When Tony Gregory give up his Maryland instructing job to maneuver to Key West in 1976, he was partly motivated by a discovery made on earlier visits: on an island filled with offbeat characters, he wasn’t thought to be bizarre.
“I used to be bizarre the place I grew up, I used to be bizarre once I went to varsity — however once I received right here, no one cared,” mentioned Gregory, perched in his crowded studio above the Artwork @ 830 gallery he owns with greatest good friend and life companion Christine Scarsella.
Gregory, along with his charismatic grin and mop of curly hair, rapidly grew to become one of many island’s “cool youngsters” after his arrival, residing a free-spirited life inside the insurgent artwork group.
He developed a fame as a talented airbrush artist, pedaled round city on a high-wheel “penny-farthing” bicycle, frolicked with the sensible avenue performers often called Loco-motion Circus, and loved one of many island’s most memorable eras.
“Once we had been doing this stuff, I don’t suppose everyone knew how nice it was,” Gregory mentioned. “I imply, Key West may be very particular and really magical, however the Nineteen Seventies and starting of the ’80s was over-the-top particular and magical.”
Gregory finally opened a retailer/studio/gallery on Duval Road, whimsically named Artwork Assault, that emerged as a neighborhood inventive hotspot. He additionally honed his expertise for portray canvases and capturing images — and far to his personal shock, grew to become an in-demand wedding ceremony photographer.
“I at all times was a photographer, however I used to be making my residing as an artist,” Gregory mentioned. “A good friend of mine requested me to shoot their wedding ceremony and I mentioned ‘I don’t do weddings.’”
However the buddy persevered, and Gregory lastly agreed. That shoot led to a gentle stream of bookings from native wedding ceremony coordinators, and later resulted in prime placement on Google and different web websites.
In 1994, he and longtime good friend Scarsella launched Open Minded, an eclectic store within the 700 block of Duval Road.
“We didn’t even know what it was going to be, however we received it off the bottom and the issues we carried offered like hotcakes,” Gregory mentioned.
After their profitable skilled partnership developed into a private partnership, he and Scarsella opened Artwork @ 830 on Caroline Road within the Key West Historic Seaport district.
In the meantime, although grateful for his pictures enterprise, Gregory realized he was barely portray anymore and decided to revive the stability between his two inventive passions.
Right now he spends about 50 p.c of his time doing photograph shoots and the remainder portray in his studio above Artwork @ 830. He additionally nonetheless airbrushes faces and our bodies for particular occasions comparable to Key West’s Zombie Bike Journey.
Gregory’s work are generally summary and generally representational, filled with vivid colours and alive with power and life.
“After I’m portray, I by no means really feel like I’m working as a result of I get pleasure from doing it,” he mentioned. “I do most of my artwork to make folks really feel good.”
He usually thinks by way of abstracts, Gregory defined, however as a portray develops he lets the inventive course of dictate the path it can take. From floral fantasies to swirling blends of form and line, his works undertaking an interesting exuberance that holds the viewer’s gaze — an exuberance that displays his constructive mindset and pleasure in his Key West life.
“All the attractive Key West colours and floral issues and the sunsets positively encourage me,” Gregory mentioned. “Seeing all these colours on a regular basis positively will get stamped into your mind.”
A couple of years in the past, he immersed himself in creating what he calls the Key West alphabet — particular person work of each letter of the alphabet surrounded by island components starting with that letter. For instance, the “C” is embellished with pictures of a pink-lined conch shell and a cat, the “H” is adorned with lush hibiscus blossoms, and the intense purple “P” is paired with a pelican and a palm tree.
A collection of alphabet items is displayed in Artwork @ 830 — as are extra work by Gregory. The gallery is famend for its vibrant mix of artwork glass, sculpture, distinctive jewellery and distinctive works by native artists and others.
When he’s not portray or capturing images, Gregory enjoys island pursuits: pulling crab traps with two associates in the course of the harvest season, taking his 18-foot boat out to fish for snapper and different meals fish, and easily savoring time with Scarsella.
Key West could have modified a very good bit since his arrival in 1976, however he nonetheless treasures the magical place he found the place he “wasn’t bizarre.”
“The issues that stay the identical are a lot stronger to me than the issues which have modified,” he mentioned. “The climate, the folks, the tradition … I like my life.”