Sarasota International Chalk Festival -- Flowers!

With Andrea and 3D mural by Sarasota's Truman Adams

A couple of months back, I got an unexpected call from my friend Andrea. Let me preface this by saying that Andrea hates hot weather -- and she's not too keen on Florida as a general matter. While she does visit occasionally, it is only under duress. "Can I come down for this year's Chalk Festival?" she asked. What?!!! Obviously, she didn't have to ask twice. It was great fun to experience this year's Festival with her. 

It's always exciting to see the 2D and 3D works created by chalk artists from around the world. This year's Festival included several 3D "rooms" like the one above by Truman Adams. For most of the rooms, there was no need to get on the ground to take advantage of the photo opp. They're perfect for Sarasota's aging demographic. But there's another reason for the inclusion of these works. 

By Vittorio Valiante (Italy) 

These rooms were created with latex (house paint) and have been preserved for future enjoyment. This is in sharp contrast to the street art. Pursuant to the permit from the City, the roads on which the event took place had to be returned to their original condition by midnight on the last day of the Festival. And so the artworks so painstakingly created for people to enjoy were power washed -- and swept -- away before the clock struck 12. It's heartbreaking, but the ephemeral nature of this art is one of the things that makes it so special. Safety concerns just sped the process up. 

You might have noticed that I referenced works of art being "swept" away. This year's Festival featured more than pavement art created with chalk. Infiorata (floral) artists from around the world also descended upon Sarasota to introduce their tradition to Chalk Festival patrons. Hence, the floral theme.

Kobuki floral carpet by team from Japan

Like chalk art, infiorata paintings have religious roots. In 1625 the Vatican's lead florist created mosaics made of flowers on the floor of the cathedral's basilica. The striking creations captured the imagination of sculptor and architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini. It wasn't long before floral "carpets" could be seen on the streets of Rome during Baroque festivals organized by Bernini. 

Over time, the tradition spread across the world. In some countries, the medium is sand rather than flower petals and other organic materials. This year's Chalk Festival featured seven teams of infiorata artists from around the globe, including some sand artists. The work shown here measured 28' x 22' and was created by team Hanae Japan under the leadership of Yasuhiko Fujikawa. This stunning work recreated a ukiyo-e painting by Utagawa Toyokuni in recognition of Japan's classical form of theatre. The carpet was truly incredible, made even more so when you realize it was created in approximately 48 hours plus some prep time for peeling the petals from the flowers. (If you happened to be out and about in the wee hours of the morning, these artists could be found at work on the streets of Burns Square.) Unfortunately, it was hard to get good images of these works given their size. The best way to see more is to go to the Chalk Festival Facebook page, which can be found by clicking here. The drone footage is amazing. 

"Mary Gold" (get it?) by Ghislaine Monte from Bonaire 

Historically, floral carpets could be found at the steps of a church on significant religious holidays. As the congregation left the church, people would walk right onto the artwork, ending its short life. This year's Festival also concluded with a parade, complete with elaborate whimsical costumes created under the tutelage of Canadian mask maker and puppeteer Danae Brissonet. And I helped! Admittedly, my contribution amounted to painting some big squiggly lines and stapling giant paper flowers onto a type of headband, but still. The stapling was really, really hard. (I kid you not -- it took two of us to staple each petal on. Surprisingly, I was not recruited for future projects)  My pictures of the parade are woefully inadequate, but you can check it out by clicking on this link. 

Denise Kowal, Bill Baranowski and the entire team truly outdid themselves this year with the introduction of new ephemeral art forms to the Chalk Festival. Congratulations to everyone involved for putting together an experience participants will long remember. I can't wait to find out what next year will hold. 

Sarasota's Off the Page Literary Celebration Presents Amor Towles

Amor Towles

Spending an evening with Amor Towles -- compliments of Sarasota's Off the Page Literary Celebration -- felt like an antidote to the world in which we've found ourselves living. Towles writes books with titles like "A Gentleman in Moscow" and "Rules of Civility." He exuded the qualities embodied in his characters. It was a wonderful event. 

Towles' desire to be an author took hold when he was in first grade. His teacher invited a writer of juvenile poetry to his class, and he was enthralled with the word play and observations. (He was apparently quite a bright child.) Fast forward to when he graduated from college. Towles moved to NYC to give writing a shot. But it was a lonely existence, not to mention a less than lucrative one. When a friend started an investment banking firm, he joined him while continuing to write on the side. It was 20 years before "Rules of Civility" became a bestseller and he decided he could finally become a full-time author. 

Towles spent much of the evening sharing his thoughts on writing and his process. Take, for instance, the difference between a novel, on one hand, and a short story or play, on the other. The latter literary forms don't give the writer the time or space to establish a foundation for the characters whom the reader/audience member will meet. He likened short stories and plays to overhearing an intriguing conversation at the next table when you're out to dinner. Just as you're getting interested, they get the check and leave. But what happens next? And what brought them to the moment you just overheard? As the listener, you get to decide. The same applies when you go to a show or read a short story. (Note: Towles' most recent book -- a collection of short stories and a novella -- is aptly entitled "Table for Two.") 

For a novel, planning -- or what Towles calls "designing" -- is required. And boy does he design his books. While he often develops the key elements of his story in a shockingly short period of time -- we're talking minutes -- he spends years fleshing out his characters and the plotline before actually writing a word. He fills so many notebooks with his thoughts that by the time he starts the true writing process, his characters are fully imagined.

Still, his design can somtimes be a bit off.  He occasionally writes a passage and immediately hears the character standing behind him saying, "I wouldn't do that!" As his characters evolve in unexpected ways, so does the story. And so he goes back to the beginning to adjust accordingly. This can happen multiple times during the writing process. Instead of finding this frustrating, Towles embraces these surprises, confident they enrich the story he's creating. 

Towles of course spoke about the adaptation of "A Gentleman in Moscow" for television. After all, the series served as the introduction of his work to many viewers. In fact, enticing more people to read his books was the primary reason he agreed to the project. 

He called the project fraught with the potential for disaster, but he's happy with how the show turned out. He shared a conversation with Michael Lewis, author of "Moneyball," about the adaptation process. "They said they would welcome my input," Towles shared. "Do they mean it?" Lewis was to the point with his reply. "They are definitely just being polite," he responded. "Not only do they not care what you think, they wish you were dead." Okay, then! I understand that the show is very well done, but I am a purist who always prefers the book to its adaptation. And so I haven't seen the series. Towles braved the experience, watching with his wife. He reported fidgeting a bit at the inclusion of a scene that didn't take place in the novel. As he was turning to her to complain, he saw that she was quietly sobbing. "Well," he said, "I guess that worked." For a Q&A in which Towles shares more about "A Gentleman in Moscow," click here. 

Towles with Renee DiPilato, Director of Sarasota County Libraries

Towles wrapped up by telling the audience that we can contact him through his website and that he reads every comment/question. He went on to share a couple of hilarious missives from his readers. My personal favorite was the note from Karen from Wisconsin about the way Emmett washed the dishes in a scene on p. 477 in "The Lincoln Highway." She noted that the order in which the young man washed them was plates then crystal then pots. She went on to say, "As the winner of the 1973 Betty Crocker something or other, I can tell you definitively that the correct order is crystal then plates then pots." I think Karen has a bit too much time on her hands. 

As entertaining as I hope this post is, it can only scratch the surface of what it was like to hear from Towles directly. While I'm sure he's given the equivalent of this talk dozens of times, he seemed genuinely pleased to hear the pre-planned "audience" questions. He was charming and funny and smart and gracious. I loved it from start to finish. Thanks to the team at Sarasota County Libraries and Historical Resources for organizing a wonderful evening. For more on Towles and his work, click here. Happy reading!

"Julia Rivera: Small Talk" at Mara Gallery

"I Am Speaking" (2024)

Julia Rivera is not interested in creating "over-the-couch" art. You know what I'm talking about -- the kind of art that matches your decor but doesn't really speak to you. You can't avoid the fact that Rivera's art has a message. In some works it's right there for you to read.  Julia's work is on display now through November 22 at Mara Gallery in Sarasota. Happily, I had the chance to talk with Julia there about her practice. 

Rivera began working in her current style following the election of Trump in 2016. She participated in the Women's March and came away feeling an urgency to create art that was relevant to what's happening in our world. She began creating portraits of women, often using herself as a model. Her work became an outlet to voice her personal frustrations. Rivera's women are strong and smart and independent. They are not afraid to speak their minds. Their -- and Julia's -- credo is, "Let's make America smart again."

Rivera hasn't always been a full time artist. Her mother -- a strong woman herself -- was insistent that Julia have a regular paycheck while she was figuring out if she could make a living in the art world. And so Julia became a surgical nurse. Of course! During the day Julia went to art school; at night she worked in operating rooms. You could find her sketching portraits of patients in between surgeries. 

Julia never gave up her dream of spending both her days and nights making art. When she received a scholarship to Studio Arts College International in Florence, she put her scrubs away once and for all. 

During her time in Florence, Julia studied both painting and restoration/conservation. She credits her interest in restoration to her time as a nurse. "I like to fix things," she explained. 

While in school, Julia and her fellow students were hired to do a restoration of the "David." Yes, that is Michelangelo's "David" in all his glory with Julia carefully working on his thigh. Oh. My. God. Julia continues to work in the field of restoration today at institutions like the Met. But back to her work on display at Mara Gallery. 

"Golden Country" (2024)

No element in Julia's mixed media work is without meaning. Her women typically wear black dresses, often with a gold collar or necklace as embellishment. Her choice of basic black is a reference to traditional women's clothing that has been updated for today. And of course it's hard not to think of the ubiquitous little black dress. Then there's the gold leaf, which is both a nod to the past -- think illuminated manuscripts -- and a reminder that women can shine in even the most difficult of times. 

In "Golden Country," Julia has placed an outline of the United States atop her woman's head. The gold leaf bifurcates our country as a way as a way of showing how divided we have become. It's specifically a reference to the "haves" and "have-nots," but obviously we are divided in many other ways as well. 

If you look carefully, you'll see that the woman is wearing pearls. This is a nod to the dutiful political wife standing by her man. With any luck, in a matter of days we will instead have a First Gentleman in Waiting in our country. 

Julia with "It is not in the stars
to hold our destiny, but in ourselves" (2024)

Julia's artistic practice also includes sculpture, which she studied at the Art Students League of New York. Many of her works feature bananas, a reference to the banana farm her grandfather had in Puerto Rico. So the fruit is a reminder of her culture. With a laugh, Julia told me she also likes the fact that a banana looks like a smile. 

I particularly liked two small irons that had been painted with women wearing crowns. While they made me laugh, they of course also have meaning. Julia shared that they are a nod to her mother, who used to iron her dad's underwear. I have my own memories of my mother standing at the ironing board pressing handkerchiefs and the like. She would drip water from a Coke bottle with a sprinkle top in order to create steam. She wasn't successful in instilling a desire to have beautifully pressed things to her daughters, but I would like to have that bottle. 

While I could go on and on, I'll leave you here. For more on Julia and her work, click here and here. And for more on Mara Gallery, click here. Better yet, stop by and say hello to Mara. Maybe one of Julia's works will find a new home with you -- just not for over your couch. 

Hearing from the Cast of "A Strange Loop" by Michael R. Jackson

Broadway has historically been known as "The Great White Way." The name comes from the preponderance of electric lights that illuminate Times Square billboards and theater marquees. It was none other than Oscar Hammerstein who started the tradition when he built the first Broadway theater back in 1895. The idea caught on in a big way. 

Over time, though, the nickname has developed an alternative connotation as diverse theater professionals have struggled to make their way to Broadway. This was just one of the topics cast members from the Tony-award winning musical "A Strange Loop" discussed at a recent event at Church of the Trinity MCC. What a treat it was to hear from these talented actors. 

"A Strange Loop" tells the story of Usher, a Black gay man writing a musical about a Black gay man writing a musical. (No, that's not a typo -- that's the loop. To make it even more, well, loopy, Michael R. Jackson is the Black, gay man who wrote the musical.) It was a ten+ year journey for the show to make it to Broadway, and most of the cast was with Jackson throughout the process. As a result, these actors were invested in the show's reception and gratified by its success in a different way than performers who get involved just before the curtain rises. Sarasota locals Steven Fessler and Randy Lord were also invested in the success of the show, although in a somewhat different way. Fessler and Lord were members of the team of producers who financed the musical. They were also responsible for bringing the actors to Sarasota for this event and a talk with students at USF Sarasota.  

Jason Veasey, James Jackson, Jr., L Morgan Lee and John-Andrew Morrison

The panel discussion was moderated by WBTT's Nate Jacobs. His first question to the group was when they knew they wanted to become actors. I particularly liked James Jackson's response. When he was a child, he would develop skits inspired by The Muppet Show with his stuffed animals serving as fellow actors. He made tickets for his parents for the performances -- and charged them to attend! What a little entrepreneur he was. But it wasn't until third grade that the acting bug really took hold. James was in a grade school production about cats (not the "now and forever" show of the same name) and was so into his performance that he fell off the stage into the audience. When the crowd laughed, he loved the response and realized that acting was something he wanted to do for the rest of his life. 

The more subtantial question related to the biggest challenges the actors had faced in making their way to Broadway. While this must be a question often asked, their responses seemed thoughtful and honest rather than pat. John-Andrew Morrison began by talking about how challenging acting can be if you don't have the type of body that's considered "right" for many roles. Before what he called his once in a lifetime role in "A Strange Loop," he collaborated with others to create work for "the box that is me." He is hopeful that having received a Lucille Lortel award and a Tony nomination will open more doors for him, but he knows there are no guarantees.

L. Morgan Lee is the first openly transgender performer to receive a Tony nomination. She also received Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel nominations and won an Obie award, all for her performance in "A Strange Loop." Lee also spoke about not fitting into any of the "boxes" for actresses in their 30s. She's neither a "hottie" nor a grandma. It's an uphill battle. 

James Jackson has been told he's too Black to be a Broadway performer. He's also been told he's too gay. For many years he struggled to change himself to fit the traditional view of what actors "should" be. He has now accepted who he is and had the opportunity to show his talent off on the stage of "A Strange Loop." Let the offers come.  

Jason Veasey has had more commercial success than the other actors at the event. You might even  recognize him if you're a fan of "Only Murders in the Building." Veasey plays the recurring role of Jonathan Bridgecroft in Seasons 2 and 3 of the show. He also had a Broadway-adjacent gig in the national touring company of "The Lion King." Veasey said his experience enabled him to come into the production with more armor than the other actors had. His insecurities dealt more with his ability to sing. If his singing voice is anything like his speaking voice, he had nothing to worry about. 

Hearing from these actors was a real treat. I am seriously kicking myself for not staying for the dinner afterwards. In true church style, it was set up under a tent. My friends had a great time chatting with Jackson, who sat at their table. He told them that while the actors keep in touch via a group chat, this was the first time they'd been together since the show closed. So it was a special night for them as well. I love that. 

For more on "A Strange Loop," including a complete list of the awards and nominations received, click here. It's worth noting that the awards include the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. I hope I'll get the chance to see the show in the future, but it seems unlikely (to me) that it's the type of musical that will go on tour. Either way, I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to hear from these talented actors about their experiences. 

"Icons and Symbols from the Borderland" at the James Museum

"Hombre Que le Gustan las Mujeres" by Cesar Martinez (2003)

The James Museum is now home to a special exhibit entitled "Icons and Symbols from the Borderland: Art from the U.S.-Mexico Crossroads." Try and say that three times quickly! 

The exhibit includes works in a variety of media that "explore the shared experiences of those living and working along this controversial landscape." So while the exhibit is thematic, it has a broad scope. Let's start with Cesar Martinez' "Hombre Que le Gustan las Mujeres" (or "Man Who Likes Women.") It definitely caught my eye. 

This gentleman seems to indeed like all sorts of women, from a religious icon to a traditional senorita to a woman who forgot to get dressed that morning. The artist explained, "What started out simply as a painting of a man with tattoos ended up developing into a statement about macho attitudes towards women." I like his use of humor. For Martinez' website (officially titled "Cesar Martinez and Chicano Art"), click here. His explanation of what it means to be Chicano begins with a story from a conversation he had with Cheech Marin. He definitely knows how to draw people in. 

"Pancho Villa en la Frontera"
by Socorro Diamondstein (2014)

Socorro Diamondstein's "Pancho Villa en la Frontera" has a more serious tone. The work features Pancho Villa and Pascual Orozco around the time they seized control of the city of Juarez during the Mexican Revolution. But Villa had larger ambitions. In 1916, Villa and his men made an incursion into Columbus, New Mexico. It remains the only attack ever made by Latin American military forces on the United States. Nearly 100 Mexican soldiers and two dozen Americans lost their lives in the battle. 

I was surprised to learn that Diamondstein has a personal connection with this slice of history. The images of Villa and Orozco in this work came from original negatives of photos taken by her grandfather. Very cool. 

I haven't been able to find much information about Diamonstein, but I did learn that she double majored in political science and art. She also worked at the City of El Paso Museums and Cultural Affairs Department. She has clearly incorporated her interest in politics in her art. To see more of Diamondstein's mixed media work, click here. 

"Ninos de Algadon" by Gina Gwen Palacios (2021)

"Ninos de Algodon (Cotton Kids)" by Gina Gwen Palacios is another work that's personal to the artist. Even in this photo, you can (hopefully) tell that this is a mixed medium piece. The children's clothing is made of cotton. But Palacios hasn't used cotton balls like you'd buy at the drugstore. Instead, the material looked to be raw cotton to my uneducated eye. 

There's of course a reason why she chose to use this unusual medium for the piece. "Ninos de Algadon" was created in remembrance of the stories her parents' told her about their time as migrant workers picking cotton in South Texas. Not surprisingly, they faced significant discrimination. They were punished for speaking Spanish. Their names were Anglicized. They were even forced out of school and into the fields. The stories are reminiscent of the treatment of Indigenous children who went to residential boarding schools. And of course they bring to mind the current political discussion about immigrants and the issues surrounding the border.

It's also worth noting that Palacios used cardboard for the children's faces and limbs. This choice of medium does more than represent their brown skin. Cardboard is also readily available, strong, adaptable, cheap and disposable. It's a simple yet powerful statement about migrant workers and how they are often treated. For more of Palacios' work, click here.    

Detail from "Moctezuma's Revenge" by Mark Clark (2017)

I'll leave you with a small portion of a jampacked - and politically charged -- painting by artist Mark Clark. The work was done by Clark when he lived in Brownsville, Texas and ran an art gallery that was "spitting distance" from a newly built portion of the border wall. Click here to see the entire work. Once you've done so, you won't be surprised to learn that this painting was inspired by the work of Hieronymous Bosch. Think "The Garden of Earthly Delights." 

Clark calls this painting "the depiction of every gringo's worst fears." The wall has been breached and crime runs rampant. Non-white people are now employed in jobs as disparate as astronaut, CEO and carpenter. Religion has fallen by the wayside. Even good old Mickey Mouse is no longer part of the culture; instead, he's being burned on a spit. It's no surprise that Clark created this work a year after Trump took office. 

Clark is also an activist, and it was in this spirit that he used the border wall as a pop-up art gallery on two occasions. The exhibits were aptly titled "Art Against the Wall." Clark didn't obtain a permit for either of the exhibits, and it took only a matter of hours before Border Control was on the scene, complete with bulletproof vests and guns. The art was taken down without protest, a response that apparently surprised the agents. Though short-lived, the exhibits made their impact on the participating artists and those who wandered by. For an interesting article about artists (including Clark) who have used the border wall in -- or as a space for -- their art, click here. 

"Icons and Symbols from the Borderland" will continue at the James through January 19th. It's an exhibit well worth exploring. For more information, click here. 

Talking with Playwright Lauren Gunderson

Lauren sharing the vibe of some music
for a musical she's working on 

Playwright Lauren Gunderson is a whirlwind of creative energy. She's written straight plays and books for musicals and plays for children. She's always involved in multiple projects, whether it's writing something new, workshopping a project or putting the final touches on a play for opening night. She can sometimes be found in a classroom -- be it live or virtual -- sharing her knowledge of playwriting. She hosts a "How to Playwright" podcast in her spare time. And somehow I feel certain this is an incomplete litany. But knowing something from doing research and experiencing it in person are two different things. I had the chance to talk with Lauren recently at Urbanite Theatre's Modern Works Festival. With my initial question, she was off to the races.

Lauren was just 17 years old when she first had a play professionally produced. She did some acting when she was younger, both in school performances and at Atlanta's Essential Theatre. And so when she was ready for someone to see her work, she sent it to the Managing Director at Essential with a note, "Is this a play? Did I do it right?" Indeed it was, and indeed she had. Essential gave "Parts They Call Deep" -- a semi-autobiographical play about three generations of women who go on a road trip -- its inaugural prize celebrating the work of Georgia playwrights. Since that auspicious beginning, Lauren has been recognized three times by American Theatre Magazine as the most produced playwright in the country. 

Lauren is known for writing plays about women -- often someone who worked in the field of science -- whom history has overlooked. But it's "The Revolutionists," a play without a science angle, that's my personal favorite of her works I've seen. The story is set during France's Reign of Terror, and the audience finds playwright Olympe de Gouges, Marat assassin Charlotte Corday, queen Marie Antoinette and Haitian rebel Marianne Angelle together fighting the good fight. All of the women actually existed but for Angelle, who is a composite figure. The play was funny and raucous yet gave us something to talk about on the way home. And it's worth mentioning that the production was mounted at Venice Theatre, a local community theatre. Gunderson writes plays that don't require all the bells and whistles -- or the budget -- of a Broadway show. Plays for the people, so to speak. 

Not surprisingly, Gunderson has said she most relates to the character of de Gouges in "The Revolutionists." But it's not the mere fact that they both are playwrights. De Gouges reportedly asked herself, "Am I doing good or am I getting away with something by just writing about it instead of being active about it?" Gunderson has asked herself a similiar question on occasion. Can theatre serve as an agent for change? Her answer is a resounding "yes." 

Gunderson's writing is quite feminist, but not in a hit-you-over-the-head kind of way. Take "Silent Sky," a show produced at Asolo Rep a couple of years back. The play introduces audiences to the critical work Henrietta Leavitt did at the Harvard College Observatory. Without getting too geeky, "Silent Sky" explains how Leavitt's work laid the foundation for Hubble and other astronomers to determine the distance to galaxies beyond our own. Leavitt accomplished this work without the use of a telescope because whatever that would have entailed just wouldn't have been proper in the early 20th century. (Hence Leavitt's title as a "computer" who interpreted data rather than an astronomer.) The audience left the theatre talking about Leavitt's accomplishments and bemoaning the fact we weren't taught about her contributions in school. By shining a light on women like Leavitt, Lauren slides ideas about female empowerment into the audience members' heads.

That doesn't mean, however, that Gunderson shies away from being overtly political. Following Trump's election in 2016, she organized nationwide readings of a play she called "The Taming." (Creating her own take on Shakespearean plays -- in this case "The Taming of the Shrew" -- is something else for which Lauren is known.) The set up was the solicitation by a beauty contestant with political ambitions of both a conservative advisor and a liberal advisor to work on her campaign. What a concept! The readings took place in 40 cities on inauguration day with the the proceeds going to the ACLU and Planned Parenthood. 

Then there's her "Natural Shocks," a play written in the aftermath of the Parkland school shooting in 2018. The solo show finds a woman who's locked herself in her basement during a tornado. She rants about Hamlet and reinsurance and how bad her marriage is. She says she told her abusive husband just an hour earlier that she's leaving him so he can't hurt her anymore. He didn't respond well. She tells us he has a large gun collection upstairs but that she also has a gun locked away in an accessible cabinet. Not good. But she has also told us that she's a liar (without giving any specifics). Gunderson leaves it up to each audience member to determine how they think the story will conclude. (I didn't come down on the side of a happy ending.) 

Gunderson waived the royalties for performances of "Natural Shocks" that took place across the country on the weekend of the 19th anniversary of the Columbine school shooting. The proceeds of other readings of the play have gone to support programs for gun and domestic violence prevention.  

This post only hits on a few of Gunderson's accomplishments and contributions to the theatrical world. I'll leave you with a link to her website and a word of encouragement to explore it when you have a chance. Even if you're not as avid a theatregoer as I am, I'm confident you'll be impressed. And of course don't miss seeing any of her plays being produced in your area. I'm particularly hoping to see "Justice," a musical about Sandra Day O'Connor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor and a show still in the works about Billie Jean King. 

Thanks to Urbanite Theatre for giving me the opportunity to meet and talk with Lauren. It was an evening I'll never forget.  

The Art of Beck Lane

Beck Lane in her artist residency space at ARCOS
on Central Avenue with "sketches" for the Highwaymen mural 

Beck Lane's art is instantly recognizable. She has a unique style that incorporates visible brushstrokes to create the planes of her figures' faces. If you live in Sarasota and haven't seen Beck Lane's work yet, that's likely to change. Beck will soon be creating a mural celebrating the Florida Highwaymen on the eastern-facing exterior wall of Whole Foods. The mural will be the second in the City's Florida Legacy Art Mural Series. But I'm getting a bit ahead of myself. 

I recently had the chance to talk with Beck at the ARCOS studio on Central Avenue where she's doing an artist residency, compliments of Creative Liberties. I'm not sure she's getting a lot of work done with all the visitors stopping in to see her paintings and have a chat. But that's fine with her. The life of an artist can be solitary, and she loves to share her art. When she actually has time to paint, she said it feels like a performance because the large windows give passersby a peek into what she's up to. I love that. 

With Beck (and Frida x2 and John Sims) 

Several large -- and I mean large -- portraits of Frida Kahlo can be seen in the gallery. Most of her work is on canvas and ready to go out the door if the right art lover walks in. But the huge portrait of Frida was done on a drop cloth that's been treated with gesso. (Drop cloths are more affordable than canvas, so working on them gives Beck more freedom to experiment.) I'm sure your local frameshop would be happy to put the painting on stretchers for you if there's a place in your home that cries out for this work. (Note: Transport home would require an equally oversized vehicle! Been there, done that.)  

Given the size of Beck's paintings, she is particularly appreciative of the space the gallery affords her to actually see her work in progress. The wall on which she paints in her real-life studio is only 9'x9' so things can get a little tight. She said she often has to back into a hallway and peek around the corner to get a look at what she's creating. Here she can just step back and survey her work to see what needs to be done. 

I asked Beck about her fascination with Frida. She said she's drawn to Frida's story of overcoming the obstacles she faced after incurring life threatening injuries when the bus she was on collided with a streetcar. A steel handrail impaled Frida's hip, and she was bedridden for many months while her injuries healed. Her father made a special easel that allowed her to continue to paint and mounted a mirror on the ceiling. She began doing self-portraits, creating 55 images of herself over the course of her life. Beck decided to honor this legacy by doing 55 of her own portraits of Frida. By her count, she's done 38 so far. 

The Moore family 

Beck's work most often features people who are Black or Brown/ African American. She made that choice very intentionally. Back in the day, Beck worked creating signage for Trader Joe's on Cape Cod. She met a Black woman there one day and suddenly realized, much to her dismay, that all of signs she had created featured white people. Soon the store was filled with images of happy customers and staff of diverse heritage. 

Since then, Beck has focused primarily on this demographic in her work, often using old photographs as a reference. She was told over the years that featuring non-white figures made it unlikely that galleries and museums would show her art. But she had to follow her heart, so she kept showcasing diverse people in her paintings. Happily, times have changed to some degree, at least in the art world. Which brings us to the Highwaymen mural Beck will soon be creating...

In case you're not familiar with the Florida Highwaymen, the informal group consisted of 26 Black artists -- only one of whom was a woman -- who painted landscapes and sold them out of the back of their cars on main roads. Hence the group's name. The mural will celebrate the artistic contributions of these artists and will include portraits of Alfred Hair and Mary Ann Carroll. I would have loved to have been at the Public Art Committee meeting at which Beck shared her proposal. Her presentation didn't feature the typical powerpoint showing her concept. Instead, Beck laid her "sketches" of what the mural would look like on the floor of the City Commission's meeting space. As you can see from the images above, Beck works large. I can just imagine her moving around the paintings as she spoke animatedly about her vision. 

Detail from upcoming Highwaymen mural 

It's worth noting that the City was specifically interested in a mural celebrating the legacy of the Highwaymen for the Whole Foods wall. So you might wonder, as I did, why the City didn't contract with a Black artist to create this work. I asked Beck, and the answer is simple. She was the only person who applied. Beck is sensitive to the optics of a white artist creating what will be a very visible painting honoring the Black Highwaymen. And so she's bringing in two Black artists -- Greg Cruz and Jade Griffin -- to work on the project. Beck also intends to invite Black or Brown/African American members of the community to stop by and help out, even if it's just laying down a brushstroke or two. Her goal is to "remove herself as much as possible from the process." I'm impressed with her sensitivity and approach. And I can't wait to see mural come into existence. 

For more about Beck and her work, click here. Better yet, if you're local, stop by the studio at ARCOS through October 27th. These images truly do not do justice to the impact her work has in person. And of course be on the look out for painting in progress at Whole Foods. Beck would love to add you to the ever-growing list of people with whom she's shared her art.