When Nancy Nemhauser painted her Mount Dora home to resemble Vincent van Gogh’s “Starry Night” in 2017, it set off a legal battle that captured people’s attention worldwide. A new documentary centers on the Central Florida home and the local controversy it sparked, but also tells the story of a mother’s love for her son.
“Starry Fight — A Canvas for the World” is now filming in Mount Dora and focuses on Nemhauser’s decision to keep the artistic paint job despite the threat of fines. She first decided on the distinctive look because her son, 31-year-old Grant “Chip” Harrison, who has autism, tended to wander off. Because he loved van Gogh’s work, the house became a beacon to guide him home.
“He has an interest in art, not art across the board but specifically van Gogh,” Nemhauser said. “I want him to know where he has to go, and that was my original reason for painting the wall.”
In 2018, Nemhauser and her husband, Lubomir Jastrzebski, were threatened with more than $10,000 in fines for an alleged code-enforcement violation stemming from their “Starry Night” night home. Jeremy Talcott, an attorney with the Pacific Legal Foundation, fought to preserve the paint and ultimately won the case, resulting in Mount Dora settling with the couple. The city paid the couple’s $15,000 legal fees and made a public apology, which Jastrzebski insisted upon.
“When I talked to Nancy and learned how the town had told her she needed to paint the wall to match the house — and [she] chose to paint the entire house, I knew that was my type of person,” Talcott said. “She was willing to take a bold and perhaps a little bit of a crazy step to do something she believed in. It made for a great story.”
Lionel “Lee” Montells, the documentary’s director, producer and writer, said he was planning to retire to his original home of Spain after a 40-year career working in TV before stumbling upon the tale.
“I heard about this story in February. I couldn’t stop reading all night long. I couldn’t find a film, a documentary or a book on this house. Maybe nobody had done it because the story was waiting for me,” he said. “Besides the controversy and the legal fight, it’s the story of the love a mother has for her child. Who doesn’t love a great love story?”
Montells said the story is compelling because of its location, the fame of this painting, the freedom of expression issue and the focus on autism, especially as other parents have found hope in watching Nemhauser fight on behalf of her son.
“Everyone can have the sense of how important a mother’s love is and how intense a mother’s love is. Interestingly, Chip calls me ‘mom bear’ and that is what I felt like. I was not going to give up,” she said. “[Montells] was the first person who contacted me about making this a love story and not a controversy. I appreciated that he had that vision. It’s about what a mother would do.”
Despite seemingly having its 15 minutes of fame six years ago, the house has seen a steady stream of curious visitors ever since.
“What started with a simple code violation created a sequence of events so big that it went around the world. To this day, there are still people coming to take pictures in front of her house,” Montells said. “I have articles in Chinese, Japanese, Hindi and every single language you can imagine. It went around the world.”
The director plans to visit Mount Dora several more times to complete filming before piecing together the documentary later this year. Ultimately, he hopes the film will make its way onto the festival circuit and eventually end up on an online streaming platform.
Nemhauser hopes her story can prove inspirational for others.
“I had a very hard time because most of the confrontation was on me. I lost a lot of sleep and probably aged years beyond what I should have. I do think winning has helped other people. It has certainly brought other people here,” she said. “I’m delighted that we prevailed. I want to see more compassion and awareness of autism and the difficulties that parents face.”
She doesn’t regret standing up for Chip.
“This is his home,” she said. “Once I had the house painted, he was even more enamored with it. He’s proud to be here.”
Find me @PConnPie on Instagram or send me an email: pconnolly@orlandosentinel.com.
