Alicia Leeke Blog

THE STORY BEHIND THE NONNAH'S PAINTING

I've been asked to send out images of available works and I'll be posting some works and a little information about the pieces with a spotlight on them one at a time.

To kick this feature off on my blog, I'll start with a few older works intermingled with newer works. Additionally, as events arise where I'm showcasing new work, I'll include that too.

The first work that is being highlighted is called "Nonnah's" and is very popular around the United States especially after customers hear the story behind it. I'm always glad to hear of other stories about the word Nonnah's which I have learned over the years from my customers during shows, so please share any you might have.

Nonnah's was one of the very first pieces created when I started painting in 2005. The original is in my personal collection and I sell prints of this piece at the Gallery at Nonnah's in Columbia or on my website (http://www.alicialeeke.com/).

Nonnah's is a local establishment in Columbia, South Carolina on Gervais Street. On one side is a restaurant that serves lunch and dinner weekly and on the other is separate Fine Art Gallery with about eight artists. I was included in one of their first shows in 2005 and later became a resident artist in 2008. Just before the opening night of Artista Vista, the state newspaper ran a photo of my mother and our friend Vasa walking down Gervais Street on the way to my first show there which was the inspiration for this painting. I later went back and photographed that building from several angles and painted three different versions (one of which was a commissioned painting.)

The original piece was named in French: MERE ET VASA AUX LIMIERE DE VISTA. However, I later simplified the name to just "NONNAH'S" to reflect the name in the painting and make it easier for customers to understand and give greater meaning to local residents and patrons.

The owner of Nonnah's, Maggy Groff, named her establishment after her daughter Shannon. So, Nonnah's spelled backwards is Shannon. Ironically, after showing the painting and subsequent giclees, my customers began to share with me that Nonnah's also means grandmother in Greek and Italian. Aside from the fact that the painting gives Columbia a "French" feel with this painting, it is also extremely popular elsewhere because of the stories behind the painting and the fact that customers just really like the piece and old world feel of it. I always like to tell the story that if Columbia were Paris (as much of the inspiration for my work is) this is what it would look like.

Gervais Street in Columbia is a straight street, but my creative license has it with a curve to add interest.

Signed and numbered giclee prints of Nonnah's are available for $250 framed and matted or $80 unframed. The current edition has 250 prints total with some still available as of this posting. To order your copy, email me at info@alicialeeke.com.

Image copyrighted by the artist. All rights reserved.