On the evening of October 9, 2010 something pretty incredible happened. Let me set the stage here. October 9 was a Saturday night. One in which the Floyd’s had gone to Hattiesburg to watch cousin Matt play football at USM and I was home alone. I was looking forward to an early night to bed and maybe a night of relaxation or a movie with my daughter. Anne Craig decided to spend the night out at the last minute leaving me in the dust. Just then the text messages come flashing through reminding me of the Cottonlandia auction that starts at 5. Don’t get me wrong, I love to support Cottonlandia when I can but I just didn’t feel like getting all dressed up to go socialize at a function. Well, sure enough peer pressure applied by Boyce Robbins, Lisa Cookston and Kim Simcox took the reigns and ultimately prevailed.
We get to Cottonlandia and there is a great crowd on hand for a rainy fall night. We get a glass of wine and start mingling about checking out the items . There was quite a selection of items ranging from gift certificates from local merchants and restaurants to pottery to fine arts. As I stood in the foyer, having yet to get very far, someone came up to me saying that some of Mary Norman’s (my Great Aunt) pieces were in the auction. This came to no surprise as I knew Mary Norman was a proud supporter of Cottonlandia for many years and I was sure her family was more than willing to donate some of her things for such a great cause.
As I rounded the corner of the next room several ladies I knew were all standing in front of one of her pieces. It was a portrait of a beautiful young lady with sparkling blue eyes, gorgeous skin and hair. She was wearing a ivory lace dress.
You could tell the portrait was "unfinished" but Boyce was insistent that this made the portrait very unique. Unfinished yet beautiful in it's own way. The ladies asked, "Do you think it is a self portrait of Mary Norman?" I thought to myself I seriously doubted that could be the case but it did favor her slightly. Several bids had been made on this piece so I decided what the heck...I'll place a bid and see where it takes us.
We continue to mingle and check out tons of great items. There was another Mary Norman Brown piece that several women were vying over. It was a painting of the old Crystal Ice House that used to be on the way out of town heading south on Main. It was pretty and the colors were good but something about that female portrait kept drawing me back. I proceeded to go back and check on my bid to see if I still held the lead when another lady I knew walked up and we began to discuss. She proceeded to tell me that her husband was Mary Norman's Godson and that she thought she had a wonderful place she could put it in her house. She proceeds to outbid me and at that point I was ok with that....or was I? I mean I had no idea who the picture was of. Sure it was pretty and Mary Norman did paint it and all...but.....There began to be discussion about how there was a possibility that the portrait may in fact be of Walter Anderson's daughter. Mary Norman used to go down to South Mississippi to the art colonies down there to work and paint. So I then thought well cool, it'd be neat to just have some sort of art that Mary Norman had done hanging in my house. I was becoming more intrigued and determined as the night went on. I'm sure the wine going down edged me on some as well. By this time Boyce was telling me, "Lisa, this is a dern good piece of art. You need to get this piece!" But I felt bad to bid against someone else that I had just spoken to like I understood her need to have it. That's when Boyce made an executive decision and said, "Well, I will bid on it and if I get it it's hanging in your house!" OK OK I said...whatever...
So we then go sit a while in the live auction and help stir up the bids on all of those items which were mostly being bid on by local doctors. It was fun to run their prices up though! All for a good cause right???
Well, the silent auction closed and guess what??? Boyce won the painting or I guess you could say...I just won a new piece of art to hang on my walls that will belong to Boyce.
We proceed home and the next morning I tell Mama about my Saturday night ventures. I tell her I (or rather Boyce) bought a piece of Mary Normans that was a portrait of a female lady. I tell Mama to come see it and she proceeds. She comes over and sees the portrait and says, "Hang on I have seen that picture before...let me run home and I'll be right back". Mama returns shortly with a 3x5 sepia toned photograph of Grandmother Craig that was from my Grandmother's house.
Sure enough....the exact pose, dress, jewelry, hair, etc.... I mean uncanny! It was such fun to find out that I indeed had such a treasure. I called my friends who were with me the night before and they all came over to see in wonderous disbelief and amazement. What a neat find and mystery solved. Mary Norman's family, who donated the painting, was thrilled that I ended up with it and couldn't have been happier.
She now hangs in our hall outside Anne Craig's bedroom and we are very proud to have her. What a beautiful treasure. Thank you Mary Norman for painting such a pretty piece and I'm grateful to have ended up with it. OH! And I did reimburse Boyce for her purchase so it is officially mine.
