If you look hard enough, you can pierce the phony facade in even the most tourist-choked destinations. In south Florida, I finally broke through that barrier when I connected with the artists in Miami Beach. My first view of the art of Karim Ghidinelli was from a second floor balcony at the Art…
Tag: artists
Discover the Real Gatlinburg: The Great Smoky Arts and Crafts Community
Downtown Gatlinburg wasn’t always filled with cheesy souvenir shops, wax museums, and fast food joints. In the years before Dollywood and the miles-long carnival strip of Pigeon Forge, this eastern Tennessee town was known for craftsmen and artisans who occupied shops and roamed the city streets, demonstrating their skills. As tourism grew, escalating…
In Life And In His Paintings, Believability Drives Maine Artist Brian Kliewer
Although I have visited some downright unpleasant places in my travels, the majority of the places I visit are lovely, interesting, and entertaining. However, it is also true that some places “grab” me more than others. I like almost every place I visit, but occasionally I find that I love a particular place….
Spectacular Hoi An, Vietnam
Bougainvillea bursting with magenta blossoms hang over doorways and awnings. Fishermen drift lazily along the river, casting long coils of box nets over the side of their simple wooden boats. Delicious aromas waft out of Pho shops. By 6 a.m. I am walking the streets of Hoi An. In the soft dawn light…