Robert Indiana Exhibition at the Baker Museum

Robert Indiana built quite a successful art career from turning an "O" 45 degrees.

At the Baker through May 3.

Field Trip

I was in the courtyard of the Baker Museum when a string of blue shirts walked briskly into view.

Walking Barefoot Beach III

Horseshoe crab.

Florida fighting conch.

 

He gathers driftwood and makes it into furniture or art.

Walking Barefoot Beach II

On Sanibel, this is the Sanibel Stoop.  The search for the one special shell.

Maybe here it is the Barefoot Beach Bend?

Loving a run at the water's edge.

A happy couple.

Far away from the crowds.

The busy part of the beach.

Walking Barefoot Beach I

Someone found shells with holes and strung them on a dead bush.

And on a palm.

An Evening in Sarasota

I was in Sarasota overnight recently.  

An early dinner was at the Columbia, a wonderful restaurant whose Mother Ship is in Tampa.

After dinner I took a walk in the vicinity of the Ringling Museum.  Nearby is the

campus of the New College of Florida, an honors college within the Florida State University system.

There were some nice patterns made from lines and squares.

There was no information about the fatality that gave rise to this ghost bike.

A Wood Turner, A Ceramicist and a Photographer

Heiko Weiner is a German-born wood turner who now lives in Texas.  He creates outstanding bowls, vases and other vessels.  Heiko often uses forms and patterns found in Native American art forms 

and he sometimes embellishes his works with turquoise and silver.

Timothy Sullivan is from Georgia.  He creates beautiful ceramic forms based on classic shapes, 

decorated with his own patterns and glazes.

At outdoor art festivals like the recent Naples National Art Festival, there are always many fine art  photographers.  Neil R. Brown's black and white photographs from 

around the globe were some of the more interesting ones.

The Lady Knows Her Palette

A seller of French linens visited Naples a few days ago.
A local woman was excited to find just the right tablecloth.

A Controversial Mural

This mural on Fort Myers' Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard appeared a few days after the election.  I didn't think it was going to be popular, especially in that neighborhood.

Sure enough, last week the owner painted the wall white overnight.  The original painter -- a tenant -- didn't have permission.  In retaliation, the tenant painted the owner's car white.

He has been served with eviction papers and faces charges.

Monday Mural.

Bocce

A pair of new bocce courts has proved to be very popular.

A Special Car

Many people gathered around this 1926 Model T Ford Roadster, which was painted to honor the New York City fire fighters who died at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. 

 

On the hood, all 323 fire fighters' names are listed.

I'm Serving Leftovers Today

Sitting in a courtyard of an art gallery and checking out the passers-by.

7th Avenue Social, an artsy bar/restaurant, reflected in a tabletop.
Linked to Weekend Reflections.



A couple of days last week began with fog.  Kind of pretty. Another for Weekend Reflections.



I like this tree clump in the late afternoon light.

The Naples Concert Band is immensely popular on Sunday afternoons.  The Mayor of Naples was
the guest conductor.  The musicians knew their parts and could ignore
 his "I have no idea what I am doing" arm waving.

Location, Location, Location

At the corner of Fifth Avenue South, Naples' premier shopping and restaurant street, and

Gulf Shore Boulevard South, one of Naples' premier residential streets.

One block to the Gulf and Naples Beach.  And a long, elegant pool hides behind the hedge.

Bill

Bill is a third generation veterinarian from southern Minnesota.  He and I are both tall and lanky Irish Americans with some of the same surnames on the family trees.  His father and mine were in the same veterinary school at the same time.  In World War II his father inspected pack mules 

before they were shipped to the China-Burma-India frontier, where my father treated
them and sent them over the mountains with supplies for the troops.  Small world.

100 Wins in a Row for the Connecticut Women's Basketball Team

UConn 66, South Carolina 55.  South Carolina was much taller and
went into the game ranked 6th in the country.

Just an amazing record, especially since this year they had to replace three players from last year's team who were the first three players selected by the pro's.   Tonight the UConn leader was Gabby Williams, with 26 points and 14 rebounds.  Congratulations, ladies!







Screen shots from the ESPN telecast.

Two Murals

In January I showed a Fifth Avenue South construction wall as artists began to paint it.

You asked to see it finished.  Here are two of the best segments.

This segment is by Colombia-born and Naples-based artist Juan Diaz.

And this segment is by Naples artist Marcus Zotter, who frequently paints while 

a band performs at 7th Avenue Social, a bar/restaurant.

Monday Mural.

Abraham Lincoln

Whenever I remember, I like to show a painting or statue of Abraham Lincoln on his birthday.

This huge statue sits in the National Cowboy and National Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.

James Earle Fraser (circa 1930).

Antique Cars at the Edison and Ford Winter Estates - Part Two

It pains me to describe the cars of my youth as "antiques," 

but it was an antique car show and there they were.

My mother had a two-tone blue and white 1955 Ford Fairlane like this one.  First car I ever drove.

Wish I had the concession for car shirts at this show.

"I Spent Most of My Money Restoring Old Fords and Mercurys.

The Rest I Just Wasted."