Tuesday, November 12, 2024

Guild Hall

 I attended an opening at Naples Art for an exhibition of works from Guild Hall, a Long Island museum. Because it was crowded, I decided to include people in the galleries in the photos.



In this last image, the man is studying the label for Childe Hassam's  Little Old Cottage, Egypt Lane, East Hampton, 1917.  In his later years Hassam lived on Egypt Lane, perhaps in this cottage.  In 1931 Hassam presided over the opening of a gallery at Guild Hall honoring Thomas Moran.


I was talking with an artist friend, who told me that this gorgeous blue wall color is called Yves Klein Blue.  When this woman walked past in a blue top, I asked her to stand in the picture. Thank you!


Chuck Close has often returned to the same photographs to paint over and over again with different techniques. One photo of contemporary music composer Phillip Glass was included in Close's black and white series in 1969, redone with water colors in 1977, redone with stamp pad and fingerprints in 1978, and, finally, the 1982 version (on the right), rendered in gray handmade paper.

Friday, November 8, 2024

Kizzie Hall

Kizzie Hall is the stage for the main productions at Sugden Theater.

A main reason for the recently completed $22 million renovation of Sugden Theater was to add balcony seating to Kizzie Hall.  That added 110 seats in the balcony, leading to a total of 452 seats.


 The lead donors are a generous philanthropic couple who have funded many Naples arts projects.  At the Sugden they decided not to put their own names on it.  Kizzie is one of their dogs. 

Thursday, November 7, 2024

Sugden Theater

 Sugden Theater on Naples' Fifth Avenue South is the home of a professional quality community theater.  The theater has 35 paid staff and 700 volunteers who gave 70,000 volunteer hours last year.  They just re-opened after a $22 million renovation.  

Cole, the production stage manager, led a tour. 

There are multiple performance spaces.  I think this is the one dedicated to student performances.

The tension wire ceilings let stagehands move safely above amidst the lighting.


 Mike leads the student theater, does set design and also acts.


They make most of the costumes in this shop.

Dana started in the costume shop as an intern four years ago.  He worked elsewhere for a while and just began working full-time at the Sugden Theater two weeks ago.

Wednesday, November 6, 2024

Locally Owned Shops



I need to show some of the old one-story, locally owned shops on Fifth Avenue South before someone buys them and knocks them down.  Personally, I like their character.


Most have been replaced by much bigger places like these.  Many old-timers in Naples call this the Miamification of Fifth Avenue South.  Indeed, many of the new buildings are handsome.  I just liked it better when there was more of a mix of new and old, big and small.

Tuesday, November 5, 2024

Hope

 

On election day in America, I am hoping.  But also dreading.

Monday, November 4, 2024

Brambles


Brambles, an English tea room, is down an attractive alley.

Sunday, November 3, 2024

Day of the Dead



Naples Botanical Garden hosted a Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration on Friday and Saturday.  Naples has many Latin residents, but few of them are Mexican, so few visitors dressed for it.  But, there were musical acts, vendors and a few installations.

Naomi worked in a pastry booth.  She overflows with personality.

Saturday, November 2, 2024

Canal

 


Decades ago developers dug canals from Naples Park into a channel leading to the Cocohatchee River so many homeowners could have waterfront homes.

Friday, November 1, 2024

Cooking

 In November 2013 we stayed at the Cathedral Peak Hotel in the Drakensberg Mountains of South Africa.

I remember delicious food, nicely presented, and plenty of it.

"Cooking" is the theme for November 1 for participants in the City Daily Photo group.  

I was surprised how many photographs showed up when I searched my photo archives for "cooking."