Trash to treasure

AUGUSTA - A Hephzibah middle school teacher proved the old adage ``One man&#39;s trash is another man&#39;s treasure.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Henry Drakeford, who teaches art at Spirit Creek Middle School, stumbled upon an original watercolor last summer while visiting his brother in Washington, D.C. <br> <br> Drakeford has found several pieces of art over the years this way. Whenever he gets the chance, he searches abandoned houses and trash piles. <br> <br> His recent find turned out to be ``Autumn Landscape,&#39;&#39; a watercolor by Jasper Francis Cropsey, dated 1899. Auction house officials estimated the painting to be worth between $8,000-$12,000, and he spent another $600 to have the painting restored. <br> <br> Cropsey was a member of New York&#39;s Hudson River School, and he is best known for his bright, bold autumn landscapes. <br> <br> But the painting was not sold when it went up for sale Saturday at Weschler&#39;s auction house in Washington. <br> <br> Drakeford, who is also a painter, is working on a series of paintings based on the events of September Eleventh. He hopes to present one of his paintings to President Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell during the holidays.