Decatur family learns art of creating a home

The home is a central theme in artist William Mize’s work.

“I paint half from my subconscious,” said Mize, whose multimedia work also includes architectural lines, power lines and cable lines.

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Sean Drakes/SEAN DRAKES / AJC Special

William and Vivian Mize have made their new home in Decatur open, modern and bright.

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Sean Drakes/SEAN DRAKES / AJC Special

A pirate ship docked to a shanty was the inspiration for the elaborate tree house nestled in towering trees that overlook the pool.

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Sean Drakes/SEAN DRAKES / AJC Special

This corner of butting glass panes on the home’s lower level is one of William Mize’s favorite design attributes in the home.

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“All of his work is about his sense of home,” said Alan Avery of Alan Avery Art Co. Avery is currently showing Mize’s newest work titled “Urban Sprawl.”

Mize, whose work is classified as “modern abstract expressionist,” said the constant of a house in his work may be because he came from a broken home. “The house was a metaphor for who I was,” he said. “The person who I am now is because of how I grew up.”

And maybe it’s fitting that his family’s new home in Decatur is open, modern and bright.

“The nice thing about this house is we’re in the city but in the middle of the woods,” he said. “I don’t see my neighbors.”

What makes your house a home? Mize enjoys displaying artwork by his friends as well as his own pieces. His first figurative painting of his son hangs over the fireplace.

Most of Mize’s new artwork is throughout the home as he prepared for his new show.

Describe the heart of your home: The kitchen/dining room area is the main hub of activity in the Mize household. “My wife loves to cook. We eat; we talk,” Mize said. The couple have two children, a son, 8, and a daughter, 6.

Coolest feature in the home: Mize likes the butting glass panes that span two stories in the center of the home. “It was the first thing I saw when I walked in,” Mize said. The windows on the lower level offer a view from the rec room onto the pool and backyard.

Describe your decorating style: Mize calls their style eclectic with anything modern.

What is your most cherished item? Vivian Mize’s favorite piece is the Eames Chair, which incidentally is featured in several of her husband’s pieces. William Mize also treasures a Robert Rauschenberg work hanging in the living room. “He’s one of my favorite artists.”

Past/future projects: The Mizes converted the dining room back to a bedroom for their daughter. The nearby bathroom was expanded into a jack-n-jill configuration, and William Mize laid 5,000 colorful marbles on the wall like tile.

The couple also turned the downstairs sauna area into the art studio. The area gets great light from the backyard/pool area. “And it’s away from everything else,” Mize said. In the future, they would like to update the downstairs guest bedrooms and redo the master bathroom.

The couple enjoy the space, but William Mize would like to change the tile to a more modern look.