In 1996, David F. Heatwole led a loose-knit group of artists from Northern Virginia—including participants from Washington, D.C., and nearby Maryland—under the banner of the Transcendental Arts Council (TAC). Together, they organized a variety of creative fundraisers, using their artistic talents to support community causes. One such effort included painting pumpkins for Loudoun County’s Interfaith Relief and the Children’s Medical Center.
In a particularly imaginative twist on traditional events, the group also hosted an Easter egg hunt unlike any other. Instead of painting eggs or pumpkins, they transformed discarded wooden doors into whimsical art installations. Heatwole and fellow artist KROD had acquired about a dozen slightly flawed doors from a local manufacturer, hauling them over the mountains strapped to the roof of Heatwole’s Honda Civic Wagon. Each artist decorated a door, which was then placed throughout a wooded park in Loudoun County as part of the event. The hunt was a success, delighting both children and families.
Following the event, Leslie Folksman—who had played the role of the Easter Bunny—called Heatwole with an unexpected opportunity. He had secured a solo exhibition at the Children’s Medical Center but could no longer fulfill the commitment. Instead, he offered the space to Heatwole, suggesting a group exhibition. Excited by the chance, Heatwole connected with the center’s exhibition coordinator and received approval to proceed.
He immediately set to work organizing the show, collaborating with TAC’s
volunteer artists and overseeing every detail. One of the upcycled doors, airbrushed by KROD, was photographed by Dave Shelby in his backyard and used as the cover image for the exhibition flyer. Two other doors were featured in the background of a digital collage layered over one of Heatwole’s own paintings, showcasing work from all participating artists.
Among the standout contributions were two or three masterful pieces by Leslie Folksman, as well as works by several curated artists. Of the roughly 45 pieces included in the exhibition, only one sold—a surreal painting by Dave Curtis. Remarkably, it sold before the show had even finished being installed. Nothing else sold during the exhibit, a fact Heatwole still recalls with a mix of humor and admiration for the unexpected power of Curtis’s work.