COUNTRY COURTROOM ART

JUSTICE IS A COLORFUL JOURNEY

The trials held in the rural South always fascinated me even before I read “To Kill A Mockingbird” or saw Atticus magnificently portrayed by Gregory Peck. These courthouses were very accessible, easy to walk to or park nearby if you wanted to watch a classic clash. Most of the time, they were just plain fun.

This painting was done on a commission for a well-known lawyer. It has humor, lots of color and more than anything, it is how I remember these trials. Bloated egos, sleepy judges, bored men and women in the jury box, flags, robes and spectators including me.

Outside there were drugstores with lunch counters where the milkshakes and floats were divine. Sometimes I would see the 12 jurors in a café being watched carefully by a court official.

I plan on some more courtroom scenes soon. Maybe I should watch a few reruns of Andy Griffith as “Matlock” to stir up those creative juices or read a vintage John Grisham novel again.

ELVIS ON CANVASS

ELVIS AT THE FOX THEATER

It’s a king’s birthday. Elvis is celebrated on January 8 and I’m happy to join in the big party. I painted my memory of Elvis at Atlanta’s Fox Theater where I saw him perform in 1966. The impression was mighty and has stayed with me over the years.

The painting is named “The First Time I saw Elvis,” and proved that such moments from the days of innocence are very suitable for folk art paintings. Elvis, after all, shared one thing with me: Both of us were self-taught.

The Fox Theater is better known as The Fabulous Fox. When Elvis took the stage on the day I was there, much of the history of popular music was being born. While rock and roll came from many sources in the South, we all know who put it on the map.

Enjoy this painting just like we all still enjoy the music from the kid from Memphis.

Happy Birthday Wishes, Elvis!

ATLANTA’S OXFORD BOOKS

BEST BOOKSTORE REMEMBERED

By Olivia Thomason

For a few glorious years, I was fortunate to be part of a team that provided books, periodicals, music and celebrities to Atlantans who gathered at a bookstore like no other. Oxford Books had multiple locations, but the two with soul and almost cosmic energy were in Buckhead and Midtown, two areas still thriving.

I painted my memories of this one-of-a-kind bookstore, calling it “The World Comes To Oxford Books.” Included in the painting are different people, a group of folks representing the diversity of cultures Oxford embraced. I wanted to include some of the celebrities I worked with there who came to our bookstore over the years: Julia Child, Dinah Shore, Walter Cronkite, John Grisham, Pearl Bailey, Anthony Hopkins, Captain Kangaroo, Mick Jagger, Mickey Mantle, Jimmy Carter, Lauren Bacall and George Jones. Plus, many more. But they deserve to be on some paintings in the near future.

Now, this painting is on a special wall somewhere in the South. The memories it inspires recall a time when a landmark bookstore called Oxford was a gathering place. If you were alone on Christmas, New Year’s Day or any holiday, we were open. You could hang out and  read, have coffee, eat from the deli, browse and loose those blues.

I miss Oxford Books. And I don’t think I am alone.

I would love to hear about some of your Oxford Books memories: bigoart1@yahoo.com.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

VINEYARD AND WINE PAINTINGS

 WINE COUNTRY ART

These are my favorite days of the year and we will all be entertaining for about a month. Great food, wonderful friends, neighbors and loved ones come together to celebrate and observe. Wine is a traditional part of the celebrations and I live in and grew up in two states, Georgia and North Carolina, where wine has been produced since America was founded.

Here is a painting I finished several years ago that displays the Frogtown community in Georgia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Several outstanding vineyards and wineries are there today and the area, just north of Dahlonega, Georgia is truly beautiful.

Note that there is some whimsy in this painting. Nothing wrong with that. Wine enjoyment should never be stodgy. It should be fun and enjoyable, just like the food that it accompanies.

By the way, here is the story with lots of photographs that captures much of the festivities at the Jack Daniel’s World Championship Barbecue Competition in Lynchburg, Tennessee. http://www.winesdownsouth.com/southernFood/Jack%20Daniels/TheJack2011.pdf

Yours truly is in the article and it confirms that I am painting a major work about what they call “The Jack, “ in time for the 2012 BBQ event. Stay tuned!

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND BEST WISHES FOR THE HOLIDAYS!

Olivia

ART FOR GOOD CAUSES

 HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Over the years, I have produced paintings on request of cities, festivals, events and charities. These were commissioned works of course and there were certain scenes, many visionary that had to be included. The work was hard and my customers were justifiably demanding.

But, the experience was exhilarating. Here is one of my favorites and as you can see, the charity is dedicated to children who in this case were stricken with a rare disease. The project entailed a fund raising effort and I am so proud that my painting was an important part of this worthy effort.

Recently, I traveled to Lynchburg, Tennessee to enjoy the Jack Daniel’s World Championship Barbecue Competition, generally believed to be the best and most exclusive of them all. I strolled there for two days. Why? To sketch ideas for a painting of the marvelous event and have it ready early next year.

I made the news, too! Here is the story out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida:

http://www.bytheseafuture.org/Southwind_11-18-11.html

The holiday season begins this week and I wish everyone a warm and meaningful Thanksgiving.

CHILDHOOD MEMORIES ON CANVASS

PRECIOUS AND PRICELESS

My Uncle Furman’s home was called Horseshoe Farm and it was a grand place in the Valley Community of Hendersonville, North Carolina where I was born and spent much of my childhood. Like most of you, recollections like these are always comforting. Who says nostalgia isn’t wonderful?



"SELLING HORSESHOE FARM"

Customs and folkways disappear a little with new generations, but art is one way of revisiting and even recapturing life as it once was. Your experiences will, of course, be different than mine. However, I’ve discovered that there are certain threads that do tie us together. When I see a paining or an old photograph that depicts days from the rural countryside, particularly from the Blue Ridge Mountains, I feel a tug at the heartstrings, a longing to return.

I cannot do that except by painting what I remember and enjoying the smile that these scenes bring to a stranger’s face.

Please share the stories and photos of my paintings with others who like folk art. Also, come on board as a follower.

Next time: some Thanksgiving memories. Can’t you smell dinner cooking?

Olivia Thomason bigoart1@yahoo.com

NEW ART FROM OLIVIA

EACH PAINTING IS A MEMORY

One of my first and best clients passed away recently. An elegant, lovely lady who made some of my paintings part of her life, Betty Schwarzschild was a delightful friend and supporter. I will miss her.



"IF FISHES WERE WISHES"

November introduces the holiday season, my favorite time of year and likely for most others as well. Thanksgiving is reunion and homecoming rolled into one. The aromas from the wonderful food blend perfectly with laughter, hugs and cheerful conversation. The season starts and I find this time filled with images that I love to place onto canvass. Children around a decorated tree opening presents, a choir in a country church, a decorated town square here close to home or a painting that recalls precious memories from childhood in North Carolina.

That’s part of the experience for me. I paint something another person wants but nearly always benefit from revisiting the images and sounds of past holidays. And as you see from one of my paintings, I love animals particularly my dear cat Monty.

Nostalgia is a good feeling. Poignancy is comforting. The holiday season is a time when for a few days, my little world is a celebration of peace, love and goodwill.

It’s time to get back to work.