Tuscan Doorway and other artwork

I finally got my Scanlan Tuscan photo framed and hung.

It's a really beautiful little photo that I've become quite fond of. I brewed over it for a year before buying it, after seeing it at the art festival in 2010 and waiting until the same festival in 2011 to finally buy it.

Pretty girl!

I also don't know whether or not I ever posted on this blog a picture of my other Tuscan art. I got this painting at an art auction, although my picture doesn't really do it justice.

And I finally got my Clara Bow hung, after having bought her years ago at an auction and then losing her in the garage after the move.

I love Clara! I hung her in my bedroom on one of my buttercream walls to help tie in the blue accent wall on the opposite side of the room. However in this image it looks as if it is hanging on a blue wall, as I had to take the pic in a dark room to avoid the glare of the light in the glass.

So I've had some nice art additions recently. I love my little pieces of art!

2011 Matlacha Art Show

Today we headed over to the annual Matlacha art show, and I saw some beautiful works, as I do every year. You may recall that last year I bought the winner of the Pastel category...

This piece called "Why Me?" was done by Deanna Berko, and I almost bought another piece by her this year, too. However I have noticed something of an inconsistency with this artist. I can see a piece as stunning as the one above that I bought, and then another that just can't compare by any means. Another thing I've noticed is that she is great with eyes (which are one of the hardest things to get), making them seem almost alive, but she has a problem with noses.

I've become a fan of a number of the artists, finding that I am consistently drawn to their works. Jack Lovell has become one of my favorite artists over my years attending the Matlacha show, and I am determined to own one of his pieces one of these days, even if it is one of the minis! I also discovered a new artist this year that I love by the name of Brian Christensen or Christenson. Beautiful!

One of the Pine Island Art Association members, Cyndi Egan, is a neighbor to my mother. You can see her gallery here.

There were so many beautiful pieces, it was hard to choose! One of my favorites was a piece comprised of two separate paintings of leaves. The colors were spectacular! I absolutely loved the piece and would have bought it in a second if it had been under $200, and may have gone as high as $250 on it. But, alas, it was $500- double what I would be willing to pay for it.

So in the end I went with a piece that I admired last year, but then decided to forego in lieu of the St. Bernard I purchased. So this year I went for it. I present to you "Here Kitty" by Pat Oberg...

(Sorry, I can't avoid the glare in the glass.) I fell in love with this little...ocelot?...last year, with its almost comical face and big eyes. And I love the colors.

So after making my purchase, we headed over to Great Licks for some ice cream, and to browse the gallery. Last time I was here, I walked away with a hand-blown glass spider and a turtle box. This time Woodrow was kind enough to buy me a very cool figurine, an awesome bracelet and a neat little box for them to go home in...

Check out that very cool stingray! I was torn between it and a spiffy octopus, but I decided that the stingray was more unique and something I was less likely to come across again.

Thanks, Woodrow! Now I just need to get a nice little curio cabinet in which to put all these cool little knick knacks. That'll be next on my list.

So all in all it was a nice day in Matlacha. But then again, every day in Matlacha is a nice day!

Exploring ArtFest 2011

It's that time of year once again, and yesterday we headed to the annual ArtFest Fort Myers. This year I took Zook with me, interested to see how he would handle the large crowd. He normally turns all "wiggly butt" with every person he sees, and I wondered what he would do when he sees thousands of people! So this artfest was a little different for me. I didn't get to lose myself in the art as I usually do, as I was constantly managing Zook and keeping him from getting under feet.

The show I would guess was probably at least as big as it usually is, maybe even bigger. I think there were about 200 artists present. And thousands of patrons walking the sidewalks!

Some of my usual favorites were there, like Albin Arts and others. But I discovered some new favorites as well.

One of my favorites yesterday was Jennifer Fraser of Endless Places Photography. She has a special technique whereby she layers photos in a way that it gives a "painted" quality.

These don't even give you a real feel for the finished work, as she then takes these photos and mounts them on a painted frame that really ties into the photo and the color scheme. Take a look at her flash site to see some mounted works. I was really taken with her work.

I also liked Todd Shaak Photography. There was something honest and refreshing and...brash and abrasive about his work. Sort of like the "Southern Rock" of the photographic world.

And then there was Paul Marcellini Fine Art Photography.

I almost bought this one. I liked the colors and simplicity of it...

And we loved the acrylic works of the Michael George Gallery.

And I absolutely loved, loved, loved the work of Nathalie Torres!

I love the way that the hammock extends out from the painting...

...and the 3D aspect. It feels as if those are real feet sticking out from that hammock!

Look at the pregnant lady, and the little babe nestled in the hammock. That's the artist to the left...

Love it! So clever and so beautiful! I only wish I had the money and the wall space for a piece of her work.

At the end of the show, they had some high school students and the like creating sidewalk chalk drawings.

I gather the above one would be kids representing the Cape Coral Seahawks.

So every year I try to buy a little "sumpin sumpin" at the art show. What to do this year? I wound up going with one of last year's favorites, Scanlan, and I chose to go with this one...

Isn't it gorgeous? The simplicity. I told Woodrow that I love the "flatness" of it. It almost appears that the trees are painted on the building. I love the colors, soft and muted, and almost drab appearance. You wonder if someone is about to walk out that door. And what does that door enter into? Is it a house? A convent or monastery? A winery? Absolutely stunning! Now I just need to get it framed and pick a place to hang it.

So it was a good day at the art show, and afterward I headed to Mom's to see Tommy's new toy...

Isn't she pretty? And, of course, Zook and Katy had some fun time together, and we just couldn't get them to stop. Even after going inside, they kept at it.

So it was a good day, but an exhausting one. Next weekend is the Matlacha art show, where I bought my St. Bernard pastel last year.

Zook did very well. He loved seeing all of the people, but was very good on the leash. And people are soooo drawn to him. There is just something about him and his face that grabs you. They really ought to try to duplicate him and make it a new breed! However I do now understand the merits of having one of those little doggie strollers. It would have been so much easier to just push around a stroller with my bags and water and everything secured on it, than to manage a wiggling and excited puppy amid a crowd of thousands, and a camera and a purse and flyers and maps, etc. Oh, and ice cream. Don't forget the ice cream! Yum!

So we have another year to wait until the next ArtFest. *sigh* I'll be okay. Really I will...

A Day on the Island

We wanted to get out for a bit Saturday, and decided to make a trip to one of my favorite places on earth: Matlacha and Pine Island.

First we parked at Matlacha Community Park so that we could walk around freely.

And we made our first stop Great Licks Ice Cream Shop. This place was rated well, but I actually had never been there before (despite the many times I've visited Matlacha).

I got myself a Raspberry Chip (chocolate chip) ice cream sundae with waffle cone pieces, raspberry sauce and whipped cream. Yum! (The Raspberry Chip is their best seller, and I see why!) Their ice cream is locally made by Queenie. This was my lunch!

The ice cream shop is connected to an art gallery...

 

The owners are Steve and Lisa Timcak. Lisa showed me some of the steampunk jewelry that Steve makes. Really beautiful stuff! Some of it was nice enough to wear to a cocktail party. But I'm sure that jewelry was all out of my price range.

But while looking at the steampunk, this caught my eye...

She's pretty, huh? And she opens up to reveal that she is actually a storage box...

She's almost seems to be smiling...

And then this beauty caught my eye...

 

This spider is made from hand blown glass.

I initially was considering getting the black widow for my mother, as she keeps running into black widows at her place. But in the end, I got this one for me instead, which reminds me of the brown widows that I have outside my place.

It even has eyes and fangs!

A view from underneath...

She is such a delicate beauty, and I haven't decided yet what place would be secure enough for her. So for now she is remaining wrapped up and tucked away in a safe spot.

We left Island Visions, and stopped next door by the Lovegrove gallery. I always love her vibrant colors and whimsical creations. One of my favorite things is the backyard to her shop, but unfortunately it was closed off for remodeling.

When we left, I saw this display outside her place and had to get a pic for my mother-- a stalwart republican!

And then grabbed this shot of our shadows...

Then we swung by the back of the Wild Child Gallery. I loved the big spider over the front entrance. They always have some nice things out behind the gallery. I love the "fence" they have created between their backyard and that of the Lovegrove gallery. They just put up a clothesline and pinned up colorful clothes and sheets. That's their fence. It looks great!

The osprey were out in full force. Pairs of them were all over the place, and they were chattering up a storm to one another.

There was one in this tree, and what I presume to be its mate flying around, as the two chattered to one another.

And while behind the Wild Child gallery I could hear another chattering. It was the one in the park.

It's mate was flying around, and again these two kept chattering to one another.

After hitting a few galleries, we decided to walk around on the pier and by the water.

While down there on the pier, we spotted a couple of sting rays. I got one of them on video. He was a big boy! I would guess 16-18 inches across at least, probably closer to 2 feet.

And then we spotted this crab in the water...

After that, we decided to go sit down on the other side of the park, on a bench and under a tree as the sun began to set. We were sitting there, enjoying ourselves and relaxing, when I looked over and saw a large heron standing nearby watching us.

It seemed evident that he has become accustomed to the fishermen giving him scraps, as he stayed nearby watching us expectantly.

He finally gave up and moved along. At one point we went down to the water's edge and moved some rocks around and kept uncovering dozens of these creatures that looked sort of like silverfish.

Man they were fast! And Woodrow did eventually come across a tiny little crab under a rock.

When we got back to our bench, we found our heron (we'll call him Harold) had settled down to warm himself in the sun.

Soon after I discovered the bench was swarming with these ants (I call them "oak ants", because you often find them in and around oaks), which I am allergic to...

If I get bitten by one of these things, it feels like a bee sting. Then it proceeds to swell up to a bite about 1 1/2-2 inches in diameter with a purple-black bullseye in the center. I avoid these guys at all cost!

So I just stood and took pictures and enjoyed the moment.

These people who live here have got the life. This guy sat out in his own tiki hut, enjoying the day.

And these people have a great location. The back of their home is right on the canal.

Here's a little video to show the peace and tranquility of Matlacha...

And a quick video of a pelican. Wouldn't you know I couldn't get the camera ready in time to get footage of the bald eagle that flew by.

This tree is one of my favorite trees. I love it.

And an egret showed up as well.

 

After we left Matlacha, we decided to head out to Pine Island to enjoy the rest of the sunset. We got to Bokeelia just in time.

There was another heron waiting for us. Harold? Is that you?

The water around here is so shallow. You can see a guy off to the right of this image, way out in the water fishing, and the water is only up to his chest.

And we spotted more stingrays. In this video, I first show the small stingray, then pan up to the large one, and then back to the small one again...

After sunset we headed in to Captain Cons for a little dinner. I was good and just had a garden salad with broiled fish. So dinner was just "eh". But it was still a good day all around.

If you ever get down to this area, you'll have to be sure to stop by Matlacha/Pine Island/Bokeelia. One of my favorite spots on earth!