Las Benditas de Key West

This week, Terry and I attended an art show featuring a portrait of me!

The artist, Michael Philip, is a dear friend of mine. He and his partner, Doug are members of our wine group and we've known them as long as we've been in Key West.

Michael did a show like this with portraits of, I believe 14 women in New Orleans with great success, and he decided to approach the director of The Studios of Key West (TSKW) with a similar idea for a fundraiser using their space. TSKW is a large, beautifully restored armory building now housing small studios for artists and several gallery spaces.

He proposed that they invite 21 women, Las Benditas, to be models for portraits in a specific style. The "subjects" would pay a fee, and then the night of the opening they could buy their portrait or someone in their "entourage" (oh yes - I left out that part. each of us had to invite ten people to attend the opening) could buy it for a certain price. After that, the show became public and anyone could purchase a portrait for a higher price. They loved the idea and their board approved the choices.


I was selected to be one of the 21.

Needless to say I was truly honored to be included in this group of women, most of whom do a lot of charitable work and contribute to the community in other ways that I don't.

I was pretty nervous the night of the exhibition since I knew the style of the portraits was to be "Cubism and Neo-expressionism." We had had an initial interview and picture taking here at the house and talked about things that were important to me, inspirations, colors I love. All kinds of things to help him portray me not as just a face but also as an inner person. It was a fascinating process. He did this with all of the women and then proceeded over the next six weeks to produce 21 portraits. A monumental achievement!


The opening was a huge success. The gallery was so packed with people you could barely move. Luckily the "Las Benditas" were allowed in first to have time to find their portraits and be photographed. In case you're wondering, the name means "the blessed ones" so you can see why I feel so honored.

I can't thank Michael enough for including me in this spectacular event. And in case you were wondering, we did purchase my portrait. I have already selected a place of honor for it in my home.

First Thursday Featured Guest: Key West Artist, Eric Afinson

For the First Thursday Holiday Open House last week, Style Key West was excited to host Key West artist, Eric Anfinson, who shows at Lucky Street Gallery. Eric's haunting portraits tell a story of a spiritual evolution, both of the artist and the subject.


Eric's own story is as inspiring as the work he exhibits. At 16, he suffered a football injury causing paralysis and minimal use his limbs. But in his thirties, he began painting. Thanks to some flexibility in his right arm and shoulder, he found that he had enough movement to put paintbrush to canvas. And the successful career that followed tells the rest of the story.

This year, in addition to his collection of five boxed note cards, Eric has created a 2011 wall calendar. The calendar is a "red balloon project," and 10 percent of the proceeds goes to the Just For Kids Art Program in Bahama Village, here in Key West. You can visit his website for more information about Eric and his Etsy shop if you are interested in purchasing his calendars and note cards.

Cosmo the Boat Cat

Please allow us to introduce you to Cosmopolitan Von Moxie Sweet Tewell, or Cosmo the Boat Cat, as he's known in Key West.



Cosmo and his trusty human side-kick Sherry Sweet T were our featured guests at last week's Caroline Street Art & Design District First Thursday event. Sherry has created a beautifully illustrated children's book telling of Cosmo's adventures when they moved onto a house boat.

Now, some of the story may seem a little hard to believe, but Sherry swears, and I've seen photos, that the manatees and various and sundry other sea creatures swim right up to the boat and Cosmo truly seems to interact with them. And the poor little guy did end up in the drink one day.


This is a great gift for the children in your life and it comes with a DVD, and you can get a little plush Cosmo to go along with it! And the best part of it is that not only do the children learn how important it is to protect and preserve the reef, but a portion of sales goes to support Reef Relief, Save the Manatee Club, and the Turtle Hospital in Marathon, FL.


I bought the book for my grandchildren and they love it. Now they call all black and white cats they see, "Cosmos."

Another Art Form For Anne

I'm having some computer issues today, so it looks like I'm only going to be able to do something short...

But I saw something very exciting on Annechovie today and thought I'd pass it on.

As you know, we're all big Anne Harwell fans at Style Key West. The bright cheery colors in her water colors and prints fit right in with the shop design aesthetic. So we love the idea of transposing those prints onto needlepoint patterns.


Art Needlepoint is a company based in Boston that provides needlework enthusiasts with the finest canvases and threads to create heirloom quality decorative cushions and accessories for the home. And they are now carrying several of Anne's most popular designs!

Here are a few that I would love to buy:





Of course, first I'd have to learn how to needlepoint at a level of expertise that requires years of practice...and at this point, I'd say that I've clocked about, oh...ZERO hours with a needle and thread... So I may not invest just yet. But if I did know how to needle point, this would absolutely be my next project!

For those of you in the U.S., hope you enjoyed the long holiday weekend. And for everyone else...hope you enjoyed your average two-day.

Key West Outdoor Living

After a very chilly few weeks here in Florida, it's finally started to warm up. And everyone in Key West can once again enjoy their outdoor living spaces.

From the largest of Conch mansions to the smallest of island condos, every home has access to an outdoor living space.

A perfect example is our friend Wesley's adorable Conch cottage:


Even this tiny house has a backyard equipped for lounging, dining and entertaining:


Wesley worked with us at Style Key West until recently when she had her adorable baby girl:


Sadly - she has left us yet again! Her little family just moved for her husband's work, and we miss them terribly. On such a small island, friends quickly become family - and it's going to take some time to get used to not seeing our girls' beautiful faces every day. Love you Wesley!

February's First Thursday and Annechovie "Unveiling"

As we mentioned last week, we're part of the Caroline Street Art & Design District. And last night was this month's First Thursday.

We decided to do a special display featuring our new paper and print designer, Anne Harwell of Annechovie. And needless to say, it was a huge success. Our customers raved over her lovely work and we couldn't have been more thrilled.

Here are a few photos we took:

Caroline and Jo hanging the lanterns

Annechovie display

the usual suspects and some new faces

new Annechovie fans

It was a fun and exhausting night, and we're already coming up with ideas for next month. Come back on March 5th for another First Thursday recap!

And We Didn't Even Know...

Months ago - when we were only just thinking about starting a blog to accompany our online store (a project that seems to take quite a bit more time that starting a blog...), someone out there on the Internet was thinking about us!

I was browsing some of my favorite new websites and somehow happened upon this.


Here it is with the pictures that were uploaded:



I don't even know who writes this blog since there isn't a profile link or an e-mail address. And I can't comment on posts...

So thank you to the writer of Comfy Home/Comfy Life! We so appreciate the recommendation and we'll be back to peruse your lovely site.

And another thank you to our sweet "real life" friend, Christy of A Lil' Welsh Rarebit.



This was such a nice surprise.

It's only been a few weeks, but all of the comments and encouragement have meant so much to us. So thanks to all of you too. For making us feel so welcome in our own little corner of the Internet.

Kate's Key West: Bésame Mucho

One of the first Key West shops that my parents introduced me to is Bésame Mucho.


By far one of the loveliest boutiques I've ever visited in any of my travels, it features everything from luxury lotions and potions to home goods and accessories.


Every trip to Bésame Mucho requires a purchase, even if it's just a tiny treasure. Luckily, they have something for every pocketbook (and speaking of...it's also where I got my favorite Hobo shoulder bag).


Typically (at least in Key West) the owners quickly became good friends of my family, and I'm always happy to see Meredith's beautiful face when I drop in.


They have a great website too!

besamemucho.net

Their "Apothecary" selection includes far more than you'll find on the website - but this is impressive enough!

Santa Maria Novella

Diptyque

TOCCA

If you're ever in Key West - drop by. It's just a few blocks off of Duval Street in Bahama Village (a handy map is on their site).