By Scott Burkett, Editor-in-Chief, Head Art-o-Maniac, WetCanvas! February 14th, 1999 Photo: Cherie Pearson, working on a new portrait work in the J. Reid Gallery on Main Street.
Lake Lanier, nestled in the foothills of the Blue ridge Mountains covers over 38,000 acres and touches five north Georgia counties. One of these is the county of Gwinnett. There exists, within the county of Gwinnett, a little community called Buford, Georgia. The WetCanvas crew got wind of a place called the Buford Artists Colony, which has been called the "Soho of the South". You just knew we had to scope it out!
The city's first major industry came in 1873 when the Bona Allen Tannery was established. The tannery was named after, and owned by, the town patriarch, Bonaparte Allen. The tannery made leather goods, harnesses, whips, shoes and the hand-made saddles for which the company became famous. During the Great Depression of the 1930's when a number of farms began to decline, the tannery employed 2,400 people (a national employment record at the time!). The Bona Allen Mansion is still there, and has been turned into a 4-star reception center for special events. You can still see it, at the end of Main Street. Local legend has it that Mr. Allen built the mansion with his front doors lined up with Main Street, so that he could look out his front door and see what his tannery workers were up to!
Even today, the legacy remains. The town is still remembered, and to a lesser extent still known, for its fine leather goods. You can still have a fountain soda at Anglin's Drug Store - it's been there for years. The old Bona Allen High School is just around the corner.
A quick walk up Main Street, past the drug store, is the Museum of Main Street, a quaint tribute to the Buford community (a must-see, if you are in town, by the way).
Artists began settling in Buford in 1984 or so, and haven't stopped since. The Buford Artists Colony is now a collective community of over 30 local artists and craftsmen. The "colony" consists of storefronts spanning an entire city block. There you'll find traditional paintings in oil, watercolors, acrylics, pastels, colored pencil, gouache, and would you believe, egg tempera?! In addition, you'll encounter some of the most interesting works in wood, glass, and fabric I've seen. In addition to the galleries and studios, you'll encounter boutiques, a gourmet cafe, and would you believe this - Floyd's Barber Shop!!!
One of my favorites was a little shop called Paddywacks, which is set up in the old Bank of Buford building. The bank was erected in the late 1800s, and was operational up until the 1970s. You can still walk into the big vault, which has been turned into a children's gallery!
Need studio space? Not a problem! Some of these multi-story buildings hold entire groups of artists. Judging from the signs, there are still a few choice spots available for newcomers. If you recall from our trip to Soho, NYC, gallery and studio space is at a premium in the Big Apple. A small studio apartment runs 2K or 3K per month. Here in Buford? One artist is renting a studio for $200 a month. You do the math.
It was a cold, blustery day in North Georgia, so we decided to pop into some of the studios and poke around. This provided us with an opportunity to meet some of these most-talented local artists, who graciously invited us in for hot coffee and homemade brownies.
Anita Stewart shared some of her techniques and approaches. She even let me scribble with her new watercolor crayons. She has one of the most unique inspirational approaches that I think we've ever seen. She uses paper bags and towels! Want to know how? Stop by and see her, tell her we sent you!
We also had the pleasure of chatting with Cherie Pearson, one of Anita's working neighbors. Cherie is an incredibly talented portrait artist. She works mostly on a commission basis, and creates some of the most brilliant portraits we've seen.
If you are in the neighborhood, drop by and see this truly unique part of the North Georgian art community. On the second weekend of each month, the artists of Buford open their studios to the public in an event known as the Buford Artrageous Artwalk!. This is an opportunity to meet the artists, view new works and works in progress and gain a personal insight to the creative process. For more information, call 770-945-1660 or 770-945-9718. You can also visit the official web site of the Buford Artists Colony at http://www.thecolony-art.com.
Cheers from the road, y'all.
