Richard Garner and Karen Robinson, Lake Claire

Background: Garner is an artistic director of Georgia Shakespeare, and Robinson is a theater professor at Kennesaw State University. They have a large collection of folk pottery, paintings and collages by Robinson's mother, an artist. Most of their artwork is portraits and heads. "Lucy is my nickname for Karen, and I call this 'Lucy's House of Heads,' " Garner says.

Elissa Eubanks / eeubanks@ajc.com (ENLARGE)

Richard Garner and his wife, Karen Robinson, with 'Seescape,' their favorite piece of art by Gordon Jamieson.

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Favorite piece: "Seascape," an oil painting by their friend Gordon Jameson, which they purchased from the artist in 1986 for $1,100. They didn't have enough cash at the time to buy it outright, so Jameson let them pay over time, Garner says. It was the first piece of art they acquired as a couple. Garner met Jameson while at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. "I was living in a resident hotel, one of those places for long-term rentals, and struck up a friendship with Gordon's wife. They ended up living two blocks from where I was living in San Francisco," he said.

Why they like it: "It's a really calming painting. The sky in the background is tumultuous, but the woman has such a serene look on her face, an almost Buddha-like quality," Garner says. "It's refreshing to sit there quietly with a glass of wine and look at the painting. I like to think that I can be calm no matter what's going on around me."