Road Trip – Another week in Paradise

I’ve been to Key West a bunch of times and have written about it through the years. I usually stay at the Shipyard Condos in the Truman Annex if I’m staying a while, or Almond Tree Inn if it’s a short visit. This year I decided to fly and stay at Simonton Court. The nicest part of staying there was it is next door to the Studios of Key West and Books & Books, two blocks from the Library which has music performances, book signings, lecturers, etc, and several theaters.

Simonton Court

The main Inn building was once a cigar factory and the small cottages that line the brick path going back to the main pool were workers cottages. It is an oasis just one block from the chaos of lower Duval (my least favorite part of the town).

At the Library – My week started out with an interesting performance at the Library of Nordic folk music by a couple called Vellamo, It is led by the performing and songwriting team of Pia Leinonen and Joni Tiala. Their music is reminiscent of 1960’s folk revival groups such as Richard and Mimi Farina; Peter, Paul, and Mary and Pentangle – but with a Scandinavian twist.

Between each song she talked about the inspiration for the songs she wrote and the meaning behind the traditional folk songs. The Finnish folk songs were sung in Finnish, it’s a very unusual sounding language. She said it had 40 variations and they don’t always understand each other!

I had registered for a lecture “Between Two Palms” with Pulitzer prize winner Mike Rezendes at Studios of Key West; but after all the bad news in our government this week, I instead decided to go to something lighter. At the library two authors writing about Key West spoke, and I ended up buying both of their books. The Key West library has dozens of programs every month, most are free.

One was about history and what makes Key West special and the other about homes and gardens of Key West. I thought I pretty much knew everything about Key West but turns out I didn’t. 

One thing I did not know was that Key West Hand Prints were designed by Suzie Zuzek dePoo. I’ve always loved her work. Here is an example of some of her paintings and work on tile. She died in 2011. The shop was on Front Street in a big brick building. One year we came it was gone; it closed in 2007. Read more about Suzie.

Here is some of Suzie’s watercolors. Even though she is gone, Gallery on Greene still has some of her work.

Lily Pullitzer heard about the company, came to KW,  fell in love with the fabrics and started her company with dePoo designing the fabrics.

At one point Key West Hand Prints employed about 200 people! Eventually with the change of staff, the companies parted ways. To the left is one of the fabrics Suzie designed for Lily.

Here are some of Suzie’s tile pieces, of course I love these because I also paint on tile.

Another thing I did not know was the history of La Te Da! I’ve been to the shows there but did not know it was the home of a cigar manufacturer, Teodoro Perez. At some point Jose Marti, a Cuban disodent,  came to Key West to speak about Cuba becoming free from Spanish rule. He stood on the balcony at La Te Da and addressed the large crowd. And, of course, Cuba eventually gained independence.

The book about the homes and gardens is called Key West Cottages and Gardens by Leslie Linsley. She spends her time between Key West and Nantucket (another favorite spot of mine). She is the author of more than 70 titles on American crafts, decorating, and home style, as well as many books on Nantucket Island and Key West. Her national column “At Home” appears in the Key West Citizen.

The other book is called Key West Paradise Found by Ellen T. White. She is the former managing editor of The New York Public Library. In addition to Key West: Paradise Found, she is the author of Simply Irresistible, a cheeky how-to that draws lessons from history’s great romantic women.

One nice thing about traveling by myself is I talk to more people than I do when I’m with someone. There were three people in the line at the post office from our neighborhood, one has a son at Cherry Point, another was from Jacksonville and a third from Rocky Mount.

Then there was Beth from New Jersey and it was her first time in Key West, June from Philly who rents a cottage for a month every year, people beside me at one of the lectures from St Louis who have been coming for 9 years.

And my last night with dinner at the bar at Marquesa I had a long conversation with folks from Salem, Mass., who have owned homes in Key West but now stay at Marquesa.

The weather was perfect the entire time I was there. At home it was kind of warm earlier in the week but I went home to rain and cold.

Art in Key West – I went to several art openings.

Studios of Key West – Stacey Johnson-Hardy makes whimsical clay figures that are covered with shells, stones, buttons, and tiny things She says they resemble recurring characters from her childhood. Loved the work but it must have been a scary childhood!

Stacey has a studio on Stock Island. I intended to get out there but did not make it this year. She told me about a service called “Conch Connect” – it costs $2, points to point, and they will take you anywhere on Key West or Stock Island with the exception of the airport and naval base. For $2! I used the service to attend a market at Higgs Beach. I always ride the Duval Loop free buses, they have extended the route by several blocks this year. I often walk 5 miles a day there but sometimes get worn out so I hope on.

Studios of Key West –

Mabel Poblet, one of Cuba’s most exciting contemporary artists, blends photography, video, performance, and installations to explore themes of memory and identity. Graduating with highest honors from Cuba’s top art schools, her work reflects her experiences growing up in Castro’s Cuba.

I later went back and heard her speak about her work. She has quite a resume for a 39-year-old.

Gallery on Greene – Priscilla Coote has been called a Tonalist in a Colorist world. A New Englander by birth, she has spent nearly thirty years in the Florida Keys. Like me she works in watercolor, oil, and gouache. I particularly loved her gouache paintings.

Key West Museum of Art and History – I went to an opening of “From a Woman’s Hand” with work from Keys female artists. There were at least 100 people at the opening.

In their description of the show it includes the statement “the show illuminates the remarkable achievements of women artists who have been marginalized for centuries.” I don’t see that changing any time soon, and in fact, I’m afraid it is only going to get worse.

Gingerbread Square Gallery – So glad I got to attend the opening for Pam Folsom. I’ve admired her work forever but kept missing her shows. This year I was finally there when it opened and I got a chance to meet her and ask her a few questions. She used to work on a red toned canvas and now works on a black toned canvas. I asked her how she chose which color to choose.

She said she started with red but when she met and talked with Henry Faulkner (companion of Tennessee Williams) she switched to black. She said I should look him up….     Since I’ve only been working in oils for a relatively short time I am still trying different techniques, this is one I will try.

Do you see a theme here? Of course, anyone that knows my work knows architecture is my favorite thing to paint.

I took a short watercolor class with Karen Beauprie. It was fun to see how she works. Clean and crisp.

I always seem to make everything complicated even though I know the mantra of a lot of painters is simplify, simplify, simplify!

Luna -I stopped into Luna, a sweet clothing and accessory store. I was surprised when the owner looked up and said I know you! I was in the shop last year and she remembered me and our conversation. Her name is Emma Starr, she owns the shop plus is a photographer.

Her husband is also an artist Eric Anfinson. He has begun putting his images on scarves and kimonos.

I purchased this beautiful shawl and got the chance to meet him.

Food

I have to admit I’m not a foodie but I do like a good meal. In the past a friend has scolded me for not talking about the food…. So here goes.

I ate breakfast at Simonton Court every day and dinner was usually light; however, I did have two memorable meals. One was at Louie’s Backyard. I’m trying to eat more fish and cut back on red meat. Other than crab and shrimp I’m not a huge fan. However, at Louie’s Backyard I had yellow tail which was amazing. It was served with orange butter (omg!) and crab salad.

When we lived further up the keys in the ’80s, we went to Mangrove Mama’s (at that time it was more of a high-end restaurant) and ate yellowtail. That is until I went snorkeling and saw how beautiful they were. So this is the first yellowtail I have had it in 30 years. Just like I quit eating orange roughy when I found out how long they could live – 150 years! How could I eat something that can survive that long.

The other meal was at Cafe Marquesa, one block from Simonton Court. I ate at the bar and had swordfish and she crab soup. The swordfish had Key West pink shrimp, fingerling potatoes, haricot verts, and lemon caper sauce.

It was not as good as Louie’s Backyard but I ended up talking to everyone which I would not have done if I would have been seated at a table. The best part of the meal, other than the company, was the beignet. My neighbors ordered them and they shared with me!

Then there was this cauliflower flat bread with wild mushrooms from the Green Pineapple.

More Music

One afternoon I was walking by the church a block from my BnB and noticed they were having a concert. The performers were the Dover Quartet. It was part of their Impromtu Classical Concerts Series.

Named one of the greatest string quartets of the last 100 years by BBC Music Magazine, the two-time Grammy nominated Dover Quartet is one of the world’s most in-demand chamber ensembles. The church was totally full on a beautiful sunny afternoon. I’m guessing there were at least 350 people.

Shops

So all and all not bad for just one week. Michael always said going on vacation with me was like going on a forced march. There is always so much to do in Key West. I did not mention shopping, while I don’t buy much these days there are some great shops, amid the touristy ones. The retailer is still in me, so I like to go see what the trends are and how they display things. To me the most beautiful one is Besame Mucho near Blue Heaven.

Old Town

But my VERY FAVORITE thing to do is walk in the historic district. I love the conch houses, orchids in the trees, and laid-back atmosphere (away from Duval).

And I think I took a hundred photos at least so this is just a fraction of them, always looking for something to paint. I always have to go by and see what this veteran has added to his directional sign. It changes a little each year.

Where to next? France for a month in May, fly into Paris and stay for four days, rent a car and drive to Aix-En-Provence, I’ll have four days to get there, and then stay in Aix for three weeks. But before that, I’ll be the featured artist at Carolina Creations for April.

In the fall I judged an art show in Wilmington, I guess they liked me because the Wilmington Art Association asked me to judge their spring show. A week before Key West they said, oh, by the way, you will have three panels for your work at our show and the gallery down the street will have a wall for you. We don’t know how much inventory you have. Yikes! I really need to get busy now.