Gwinnett Daily Post

Christmas, acrylic, 24 x 20, 1997

BUFORD -- Ever thought of buying art as a gift for the holidays? The artisans at Tannery Row Artists Colony hope you do. They are opening the Art for the Holiday gallery on Saturday, displaying and selling seasonal works at reasonable prices until Jan. 7.

"We have had (this event) for the last several years," said Judy Isaak, a local artist from Tannery Row. "It's more of a gallery show without booths, which is much smaller. The pieces have a lower price point so people can buy the art for gift giving."

At the event, there will be 15 Gwinnett artists with their seasonal works for sale, many of which are only made during the holiday months. A high percentage of art will be paintings and wall pieces, but there will also be 3-D works, like Nativity scenes and pottery.

"We want people to be able to give that kind of a gift (art). A gift of art is a different sort of gift because you don't buy it at Walmart -- it's personal," Isaak said. "You can feel that there was someone else's hands on it. Perfect or imperfect, you know that it was made with just two little hands."

Another reason they enjoy putting on this show is because they have closed their last show, "Under the Influence," which had numerous associate artists who display their works at Tannery Row sporadically throughout the year. Art for the Holiday displays work from the permanent artists in the colony.

"We needed to fill our gallery with our art to promote our art," she said. "We want to be well represented in this gallery."

On Dec. 1, the colony has an open house for art enthusiasts and residents to get to know the artists of Tannery Row.

"It's one of the only nights we're open late," Isaak said. "Studios will be decked out for the holidays and each one will have something special to offer for that day only. It's fun because people can walk around and visit multiple open houses."