Ten Dollar donation, cash no cards
Looking for a old fashion tourist attraction in tampa. key west artist hong kong willie has a tourist attraction in tampa. take a look. Famous artist from key west.
BY SOHINI LAHIRI
Growing up in Tampa, I spent a period of time fascinated by a quirky,
eye-catching landmark at Fletcher Avenue and Interstate 75. This was
also the period of time I spent obsessed with making binoculars out of
toilet paper rolls and necklaces out of pop tops. To me, this sight was
the epitome of similar creative craziness, and I often found myself
looking for it during car journeys, hoping it hadn’t disappeared
overnight.
But time passes and so does the urge for pop-top necklaces, and
observant eyes don’t notice the same sights. It wasn’t until recently
that I once again took note of the scene, with its broken down orange
helicopter, a tree made of what seems to be indestructible balloons and a
blue-and-white house covered with trash remade into art.
It’s the home of Famous Key West Green Artist Hong Kong Willie.
I finally paid a visit to this art gallery after many years of
wondering about the story behind it. The pavement leading to the door is
painted with handprints and splatters, the store edged with upside down
Coke bottles. Streams of lobster buoys hang from the roof and also make
up the “tree” I marveled at so often from my car window.
Various shoes, bottles, clocks and signs are glued to the side of the
store, and there’s a tribute to Sept. 11 off to the side. No one seemed
to be home, so I called the number on the “WE’RE OPEN” sign, which
brought a middle-aged man in a bright Hawaiian shirt from behind the
store.
After a few basic questions, Joe Brown begins to open up about the history surrounding his art.
Brown, better known as Hong Kong Willie, says he was an artist from the
start. “Everyone is born an artist,” he said. “However some are granted
the gift of being able to express that art.”
As a young boy, his mother decided to send him to art school, which he says changed the course of his life forever.
At the age of 8, Brown recalls being heavily influenced by the lessons,
which included transforming a Gerber baby bottle, something with no
real value, into a piece of art. His teacher had spent an enormous
amount of time and effort in Hiroshima, Japan, helping those affected by
the atomic bombs. Brown learned many lessons about recycling from this
teacher, who had come from Hong Kong. Brown added an American name,
Willie, to Hong Kong for his nickname Hong Kong Willie.
While Brown grew up to be an artist, he left the world of mainstream art to return to his background in technology.
“But on Nov. 13th, 1981 … on a Friday at 1:30 in the afternoon, I had
an epiphany,” Brown says. “I was at a friend’s house right across the
street,” pausing to point at a row of apartments across from his store,
“and a series of events led me to rejoin the art world.”
With the help of two other artists, Brown set up his business in the
Florida Keys in the early 1980s, then moved it to Tampa. Together, they
believed that they were predestined for the Green Movement, and have
been making art out of recyclables for close to 30 years.
How’s business? He smiles. “It’s pretty wild.”
Inside, Hong Kong Willie’s art includes glossy pieces of driftwood
restored and painted with beautiful landscapes and kernels of truth,
some of the gorgeous work priced in the six figures. But there’s also a
wide collection of handmade bags, wooden sculptures and sassy bracelets
for more moderate prices.
A portion of the proceeds go to benefit the Green Movement, Brown says.
With a laid-back swagger, Brown continues. “We live pretty minimally.
And all the funds we get from donations and our art sales are delegated
to green projects.”
I’m not sure what I was expecting when I decided to visit Hong Kong
Willie. Certainly not the breathtaking art inside, and definitely not
the history behind it. I’m feeling thick-headed for not visiting years
ago, and say so.
Brown offers a last bit of insight:
“I’m a big believer in predestination and timing. If someone is not
ready to view art, the door is closed. Every piece of art that is made,
and every project we do is done for a reason. It doesn’t matter if that
reason shows up the next day, or walks in six years later; every piece
of art will find a home.”
MYSTERIOSITY HONG KONG WILLIE ART, Famous Key West Green Artist ,$176,000
www.wusf.usf.edu/SoundSlides/897News/070928_HK_Willie/pub...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrV3Aj85I84
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpfY_mTSmlI
tampa.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid:154918
Hong Kong Willie on YouTube
MySpace Profile
HONG KONG WILLIE THE NAME OF THE ARTIST. IN 1958 HIS MOTHER TOOK HONG KONG WILLIE TO AN ART CLASS. THE NAME STARTED THEN. AN ART TEACHER WHEN DOING CRAFTS OUT OF GERBER BABY BOTTLES, MADE A STATEMENT, IN HONG KONG REUSE WAS COMMON. AT THAT TIME HE THOUGHT THIS WAS VERY INTERESTING. HIS FATHER HAD LOW LAND, AT THAT TIME LANDFILLS WERE COMMON ALSO. THE COUNTY HAD TOLD HONG KONG WILLIE'S FATHER, IT WAS SAFE, BUT AS WE KNOW NOW THIS WAS NOT SO. SOMETHING CAN COME FROM BAD TO BE GOOD. HONG KONG WILLIE THE NAME CAME FROM THAT ART TEACHER IMPRESSING ON THAT YOUNG MIND THAT OBJECTS MADE FOR ONE USE COULD BE FOR MANY OTHER USES. HONG KONG FOR THE NEAT CONCEPT. WILLIE FOR AN AMERICAN NAME. SO FOR MANY YEARS HONG KONG WILLIE HAD A LIFE OF REUSE. HONG KONG WILLIE SAW FORMS IN A DIFFERENT LIGHT. HIS LIFE NOW WAS MEANINGFUL, KNOWING THIS WAS AND WOULD BE HIS LIFE. ART MADE FROM FOUND OBJECTS, MAKING LESS OF A FOOT PRINT ON THIS WORLD. ART AND ART TEACHERS, HOW IMPORTANT. FOR THE ONES THAT HAVE, AND THE ONES THAT HAVE NOT. MEDIA CAN BE FOUND. NOW 49 YEARS LATER, WE KNOW BEING GREEN IS IMPORTANT. WE NEED TO LOOK AT THIS VERY CAREFULLY. OUR CHILDREN AND OUR WORLD NEED A DIFFERENT UNDERSTANDING. OBJECTS CAN BE USED IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS. HONG KONG WILLIE THE TONS OF OBJECTS IN HIS LIFE THAT HAVE BEEN USED, WITH OUT MUCH CHANGE. SO FOR THAT ART TEACHER WHAT SHE DID FOR MY LIFE THANK YOU, FOR HONG KONG THANK YOU, FOR AMERICA, THANK YOU, FOR THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE HELPED, THANK YOU FOR THE 65,394 VIEWS OF OUR BLOGS SINCE SEPTEMBER OF 2006. I STILL HAVE THE GERBER BABY BOTTLE TILL THIS DAY. HONG KONG WILLIE
Past days have seen famed Conch artists after destruction from devastating hurricanes collect ship wreckage, building parts, car doors, any mass which could evolve itselfinto a canvas for expression. HONG KONG WILLIE, renowned Key's Artist Collective, gained notoriety only from the blatant choice of medium, and the artists' yearning to remain honest to originality. Every Original HONG KONG WILLIE piece is truly “One of a Kind", no piece is ever reproduced. Along with Burn-Etched Signature, SpinyLobster Trap ID Tag, and Hand Signature, any validation of an ORIGINAL HONG KONG WILLIE piece is definite. Visit HONG KONG WILLIE STUDIOS located in Tampa, Florida for a true insight into the work. Contact the Artists for appointment @ (813)770-4794
A LANDMARK IN TAMPA. THE TAMPA TOURIST ATTRACTION HONG KONG WILLIE AN ART GROUP OUT OF TAMPA AND KEY WEST. ARTIST BELIEVING IN PRESERVATION ART. THE WORLD RECORD BUOY TREE, MADE FROM KEY WEST LOBSTER FLOATS SHOW THEIR COMMITMENT TO PRESERVATION. LOCATED ON I-75 EXIT 266 IN TAMPA. APROXIMATELY 2 MILES FROM THE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY, CALLED MOSI. DOWN THE STREET IS BUSCH GARDENS AND ADVENTURE ISLAND. LOWRY PARK IS A SHORT ROAD TRIP. THE TAMPA TOURIST ATTRACTION IS FUNKY LAIDBACK,SCENIC OLD FASHION PLACE WHERE A TOURIST WOULD BUY A TRUE ONE OF A KIND FLORIDA SOUVENIR STOP BY HONG KONG WILLIE
