Jan Corey Helford and Bruce Helford, of the Corey Helford Gallery in Culver City, CA, wanted to do a charity event to benefit Los Angeles' children living in poverty. And they wanted to do something that would lure in the top underground and alternative artists from across the country. They came up with the idea of providing vintage paint-by-numbers canvases to the artists, who would transform them into modern masterworks by painting over the originals.

One of the first artists they contacted was Gary Baseman, who took the lead and contacted all the artists he knew to join in the fun. I caught up with Gary by email the other day to find out how the project evolved. He wrote, "First I asked some friends, like Mark Ryden and Marion Peck, Rob and Christian Clayton, and Camille Rose Garcia, Tim Biskup, and Shepard Fairy. I asked some more friends and then just started to ask artists I didn't know, but whose work I admired. And then it snowballed. I asked artists that may not have been introduced to the LA market and wanted to give them an introduction, and illustrators that I feel should be having gallery shows."

Illustration left: Before, and After by Isabel Samaras, courtesy Corey Helford Gallery.
Charity by Numbers, as the event is being billed, offers work by more than 100 artists for sale at auction. The Helfords had already been collecting p-b-n canvases, many through eBay. So it seemed natural to conduct the auction over eBay. All of the proceeds will go to The Alliance for Children's Rights, the leading non-profit agency in Los Angeles County devoted to providing free legal services and care to children living at risk.

The auction preview takes place at the Corey Helford Gallery Saturday, February 10, from 10 pm to midnight. For information about the Collectors' Preview from 6 to 9 pm, please contact the gallery: 310.287.2340. For a complete list of artists and to place a bid, visit the gallery website.

If you're in the area, here's a chance to expand your art collection and support a good cause. Gary Baseman added, "This will be a Hollywood event too, mixing celebs and artists. Bruce Helford, who owns the gallery with Jan, is the producer of the Drew Carey Show and the George Lopez Show. I think it's important to give back and help out other artists and the community. I was thrilled by the artists' response. And now I am thrilled by the results."

Illustration below: Before, and After by Gary Baseman, courtesy Corey Helford Gallery.