New Ronny Bailey Artwork of Old Key West

Ronny Bailey dropped by my office the other day to show me his newest wood carving depicting a Key West cigar maker's cottage of long ago. Frequent Readers of my blog will remember I first learned of Ronny several years ago when he stopped by Preferred Properties Key West to show a new wood installation he had created. Ronny is a Conch, a native Key Wester. He was a general contractor by trade. When he retired he began the second phase of his life as a folk artist. I don't think he started out to be an artist as much as he used his skills as a carpenter to create replicate miniature versions of the facades of homes that used to dot much of our Old Town area. Later he did larger homes and then added some commercial buildings. (CLICK any photo to enlarge it.)

I photographed the above piece in front of the actual house to demonstrate the attention to detail and historical correctness. Ronny used reclaimed Dade County Pine lumber which he cut, planed, sanded, painted to create this remembrance of a time that is now a memory. As our heritage gets "restored" or "renovated" Ronny's works are becoming the last memory of what Key West of years ago once looked like - before everything was decreed by the do-gooders on HARC to become perfect and as contractors took months and months to fix the old old houses at the cost of hundred of thousands of dollars to fix houses that originally only cost a few hundred dollars.

The new wood carving is number five in what may become a series of  many. Ronny told me he joined two boards together with biscuits, stained all sides, and then began to carve the detailed images. The dark stain accentuates the carving. The carving below exhibits the same whimsy, attention to detail as his more elaborate installations.  There are always little touches such as chickens, cats, a hanging light bulb, a mailbox, a broom. Here a clothes line and a stick prop open a window with a propensity to obey Newton's Law of Gravity and a man feeding the chickens in his front yard. I have never seen or heard of locals who eat their chickens. But it wouldn't surprise me. Finally note the three watchwords appearing on each of Ronny's are: Love, Joy, and Peace.

I noticed the address over the door - 522. I asked Ronny the address of the house. He said it was the spirit of our houses, not a particular house, then added the number refers to Galatians 5:22 (But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,).  He is a man of faith and those are the guiding spirit of his life.

Locals and returning visitors to Key West can tell the time of year depicted - sometime between May and June when the Royal Poinciana Tree (red tree on the left) is is full bloom. The original home was so minimal in size and construction. It would have cost only a few hundred dollars to build. Today contractors take months and months to restore these homes at the cost of thousands upon thousands of dollars. Of course the red rooster, mama hen, and baby chicks are evermore on this their island home.

It may come to pass that Ronny Bailey's artwork may become the only remaining remnant of historic Key West.

The Ernest Hemingway House - in Miniature

Ronny Bailey is a six generation Conch that spent 30 years of his life as a carpenter who repaired and restored many of the old houses in Key West. A few years ago he started tinkering around with some salvaged Dade County Pine and created his first new old house replica. His wife came home from work and exclaimed "I didn't know you could do that!" Ronny replied "Neither did I." And so began his new career as artist-carpenter who uses salvaged lumber to create miniature near replicas of real houses and buildings in Key West. Ronny stresses that he only uses old salvaged wood to construct the houses. He doesn't paint the pieces. Instead he relies on the ravages of our sun and the weather to create the natural patina that make each piece look so genuine. 

Ronny's most recent piece is a miniature version of the Ernest Hemingway House which is located at 907 Whitehead Street in Key West, Florida.  I found a photo of the real house so that you can compare the real with Ronny Bailey's folk art.  Ronny's version comes complete with a hand carved figure of the old man himself standing on the front porch with fishing pole in hand. Cats abound everywhere - on the roof, on the porches, in the garden, and even lounging in the flower box. If you look inside the first floor center door you will see a cat laying on the stairway. Inside each door or window you will find some vignette that sets each space off with a bit of Ronny's passion for whimsy and detail.  Inside one window Ronny painted a mirror hanging on the wall. The mirror reflects the blue sky and palm tree one would reflected from across Whitehead Street. On the wall behind another door there is a painting of Ernest and a trophy fish he caught. 

Unlike the majority of Ronny's pieces which are fashioned of Dade County Pine, the Hemingway House is stucco.  The first floor French doors and second floor windows have paladin windows that given this home a look unlike others in Key West. The ground floor has saltillo tiles whereas the second floor deck has wood planks. The wrought iron pillars surround the house to support the second floor deck.  If you look close you will see the two story porch attaches to the metal roof system so familiar in Key West.  You must look very carefully CLICK HERE to see minute details like paint drippings and clamps that attach the metal roof to the porch system. 

And just so that you appreciate the magnitude of this undertaking, everything you see was carved or created by Ronny Bailey.  Nothing you see came out of a "kit".  You cannot go to any store to buy the iron railing, or historically correct wood shutters, or any minute artifact that makes up the totality of this piece of art. 

The Ernest Hemingway House and other pieces of Ronny Bailey's art are now on display at the Fleming Street Gallery at 830 Fleming Street, Key West. Ronny's larger pieces are quite expensive. He has created small version that may be purchased at lower prices.  See two examples below. 

 CLICK HERE to view more pics of the Ronny's Hemingway House. Click on any photo to enlarge. 

I am continually amazed at the attention to detail and the love Ronny imparts to each piece of work he creates. The original pieces are quite expensive. The smaller high quality art photos are reasonably priced and will appeal to Hemingway and Bailey fans alike. Get them before they are gone.