For most of us, hearth and home is a comforting place to be. When possible, many choose to work from home. For artist Keith Millison, it is the family farmhouse itself that provides inspiration.

"We're on two acres, and all the land around us is farmland," he said. "This house is perfect for what I do."

Millison, a retired graphic designer for IBM, is a folk artist. His paintings, primarily of houses worked in bold colors and other buildings sitting in fields of bright green and yellow tones, are hung throughout his home. Initially, it is difficult to discern whether the furnishings complement the artwork or the paintings define the decor.

Millison provides an answer.

"This is country living out here," he said. "We like traditional furniture, eclectic pieces, [and] we have every kind of wood you can imagine."

Upholstered pieces of Colonial-style furniture as well as antique and reproduction hutches are made of woods that include cherry (as found on the kitchen cabinets), mahogany, walnut, oak (also on the floors) and pine. Blinds rather than curtains hang at every window. Antique quilts and artfully crafted chenille bedspreads adorn the upstairs beds.

Each piece of furniture, every textile and all of the paintings, prints and embellishments work together to define a style that Millison calls "high country."

In 1975, Millison and his wife, Mary, bought the 1913, two-story, vinyl over wood frame farmhouse in the Montgomery County area of Laytonsville for $65,000. It was in excellent condition, thanks to renovations by the previous owners. The first floor contained a living room, dining room, parlor, powder room and kitchen, while the upstairs featured three bedrooms and two bathrooms. There was also a basement which Keith Millison uses as storage for his canvases, frames and art supplies.

Finding the home a bit small for the way they entertained, the Millisons added a large family room with a bump-out for a fireplace, a second foyer, a year-round sunroom and a two-car garage.

Since his retirement, Keith Millison has been able to work in a large studio set up on the first floor. His commitment to his work continues -- folk art pieces from a folk art setting.

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