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It’s Sunday afternoon as I begin this. I’ve had my coffee and breakfast, waded through two newspapers, including the weighty NY Times, and now I’m sitting in my office, Haydn’s String Quartet, Opus 20, playing in the background. My windows are wide open and the weather is absolutely perfect!
Part of me wants to stay right here and write all day. Another part of me knows I need to get out of the house. This is my continuing dilemma. I always have a lot of writing to do, of course, but I’m also aware that I’m still sometimes in a divorce-induced funk. So staying cloistered away at home alone can feel like the easier choice.
But no, I’m going to make myself get outside today. I can’t resist this exquisite sunshine. I’m not entirely sure where I’m going. When I’m back, I’ll let you know.
***
Ta-dah – I’m back! It’s a couple hours or so later now, and I had a delightful time … gallery hopping!
Fort Lauderdale and many other parts of Broward County – this whole area is packed with art galleries. Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale is a focal point for many of them and that’s where I ended up today.
The street was buzzing with people, folks riding their bicycles or roller blading or sitting in the outdoor cafes for lunch. I strolled into several galleries, but I’ll tell you here about three of my longtime favorites.
First was MAC Fine Art & Design, where you can buy artworks from $295 up to more than $40,000. Featured artists include Tomasz, Rut, Zaluski, Hill, Barnhart and Gockel. It’s a warm, friendly gallery, I’ve always found, with dramatic modern sculptures and paintings. Gockel’s work, for example, often uses musical themes among a palette of bright colors and angular designs. (If you visit, ask for Gaby, a knowledgeable young woman with a charming smile. She’ll be glad to show you around.)
Next, I wandered over to a fun gallery called American Royal Arts, which offers a range of cartoon and photographic artworks. I can stare at these photos for days, especially some great shots of the Beatles – images I’ve never seen before, and I’m a huge Beatles fan. They’ve got other pieces from the archives of Sinatra and Elvis and much more. Prices at ARA go from about $295 up to around $25,000.
From there, it was on to New River Fine Art, a bit farther east on Las Olas. Some interesting art here by a few fellas struggling to make a name for themselves – Picasso, Miro, Dali. New River actually has an original charcoal drawing from Picasso’s blue period … tucked away in the back. Pricetag: $175,000. Other works on the walls now include aquatint etchings and lithographs by Miro and some hand-colored etchings by Dali. But you can also find pieces by other artists for as little as $500.
So how to follow up this mini-tour of local art galleries? I thought a nice cappuccino was in order. And what better place to go than to Joe Picasso’s, also on Las Olas, where you can create your own work of art. Or try to create one anyway. It’s a do-it-yourself pottery painting studio with a pleasant café. I sipped my coffee at an outdoor table, breathed in the warm sunlight and enjoyed the fascinating parade of passers-by as they ambled along the sidewalk.
And yes, I was glad I made myself get out of the house today. Every time I do, I end up thinking, “I really have to do this more often.” I’m working on it.
Part of me wants to stay right here and write all day. Another part of me knows I need to get out of the house. This is my continuing dilemma. I always have a lot of writing to do, of course, but I’m also aware that I’m still sometimes in a divorce-induced funk. So staying cloistered away at home alone can feel like the easier choice.
But no, I’m going to make myself get outside today. I can’t resist this exquisite sunshine. I’m not entirely sure where I’m going. When I’m back, I’ll let you know.
***
Ta-dah – I’m back! It’s a couple hours or so later now, and I had a delightful time … gallery hopping!
Fort Lauderdale and many other parts of Broward County – this whole area is packed with art galleries. Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale is a focal point for many of them and that’s where I ended up today.
The street was buzzing with people, folks riding their bicycles or roller blading or sitting in the outdoor cafes for lunch. I strolled into several galleries, but I’ll tell you here about three of my longtime favorites.
First was MAC Fine Art & Design, where you can buy artworks from $295 up to more than $40,000. Featured artists include Tomasz, Rut, Zaluski, Hill, Barnhart and Gockel. It’s a warm, friendly gallery, I’ve always found, with dramatic modern sculptures and paintings. Gockel’s work, for example, often uses musical themes among a palette of bright colors and angular designs. (If you visit, ask for Gaby, a knowledgeable young woman with a charming smile. She’ll be glad to show you around.)
Next, I wandered over to a fun gallery called American Royal Arts, which offers a range of cartoon and photographic artworks. I can stare at these photos for days, especially some great shots of the Beatles – images I’ve never seen before, and I’m a huge Beatles fan. They’ve got other pieces from the archives of Sinatra and Elvis and much more. Prices at ARA go from about $295 up to around $25,000.
From there, it was on to New River Fine Art, a bit farther east on Las Olas. Some interesting art here by a few fellas struggling to make a name for themselves – Picasso, Miro, Dali. New River actually has an original charcoal drawing from Picasso’s blue period … tucked away in the back. Pricetag: $175,000. Other works on the walls now include aquatint etchings and lithographs by Miro and some hand-colored etchings by Dali. But you can also find pieces by other artists for as little as $500.
So how to follow up this mini-tour of local art galleries? I thought a nice cappuccino was in order. And what better place to go than to Joe Picasso’s, also on Las Olas, where you can create your own work of art. Or try to create one anyway. It’s a do-it-yourself pottery painting studio with a pleasant café. I sipped my coffee at an outdoor table, breathed in the warm sunlight and enjoyed the fascinating parade of passers-by as they ambled along the sidewalk.
And yes, I was glad I made myself get out of the house today. Every time I do, I end up thinking, “I really have to do this more often.” I’m working on it.
posted by LauderBLOGGER at 6:14 PM
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