[Above, a detail view of a painting artist Annie Kammerer Butrus is bringing to Spotlight on Art, 2010. The full piece, 14" x 50", is shown below.]
In the January 2010 issue,
Town & Country asks
Kelly Wearstler how she likes to bring a sense of luxury to a room and she responds succinctly with,
Art. I've been collecting since I was eighteen, and I move pieces around the house or sometimes mix them together in a new way.
[A detail view of Kate and Andy Spade's art collection from a photo by Eric Morin.]Art also brings to a room a personal -- some might say soulful -- dimension. On this blog we've been talking about that for a long time now. It's a great thing to be able to glance up at a piece on your wall and remember where you were when you found it. Even more rewarding is buying a work from an artist you've admired for years.

[Above, artist Jules Cozine and her work, Moonscape Terre, 40" x 30", courtesy Emily Amy Gallery.]
Whenever I'm drawn to a new artist, I do some research to see if he or she has small works in my price range. Often I'm pleasantly surprised to find that they do. Last year when I was browsing the artists market during
Spotlight on Art, I discovered that contemporary painter
Annie Butrus, whose acclaimed work has been exhibited at several museums across the U.S., had brought a few pastels and small studies to sell for the
fundraiser. This is my long-winded way of reminding Atlantans (again) that
Spotlight 2010 is just around the corner.
The opening night event takes place on Monday, February 15th and the Market is open daily Tuesday through Saturday, February 16th through 20th on the campus of Trinity School, 4301 Northside Parkway. Click
here for specifics. (Trinity contributes a portion of the proceeds to
Families First.)

Any hours that the Market is open, admission is free and open to the public. For moms with young kids, and anyone who works 9 to 5, it's a great early-morning stop after carpool drop-offs or before heading to the office.
One thing to keep in mind if you go: there is a vast array of original art for sale, 7,500 pieces in fact, from abstract to representational to folk. All of the works are displayed very closely together, due to space limitations. Some visitors feel energized by the selection while others can become overwhelmed. It's definitely worth it to persevere, though. Don't be thrown off by something that's not your cup of tea. I make sure to explore every nook and cranny. Even if you have no plans to purchase anything, the Market offers an opportunity to see diverse art up-close in a relaxed setting -- really educate your eye.
[Another detail view of a painting artist Annie Kammerer Butrus is bringing to Spotlight on Art, 2010.]
Annie told me the works she has chosen for
Spotlight 2010 include the painting shown at top, some pastels, and two or three pieces from her
UAB exhibition. Another participating Southern artist is
Jules Cozine, although the painting shown here courtesy
Emily Amy Gallery is just meant to be an example of her work.
FYI:
Transitive Geographies, an exhibition of related interest, opens January 28th at
GCSU in Milledgeville, Georgia. Click
here for a sneak peek. And visit
the curator's blog to see behind the scenes shots of the installation.

And speaking of petite paintings, I was looking at this
slideshow of
Amanda's carriage house when a small abstract landscape caught my eye. Amanda told me the artist is
Jill Tauzin Broussard and it was the first real piece of art she ever bought. Shown above is a different example of Jill's small works. Visit her
site to see more.