Category Archives: The Arts

The Florida Highwaymen

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Swaying palm trees. Rough seas. Brilliant red Poinciana trees. Cotton candy sunsets that light up the canvas in ways you might not know possible.

That’s what you’ll find among the paintings of the Florida Highwaymen. I had the pleasure of seeing several as part of a special exhibit at the Westmoreland Museum of American Art a few weeks ago.

From the early fifties through the eighties, there were 26 African American painters who were called The Highwaymen. They painted gorgeous rural and beach scenes from the Florida landscape.

They painted in home workshops and garages, creating a prolific catalog of work that they sold door-to-door to businesses and individuals. They could also be seen selling from the trunks of their cars along the highways. Back in the day, these paintings cost about $25 apiece. Today one of these paintings can command $5,000 to $10,000.

Despite the talents of these individuals, racial segregation in Florida prevented them from being sold in professional galleries.

The museum had laminated sheets for each painter with brief biographies and I was fascinated by the origins of these artists. Most were self taught. They knew each other and mentored one another and you can see how they influenced one another.

Their stories are tragic and discouraging, inspiring and thought provoking. Their work is stunning.

This exhibition just closed so I’m sorry to say you can’t go see these paintings in Pennsylvania. That’s a shame too because they did a nice job showing the art while telling the stories of the artists and of the Jim Crow world they lived in. The fact they faced such a grim and racist reality but chose to paint such beauty is incredible.

If you ever get a chance to go see some of these paintings, I hope you will. They are extraordinary.

Want to know more about these painters? Click here to find biographies of the 25 men and one woman who we know as the Highwaymen.

Dragon76

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One of the things I like best about cities in this country is the amount of public art like this mural in New York City. It’s by Japanese street artist Dragon76. Located near the Oculus at the World Trade Center, it is a show stopper.

The colors are vibrant and it looks like the horse could leap right off the wall. I found it inspiring and I marveled at the idea someone could create such a magnificent larger-than-life thing.

Go look for art, friends. It will brighten your day!

Silent Sunday- Still Christmas!

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The Mecca Motel

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Location is everything according to this fabulous sign at the Mecca Motel in Colorado Springs. The motel dates to 1930 when its traditional motor court design was popular with a growing group of tourists who had automobiles and leisure time,

The sign, though, is classic mid-century. My only regret is that I had to snap this picture from the car while snow swirled around us on a very gray morning. I would love to see it on a blue sky day.

But you get the gist. Ain’t she a beaut?

In case you’re in the market, you can still stay at the Mecca. Book your room or get more info here.

Please Sit

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The Cincinnati Art Museum is one of my favorite places to roam. There’s always something to discover and plenty of beauty for the grand total of zero dollars admission.

There’s one room with an enormous wooden bench where I sometimes sit to just appreciate the space. Truth is, that bench is my favorite thing in that room but I never really thought about it’s origins. In that room, my fella especially enjoys a painting called Alexander the Great and the Fates by the Italian Baroque artist Bernadino Mei. It’s a compelling work of art where two of the three Fates who control the tread of life spin and measure Alexander’s life thread. The third goddess grapples with Alexander, preparing to cut the thread and end his life. There’s much more to it than that and I always see something new. 

I usually go in and plop down on that big bench. It’s a great place to rest a moment and appreciate Alexander the Great before continuing on through the maze of galleries. On our last visit, I noticed there’s a card on the end of that bench. It reads “Palace Bench, Florence Italy, 15th Century, Walnut, Museum Purchase 1953.156, PLEASE SIT.”

Holy cow. How many times have I sat here without knowing that it’s more than just a pretty bench? 

How many people have sat on this bench to pray, to mourn or to celebrate? How many museum goers have, like me, wandered through without noticing that we were sitting on a piece of history?

Here’s my advice for today. Don’t be afraid to look around and to admire things in a museum. Stand in one spot and just take in your surroundings. Study the painting you don’t understand. If you think it’s interesting, Google it while you stand there so you can understand what’s happening. Pay attention to the things that no one else looks at. Read the card discreetly placed on the thing everyone sits on. 

There’s usually a story! 

Pop Goes The West

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One of the things that surprised me most about the Buffalo Bill Center of the West is the vast array of items they have on display. They have so many interesting things that it’s difficult to know where to start but the thing that surprised me most was their collection of pop art. 

To be clear, pop art isn’t what I would call my thing but there’s a lot to be said for the talent and creativity that goes into this style and I want to show you some of my favorite pieces from.an exhibit called Pop Goes The West. 

First there’s this oil painting called Fall Scene which Robert Seabeck created in 1979. It shows a red Ford truck pulling a blue and white travel trailer in a scene that is absolutely striking. The artist called it a contemporary representation of the covered wagons that early pioneers used to access the American West. It is as fresh and relevant today as it must have been almost fifty years ago.

I also liked this one called Fool’s Gold by Rachel Mosely. The man, in traditional western garb, looks like he could step off the canvas and launch into a story about the stick horse that he’s holding. I don’t know if it was intentional but this 2020 piece reminds me of James Dean’s character Jett Rink in the movie Giant. 

Then there was this piece from Jane Deschner’s Silhouette Series that’s a collage of vintage photos. She uses snapshots of strangers to tell stories that  explore our shared human experience. I found this one especially interesting because these snapshots remind me of the ones I collect. Old black and white photos are easily found in junk shops and antique stores, long abandoned by descendents of their subjects. She has hand stitched these photos together, a symbolic reminder of how we are all connected by the human experience. 

Here’s a closer look.

I perhaps liked this one best of all. 

So, the next time you’re about to go marching by something because it’s not your thing, I urge you to stop for a quick look and maybe you’ll see something that makes you want to linger. 

Learn more about this museum here.