Athens artist attacked, suspect arrested

An iconic Athens artist, known for drawing Georgia Bulldogs with a marker in his mouth, added mirrors to his easel this week after taking a forced hiatus from his artwork.

Michael Davenport, an armless 52-year-old artist, was hit in the back of the head with a water bottle on Saturday, June 23, during AthFest, the city’s annual downtown music and arts festival.

His alleged attacker, 29-year-old Darian Kenney, was arrested Wednesday and charged with aggravated assault, according to Clarke County jail records.

A witness said Kenney stood behind Davenport wearing all black, then put a mask on and hit him on the head with a water bottle. It’s unclear why Kenney allegedly hit him.

Davenport fell unconscious, and the witness chased the attacker while his wife called 911, the Banner-Herald reported.

Davenport often sets up his easels around Athens and draws University of Georgia-themed pieces as people gather to watch him work, especially on weekends when the town is having an event. His art has sold to UGA football coaches Vince Dooley and Mark Richt, the newspaper reported.

A customer suggested he add the mirrors so he can see who’s behind him. He suffered a minor concussion after the incident.

Kenney is being held on a $3,000 bond.