Last summer, an 80-year-old, housebound man named James Bean passed away in Uptown, Sedona. He didn’t have any family, but before quietly passed away, he told his caretakers that his biggest concern was that his partner’s artwork would wind up in the trash. The couple contacted Cliff Hamilton, a local artist and member of the nonprofit SedonaKind, to come see the dozens of pastels that James had left behind. Cliff remembers standing in a garage, looking though the artwork, when he spied a couple of dusty portfolios. Inside were watercolor and oil paintings of professional precision. “It was one of those oh-my-God moments,” says Cliff. “We were pulling out sheet after sheet of work, and that’s when I knew we had a story.”
The artwork belonged to James’ partner, Leor Warner. James and Leor were in the process of relocating from Los Angeles to Sedona in 2007 when they were involved in a car accident. Leor died, and James was left partially paralyzed. He decided to honor his partner’s dream and complete the move to Sedona where he lived for 10 years until his death in 2017. Cliff and other members of SedonaKind began doing some research and found out that Leor Warner was a respected astrologist and artist in New York and L.A. He exhibited his work at the Brooklyn Museum, and he also worked as a calligrapher and as a costume designer in New York theater productions. Cliff says he’s been unable to track down any of Leor’s relatives, and thus far doesn’t know when or where the artist was born.
Leor’s floral watercolors and James’ pastels featuring Hollywood personalities will be part of an exhibit at Sedona Arts Center on May 6 from 1 to 4 p.m. Proceeds from the show, Kindness Blooms, will benefit SedonaKind. The organization’s mission is to encourage acts of kindness both locally and around the world. Cliff says 65 of Leor’s paintings and 40 or 50 of James’ pastels will be for sale or on display (some of the paintings were sold in advance on the SedonaKind website). The artwork will be sold at reasonable prices, says Cliff. “We hope this show re-establishes Leor’s image, and after speaking with some of his astrology clients, we think SedonaKind’s cause is consistent with what Leor stood for,” says Cliff.– Erika Ayn Finch
MORE ART GALLERIES IN NORTHERN ARIZONA: Shows, exhibitions and happenings
