I am sure that by now, if you know me, you know Rufus - that handsome lil’ character shown above and also the inspiration for my painting and philanthropic career. Well now he is at the center [literally] of a new program I am announcing today. My sweet Rufus' image, that I painted as an original, will be printed on a blank canvas, and then I will paint on/around (in art vocabulary that’s called embellish) the rest of the canvas in a theme related to each specific letter of the alphabet. Get it? Rufus' ABC's!
DIFFA is one of the country's largest supporters of direct care for people living with HIV/AIDS and preventive education for those at risk. Supporters of DIFFA come from all fields of fine design and the visual arts, including: architecture, fashion design, interior design, photography and consumer product design. DIFFA has granted over $38 million to hundreds of AIDS service organizations nationwide.
The Dining by Design in an over-the-top celebration of all things tabletop! This fundraising event brings together established talent, artists, and celebrated individuals to create three-dimensional dining installations that awe, inspire, and delight. Each dining space (either 11’x11’ or 11’x20’) has a sponsor and a design team charged with creating a dining space for 10 people that will be memorable, unique and creative.
This year in Atlanta, the sponsor Insidesign (www.myinsidesign.com)chose Kandrac & Kole Interior Designs, Inc. to transform their 11’x11’ empty space into a dining extravaganza. In 2 weeks time, this dynamic duo created a space that became one of the highlights of the event. According to co-owner Kelly Kole, “The inspiration for our invent started with a recent piece of art, named “Life is Ruff”, by Arizona artist Ron Burns. With the economy in a state of flux, the recent historic floods in Atlanta, and the challenge of the AIDS virus worldwide, we felt this theme was appropriate. Our interpretation however, was a positive one – filled with glitz, glamour and whimsy as we combined Ron’s art with artistic finishes, silk, velvet and bedazzled Milkbone dog bones!” The perimeters were established using (8) 8’, solid core doors that were faux finished a metallic purple, supporting panels of luxurious crรจme silk and wide plank hardwood floors. The space was then filled with six pieces of art from the Ron Burns Studio, velvet and silk cushions, red roses wrapped in pearl dog collars and lit by a black and white Italian crystal chandelier. Quite a transformation for a worthy cause!
