Hip Hip Hooray!

We always say that it’s like Christmas when we receive new works from our artists, and we feel like proud parents when we hear about our artists’ special awards and accolades. So it seems fitting that like proud parents, we should share some of the news that has just come in from some of our artists. Think of this as our Christmas letter – the proud, braggy kind.

Our wonderful Ms. Nancy Franke received an “Award of Merit” from Artist’s Magazine at the Salon International Annual Juried Show at Greenhouse Gallery, San Antonio, Texas for her painting, Basking.

Nancy Franke, Basking

We asked Nancy what the Distinguished Awarding Judge, Everett Raymond Kinstler, had to say and she said it was something along these lines: “This piece (Basking) is very painterly; It is true, yet simple, with excellent draftsmanship; the artist has another piece in this show, which I liked and could have awarded as well.” (That one was The Petite Ballerina)

Nancy Franke, The Petite Ballerina

Nancy with the Distinguished Awarding Judge, Everett Raymond Kinstler

Congratulations, Nancy!

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Bethanne Kinsella Cople is the President of the American Women Artists Association, and was recently gave a TV interview about her involvement with the national exhibit. She was caught off guard and didn’t realize they were going to be taping her, and ran in from painting outdoors. We told her she looks fabulous (which is true).

In addition to this, Bethanne has been:

• Invited to American Women Artists Master Signature Member status
  
• Invited to participate in the Carmel Plein Air Invitational for the 7th year
  
• Invited to give a lecture and painting demonstration sponsored by The Working Artists Forum on Saturday morning, July 24th from 8:30am to 10:30am during Plein Air-Easton.
  
• Invited to give lecture and painting demonstration for Principle Gallery on Saturday July 31st. The event will meet at the gallery at 12:45 to walk down to the river to paint en plein air.
  

Additionally, Bethanne will be holding a workshop called, "Pamper Yourself en Plein Air", April 26-30, 2010, sponsored by South Street Art Gallery at Great Oaks Manor, Chestertown, MD.

Bethanne Cople, A Tidewater Evening, oil on board, 24 x 24”

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This weekend is the Atlanta Steeplechase and if you’ve been invited to attend, you will know that our own Bonnie Beauchamp Cooke’s painting was used for all of the literature and marketing of the event, as the “Official Atlanta Steeplechase artist of 2010.” By the way, Bonnie has also just dropped off some new work at the gallery that we’re very excited about, including this big beauty, Precieux.

Bonnie Beauchamp Cooke, Precieux, mixed media on canvas, 60 x 48”

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Brigitte Curt has been juried in the coveted competition, "Plein Air in the Garden and Beyond," at Filoli Gardens in Woodside California, . The exhibition is being held from April 13 to June 6, 2010. The artists will be present on "Meet the Artists Day," Saturday, May 1, 2010.

Brigitte Curt, Clouds in the Afternoon, oil on board, 8 x 10”

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And finally, our wonderful artist Onyeka Ibe contributed a beautiful painting to the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia’s annual gala fundraiser and art auction. He wrote to us: “Great event last night at the annual gala and art auction to support MOCA Georgia.” Ibe’s donated painting, Rolling Hills, sold for the highest bid of the night!

Ibe, Rolling Hills

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And with a little toot of our own horn, we thank Jezebel Magazine for awarding us with Best Fine Art Gallery for 2010.

Ta ta ...

HH

P.S. Look for an upcoming little “brag” on Doug Foltz who is featured in the May issue of American Art Collector Magazine. We have his work in the gallery and would love for you to stop by and see it!

Doug Foltz, As I Remember It #4, oil on canvas, 48 x 48”

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

A Horse is a Horse…

Purposeful Pony, Georges Nasri, watercolor, 16 x 20"

There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man. ~Winston Churchill

At least one of us here at the gallery (me) never recovered from the common strain of equine crush, most commonly experienced between the years of 7 and 12. Although years have passed (and I did discover boys…), I’ve never lost my passion, love and curiosity for these beautiful and graceful animals. I’ve been thrown, bitten, stepped on (that one really hurt) kicked and bucked off, but something about a horse’s meltingly brown eyes and the velvety texture of their noses brings me back again and again.

Although I always love to, I can't always find the time to head over to Atlanta’s Chastain Horse Park to get my fix. Luckily, my yearnings are quietened with the wonderful procession of equine paintings and watercolors that canter into the gallery and gallop right back out again, usually in the hands of another horse lover.

One of our favorite equine painters is the gorgeous, tall and exquisitely talented Bonnie Beauchamp Cooke, who jokingly calls herself a real cowgirl (although when she comes to the gallery in cool jeans and heels, she seems like a bonafide city girl to us!). She owns a farm in Middle Georgia and delights us with paintings of her own horses, with decidedly family-picked names: Lucy, Zipper Doodle, Leonard the IV (who was actually the son of Shelley) and Cappie. We love these paintings because they are full of texture, lots of different media (including sand and dirt that Bonnie likes to apply with her fingers) and soft, natural colors. I am especially taken with the way Bonnie captures a horse’s eye: it’s the window to their sweet souls and Bonnie paints them big, full of life and light and deep, dark brown. (By the way, Bonnie was recently the subject of a lively and gorgeously photographed blog by journalist/designer/tastemaker, Bryan Flynn, so click here to feast your eyes on it.)

Green, Bonnie Beauchamp Cooke, mixed media on panel, 40 x 30"

One of our French artists, Georges Nasri, paints a pretty fabulous horse, too. His are elongated and elegant equines – the way you’d want to look if you were a French horse. He uses a subtle inky brown watercolor and uses long, uninterrupted brush strokes. Sometimes, he adds a rider – and sometimes I dream that I’m a French girl riding a French horse and we’re both chic and elegant in that 1930s way. Georges’ horses look marvelous when they’re grouped together in a grid or a collection.

Trotting Forward, Georges Nasri, watercolor on paper, 16 x 8"

And, speaking of that, we just sold a number of these watercolors to a client who was adding an “elegant horse theme” to a study. We haven't snagged the photos yet, but we're pretty sure the collection packs a stylish punch.

We have a third artist whose work really sends me to the moon. His name is Jeffrey Terreson and he creates large (really large) horses in the most unhorsey hues. I’m particularly taken with his Quiet Series – these are noble steeds, who look like they come from prestigious bloodlines, but they gleam and glow in the palest celery green, azure blue and even crimson. Jeffrey incorporates all sorts of nameless objects into his media (like tiny plastic beads that get covered in his oil paint and add impossible texture). The newest one that recently arrived at our stable/gallery, was Quiet Mist. I was already in love before the crate arrived and sad for me, Quiet Mist quickly found a new home on someone’s lucky wall. Sigh.

Quiet Mist, Jeffrey Terreson, mixed media on canvas, 38 x 58"

Although we're all patiently waiting for another horsey creation from Mr. Terreson, I'm always looking for the next four-legged steed who will capture my heart...

Mares and Foals in a River Landscape, by George Stubbs, circa 1763-8

And here's one of Leonardo's sketches...

And finally, from Ashley Collins (a most inspired and talented California artist who performs wonders with the equine form), Grace. How beautiful is this?

That’s it, from the horse’s mouth….

Ta ta,

M.