Art and wine combine with a glamorous evening on Jan. 28 to encourage donations to help find cures for heart disease. This year's Charleston Heart Ball promises to be one of the best as the American Heart Association celebrates the 15th anniversary of its annual fund raiser. In honor of the occasion, the association has invited all of the featured artists of the past, and all 12 of them are back with artwork that will be auctioned off in a live auction during the ball.

Mark Kelvin Horton was the featured artist in 2006 and he has painted an original work, "Silence" as his donation this year. He has been involved in the heart ball since he first moved here in 2001 and began to try to make a living as a full-time artist.

"I have met a lot of great artists and collectors at the heart ball. My father died in '83 of heart disease," Horton adds. "I think it's a great cause. It's a fun, worthwhile event."

Horton grew up outside of Albemarle, N.C. and went to East Carolina University. He studied design there and worked in advertising and design in New York City for 18 years after college. However, he had always wanted to be an artist and decided to go for it in 2001.

That year, he and his family moved to the Charleston area and he continued to work as a designer until 2004 when he became a full-time artist. He had taken as many art classes as he could while in college and also had learned a great deal by taking workshops taught by artists he admires. He spent a lot of time touring museums and galleries while living in New York, learning all he could from the artwork on display there. He travels often to Europe where he visits as many museums and galleries as possible.

Horton specializes in landscapes and enjoys painting stormscapes. Much of his work features the outdoors, and this year will be his first to participate in the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition.

Horton and his wife Nancy own the Horton Hayes Art Gallery at the corner of State and Queen streets downtown with gallery director and co-owner Cynthia Hayes. The gallery is home to several local and visiting artists and also houses an upstairs studio where Horton paints and teaches classes. He also works out of his studio at his house in I'On. He and his wife have two sons, Leo 10 and Fred, 13.

The 15th anniversary Charleston Heart Ball will be held on Saturday, Jan. 28 from 6 p.m. to midnight at the Crystal Ballroom at the downtown Marriott. The black-tie event will feature a seated gourmet dinner, dancing to the music of Palmetto Soul and, of course, the silent and live auctions of art and wine.

"We're very fortunate to have generous donors," says Meredith Gale, senior director of development for the Heart Association. "The live auction is one of the top three across the country for the American Heart Association."

The association's goal for the Heart Ball this year is $400,000. The funds are raised to aid in the research of cures for various heart diseases and other conditions.

In addition to the work of Mark Kelvin Horton, the artwork of 11 other artists will be featured in the live auction, including Betty Anglin Smith, John Doyle, Rhett Thurman, William Jameson, Shannon Smith, Margaret Petterson, Jennifer Smith Rogers, Jill Hopper, West Fraser, Mickey Williams and Robert Lange. Members of the Charleston Artists Guild donated artwork to the silent auction as well.

Tickets are available for $250 per person, and tables of 10 start at $4,000. Call the American Heart Association, Charleston office, at 843-853-1597 or visit the website at www.heart.org/charlestonscheartball.