Gail Boone Lee Plans One-Person Art Show About Toomsboro

Gail is the daughter of the late James and Lois Lord Boone. She graduated from Toomsboro High School in 1954 and earned a BA Degree from the University of Georgia. Gail is an artist and now lives in Pound Ridge, New York. You can read more about Gail and view some of her art at Gail Lee Visual Artist.

The following was extracted from a recent E-mail message from Gail:

"I live in Pound Ridge, NY and have been here for about forty six years. I am an artist and have just been awarded a large one person show titled, Back to a Place I Never Left. Like you, Toomsboro made a profound impression and has been the subject of many of my pieces. I have a year to work on this show and am hoping to get down in the spring to take more photographs and get actual debris from some of the old buildings, particularly my old house which just burned down. I have a series of pieces on the old depot combining photographs and paintings which got me the show. I'm excited about the project but have to do much research . Sharon Boone [first cousiin - daughter of Joe and Edna Boone] has been a big help and I'm hoping that I can call on you from time to time for information I don't have. I know Marlene Lord may be able to help and I'm hoping that Nan Hall [widow of Murray Hall, Jr.] would let me inside the old store. I've tried over the years but am hoping this time, maybe. Attached is the proposal for the show. Perhaps it will give you a better idea of what I'm up to."

The following two paragraphs are extracted directly from Gail's proposal:

"The source and inspiration of the work is the small town I grew up in, Toomsboro, Georgia. The area is known for the lumber mills and chalk mines and it is one of the largest sources for kaolin in the country."

"My vision for the show includes a variety of images originating from the history of the town and personal experiences. Harmonizing earth-toned colors will unify the work and there will be mixed media pieces, combining photography and painting, assemblages, and perhaps sculptural pieces composed of actual debris from the location. The pieces will be in a series and the sizes of each series will vary to give a more exciting visual look to the place. I plan to include narratives with the images which, I think, will add interest and involve the viewer in the story."

Gail's father, James Boone, was known affectionately to locals as Booney and owned the hardware store in the location that later became famous as the concert hall for Swampland Opra concerts. His father was Alex Boone who served as a representative in the Georgia State legislature in Atlanta and was a long-time editor of The Wilkinson County News in Irwinton. Gail's mother, Lois, was a second grade teacher at the Toomsboro School, and Gail has one brother, Jim.