This great story was submitted on the blog by Rod Cooper about the art collection he has started for his young grandson. It is the kind of story that touches on how personal, meaningful and accessible collecting can be. A fantastic addition to our Collectors’ Stories series!

“When my grandson was born in 2007, I decided to start an art collection especially for Peyton. Our home was already filled with art; my own paintings and works by many other North Carolina artists. It seemed logical to engage the lad with some understanding of visual arts, and to gather for him some drawings and prints that he can grow up with. The second piece I purchased is currently in the gallery exhibition. It is an intaglio by Henryk Fantazos, who showed in 2008’s “Allegorical Realism” exhibition that Edie brilliantly curated. His paintings and prints enthralled me, and when he gave a talk at the gallery, he spoke with great passion of the importance of one’s roots, and home. Henryk was born in Poland, came to New York to paint, and then settled in Hillsborough, North Carolina decades later, where he lives today. The etching shows a man carrying his house in a backpack made of a tarp on a stick, walking through a forest. Drawn in the form of tree roots, the “house roots” penetrate the tarp. I was drawn to the piece, because I am drawn to images that tell stories. After hearing his wonderful lecture, I bought the piece immediately, had it framed, and now it hangs where Peyton can look at it daily. My hope is that he have 21 or so pieces of good art when he becomes an adult. I will continue to purchase works from Green Hill Center, since “the best of the best”  North Carolina artists are shown here. Peyton is only three, but he has two prints and a bronze sculpture of “Big Bird,” by Jon Ray Smith, that he seems to enjoy. Between now and spring of 2011, we will add a fourth piece to his collection.

My mother was an artist, and my godparents gave me a Picasso lithograph they bought in Europe when I was a boy. It is not signed, and a re-strike, but for me, the image is as valuable as precious gold. That piece has hung where I could look it most of my life. It has a place of honor in our living room today. I believe art can be collected for any age and at any age.

Parents and Grandparents, take a look at the offerings in the Art a la Carte online auction. There may be a work of art you can’t resist, or a trip to enjoy with your family. My auction interest is the private tour of the newly revamped North Carolina Museum of Art, and the new wing, that houses the Rodin sculptures. The tour will be conducted by Dr, Wheeler, Executive Director, and our own amazing Adair Armfield. Please take a tour of the auction, as there are some really exciting offerings.”

Rod Cooper