Vladimir Kagan's Blog

South Florida's Best Kept Little Secrets - III

 

 

Copyright Vladimir Kagan, March 30, 1012

 

The Everglades

 

The Alligator Alley is not a secret. It is an 85 mile strip of four-lane concrete highway that effectively cuts Florida's Everglades into a North and South "swamp", except that the Everglades is NOT a swamp, its a river! In fact, it is the widest river in the world!

The Everglades as seen through the windscreen of a speeding car

The terrible truth is that that swath of concrete virtually stops the flow of water southward and forces the river to drain through artificial canals Eastward and Westward! The Southern portion of the Everglades is gradually drying up while the Northern portion thrives with vast wildlife diversity. It is a monotonous drive at 70 miles per hour with ne'er a change of scenery for the next hour and a half. (I am slightly maligning the scenery as the flat lands eventually give way to miles of tamarind trees that conceal the Cyprus Swamps behind them). This area is duly designated as the Cyprus National Park. There are no through-roads North or South in the Everglades, only short incursions. To reach the Cyprus National Park, you must divert north or south for 20 miles (too far for us as we were heading home). We made several other stabs at exploring the hinterlands, but none were to be found. On one detour we were enticed by the name Snake Road, which promised a Seminole Indian Reservation and the Seminole Indian Museum… What we found instead was a vast swath of prairie land extending as far as the eye could see. Grazing on this land were hundreds Black Angus cattle. This was resurrected swampland, drained and turned into cattle ranches and presumably owned by our Native Americans, who were deeded this land a century earlier (as it was useless swamp land not a fit habitat for the white settlers.)

 

Seminole Indian Territory - drained swampland as far as the eye could see

However, if you really want to get some local flavor, drive off at any of the “Recreational Sites” that offer ramps for boat launching and an occasional raised viewing stands for visitors to gape at the alligators swimming freely down below. It’s the boat ramps you have to concentrate on. If you are lucky you might encounter some REAL Florida types not found at the beach or country club. These are the Swamp People who know the Everglades and what swims in it and inhabits its impenetrable marshy shores. (If you’ve ever read Carl Hiaasen and don’t mind the language, you will meet these delightful people in great depth.) They arrive in the late afternoon towing their airboats behind jalopies, jeeps and mobile homes. These are the folks who harvest the Everglades at dusk and night. They spear for frogs - giant bullfrogs - delicious to eat fried… any surplus can be sold locally for $8 per pound. They’re out there with their kids, wives and girlfriends. You must have a good ear to understand the local lingo, but they are friendly and willing to chat and educate you about their “playground”.

 

An air-boat waiting to be launched --- Rear view of the giant rudders that steer the boat

Air-boats are amazing: expensive toys at $30,000 –they are the closest thing to an airplane – noisy as all get out - steered with two giant airfoil rudders complete with trim tabs and turned with a joystick – speed is essential in order to maneuver the boat – they skims over the water and marsh grass leaving nothing behind but a quickly vanishing wake.

 

Easy as 1 - 2 - 3 Back-up the trailer - submerge it in the water - float the boat and your ready for an evening of "fishin'" with the family

The Canal at dusk - best time for "Frogin"

 

Does it scare the critter and Gators? “Hell no… they're used to it!”… Meeting these folks was the highlight of our cross-Florida trip… I hope that you get to do one soon.

 

Footnote:

Most of Florida once was useless wetlands before it was systematically drained and developed by the "Robber Barons" of the early 20th Century and perpetuated to this day by modern day developers. The routine was simple: Find a piece of wilderness - register your claim with the State - get permission to turn it into agricultural use. After all, farming is the backbone of this country... you cannot deny these good people their livelihood. This is a long-range project: it takes years to drain the land - kill off the fauna and flora that inhabit it. But it takes only a few years before this farmland becomes too valuable to farm; it is then easily converted it into human habitat - hang on a few caveats such as affordable housing and get financial support... and Bingo: you have a gated community.

There are vast tracks of land that have been converted to agriculture, The sugar industry is the worst transgressor…( did you know that you cannot buy imported sugar???). The Agriculture industry spews millions of gallons of phosphates into this delicate ecosystem yearly!

Only in response to the persistent cajoling of environmental groups, has the State of Florida together with the Federal Government finally taken the necessary steps to aggressively restore what's left of this National treasure.

 

 

South Florida’s Best Kept Little Secrets

 

Copyright Vladimir Kagan March 27, 2012

 

The Vero Beach Museum of Art

The  Vero Beach Museum of Art

Vero Beach is hotbed of addicted golfers, tennis jocks and ferocious bridge players. It is located along a strip of the Atlantic Ocean half way between Palm Beach and Orlando (whichever airport you prefer). Politically conservative, extremely rich, aloof and in love with itself, its residents are mostly snowbirds, (a moniker given by Floridians to Northern refugees escaping the winter cold.) It is a bastion of gated communities. Within the walls you will find luxurious golf clubs, beach clubs and Condos and discreet residences. The little town of Vero Beach boasts a few quiet eateries, one or two art galleries and the usual tourist trappings. What you don't expect to find is a gem of a regional museum. Some twenty years ago, a group reprobate golfers opted for culture and financed the building of this enchanting museum.

Since its inception in 1991, the Vero Beach Museum of Art - a neo-modern building of elegant proportions, has been acclaimed as the principal art facility of its kind on the Treasure Coast. The museum features traveling national exhibits, lectures on humanities and the arts and live performances of all kind. In recent years an impressive sculpture garden has been added. Exhibits and events always draw a faithful crowd… The entire community has jumped on the bandwagon: the walls of the museum, (those not hung with art), are covered floor to ceiling with neat black plaques engrave with the names of hundreds of donors. (Trying to find your host’s name is akin to scouring the walls of the Vietnam Monument in Washington. D.C.) But if you're “gonna” be an upstanding member of Vero Beach society, your name had better be up there!

 

The Sculpted Tree made of wires sprouts a permanent spray of mist - in the Sculpture Garden 

I was dragged (reluctantly), by my hostess to see this pride of Vero Beach’s culture scene. While I was fully prepared for a quick sprint through the exhibits and exit with a proverbial wrist-stamp, I was mesmerized and needed to be dragged out two hours later for a luncheon date.

 

There were three gallery exhibits, each featuring a unique art concept

 

The first: BEYOND REALITY Hyperrealism & American Culture - An assemblage of 17 paintings and sculptures, each depicting reality with more intensity than a photograph. You cannot help but marvel at the details that each work entails – compared to the slap-dash of modernist art, these works show the excruciating detail that the artist put into their work - it is mind boggling. The sculptures needed to be touched (not permitted) to assure that they were not real people. As a practical joke, the guard on duty took the same pose as Marc Sejan’s sculpture and was indistinguishable from the works on display. A few minutes later he walked over jovially to assure me that he was the real thing. The concept of super-realism is not new and many of the works date back to the 70’s and 80’s, though the origin go back as far as the 16^th century. The exhibit gives you an awareness of the synergy between photography and art – the hidden beauty of everyday objects as seen through the artist’s eye.

Richard Estes, Union Square, Looking North, 1993 

Duane Hanson, Housepainter 1, 1984 - epoxy resin with oil paint and accessories, lifesize

Marc Sijan, Gallery Guard II, 2011, polyester with oil paint, clothing and accessories


 

In an adjacent gallery CYCLE OF CHANGE Treepile Paintings are the works of Tom Nakashima, nephew of George Nakashima the iconic furniture maker. The thread of continuity is evident as both artists use trees as their common denominator. However, while George carved and manipulated the raw material into elegant furniture, Tom replicates it with intricate details of snippets of newspaper, thousands of them, to recreate the forest as he sees it. What captivated him most were the piles of fallen trees, whether uprooted to make room in an orchard or for swaths of new Track Houses to be developed on the site. The message was clear to him and he painstakingly depicted these transitions in his work. (Not a bad evolution for an abstract artist!)

 

Tom Nakashima - Steward's Sticks, 1999, a collage of newspaper, ink and acrylic chalkline on canvas

19'-6" long

Another of Nakashima's amazing collages

 

The third gallery features LIGHTPAINTINGS the creations of Stephen Knapp, an artist who has turned from brush and canvas to light and glass. It is a fascinating display of prismatic color shards projected on a wall from a single pinpoint spotlight. Mr. Knapp became fascinated with the reflections of stained glass windows in Gothic cathedrals and proceeded to interpret these with precision engineered, metallic coated glass mounted into meticulously located stainless steel brackets. The effect is magical… These amazing projections are best seen in a darkened room.

 

Stephen Knapp - Sarenata 2003 - 2008 - a huge wall to wall installation of prismatic color reflections

 

Viewers in the darkened gallery admiring the Stephen Knapp ligh refractions

A close-up detail of the meticulous placement of the shards of glass creating Knapp's light paintings

All three exhibits show the astute imprimatur of Jay Williams, the museum’s Curator of Collections and Exhibitions. All the artists represented are skilled interpreters of their crafts regardless of their media.

 

I am sending you all over South Florida to enjoy the treasures that await the curious visitor.

 

The Vero Beach Museum of Art

3001 River Park Drive

Vero Beach, Florida

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

South Florida’s Best Kept Little Secrets - I

Copyright Vladimir Kagan March 25, 2012

 

Matteo’s Garden Club Restaurant – Palm Beach

 

If you are a foodie and want to know the best kept secret in Palm Beach, it happens to be located literally in my back yard, right under my balcony at an enclave called the Sun & Surf, a sixties modernist condo located a few blocks North of The Breakers and East of Jack Kennedy’s Catholic Church, St. Edward, and most importantly, a block away of the only Publix on Palm Beach Island. (How lucky can you get?)

 

Matteo's Garden Club Restaurant as seen from my terrace

We have one new landmark: Matteo’s Garden Club Restaurant at 140 Sunrise Avenue! There are no signs – it is not advertised (they are forbidden by legal covenant), its reputation is built by word of mouth only. It happens to be one of the finest Italian eateries in town. The Chef – Owner Mateo Vicinanza, a native of Italy, is no new comer to Palm Beach. Mateo was chief chef at Cucina Dell’Arte, Piccolo Paradiso in Miami and Mario’s Il Palio. He and his wife Tami, have taken over this sleepy facility, tucked into the garden of our Condo complex and have turned it from a boring country-club type restaurant (that served the tenants of our two buildings) into a gourmet’s delight. It is reasonably priced with ample seating inside and out under cheerful yellow umbrellas. The dreary décor of its predecessor is nonchalantly ignored and becomes less significant once the food is served. (Who says a good Italian eatery must have lavish decoration!)

 

Four new fans of Matteo's - the Kagan family: Vladi, Vanessa, Matt and Olivia

The Menu is ample and diverse with such favorites as Ravioli Caprese, $14, Penne Bolognese $14, Battuta Di Pollo $14, Veal Scaloppini Shitake $24, Osso Bucco Milanese $22 and many more Italian standards. What is not on the Menu are the chef’s delectable specials; determined daily by fresh availability. A glass of house wine is $6 and by the bottle $16. I will not attempt to describe the food in the glowing terms of the food critics, but suffice it so say it is delicious. If you’re in town, come join us at our secret treasure.

 

“I would put Matteo’s food up to any restaurant in town” says one of my chic neighbors, Carol Weltz, who is frequently seen in the best restaurants around town. “The care and presentation Matteo puts in everything is amazing. Even his sugar cookies and macaroons are divine.”

 

Amen Carol, you’ve said it all!

 

Matteo’s is open for Lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday and Sunday Brunch. Reservations are strongly suggested: 561-833-6600

 

 

 

 

The Art of Edwina Sandys: A 40 Year Retrospective

The Art of Edwina Sandys

at the Ann Norton Sculpture Garden – West Palm Beach

Copyright Vladimir Kagan – March 11, 2012

 

Quotation from the invitation

"Edwina Sandy’s works goes from the sacred to the secular, addressing politics and society. Sandys has tackled big ideas while combining the lighthearted, the profound, the playful and mind provoking. The British born artist’s appeal lies in her diverse subject matter and clearly recognizable style using positive and negative images to powerful effects."  

 

I had never visited the Ann Norton Sculpture Garden; having been under the misconception that it is was an appendage to the Norton Museum. It is Not. It is the former home of Ralph Hubbard Norton (founder of the Norton Museum) and his second wife, Ann. She was a significant modern artist in the 40’s through the 70’s and turned her house, studio and glorious gardens into a museum to display her sculptures, many created in bricks, others in stone and wood, all mammoth in size. Mrs. Norton’s other passion was trees and tropical plants. The magnificent garden serves as home for both. A visit is a feast for the eyes.

 

On special occasions the space is offered to worthy artists for exhibits of their work. My friend Edwina Sandys is a beneficiary of this largesse. This is an eye-filling forty year retrospective of her drawings, paintings and sculpture.

 

life is a party 2002 - a segment of a painting, showing Edwina in full force using color & humor 

Edwina thrives on thinking outside of the box. Her wicked sense of humor is evident in all of her work. Her drawings and painting are the musing of her creative mind. She is a free spirit – a feminist – a biblical scholar - a politician with a sardonic sense of humor and a consummate artist. She creates with an assured hand, delineating her ideas in strong single strokes with paintbrush, pen, or marble. Her sculpture is an extension of her works on paper and canvas and often they are intertwined.  Her paintings and drawing are a kaleidoscope of vivid colors. By contrast, her sculptures, whether working in Carrara marble or metal - the dominant color is white. Her monumental silhouettes become the canvas for her fluent brush-strokes. Naked torsos, faces, fauna and flora are embellished with a minimalist touch of black and red. She exploits negative space skillfully. The void left by the cut-out often reappear as a solid figure as a part of the sculpture. There are works devoted to the interaction of Man and Woman. Hands are often a favorite subject and can appear as cut-outs, hair or holding the apple that Eve presented to Adam.

 
Edwina with two of her sculptures using negative and positive cut-outs. 2005

Walk through a gate into a cloistered, secret garden and you are confronted with a cache of biblical figures; satirical life-sized women and men, heroines and scoundrels, all in stark white silhouettes accompanied with a fitting quotation from the Old Testament.

 

From the Biblical series: Delilah having just cut-off Samson's hair - in the Ann Norton Garden

Rachel 1986 - Polypropylene and mixed media - from the series: Women of the Bible

Salome 1986 - doing her dance of the seven veils

(These works have not been seen for over a quarter of a century. Since being exhibited in 1987 at the Everson Museum Syracuse and the National Museum of Women in Arts, Washington DC. They have been stored in gigantic crates in a Florida warehouse.)

 

Her feminist side is evident in a provocative crucifix, which, upon closer examination depicts Christ as a naked woman: Christa. She provoked frenzied attention worldwide when it was first shown in London in 1975. Christa achieved further notoriety when she was exhibited in the Cathedral of St. John the Divine during holy week in 1984. The work was acclaimed and defiled. The reverend James Parks Morton, Dean of the Cathedral had this to say: “All hell broke loose. The press was there. Films were being made of Christa all day. The news hit Rome on Easter Day: ‘Episcopal Cathedral in New York has female Christ’ that went over really swimmingly at the Vatican. Christa became an incredible learning experience for people in the Church, and churches all over the world.”

Christa 1975 - The crucifix that set the religious world topsy-turfy

Eve proffering the Apple 1998

Tulips under the Brooklyn Bridge 2007

 

 Edwina's creative use of hands in her sculpture

Edwina Sandys’ work has been exhibited in museums, worldwide as well as the United Nations, the World Trade Center, on the median of Park Avenue.

 

She is a wonderful friend… Her art speaks for itself and she needs no further kudos, but coincidentally, she also happens to be the granddaughter of Sir Winston Churchill, and has inherited his is high spirited and incisive mind together with his talent as a painter. Churchill plays a subtle role in many of her works. (I own two lithographs: one depicts Churchill seen from the back, painting one of his favorite scenes: Chartwell. The other, Romeo Revisited is a still life with a photo of Churchill lurking in the background surrounded by his beloved cigars wine an cognac.)

 

The Churchill lithographs in my collection

Edwina and me at the Ann Norton Garden as she was setting up the show

If you happen to be in Florida this month… give yourself a treat and enjoy this show. It all comes to life in her exhibit in the Ann Norton Garden.

 

The Ann Norton Sculpture garden is located at:

253 Barcelona Road

West Palm Beach, FL 33401

561-832-5328

 

 

 

Edwina’s fabulous life story and profusely illustrated book:

Edwina Sandys ART

Published by Glitterati in 2010