My Bio

Holly Spruck is a painter living and working in Charlotte, North Carolina since 2002. Having taught art to elementary school children for more than ten years, Holly has taken time off since 2004 to focus solely on her art work, and since March of 2005, to care for her two children, Edie and Jacky. In August of 2005, Holly moved her studio into the ArtHouse in Charlotte's historic NoDa arts district. She enjoys the camaradie of her fellow painters in the ArtHouse, and hosts gallery crawls on the first and third Friday of every month.

Holly was born and raised in Westchester County in New York State. Attending Plymouth State College in New Hampshire, she earned a Bachelor's degree in Art Education with a minor in Painting. After graduation, she stayed in New Hampshire to teach and pursue her art. With an interest in modern dance, she has performed in works by Kevin Wynn and Joan Weigers. In 1995, Holly choreographed a piece called "obsession" for the Plymouth State College Contemporary Dance Ensemble.

From 1997 to 2002, Holly lived in the Czech Republic and taught art at the International School of Prague. She developed an artist-in- residence program along with artists Richard Dulac and Antonin Mrnka for elementary students. Working together they designed and implemented a one-meter (yard) tall by ten-meters (yards) wide ceramic mosaic of a Prague cityscape on the school's campus, created in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the school.

While in Prague, Holly had four successful exhibitions of her paintings. Her work is included in private collections from California to Beijing.

Since moving back to the States in the summer of 2002, Holly has worked as an elementary art teacher in the Stanly County School system, at both the Kendall Valley and the Millingport schools, as well as the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School system at the Irwin Avenue Open school in uptown Charlotte.

Holly's goal as a teacher is to keep the intuitive desire to explore art alive in her students as they grow older. Holly's goal as an artist is to see and paint the world around her with the honesty and playfulness of a child.

Holly's work reflects her love of travel and her experiences throughout Europe, Asia and North America. Among her influences she includes Vincent van Gogh, Keith Haring, C.G. Jung, Jesse Littell, Joan Miro, Mary Morrison, Pablo Picasso, Rick Pryll, and Gertrude Stein, along with many artists she has befriended in the Prague and now Charlotte communities.