Neighborhood artist Dahlia Woods has painted dozens, perhaps hundreds, of picturesque White Rock Lake scenes.
“We lived two blocks form the lake, and so I went down there quite frequently and painted — morning, noon and night,” she says.
One particular painting, depicting sailboats floating near the pumphouse and a backdrop of the Dallas skyline, recently was made into a glass collectible ornament for the Advocate Foundation’s inaugural fundraiser.
The mission of the foundation, which has applied for IRS 501(c)(3) non-profit status, is to give back to our neighborhood by raising money and in-kind donations for neighborhood schools and nonprofits, says Rick Wamre, publisher of Advocate magazines and president of the foundation.
All net proceeds from the sale of the 300 ornaments — mouth-blown, hand-painted and priced at $89 — will be the seed money to launch the foundation’s charitable efforts, Wamre says.
To help kick off the project, Woods donated her original artwork, a piece titled “White Rock Lake, View of the City,” as a likeness for the ornament.
“I had some trepidation about the artwork being translated into this product, but I am very, very happy with the results,” she says. “It can be for year-round and not just for Christmas, and it can be for everybody — it’s not just for one particular group of people,” she says, referring to the citywide appeal of White Rock Lake.
Woods is selling the ornaments at her downtown gallery, 600 Cantegral, and will also sell them at the Lakewood Home Festival Market Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 4 & 5 (see page __ for more details). An ornament preview party from 3-5 p.m. at her gallery Sunday, Nov. 12, is open to the public, with complimentary wine and hors d’oeuvres.
Neighborhood retailers Talulah Belle, 2011 Abrams, and Urban Flowers, 1907 Skillman, also are selling the ornament, which comes with a velvet box and booklet describing the artwork and the ornament’s limited edition status. Woods also is selling the original oil on canvas artwork and plans to donate half of the proceeds to the foundation.
For information about the foundation or to help with its mission, call Wamre at 214-560-4212.
Ornament Preview Party
When: Sunday, Nov. 12, 3-5 p.m.
Where: Dahlia Woods Gallery, 600 Cantegral
Why: Official premiere of the 2006 Advocate Foundation ornament; $89 includes a hand-painted, mouth-blown, individually numbered ornament, velvet protective box and booklet describing the ornament and its limited edition status
