The Painted Butterfly...

The Painted Butterfly

Ok, so not long after moving here and a little exploring, I found this little gem in the heart of Downtown Kennesaw! I was immediately enthralled and wanted to know more about the place and the person who created these wonderful, whimsical pieces. It didn't take long to find out the story behind this place and the artistic soul that puts her heart into each creation. She has even started a project called "Cases for Kids". Check out her story and the pics below!

Holly Jones

Opened in January 2007, the word unique woefully understates this venue for hand-painted art, furniture and home decor. The Painted Butterfly is located in the city's oldest building, a house that pre-dates the Civil War, situated right in the middle of Kennesaw's historic district. Almost every nook and cranny of the pre-Civil War homestead glitters with vibrant artwork made from recycled glass, bottlecaps, tin cans, scrap wood and more. Oversized, repurposed art spills out onto the parking lot, adding a burst of color where Main and Summers Streets intersect. Artist Holly Jones re-crafts and recycles previously loved materials collected around the community such as dressers and chairs, barbecue grills, window shutters, floor boards and even discarded tool sheds. Her canvas art is both fun and inspirational with a full-on use of attention-grabbing hues. There's a Children's Room and a Christmas Room filled to the ceiling with themed woodwork, tree-trimming favorites and inspirational whimsy.

Holly Jones is also joining forces with other local businesses to launch Cases for Kids and is taking the concept of transforming trash to treasure to a new level in an effort to collect, paint, and donate suitcases to local foster children. Jones is working to get the word out to the community. She asks that old suitcases be dropped off at the shop, as well as at supporting locations, including Foundations for the Future, Marietta Vineyard Church, Eaton Chiropractic and Crank Coffee House. The suitcases will then be handpainted by Jones and donated to local foster children.

Jones says foster children must often transport their belongings in trash bags, thus proliferating a sense of being "disposable." "There are so many overlooked kids in society," she says. Through Cases for Kids, she hopes to "give them a sense of self worth" and help the kids realize, "Somebody did this for me, and I am important enough." "Most foster children live out of paper or garbage bags. We want to give them their own special piece of luggage."

Jones has two daughters, Caroline and Bailey, along with two cats and three dogs (among them a Great Dane named Elvis) and says she has always felt a special connection to children, animals and the elderly. She gives art classes to kids, works with the Humane Society and also paints with residents of local nursing homes. The very young and the very old show the least inhibition in their artwork; they aren't afraid to color outside of the lines, she says.

While Jones says she utilizes a mix of different art styles, her work at its core is "happy and colorful." "I believe art should make a difference to somebody in a positive and happy way." She says a customer dropped by the other day and told her, "I've just come to get my happy fix."

Everyone is amazed by the life that shines through in Jones' artwork and especially admires her pet portraits. Even Martha Stewart owns a Holly Jones pet piece.

However, Jones says she believes art should be affordable for everyone. Nothing in the shop is over the price of $200, she says. "When I was four years old, I sold my mom a drawing on a shirt board for 50 cents," says Jones. She says she always knew she'd run an art shop one day and that she'd be able to stock the entire place herself. Jones works quickly and completes several pieces a day, working outside on sunny days or from her workshop at the front of the shop.

The artistic gene seems to run strong in the family. Jones' father, Bud, is a taxidermist who has been contracted by museums to create replicas of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals. Daughter Bailey, 16, draws better than her, she says, and her oldest daughter Caroline, 23, is a connoisseur of fashion. Jones says she loves what she does and that she'll run the shop until the day she dies.

"I believe art is my legacy," she says. "Paint it forward with art."