Free Expression

There is an old Spanish saying ,"Lunes es los hoyos, hombre " meaning "Monday is the pits, man" That's the artist Suvo sitting in the market with his artworks. The City has already cited him for not obtaining a permit. "I have decided that the illegal demand for a 1000.00 dollar a year permit to sell and display my art should discontinue". After a $100 fine last Friday issued by the St. Augustine Police, he was banned from the Plaza for a year. (Life is just high school all over again isn't it?) After missing one of the best high traffic weekends (Mother's Day) he attempted a meeting with City Officials but was shuffled around. After informing the clerk to pass on to the City Attorney a copy of the Federal Law he informed them that he will continue to set up and display. "The police had already told me that they would confiscate my art and send me to jail if I did so. That did it, I usually buy supplies and replenish my inventory from weekend sales (80% of his income) But I was put out Friday afternoon and missed Saturday and Sunday altogether. I set up waiting for the cops on Monday waiting for the arrest . Four cop cars passed me but did not stop." Do you see how lonely Suvo looks in the above picture.? St. Augustine is pretty quiet on Mondays."Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves. " William Pitt. Now read Rudolph Guiliani's quote on Freedom (he was unsuccessful at limiting artist's 1st amendment rights) "Freedom," Giuliani argued, "is about authority. Freedom is about the willingness of every single human being to cede to lawful authority a great deal of discretion about what you do and how you do it." " Click here to read the REAL LAW

Crimes and Misdemeanors

Do you see that easel on the right of the picture? Well... a St. Augustine police officer noticed it and gave artist Suvo a citation since it was not in the proper place. It is important for all artists and vendors to be put in their place. You can see from this photo that by having the easel out of place, the Plaza looks skewed or somehow out of whack and cluttered. Keep up the good work, St. Augustine Police! The fact is that in the shade, the acrylic pigments and encaustic on this piece were drying as slow as oil paint. Using the heat of the sun was perfect for quickening the process without the dreaded crackle effect. This is the maquette for a print series planned for Mother's Day.

Richard Boone Redux

The actorRichard Boone played Paladin in the 60's TV show, "Have Gun Will Travel". When I was a kid,I had these business cards with that slogan printed on it . He and Matt Dillon from "Gunsmoke" were my heroes. Paladin rarely killed anyone and was usually hired by a rich land baron to scare off settlers. After finding out that the settlers were in the right and the land or cattle baron was unscrupulous, he switched sides. I wondered back then, how he ever collected on his fee. I guess that he got it in advance and cheated the big guy out of it without delivering the expected result ( Get em outta here!). Is it OK to cheat a bad guy? He lived in high style at the Carlton Hotel in San Francisco and had a Chinese houseman that he called Hey Boy. Jeez, can that be any more demeaning? What happened to Paladin after the big earthquake in 1909? We need a movie sequel for us mid baby boomers. This homeless guy is not Boone but is just as homely and from his looks could be his son. Richard Boone died here in St. Augustine in 1981 More on Boone Here

False History

Here are the exact words given by a Red Train tour driver as they pass the market

"In 1964 Martin Luther King came to St. Augustine and threatened to burn down the Slave Market. He was arrested by the local police. The F.B.I. came in and escorted him to Washington D.C. where he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize" A History Lesson

"Spanish Law that decreed no one be taller than the Captain of the ship"

" All Blacks in St. Augustine were freemen"

Excerpt from research "St. Augustine’s 1789 census revealed of a total population of 1,592 residents, 483 slaves (30.3%) and 102 free blacks (6.4%). Read more

This is just one driver, in one spot. It's hard to believe that virtually everything stated is false. You pay your eighteen dollars ,but do not expect facts.

Easter Parade

Boys in Bonnets


Could it be true that this horse on a wagon was killed by a car a number of years back yet still participates in the annual Easter parade as a taxidermy specimen? This is what I heard and here he is:

I"t's Good To Be Back Under The Magnolias"

" There once was a land of cavaliers and cotton fields called The Old South...."

Confederate Memorial Day was celebrated in St. Augustine last weekend. Shortly after the Civil War, revisionist writers such as Gen Jubal Early started the myth of the "Lost Cause". whereby all Johnny Rebs were courageous, the dead were martyrs to the cause of freedom, the women were chaste and the faithful slave defended their masters. Such nonsense. The Southern culture ,if there was such a thing was based upon the evil institution of slavery. The first paragraph of each secession proclamation says so. There continues to be the delusion that the old days were better. See here and here