was being added, the electrical installation was being redone, a complete new water system was being installed…
Most recently, we replaced the rotten patio with a new one on a brick foundation, so we got more storage space under it, and we already used exotic wood for the floor, which should see us through. Instead of railings, we had large concrete boxes brought in,” Honza calculates, adding that he is not afraid of working with his hands even as a guitarist. Although he avoids working with electricity and rotary saws. Not long ago, he injured himself with a chainsaw – cutting the tendons in his finger so that he had to change his guitar playing technique.
“I lived in Prague (Spořilov, Michli) rentals for so long that I already wanted to solve it. My grandfather also had a cottage in this location, so it occurred to me that we could continue this as well. It’s also enough space for us here. The wife especially likes that everything is cleaned up quickly, and I don’t really have any demands regarding living conditions. I just need a place for tools…
Photo: Petr Hloušek, Law
But I also had to get used to it, I was a Praguer after all. And suddenly a village with a different life and friends! Plus, there’s a lot of craft work around. I came home in Prague, opened an apartment and that’s it,” laughs Honza, admitting that when they embarked on a major investment, he had “zero in his account”.
“Fortunately, they gave 100% mortgages back then, and today we have evaluated everything many times over. We also let go of the Prague apartment.”
A canvas, a guitar, a drawer and relaxation
“We experienced an idyll here, went for walks to the pond, lit a fire… But for the first two years it was also a harsh reality in such conditions that we washed the dishes with a hose in the garden… We are always together. Including going to concerts with Wohnoutama on weekends.”
During the week, Honzo has to “work” a few meters across the garden. “I enjoy creating, but keep it in the drawer (I got it from my grandfather and my father). I’ve always had it that way, because then I don’t care about the result and promoting it anymore. Recently, a great curator has been taking care of my paintings, and that suits me,” he praises the present, noting that he still has a relationship with year-round wandering and sleeping in the forest from the past.
“The modified Dacia is my second home in the summer – a guitar and a sleeping bag for my son and we drive. He plays somewhere by the stream and I play the guitar… I enjoy fast walking and running. And I also walk to the nearby pub for a great beer…”
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