The Sarasota Muralist

A little politics maybe?

2008-11-02T20:01:00.004-05:00

Like we're all not tired of it all by now......sigh. Although, I gotta admit, I've been hooked on following every last bit of info I could find for well over a year now. It's taken me this long to make up my mind on whether I should even post anything political on my mural blog. I've been apprehensive to post anything regarding the current election for fear of alienating any potential clients. But you know what, it shouldn't be that way. And I'm going to post something about that down below. First things first......and that would be anything art-related, which is what this blog is supposed to be about.......

We voted last week. On a Saturday. We took our 8 year old daughter along. During the preliminary process before we actually got to fill out our ballots, an aide walked up and handed our daughter a coloring book and a small box of crayons that were created specifically for the elections. Cool...
It wasn't until we arrived back home, only a block away, that we noticed the crayon box. Check it out:-)

If it's too fuzzy for you to read, here's what it says.....
Obviously, the label, or title, says, "The American Crayon".
On the edge of the box, it says, "Made in Mexico"
OK....Mexico IS in America, I know. But you might think they could have contracted with Crayola to have these produced.......or not. We thought it was both funny and ironic.

Back to what I mentioned earlier about being apprehensive about posting on my blog, like I said, I don't think we should be afraid to announce who we support nor do I think we should tear down people that don't agree with our decision. Because once the election is over, we all have to live and work together. The current administration seems to have done a very good job of doing anything BUT uniting the country and especially it's politicians. This is only one of the reasons we decided to support Barack Obama. I believe that Peggy Noonan summed it up best, for me, when she wrote just last week.....

"The case for Barack Obama, in broad strokes:

He has within him the possibility to change the direction and tone of American foreign policy, which need changing; his rise will serve as a practical rebuke to the past five years, which need rebuking; his victory would provide a fresh start in a nation in which a fresh start would come as a national relief. He climbed steep stairs, born off the continent with no father to guide, a dreamy, abandoning mother, mixed race, no connections. He rose with guts and gifts. He is steady, calm, and, in terms of the execution of his political ascent, still the primary and almost only area in which his executive abilities can be discerned, he shows good judgment in terms of whom to hire and consult, what steps to take and moves to make. We witnessed from him this year something unique in American politics: He took down a political machine without raising his voice." (I added the emphasis in that last line)

Here's hoping.......

A Week at Sarsota's Hermitage...or summer camp?

2008-03-13T19:35:00.009-05:00

A few weeks ago, I was privileged to be one of eight decorative artists from around the country invited to spend a week at the Hermitage on Manasota Key. The Hermitage is an artist retreat, which was originally started by the Sarasota Arts Council and is now self sustaining, from what I understand. You can read all about it on their website.

For our 'retreat', eight decorative artists from around the country, were invited to spend a week here to paint a mural, which was given to the town of Englewood. Originally, we thought we might collaborate on one large mural, but quickly decided to showcase, in effect, what each of us does on a daily basis. So we each painted a four by eight foot panel.....outside....under a tent....and the stars. It was quite the experience, and THAT is an understatement.

The artists, as I mentioned, came from all parts of the country.....
We had two brothers, Todd and Eric Lindburgh, from Virginia Beach, VA. Shannon Clark, from Hollywood, CA. Tania Seabock from San Francisco. Pat Ganino from somewhere in Connecticut. Elena Ortega from Key Largo, FL. Skip Dyrda (me)....from good old Sarasota and last but not least, Erik Schlake, from Englewood. It was Erik who had the original idea and posed it to Bruce Rodgers, curator at the Hermitage and then to the Englewood Community Redevelopment Authority. Ultimately, the entire project was funded and unanimously approved by the Sarasota County Commissioners.

By sundown on a lazy Sunday, we had all arrived and began to get to know each other. A few had met at various conventions and shows and most of us at least knew about each other but never met. It really didn't take long for all of us to be best of friends. Some credit for that has to go to Debbie Marks and her assistant Jesse, from the CPA. They were sort of our 'camp councilors' I guess.....or house mothers:-) A more appropriate title might be 'amazing' since they treated us like royalty and fed us way too much food. I think much of the food was donated from various Englewood restaurants (I'll get that list later) but Debbie would show up bright and early most mornings with the best baked goods, that she made! That coffee cake was deadly good....wow...

The plan was that we would start painting Monday morning but some of us just couldn't wait to get started and began working on our panels Sunday night. Each panel had it's own, very large easel and they were all set up under a huge tent on the Southern edge of the property. For the first few days we didn't have many lights since no one figured that we would be painting until the wee hours of the mornings. I don't think anyone quit painting before 11pm and most painted well past midnight, even on Monday night after we got slammed by a fairly strong storm. All the panels got wet and one mural basically melted off it's panel. The muggy weather made the donated paint dry way too slow for some of us but by the end of the week, all eight panels were finished and hanging in downtown Englewood. In fact, the contractor was picking up finished panels by Friday noon. That's only four and a half days. Of course, we all worked a minimum of 14 hours a day.......

And it wasn't ALL work. Like I said, we ate well. And this is where the summer camp part comes from......more like summer camp with no adult supervision:-) I'm being facetious, of course....sort of......
For example, Tania, the artist from San Francisco, has been a part of the Burning Man festival with her husband for several years. They perform in a show that involves dancing and fire.....as in torches and ...um....fire breathing. So.....she taught us how to do that....the fire breathing part. It was very interesting. Pretty wild, actually. No people, animals, plant life or structures were harmed during our lessons:-) See the video here.

And then there was "The Red String Incident" Those of you that know about my work know also that I include a red string in all my work. I've done this for about 15 years. One day after painting all morning, I walked up the hill to the main house to have lunch. I hadn't realized that most of the other artists were already there and that Debbie was there making sure everyone had enough to eat. Tuesday was leftovers day so I opted for a slice of pizza. When I went to serve myself, I was instructed to sit at the table and I would be served. OK....fine.
My pizza arrived with a nice piece of red string on top. Cute:-) Thanks, guys. The it took me about ten minutes to realize that everyone had red strings tied around their wrists. Wow....now that was really nice, I thought.
But little did I know that they weren't done with me. That night, after painting for several hours after dinner, most of us had congregated in the main house. Many had their laptops out and others were just talking. I think it might have been between midnight and 1 am when I finally decided to head down to my cabin to call it a night. Early the next morning, I stumbled my way back up to the main house to make a pot of coffee, only to find Erik (the one from Englewood) standing in the kitchen......coffee was already made and he had this huge grin on his face. I asked what he was so happy about and he mumbled something about food and friends and everything going so well. I poured a cup of coffee, walked to the window and looked out to the parking lot to see my white Ford Explorer......completely covered in red string, along with several trees, benches and the fence! Too cool.....I was smiling all day. All week. Still......

And that little story was what this little experiment was all about.....friends. I made friends that week that I'll never forget.....I may never see some of them again. I hope that's not the case. Regardless.....this was an experience I'll treasure forever. We worked hard.......had fun....ate too much and became the best of friends...all of us. And the little town of Englewood received eight kick-ass murals for a fraction of what we would have normally charged any of our clients.....basically for room and board.

Thanks to Erik for the idea and all his hard work to make his dream a reality. To Debbie Marks and her assistant Jesse, for waiting on us hand and foot (and cooking). All the donors of food, wine, easels...everything. Bruce Rodgers for agreeing to host the project and putting up with eight crazy artists. To Sarasota County for funding the project. And most of all, to my new friends......
And oh, yeah.....to my wife.....for allowing me to go to summer camp with no adult supervision:-)

I'll eventually update this page with a link to a website all about our experience as well as a video I'm creating from the photos everyone took. In the meantime, enjoy the photos below....and sorry for the long post....

Skip

More Press.......and a little surprise

2008-02-15T21:58:00.008-05:00

I've been very fortunate to receive my share, and maybe a little more, of press.....the free variety. Back on December 15 of last year (2007), Nichole Reber wrote a very nice article about me and what I do for Style Home Magazine, which is part of the Sarasota Herald Tribune. Most people that read the article indicated that it was the best so far and I'd have to agree. Nicole did a really nice job, as usual. You can click HERE to go to the press page on my web site and then from there go to the full article......Thank you Nichole and thanks to Lisa McQuaid, the art director who called for more info and photos. Nice job.

Now for the surprise. For the last few weeks, I've been updating my emurals.com web site, which I hadn't done for a couple years. I'm almost done with it so check it out....
Anyway, I Googled my own name and found myself linked to (or is it from?) a site called wonderhowto.com (don't go there...yet) And it was there that you got sent to HGTV's website where they now have the video I did for their Modern Master's TV show several years ago. Well....it's no longer there:-) My guess is that either HGTV or High Noon Productions, the production company that created my video, made them remove it.....

However, my video IS on the HGTV web site. So you can go to my Press page HERE and simply click on the Modern Master's logo. Below is a screen capture of me lying on the very clean and newly painted floor of my studio while they were taping. It doesn't look near that good right now.

A Visit to the Venice Golf & Country Club

2007-12-16T12:26:00.000-05:00

This past week I spent some time at a home in the Venice Golf & Country Club, which is a very nice community. I was hired to paint a mural outside near the home owner's pool. They wanted some kind of tropical plant in an urn and so....that's exactly what they received. Oh....and a bird....
So below is a detail of said bird and my ever present red string. As you can see, the wall was extremely rough.

The images below show the entire mural up close and from across the lanai.

And this photo shows one of the neighbors parked in the middle of the road. I'm not sure if it's a Florida Panther or a bobcat....it's looks too small to be a panther. If anyone knows....speak up.

Skip

Ta Daaa....Thank You, Stuart, Florida

2007-09-07T08:23:00.000-05:00

After almost three months of painting, mostly seven days a week, in the sun, I have finished the murals at 47 West Osceola Ave. in Stuart, Florida.

The plan was for me to finish this last week painting another mural inside the alcove. That idea was scrapped and instead, I painted the numbers on the keystone over the front entry. And that was it...done.....finished.

The last corner I finished, which I mentioned in my previous post, is the Ashley Gang corner. As you can see in the first photo, they have just emerged from inside what could be a bank, or not, hands and pockets full of the money they just made off with, and apparently quite pleased with themselves.

The next photo shows the lower niche in that corner which various elements that depict the history of the Ashley Gang as they pertain to Stuart, in particular.

The most interesting element, and a surprise to me, was that large poster in the lower left corner. It's an over sized image of a movie poster. The movie is called "Little Laura and Big John" and was actually filmed in Stuart. It was apparently all about the adventures, and demise, of the Ashley Gang. I've not yet viewed the movie but I read, and was told, that it's really bad. It starred Karen Black and Fabian and was distributed by Crown International Pictures, famous, I believe, for their 'B' movies. I guess this one was more like a 'C'.

Some of the other elements are a wanted poster showing an actual image of John Ashley. Next to that is a framed portrait of Sheriff R.C. "Bob" Baker, who ultimately arrested the gang. Below is a 20's era photo of the old bank that the gang robbed, which is now a restaurant called The Ashley Restaurant. Great food....
Up above in the little alcove you'll find bags of money and jugs of rum and moonshine, socked away by the gang.

And last, but not least, is the finishing touch...the address....

And so.....I'm back home. I've mentioned previously all the nice people I met in Stuart....and I'd like to mention those that I can remember....recall that I spent the entire summer in the sun...so I probably lost quite a few brain cells in the process....more than normal and more than I could afford.....

The people I met and would like to thank....at least some of them...

First and foremost would be Mike Ryan, the developer. A great guy, easy to work with and very understanding. Not only did Mike expand the amount of work I was initially expecting to do, he trusted me. I didn't always have sketches 'approved' for many of the smaller windows and even parts of the larger niches. We really collaborated on much of the project and in fact, the Frances Langford corner was his idea, and a good one, at that. And what a great family he is surrounded by...Tommy., Larry, wife Lyla (gee...I hope I got that right....) and darn...I forget some of the others names. Great crew....

Thank you just as much to Robert Flagg. This is the guy that contacted me way back....over a year ago. He was the original developer and the guy with the vision to paint Trompe L'oeil windows on the sides of the building.....so thank you Bob.

Mayor Mary Hutchinson, who I sort of met by accident. I was waiting for some storm clouds to pass so I could go paint and stopped by her husbands gallery. We had some great conversations and her husband is very talented.....and he designed the street flags in Stuart, as well. Also Chuck and Robin from the Community Redevelopment Department, who told me about Stuart's previous mural program.

The Tram guys, especially the one who mostly works what might be the 'second shift'. He often brought his riders by to show me working on the murals.

Linda from the Geoffrey Smith Gallery. I painted her dog in one of the windows. I regret that I ended up leaving on a Wednesday....I forgot that they are closed then so I never got to say goodbye to Linda...darn.....I'll be back though.

Tara and the crew from the Ashley Restaurant. Also Jeff, Lolli and Mike from the Black Marlin. I never took time to eat there....but I will.
Paul Daly, owner of the Flager Grill and Bar, who talked me into joining a meeting of the Downtown Merchant's Assoc., after I just got off the lift, all soaking wet and dirty....thanks for the beer, Bernie.

Terri Monaghan from the Martin County Convention & Visitors Bureau, who I met at the above meeting and sent letters to other periodicals suggesting articles about the murals.....

The Stuart/Martin County Chamber of Commerce for placing my press release on their website.

Tom Corcoran, of TreasureCoast.net property management for showing me that great condo I stayed in for almost three months. Also a pro football fanatic like myself....

Albert and crew from Albert G.'s as well as Debbie from the place next door. They all often 'checked up' on me....just to check my progress. It was great meeting you all...

The nice lady from Rhetta B's across the street. Of course, I forgot her name, too, even though we talked a few times. Maybe that was Rhetta!

Of course all the guys that worked on the building while I was there.....
John....who posed for my fisherman corner.
Mark, the job super.
Patrick, Jamie and Jamie Lee, the painters. Patrick is a Dallas Cowboys fan....too bad.
The tile guys.
Chris the handyman and his assistant...

And last, but not the least, Pat Beonde', who stopped by to check up on me often, many times accompanied by friends (I think she knows everyone in Stuart). And for inviting us to her great birthday party, where I met even more nice folks.

I'm sure I forgot someone.....but that only means I forgot while I'm writing this....as things come back to me, I'll add them here....

So that's it for my 'Summer in Stuart". Onward to the next project....

Once again, Thank you Stuart, FL.

Skip

Local Press and a Little Controversy

2007-08-19T09:09:00.000-05:00

So far, this has been an extremely positive experience here in Stuart, Florida. I've met tons of really nice people, and even a few questionable people....but they were the minority, for sure. Once I'm finished with this project, I plan on mentioning all those I can remember...which will be a challenge, to be sure.

Anyway, the Stuart News sent a photographer over to shoot some photos of what I've been 'up to' , pun intended. So a couple weeks ago, Matt the photographer (Matthew Ratajczak) Showed up shortly after 8 am. I'm not sure he knew what he was in for given that I had been currently painting on the East side of the building and that by 8 am, it's already extremely hot up there. I'm pleased to announce that we both survived....soaking wet, but we survived.

After several phone interviews, first with a staff intern whose name I unfortunately forgot, and then by Bill DeYoung, an article was published in the Stuart News, Martin County section. They did a great job and I probably talked to much, which shouldn't surprise anyone that knows me. The one odd thing was the headline, which went as follows....
"Double Take Reveals Murals Not Real"
Hmmmm. Think about that for a sec. As some comments suggested on the website version, the murals are actually real, it's the subject matter and elements that are not real. But maybe that's being picky, I suppose. I certainly appreciate the good press. This is yet another article that at first started out as a 'mention' until they found out what I was doing and well...if a picture is worth a thousand words, four or five pictures are even better. So thank you Stuart News, Bill DeYoung, his intern, who was very nice....we laughed a lot, and of course, Matt. To see the article as well as photos online, go here....
Skip's Article in the Stuart News
I think that it's a sort of shortened version of the original article. Don't forget to view the slide show, which was a really nice touch.

Ok...oh....the controversy. Right.

One evening, I was up on the lift, preparing the last corner of the building for painting. I heard someone calling up to me, which is a common occurrence. So I acknowledged him and he asked me where the Ashley Gang was...my first thought was to say that they were all umm...dead. But I didn't...so I told him that they would be painted in the top niche of the corner I was working on....
So he asked me where I did my research and did I know that they had murdered three police officers near Miami. I didn't know that, I responded. He wondered if it was a good idea to 'glorify', in his words, a group of murderous thugs. I responded that I wasn't exactly doing that and that it was part of Stuart's history. I also asked him if he knew that after the gang had robbed the Stuart Bank, they were arrested and later allowed to escape by the sheriff . At least, that's something I read online. He shrugged and mumbled something while walking off into the sunset.
Later the next week, the very same guy wrote a letter to the editor of the Stuart News asking the same thing. So I did some research and found some interesting information.
What I looked for, thanks to friend Abby's suggestion, was info on Bonnie and Clyde stuff. It appears that towns all over Louisiana and Iowa compete for tourists, and their money, looking for info and exhibits about Bonnie and Clyde. And one in particular caught me eye. As it turns out, the town of Stuart, Iowa, community leaders are seeking a state grant for a revitalization project that includes a mural commemorating a bank robbed by Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. Visitors frequently stop to photograph the site of the April 16, 1934, heist, now the town's police station. Weird, eh? I've had all kinds of strange coincidences since I've arrived here....more about those later......

Also, I received an email from the city that said...."any artwork that portrays local lore or history in the community whether it is good or bad; it is still colorful and unique to us. Having said that stay the course we are behind you all the way."

I should mention that the Lyric Theater here in Stuart has bronze stars embedded in the sidewalk at the entrance to the theater, including one for the Ashley Gang. Down the street is the Ashley Restaurant that is full of Ashley Gang memorabilia and I also found out that there was a movie made about them called "Little Laura and Big John".

The photo above shows the Ashley Gang mural in progress....I have a lot of small changes, mostly with the shadows, but there will be two more characters and more money floating down.

That's it for now.....more later....

Skip

Stuart Murals.....some windows for you

2007-08-12T17:05:00.000-05:00

Windows....fourteen windows. I had six of them on the west side of the building and have eight on the East side. The one below shows some clown painting something. It looks like he has his 'plans' taped to the wall.....
Funky hat, eh?

In the next window is Mark, job supervisor, keeping an eye on everything. Mark's an all around nice guy and has been really helpful since I've been here in Stuart. I suppose that a set of plans he's holding, held together by my red string, of course.
The young in the photo hanging on the wall is Mark's son.

Next we have the proverbial cat in the window. Every window needs one, so says my sister. So here it is in all it's sun-basking glory......

And last, but not least, is Patrick the painter, lowering a bucket of paint to his comrades, who you will meet later. That blue thing at the bottom is part of the lift and the vertical gray bar on the right is the plastic wire-guard on the cement electric pole. It's really tight back in this corner.

I'll post a few more window pictures later and then the Ashley Gang corner, which I've already started....

Finishing in Stuart....ummmm....nope.

2007-08-07T21:06:00.000-05:00

Even though this panel is quite finished, I decided to include it anyway. The reason is that I had to move my monster hydraulic lift around back. It's been parked on Osceola Ave. for I guess about 3 weeks and a few people were becoming umm...antsy. Well....only two, actually. Parking here in Stuart, just like in Sarasota, is a challenge, and I was taking up 3 spaces on what is the main street. One guy, who arrived one evening in a cool little Porsche Boxster, thought he could park UNDER the boom of the lift. Really! So I got to use the nifty little horn on the lift, since I was up in the air painting. The Boxter guy looked at me like I was asking for his car. And all of a sudden his hands were waving around like a windmill, he backed up really fast, and proceeded to find a parking space way down...no...7 spaces away. And it was closer to his destination, the Flagler Grill & Bar. I'm dying to try out that restaurant....maybe just before I leave here...
Anyway, Mr. Boxter jumped out of his cool little car, arms still waving while marching across the street, all the while yelling at me...I couldn't tell what his was saying though, and I didn't think it was nice that he didn't wait for the young lady that accompanied him....I think it was his grand daughter.

So....back to the mural....

The lift you see here has been moved around back to Seminole Ave. and now every one's happy but me. I had to squeeze it into a narrow space right next to a large electric pole. Seems OK, so far. Oh...the murals.....right.

So as I promised in my previous installment, I've added something to the end of our brave fisherman's line.....and of course, it's a Sailfish. Also in that panel is a replica of a letter the Stuart Chamber of Commerce used to send to companies thinking of moving here. The yellow sign, which probably really wasn't yellow, is based on an old Stuart sign and that round think is a replica of the Stuart Sailfish Club's old logo. They've been around here forever and I thought it would be appropriate that they be represented. The postcard the fish is jumping out of is my design....I'll be adding another lamp like the one you see as well as some netting...somewhere.

As for those windows to the right....I'll save those photos for later. I added some interesting characters this time. Oh....regarding those characters. A brief explanation.

The four corners of the building are intended to be the focal point, if you will, and therefore, I've saved those four areas for the historical representations, which are, Chief Osceola, Frances Langford, Sailfishing in Stuart and still to be painted, the dreaded Ashely Gang. The fourteen small windows are sort of secondary and are not intended to have any historical significance. I've used the windows to attract attention by adding figures.....people.....some in action more than others. And it so happens that for most of the windows, I used live models and some happened to be working on the site while I was there. More about the windows in my next installment....soon.

Skip

Fishin' in Stuart

2007-07-23T19:04:00.001-05:00

So....where's the fish? What? You didn't know it's not about catchin' the fish.....it's all about the fishin'. Or something like that. I'm not sure I buy it. Either does the guy below. I'm not sure why he's smiling like that but his name is John and he happens to be the guy in charge around the building I'm painting.....unless the 'real' guy in charge shows up. And then he's not in charge anymore. Oh....John is the one holding the fishin' rod, not the one sitting on the railing. That's Frank. I'm not sure who the little fella is peeking out between the balusters, but he's got my red string in his beak.

As for the missing fish.....patience please. You'll just have to stop back here in oh......maybe 3 or 4 days.

Below we see a big blank space. Actually, it was blank before I painted part of it and now it partially blank. It's possible a fish may end up here. One guess what kind of fish it will be. I AM in Stuart, you know?

Oh.....that shelf....yes....that's a shelf. See the first or second entry I made re this mural to get an idea of how it might look in a few days....sort of.
And here's a photo of this corner of the building as of today. I got down from the lift just before a rather large storm hit.....
Stay tuned for the final photos from this corner and then it's on to a slew of smaller windows and a host of unsavory characters:-)

Stuart, Florida...Part III

2007-07-17T18:58:00.000-05:00

Poof! Just like that, I finished the next corner......yeah...right:-) I just haven't been updating the blog as often as I should. In any case, the beautiful blond you see standing on the balcony is none other than Frances Langford, well known local movie star. Developer Mike Ryan thought it would be a good idea to have her on the mural somewhere since the building is directly across from the Lyric Theatre, built in 1925 as a silent movie house and currently used for all kinds of cool events. I missed an Outlaws concert there a few weeks back as well as a Firefall/Poco concert.
Back to Frances......see that bird? It's a peacock and apparently she was found of them or collected them...or both. The image is from a movie she starred in called "The Bamboo Blond" and if you look closely in the detail photo below, you'll see that she's connected to the peacock by my ever present red string. The photos of the last two windows on this side of the building show a silhouette of a lady sitting at her dressing table in the left window and in the right window we find Mackenzie's twin sister, also named Mackenzie. This Mackenzie is somewhat the tomboy, always wearing that baseball hat. That's probably her sister's shirt she's hanging out the window.
Next stop.....the South West corner and the funny fisherman.....stay tuned.

Stuart, Florida...Part II

2007-07-17T18:19:00.000-05:00

I finished the NE corner a few weeks ago. So below are the elements not shown in my previous post and one image of the entire NE corner of the building.
On the upper left we see Mackenzie with a fiendish look on her face....for some reason.
On the upper right is the artist painting a self portrait....in silhouette.

Aha....now we see why Mackenzie was looking so 'pleased with herself'. She just dropped a water balloon and it's heading right for her mom, who's looking out of the window just below. Picasso is wondering what all the fuss is about...and where that other dog came from.
That 'other dog' belongs to Linda, curator of the Geoffrey Smith Gallery in Downtown Stuart. He's playing the parking guard-dog, making sure that everyone parks in their proper places:-)

One for the East Coast

2007-06-29T19:18:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Stuart, FL. Just South of St. Lucie and about 45 minutes North of the Palm Beach area...
For me....almost exactly straight across the state from Sarasota.

To the left you see less than one half the blank canvas of my latest project. Called Osceola Place, it's a brand new mixed use building in Old Town Stuart and fronts South West Osceola St. out front and runs clear to the next street out back, SW Seminole Street. I'm not sure of it's exact measurements, but I know that I have seven of those large niches to paint, each measuring about 10 feet square and 14 of those windows, each measuring 3 x 5 feet.

Photo two is the opposite corner on SW Seminole St., which is where I started. They wall is stucco as are those dimensional decorations that define the windows and niches. Since this is a 'percent for art' project, the developer was allowed to choose the artist and the art. The city of Stuart had to approve the designs. I submitted sketches almost a year ago which were approved, although, at that time, I was only expecting to paint the smaller windows.

For this project, I'm using a special organic paint system that bonds with the stucco and will not fade, similar to what I used on the Crisp Building project in downtown Sarasota. Unfortunately, my blank canvas's had a coat of acrylic applied before I arrived and so I have to wire brush each opening and then apply a special primer so that the paint has a chance to bond to the underlying stucco.

Photo three shows the top niche completed. It depicts Chief Osceola standing with his trusty rifle on a Trompe L'oeil balcony. That diagonal black line is a phone or cable wire...there are wires everywhere back there...

Photo three is a montage of various Seminole Indian paraphernalia including a sepia tone portrait photo of the chief, an illustration of another Seminole chief, a photo of a turn of the century Seminole structure and a large rendition of an 1885 'Peace Medal' showing the image of Grover Cleveland, a frequent visitor to the Stuart area.

The basket and small doll on the upper shelf are more contemporary Seminole items.

I finally return to painting murals.......

2007-06-04T20:53:00.000-05:00

After a bit of a stretch dealing with a couple crazy clowns, I finally got back to a somewhat 'normal' project. For this one I transformed a typically boring lanai wall into an African landscape, complete with a man-eating chicken. Really....they are basically taking over that entire continent. Oh...you haven't heard? Me either:-) See.....it's not only the clowns that are a bit crazy....

Seriously though, this project was interesting because the wall was quite rough but I was able to use it to my advantage in some areas.

As for that African man-eating chicken......well, here you see him with what's left of the homeowner...wait...

No....that's my ever present red string. I think the other end is tied to the owner...but I can't be sure.

I also did a quick woodgrain treatment to the previously white door.

Next stop....you'll be the first to find out:-)

Skip

Wrapup..........

2007-05-09T07:48:00.000-05:00

Yeah...I know. I've been a bad boy regarding updating this blog. I think I promised updates about both Homer and Dipsy Doo Dunkeroo. And since the clowns have already had their 'farewell event', at least, the 'public version', I'm going to try to finish this clown stuff off in one blog entry. And then I'll finally return to what I'm supposed to be writing about, which is my mural projects, of which there are several. More about them later...

So here we see four clowns.....from left to right, Homer, Painterskip, PainterMac & Dipsy Doo Dunkeroo. This was taken at the Farewell event at Selby Gardens which appeared to be very well attended.

Each artist got to sign large posters of the clown or clowns they each created, had our group photo taken and we were each given a Sharpie pen with with to sign the 'coffee table' books that were being sold. That was nice but the artists should have had name tags so that the public knew which clowns were artists....or would that be, which artists were clowns? Either way works....

For myself, it's been a sort of emotional roller coaster, what with all the uproar over the clowns and the vandalism. I put a ton of work into the two clowns I worked on, one of which I ended up doing twice since vandals stole his head and basketball and ripped him off his base. I had to track down the head mold from the Resource Factory, purchase new materials (resin, filler powder, epoxy, etc) and created a new head from scratch. And had to replace the basketball. I wish I had taken photos of that 're-process' but didn't....I wasn't in the mood. I hate doing things twice.

The other thing I don't like is going way out of my way to help someone and then having the credit given to someone else. This is what happened with the Cincinnati Reds clown I was asked to 'fix'. We showed up at Sunday's event only to find out that the bronze plaque screwed to Homer listed Jerry Springer as the 'artist' (he did nothing as far as I am aware) and also listed another artist.....but not me. And it was like this all the time Homer was on display at Ed Smith Stadium. So much for paying attention to details. Thanks. At least the Tidewell people made a quick paper label with my name on it on the spot. But after hearing probably ten people exclaim that "Wow! Jerry Springer painted this clown!".....well....enough was enough and I crossed his name out. (see photo) Sometimes I feel like Rodney Dangerfield:-)

And last, but not least, I believe that I promised to show the 'little surprise' I added to the Red's clown. I was told, by a few people, that they (the Reds) don't have a sense of humor. They were right:-) Of course, I kinda knew that after I talked with the director of their Sarasota operations and was told to 'not' paint Homer with the fun stuff I used on the Dick Vitale clown, like having his belly show and having Sponge Bob Square Pants undies showing. How boring it must be to live in Ohio, eh? (no....I'm not from Canada)

So in spite of their request, I decided to have a little fun and make a statement. So.....me being from the Philly area and still being a Phillies, Eagles, Sixers, Flyers and Wildcats fan, I decided to add a little tear in Homer's right pants knee. Behind the tear you can see, barely, a band aid. The band aid has a Philadelphia Phillies logo on it:-) So there....take THAT....:-)

Seriously though, it could have been there for any number of reasons. I'll that for the viewer to figure out.

Up next....several small murals and one really big one on the East coast. More on that later.....

Skip

Ouch! That hurt......

2007-03-30T19:30:00.000-05:00

Well.......I thought I was done. Clown number two was delivered over a week ago, to the Reds, and I figured I'd be spending my time the next few weeks preparing to paint a large public art mural. But apparently the Spring Break crowd thought I needed more work, as you can see in the photo. Dunkeroo was ummm....beaten up, last weekend, over at the Broken Egg Restaurant on Siesta Key. This is what's left. His head and basketball are gone, he's been ripped from his base and has breaks and cracks everywhere. Thank you, Sarasota.
Can you tell I'm pissed? But I'm not surprised.....

And I should not outright blame the Spring Break crowd for this since I really don't know who was responsible. For all I know, it could have been some little old lady that had it in for Dick. Or clowns. Or basketballs. Or maybe it was one of those unfortunate individuals that spoke out so strongly against using the clown figures in the first place....you remember, don't you? That so-called artist that does portraits and thinks way too highly of himself....or...or....that interior designer that hates clowns but paints everything an ugly lime green....or..or...the former psychotherapist that thought.....well...nevermind. Who cares what she thinks? Right? So I take it all back.....I shouldn't lower myself to their level. Certainly, everyone is entitled to their opinions....including me. So there.....I take it back......kinda.....sorta.

On a more positive note, I've gathered all the king's horses and all the king's men and we're planning on putting Dunkeroo back together again. Um.....that little bit of prose is aimed squarely at my sister, Cindy. She knows why. Sick sense of humor. Who knew?

Anyway, the king's men delivered the pieces to me this morning. The horses took me to The Resource Factory, where Matt (I think it was Matt) allowed me to borrow the original mold for a new head and then it was on to Fiberglass Services, Inc for Dunkeroo's brains (casting resin). Whew....

This will be more of a job than I thought.....he should be in a body cast for months considering all his breaks. But I only have a week or so.....stay tuned.

And here's hoping that Dunkeroo's enemies ultimately suffer the same fate as he.....not that I wish ill will on anyone....or anything like that:-)

And then there were none.......

2007-03-13T10:49:00.000-05:00

So that's it....the last clown is finished. Contrary to what you may have read in the Sarasota Herald Trib, THIS GUY....none other than "Homer", is the last clown to be completed. He was 'removed' from my studio this morning by the clown crew and is on his way to the body shop to get his protective coat. And then it's on to Ed Smith Stadium. Finally....
To be fair, this guy had already been completed (by someone else) and well...not quite acceptable to the Reds high standards. Therefore.....he kept me company for awhile.

So here for your viewing pleasure are the first photos of the completed "Homer". I'm saving a few 'detail shots' until after he arrives at Ed Smith Stadium. Me, being from near Philadelphia and all, and being a very loyal guy at heart, ummm.....well...you'll have to check back later.....

Bye, Homer!

Almost Done............

2007-03-10T08:09:00.000-05:00

"Homer" is almost done....finally. I had several other projects to finish while trying to fit "Homer" into my schedule....so he missed opening day of Spring Training. Actually, he's holding out for a bigger bat and more food. Probably chili.

Still to be completed on this guy is his hair, some touch-up for his 'skin tones'....he's a little splotchy right now. And I decided to change his shoes and socks from having black shoes with red socks to what you see here. I have to paint the details still...

What else....oh....finish his belt and add my red string. Not sure where that will go yet. I was also thinking of adding the Reds logo on each side of his base, but I think I've done enough already.

I like his gloves.

Batter Up!!!

2007-02-28T19:57:00.000-05:00

As usual, it's taking longer than I expected. I probably used this line before but.....they say, "Good things take time".

Almost all the fiberglass mess is completed....that ugle grey growth around Homer's neck is the 'scar' from where I removed that ugly frilly thing that he came with.

His new arms are basically finished and I decided to lengthen his sleeves.....mostly because I cut them too short in the first place.

Those of you familiar with these guys, at least, the group of Sarasota Clowns (no...I'm not talking about the City Council:-))...anyway....as I was saying. I had to give him a haircut. It's really only temporary. He'll eventually be wearing a batting helmet and it wouldn't fit over his current hair-do.
So.....he'll be receiving a new one.....hair-do, that is...you'll see later.

And since he's already late getting to his party , so I gotta go paint....

Here we go again.......

2007-02-18T14:10:00.000-05:00

Once again I'm presented with the opportunity to do a little 'clowning around'.

This time, meet "Homer", Tidewell Hospice's latest addition to their "Clowning Around Town" program to benefit their children's services program. Homer is sponsored by the Cincinnati Reds and will be on display at Ed Smith Stadium, home of the Sarasota Reds.

This particular clown also has what they call a 'celebrity artist'.....nope....not me:-) This one happens to be the one and only Jerry Springer, TV personality and Sarasota resident.

So as you might notice from the first image, Homer needed minor surgery, much like my first clown Dipsy Doo Dunkeroo required. This time it was not as extensive.....

In the bottom photo, Homer is back inside and has received his new bones and is anxiously awaiting his muscles. After that, he'll get some 'skin' and a fresh coat of paint...

Stay tuned to this channel for further developments....

Latest project completed and installed......

2006-12-31T17:40:00.000-05:00

This latest project was installed in a condo at the Labella Sara condo on Golden Gate Point in downtown Sarasota. It's approximately 7' x 7' and was painted on canvas and installed onsite. I added several details after installation.

It's basically a decorative iron gate beyond which is a stone balustrade, all overlooking a view of Sarasota Bay.

As usual, I personalized the mural somewhat with the stack of books....well....the titles all had something to do with the client or the mural.

And the everpresent red string is there as well.

Meet Dipsy Doo Dunkeroo

2006-10-21T09:15:00.000-05:00

After several weeks of working in a cloud of fiberglass dust and epoxy fumes, Dipsy Doo Dunkeroo has finally been completed. He was actually 'taken away' about three weeks ago, by a couple guys in white coats, and hasn't been seen since. Last I heard he was being 'sprayed'.....for what, I'm not sure.

So as you can see in the first photo, Dipsy is a basketball star. His sponsor is the family of ESPN basketball analyst Dick Vitale and all the elements you will find on Dipsy have something to do with either Dick Vitale or Tidewell hospice......

For example...................
Here you see "The Rock", Dick's own basketball, as well as the number 79, which is when he started announcing for ESPN.

Here you can see one of Dick's famous outbursts....err...I mean, sayings, sewn onto Dipsy's shirt with my everpresent red string.

On his back is another saying, written on some notepaper and taped to his shirt. You can also see a Notre Dame tatoo on his lower back.

Click HERE to see how Dipsy was 'Taken Away'

A Visit From the Garden Fairies...Really:-)

2006-09-14T07:23:00.000-05:00

See.......there they are......or some of them. One was flying around with a camera and a few others had to fly back to Tampa.....apparently they had very important fairy duties to perform.

Seriously though, or not, meet the ladies that call themselves The Garden Fairies. You can find the link to their very fun website to the right....

We "met' when we were both featured in a St. Pete Times magazine called In & Around The Home and one of them emailed me.....and then a gaggle of them paid a visit a few weeks ago....

Oh...ummm.....the body you see on the table? That's Dick's (Vitale) clown. He's pretty much back in one piece now...more about him later...

And this photo would be a good one to play "Write a caption for this photo" That would be interesting:-)

This is the kind of thing I'll miss when we leave Towles Court.....did I mention we're selling our house here? See the link to the right again......

More later.....

Skip

Artist attacks Clown with chainsaw....

2006-08-24T20:41:00.000-05:00

Local Artist attacks Clown with chainsaw claiming temporary insanity caused by Red Tide.

Artist states that without Gold Bond Powder he would have become Florida's first serial clown killer.

(Thanks to buddy bill of MuralsPlus for the great caption!)

Time for some "clownin' around".....

2006-08-12T17:18:00.000-05:00

Meet my new assistant....he doesn't have a name yet....well...he does, actually. I just need permission to go public with it first. More about that later...the intelligent among you will figure it out:-)
I really wasn't intending on painting one of these.....for those that don't live here in sunny Sarasota, there will be something like 50 of these clowns, some are male, some female, hanging, or standing, around downtown Sarasota. This is a program developed by and for the benefit of TideWell Children's Services Program to raise $1,000,000 to establish a children's hospice program in Sarasota. So it's for a great cause, I'd say.

In any case, I wasn't crazy about the clown designs, even though I was pretty sure they could be modified by the artists. As for the artists, you were supposed to submit an application with a design, except for the handful of 'celebrity' artists' (I'm not one of them:-)) True to form for me, I actually printed the ap and then promptly forgot about it.....but then a few days ago Terry Vitale, daughter of Dick Vitale, called and asked if I would be interested in 'decorating' the clown Dick sponsored. I had painted murals and floorcloths for Dick and Lorainne a few years ago and so I think they trust me.....little do they know what goes on in my devilish little mind:-)

Seriously though, this guy is about ready to have major surgery. I can't wait....I always wondered what it would be like to be a doctor. I certainly have the appropriate handwriting. Many years ago I worked for about six months for local sculptor Jack Dowd I worked on Butler Number Six and learned a lot in that short time.....mostly, that it was actually possible earn a living as a working artist. So there will be a little bit of what I learned there in my buddy in the photo, I'm sure.

So stay tuned for updates....life is full of unexpected twists and turns....and this is one I wasn't expecting, but I'm now excited about being part of.....

Skip

More press......in St. Pete this time..........

2006-07-10T18:18:00.000-05:00

I knew this article in the St. Pete Times was going to happen. Obviously, since I was interviewed and had to send images to the editor. And it was indicated some of my images would be on the front cover, but this was better than I could imagine....great press. And appreciated......

You can navigate throughout the magazine by clicking on the cover and paging through from there. Not sure how long the link will be valid....

Thanks to Joan Altabe for the interview and to the Times for publishing my work.

Painterskip