Hats off to ... A Heart for the Arts

This falls in the category of: Why didn’t we think of that?

A grouping of fabulous paintings, a touch of mystery, a surge of excitement, a rush to buy, and all of it benefiting a good cause. Why didn’t we think of that? You can be sure, next time we will ...

As art gallery owners and appreciators of fine art, we attend our fair share of art shows and benefits. Such was the case last week with the opening of A Heart for the Arts, the Atlanta based Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School Fine Arts Alliance annual fundraiser. There was the usual display of fine art paintings, sculpture and jewelry, mostly done by local professional artists, and all representing a broad range of styles and genre. And then there was something that really caught our eye and kept us mesmerized and guessing: It was a grouping of 70 or so small paintings, all 5” x 7”, painted on linen board, each one colorful and fun and completely different from each other, and not one of them signed.

Snapshot of what the “Mystery” boards looked like

As you can imagine, it was practically pandemonium, with everyone rushing to buy one of these precious, small jewels for $50. Was it a Picasso? Or was it a third grade artist? A celebrity baseball player? Or an established artist? You didn’t know until you bought it and that’s what made it so fun.

Ann’s loot from the show, “Rocky My Dog” by PGA golfer Anthony Kim

The “Mystery Artist” board was organized by Leah Henry, who, in addition to being President of the Fine Arts Alliance and a very talented and respected artist in her own right, is a true visionary with lots of marvelous ideas for promoting fellow artists and helping them give back to the community. She, and a group of volunteers, got over 70 people across many industries, to paint (or draw, or do a collage, or write …) on the linen side of the board, and to leave it anonymous so that people viewing it wouldn’t know who had created it.

Leah showing “Rocky My Dog” his new home at HH

We were involved in this idea peripherally when a few months ago, Meridy King, an haute priestess of interior design in Atlanta and a Huffington favorite who happened to be coordinating the volunteer project, asked us if some of our artists would be willing to participate. We love working with Meridy because in addition to her exquisite taste and gorgeous use of materials and color, she has a tendency towards the unexpected and a keen appreciation for art. So we knew that whatever she wanted, we'd happily help out.

Meridy King and the “Mystery” board

We approached several of our artists and they were delighted with the challenge, the fun and the opportunity to do some good. So among the artists, the celebrity interior designers, the pro golfer, the TV newscaster and scores of other interesting folks, were several Huffingtons, holding their own. In fact, we liked Melissa Payne Baker’s painting so much, we suggested she try to do some similar ones in the same palette, but larger.

Melissa Payne Baker’s “Mystery” creation

Look what she came up with? How great is that? Great enough for another blog, another time!

Another Huffington artist, Elizabeth Stockton, was also featured in the show as was Bonnie Beauchamp Cooke. We were delighted to see a drawing by famed Atlanta interior designer Suzanne Kasler displayed below Elizabeth’s painting. Kasler depicted one of her famous quatrefoil chairs that we’re all dying to have in our home.

Stockton & Kasler stacked

Image from Hickory Chair Furniture

Bonnie Beauchamp Cooke

Other notable contributions…

MOCA’s Tijana Graham

Georgia’s First Lady, Mary Perdue

Artist Jan Eubanks

Artist Ruth Barrett

Artist & President of the HIES Fine Art Alliance, Leah Hopkins Henry

Real estate maven, Glennis Beacham

Lynn Rainey

Interior designer Dan Carithers

PGA golfer, Anthony Kim

And as for the idea of the Mystery Artist? it was such a great idea, and so much fun for all, we may have to borrow the idea ourselves some day, and we’ll know whom to credit: Thank you Leah, and thank you Meridy ...

Ta ta

HH