Wednesday, March 21, 2007

SLIDESHOW | Paintings, Posies and Punch just peachy ... er, pinky

The ladies with the Federated Garden Clubs of Macon have been actively involved with the Cherry Blossom Festival since its beginnings 25 years ago. Chairman Bobbie Appling said the first exhibits coordinated with the festival mostly showcased flowers, but after a number of years the clubs began adding different collections to the festivities. This year's exhibit, Paintings, Posies and Punch, features artwork by Ann Marshall Bailey, Betty Perryman Treadwell, Angela Tomey and Mary Williams, as well as collections by the members of the clubs. Those collections include everything from antique dolls, such as this three-faced baby at right, and antique tools to linens and artwork.

The house, listed on the National Registry for Historic Homes, is absolutely gorgeous and is often rented out for weddings and receptions. It's worth a tour sometime if you have the free time, even if it's not during the festival. For the exhibit, each of the rooms in the home was divvied up among the garden clubs, and club members were tasked with decorating the rooms along with the exhibit's theme.

All of the art is for sale except for the works by Ann Marshall Bailey, who can be commissioned to paint portraits. One of the featured pieces of the Paintings, Posies and Punch exhibit is Bailey's portrait of Ryan Seacrest, seen at right, which she was commissioned to paint by the celebrity's mother. Appling said that since that commission, Bailey has decided to start a series of portraits featuring Atlanta celebrities. She did a good job with Ryan Seacrest, but I'm kind of intrigued to see what she will come up with if she sits down to paint portraits of Young Jeezy or OutKast.

Paintings, Posies and Punch will continue through Thursday. It runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., but will stay open longer to accommodate visitors. The group estimates that last year they had about 400 visitors during the festival, and Appling said the crowd kept the home open until 7 p.m. Tuesday. The cost is $3, which goes toward the upkeep of the house. The Federated Garden Clubs of Macon is located at 730 College St.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PHOTOS FROM PAINTINGS, POSIES AND PUNCH.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very interesting! I did not know this house could be visited during th year. How do I find more info about it? and how do I get there?

Stephanie said...

You can visit it at 730 College St. If you get off Interstate 75 and head toward town, you'll make a right turn when you get to College Street, and it is right there on your left.