Guerilla Art or Putting Your Best Foot Forward? Did One Of You Kiddies Lose A Shoe?

This all happened, like everything does around here for me, on a dog walk.

Mind you, when you walk between 11,000 and 20,000 steps a day, you tend to see everything.  I have a bit of a reputation here in town as being That Guy Walking Around.

I'm also lately doing circuits or laps up and down the main drag, Wilton Drive, on a bike. 

2.4 miles each lap, 6 laps, 18.17 miles today.

It can get repetitive.  I keep my eyes open for entertainment and I do see it.

We were walking on a street near the house.  On the ground there was a shoe.  A wee little kid's slip on. 

There are not too many children here in town, so picking up the shoe was on order.  It ended up on the fence hoping that the original owner would find it.

I mean... what can you do with a shoe?

It sat there overnight. 

I did notice that the next morning, it had gotten knocked into the yard with the rather boisterous Labradoodles.  They're both young, under 3 years old.  The shoe was quite out of reach and I could not rescue it.  The shoe being on the wrong side of the fence and closed gate, there it would stay.

Except.  The next walk, I do four per day, it had made it from the grass to the fence post.  The owner of the property placed it on a fence post hoping the original owner would find it on their pass through and put it on their kid's foot.

Except.  Yes, there is a theme here.

It was on the side of the sidewalk.  A Bit Redundant, but it did not belong there.

My own walking partner, Kevin, has a bit of a joker in him.  He laughed and had a big smile on his face.

"Ok!  What's going on?" I asked.
"Just wait!" He responded.

There are quite a few art installations here in town.  Next to the Labradoodles is a property with two brass statues of kids playing.  The one near has a child laying under the palm tree reading, a second child over him climbing a ladder to nowhere.

Kevin put the shoe on the exposed foot.

Laughing.

I thought it was amusing.  "How did you ... never mind!"

We continued walking and laughing at the scene.

The next day we thought it was over and done but...

Except.  A note appeared.  The donor of the shoe was thanked and was asked where was the other shoe?

I had a great laugh at that.  I knew how it all got there.  Since the house was quiet, we went on our way.

Except.  A Block away we ran into the owners of the house on the way back with Rack to the house.

It was time to come clean and let the owners in on the whole story.  They thought it great fun and thanked us for the mystery and clearing up the question.

We still don't know who owned the second shoe or the first one and it has not disappeared from the statue.

I guess we'll see once we walk past.   For now, Rack knows not to water the statue and we'll all keep an eye for future developments!

Guerilla Art in Wilton Manors. The Story of the Little Ceramic Faces

I am very used to being around Art.  The rule of thumb in Philadelphia is that you had to spend 1% of building cost in public art for a commercial or industrial building.

Or thereabouts.   My memory may have drifted and I left Philly in 2006.

So Philly has some world class art floating around for you to enjoy simply by walking around.  The "LOVE" installation in Love Park in Center City, or that Rocky Statue that was at one point at the Art Museum come to mind.

Little bitty Wilton Manors is doing its best.  We've got the orange slices on Wilton Drive, and there are other installations like the Thunderbunny there as well.  I find it quite enjoyable.

But Guerilla Art?  Here in sleepy little Wilton?  You bet.

I don't mean the graffiti morons with stickers and spray paint.  I walk around the Central Business District four times a day.   Rack the McNab SuperDog(TM) requires the exercise and I get between 10,000 and 19,000 steps a day myself as a result.

I see the art.  Guerilla art.

Guerilla Art is not the Gorilla statue that was here for years.  I rather miss the thing, it was as tall as I am, and I am not a small man.  People used to crawl into its lap and take pictures.

Guerilla Art is unofficial art.  Think of "Yarn Bombing" where some dear person knitted a sweater.  For a mail box.  It's random and makes you pause and think.

So what is happening here?  Little Ceramic Faces.  Lately they are all over the place in a very specific neighborhood.  South side of Wilton Drive, and in the immediate blocks south of the Drive.  The faces are well done, and brightly colored.  Ceramic faces are left in places that are designed to be spotted.  For a while it was the painted stones that were done in many places where you find a palm sized stone painted with maybe a Daisy or other flower.

It later shifted to these faces. 

Some have magnets on the back, others are simply the face.  They are about as large as my thumbnail and I don't have tiny doll hands.

I will say that if I spot one with a magnet and it is in a public place I place it as high up on the pole where it is.  It makes it more discreet and hopefully it will remain there longer.

This isn't the graffiti stickers.  If you walk Wilton Drive, you will notice the south side of the drive has markedly fewer stickers.  (Raises hand) That is because I use my scraper knife to remove them when they are not "official" stickers like from the city/state. 

I probably should shift to the other side of the drive, there are an obscene amount of these stickers everywhere.

On the other hand, the little faces are easy to move around and I can only think of one that is glued to a spot.  The person chose this spot because it was an orange face on an orange post.

Discrete, not loud.  Smiling into the sunrise every morning, on guard at the corner.

I have asked Everyone's Big Sister here if she saw them and she did not even know of them.  I don't believe they are on Constance's side of the drive.

So whoever you are, thank you.  You have given me a smile.  Others will as well, because I am not the only person who is moving them around. 

In fact, someone came onto the property and stuck one to the front bumper of my Jeep.  I was amused when I spotted it.

I'll put it in a spot that has Pride Of Place in the cabin of the Jeep.  Since nobody has ever left me a duck, that is.

Thank you!

Let It Rain 2022 leaks into 2023 as Rack the McNab SuperDog (TM) discovers his two left feet

I lived in Philadelphia, PA for a long block of time.  There is a line in the tax code that if you have a public building, you have to contribute 1 percent to public art. 

Mind you I could easily have this mixed up, and I don't seem to remember what the definition of Public was there in this context.

However, one thing about being in town there was that I felt steeped in art.  One of the Rodin Museums was very close to where I worked, for example.

Philly did miss the mark when it came to a few things, but you get to the point where when you go to other places, you expect art.

Even if it is just something built into the doors and walls like the art deco of the buildings around Rittenhouse Square or the "WCAU Building" on Chestnut Street.

So when I see art being put on display here or simply appearing I have a strange "Well yeah it's needed" mindset.  As in, "It is like Oxygen.  You can't live without art."

When we started seeing things crop up here, the Gorilla a couple blocks up from me that lived on Wilton Drive, or the current Orange Slice Stack that is closer to me, it felt right, I expected it.

I'm not minimizing things, it really does make life in a city much more pleasant.  After all, the Soviets never did that sort of thing and it rendered their cities with a very harsh and sterile look.

Lately there is a Theme to some of the art we have had crop up.  It at first reminded me of the kind of drawings we would do on the streets in front of our houses as children.  We did learn that if it was done with a candle, the pictures would last longer and repel the water.  

Why is this important?  Because in the Holiday Season, someone was doing a similar thing.  Stencils of all sorts of things appeared on the sidewalks, but only when it rained. 

"Let It Rain" is the theme.  Since we got inundated when everyone up North got feet of snow (Buffalo NY is still digging out from what I hear), it was quite obvious what these things were.  Spirals, Flowers, "Be Nice", and feet would crop up in three spots around town.

I am amused because the stencil for feet was two LEFT feet, not a left and right as would be traditional.  Or just flip the stencil over and do the right foot?

Anyway, I'm looking forward to more of a shower, but only in the afternoon so I can get my own morning routines in, OK?

Two Left Feet.  Kind of like my own dancing.  Oh sure, with all the cardio I do, I can dance forever, just not too "complex" or too well.

Well never mind that, do go enjoy the art.  It will give you something to do when you are looking at the ground for puddles to avoid! 

Got to love a community based event like this!

The Mystery of Four Dolls in M.E. DePalma Park Leads To A Doll Show In Wilton Manors

 When you live in South Florida, a little bit of color can surprise you.

You grow used to all the green here and I suppose that the flowers have a color palate that can grow familiar.   As you walk through the day you get to see a lot of green and a lot of spots of color.

That is what caught my eye.  The colors were wrong for the little park near home.  A bright little bit of the rainbow seated on a giant metal butterfly.

That park has flowers every month of the year, and lately it has been taken care of with some serious amounts of landscaping to clear out some of the overgrown plants.

So when The Girls appeared on the bench I was surprised.  They "popped" where they were.

Walking Mr Dog over to have a look I was being smiled at by them.  

So I smiled back, and asked Mr Dog "What's That?".

He smiled too.

I shrugged and thought they won't be there tomorrow but guess what?  Here they were.

They must have woke up during the witching hour and flew over to the little plinth in the middle of the little park so they can watch over things.

After a little poking around, my little flight of fancy leads to a Doll Show.  It turns out that our local gallery, the Art Gallery 21 is having a fund raiser event and sale.  On Saturday, January 22, 2022, from 10 AM to 1PM you can see these little girls as well and more, and help a good cause here in town.  There is a lot more information on their direct link, here, than I could possibly give in this format.

They will have exhibits of dolls of many kinds and eras as well as a family friendly space for creators of dolls and their fashions.  A perfect time for you or those who love the creativity and beauty of these figures.

But yes, my own little mystery has been solved.

Rough Night On Wilton Drive

We were out at the Dog Hour.

At this time of year, that means after 5 but before 5:30 because it's dark that early here.

Trust me, if you ever want to get to meet people, get a dog.  They require 3 walks a day, and you will see many of the same people out there for that time for the life of that dog.  Besides, if you are wondering about what your dog is thinking, you will learn fast that they will tell you.

Rack certainly does.

I have been walking my dogs at that time since I moved here years ago.  I get to see it all, and I have seen it all.

Recently the Wilton Art group have been putting up an art installation of what looks like from the ground wrought iron pieces of art meant to resemble some aspect of living here.  I will say they catch my eye, simply because they are so distinctive.  New or not, you notice an alligator lifting a drink to the sky and saluting the crowd.

In Philadelphia's Center City, there is a well known tradition or requirement of any new construction spending 1% towards public and accessible art.  It's something I supported here, and mention widely when I speak to people about improving our own little Island City.

In our case, Rack the McNab SuperDog (TM) did not mind my looking at these.  I stopped to take the picture, as we paused the walk and he got some more attention.

I hear the phrase squealed across five lanes of traffic "OOOOH!  A DOG!" more times than I care to, so I made it a point not to dawdle.

Having had someone decide that my own front lawn was a perfect place to "Sleep It Off", I think I see what they were illustrating in wire frame.

I still get a chuckle out of the local police when I mention that last episode.  I wonder if the sleeper's girlfriend let him back in the house.  He borrowed her car, lost it and his cell phone, and curled up under the palm tree in the front yard.

So now, up and down the drive, on select light poles near you, you will see pictures and slogans of what you may see here from time to time.  Just stay socially distant, and don't make too much noise at 2AM when the bars close, OK?

Art Happens On A Sidewalk

I'm up at Stupid O'Clock.  Even now that the time change happened, I'm still up at Stupid O'Clock.

You folks are doing something sensible like drooling into your pillow, snoring, and catching spiders with your mouth.

But no, I'm up around two hours before sunrise walking my dog.

This happens just about every day, rain or shine.  I do try to wait out the storms since they usually are short and under a half hour, but normally I just soldier on through them.

How can you tell a tourist in South Florida?

They have Umbrellas!

We'll also say they don't know how to drive, but you'll argue until you see it yourself.   Really, folks, a sign that indicates "No U Turn" means the same down here as it does in Lexington, Kentucky, and Toronto Canada as it does here in Metro Fort Lauderdale.

Sheesh.

But I am out with Rack, the McNab SuperDog (TM) wandering around town.   He's watering palm trees and I'm on the look out for anything out of the ordinary. 

I'm convinced I need to bring a pen knife to remove some stickers on public spaces, and a bottle of Acetone to wipe down the graffiti that some low lifes have decided to "decorate" light poles around town.

However, one thing popped up on the sidewalk the other day.  We had a Halloween celebration last month.  Great time for a party.  Thousands of people enjoying being out together.  Homes got decorated here, and some of them stayed decorated.

One of the balconies on Wilton Drive ended up with a laser display.  These things showed up on the scene first a year or two ago.  Put Stars on Your House!  Home Laser Display!  Amaze Your Friends.

For the most part they ended up looking somewhat weak because of the repetitive nature of the displays but it was a nice change of pace from the over done gaudiness of holiday displays.

People took them back in and put them in storage and even a few ended up at the thrift stores in January or February when nobody considered a need for them.

But Halloween?  They're just the ticket.

These folks put their display up and turned it on directly below their balcony.  So at 5 AM, rain or shine, Rack and I walk through the red and green lasers and smile.  They dance and make trails quickly on the ground for anyone to pass by.

Now, not having the right equipment to take a professional picture of them is actually a benefit in this case.  You see if it was timed right, all I would end up would be a field of dots. 

However the camera I used did not have a fast enough shutter in this case.  Turned that display in to fireworks instead.

So if you're in a light display, try it yourself.  You never know where your picture will get an upgrade to Photography.

The "Have You Lost Your Mind" Art Installation

Walking around town, I find things.

Odd things.

Some things you don't want to think about and pass by on your way and hope that either someone cleans it up, or the weather changes and it magically disappears with the next strong rain storm.

This was a nice thing. 

This particular walk, I was on one of the avenues in my quirky little island.  Something caught my eye in the predawn hours.  It was a quarter.  Heads up means good luck, heads down means give the luck away and you will get more in return.

Nice fable, but it doesn't seem to always work that way.

My trusty sidekick, Rack, the McNab Superdog watered a tree and I saw the second find of the day further along the walk.

It was a purple propeller.  It had blown off of a yard whirlygig at one point and fluttered in the breeze to the center crown of the street.

Oooh, Purple!  Spinny!

I did a look to see if anyone had obviously lost this oddball contraption out of their yard.  It didn't seem like anyone had lost anything, and I know the neighbors in that particular block.  Since the traffic was beginning to heat up for the day, this found bit of strangeness would come with me.

Getting back to the house before anyone else was awake, I set the propeller on the porch and went about my day.

Later that afternoon, I came out and saw the purple prop.

The light bulb in my head fizzled to brilliance.  I thought that I had something that I could set it on and make a pinwheel out of the thing.  The first try was a fiberglass pole that was too large.  That would have been perfect, but it didn't fit.

The second time was the charm.   I was going to make a bamboo contraption.

We have a stand of Bamboo in the yard.  About as thick as a finger, I have used it to build oddball things like lamps.  It holds a thin piece of LED light in it and as soon as I can figure out a mount, it will make for a hanging lamp or a desk lamp.  Haven't decided.   But it will allow me to make my gadget and smile.  Besides, LED strips are great lighting for hurricanes and other power outage.

Not that we don't have enough emergency lighting in here.  If I turned on all the LED Flashlights, torches, votive candles, and strips at once, it would glow bright enough to be seen from space.

Cue the Choir Eternal, there's a lot here.

The bamboo poles I have here are long though.  10 foot tall sections that narrow to a point. 

Just what I need.

I cleaned the narrow end off of this fishing pole, slid the propeller onto it, then held it up.  It was tall enough to be in the sun and catch the wind that comes steadily off the ocean once you get above the tree line.

Yeah, this sucker was tall.

I immediately got a silly idea.  It was going into the front yard.

Walking 10 feet of pole with a purple propeller through the house, my house guest asked me what that was.

"Art.  I am having an art installation.  It shall be in the middle of the front yard.  If anyone asks, it is for the Art betterment of the city, what else would you think it is?".

I walked to the front yard with a snicker and promptly stuck it in the grass.   It was well above the house and started spinning happily in the breezes.

Placing my camera next to the pole, I tested the Voice Operated Shutter Feature.

"Cheeze!"  The camera popped.
"Capture!" The camera popped again.
"Camera" and "Shoot" worked as well.

Beautiful blue skies, a purple propeller and shaft were captured for posterity.

I walked inside and giggled saying "Kevin will think I am nuts!".

I have a weird Dr Seuss inspired piece of whimsy shining in the South Florida Sun.

Doesn't everyone?

The next email I mentioned the Bamboo Contraption in the front yard.  This really wasn't the best day to be late from work.

When he got home, opening the door he started asking.

"Have you lost your mind, and why are you videoing me?"
"I have no idea what you mean!"
"You know what I mean!  That bamboo contraption in the yard!  It's not December!"
"I know it isn't December, and that isn't a Festivus pole.  It is Art!"
"Art?  That is Art?"
"I am sure Constance and Krishan will approve!"

At this point he started covering the lens of my camera with an empty bag of dog treats and laughing as he walked out of the room.

Yes, I have a 10 foot pole.  In my yard.  With a purple propeller on top.  Doesn't everyone?

For Art's Sake?

Someone, Anyone, Beuhler?

To witness the art installation, do drive by the house.  It will be there through the week or until I'm told to take it down by an art critic with differing taste.  And if you have lost a purple whirlygig looking propeller thing, look up.  If it's yours, knock on the door and I'll let you have it.

Besides, Festivus Poles don't have propellers and are made from Aluminium.  It is the Cadillac of all Metals!