Over the years, Laurel Park has welcomed residents from all walks of life.  This includes Dennis Kowal, a nationally-recognized sculptor, who has called Laurel Park home since 1989.

Dennis lives in an artist’s compound located at 508 S. Osprey Avenue with his wife, artist Jill Hoffman-Kowal (who heads the education program at the Sarasota Arts Center).  Their property consists of two houses built between 50 and 60 years ago (one house is a bit older than the other), an art studio, and a unique yard that contains several sculptures created by Dennis.

At first glance, the yard could be called untamed.  This is just how Dennis likes it.  When asked about it he laughs and calls it “bizarre xeriscaping.”  Dennis estimates that his yard contains more than 40 different types of drought resistant and native plants.  He adds that his property serves as a place of refuge for urban wildlife, such as owls, snakes, armadillos, and raccoons.  He has even seen a falcon and a monitor lizard, but notes that they were just temporary visitors.

Dennis specializes in large, outdoor sculpture that been characterized as “monumental and archetypical.”  He works with solid acrylic, metal and other substances to produce sculpture at his studio in Laurel Park and at a production facility in Bradenton.

In his 40 year career, Dennis Kowal has had over 50 one-man exhibitions, hundreds of group shows and over 30 public sculpture installations.  He has several sculptural pieces on public display in Sarasota at the moment, including:

§         Iris, which is among the works featured in the 2005 Season of Sculpture along the Sarasota bayfront.  Dennis says that this piece is a philosophical protest against the Patriot Act.  It incorporates the structure of Dennis’ eye, which was photographed by an optometrist, and is made with aerospace aluminum.

§         Enigma, which is located on Gulfstream Avenue in front of Marina Tower.

§         Photon II, which is located at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall.  Dennis received the Florida Department of State Division of Cultural Affairs Millennium Award for this piece.

§         An unnamed sculpture, which is part of Dennis’ Cycle Series and is located in front of the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce building on Fruitville Road.  This piece was created soon after Lance Armstrong won the Tour de France and is dedicated to the athlete.

Dennis’s work has been strongly influenced by living in Florida, he says, and he gets inspired by the intensity of the light here.  However, Dennis has strong feelings about rampant growth and development both in Sarasota and in Florida. 

In Sarasota, Dennis calls the phenomenon, “creeping exclusively.”  He feels that Sarasota is in danger of becoming a huge gated community with no place for the creative class.  “Artists are leaving in droves,” he says, “because they can’t afford to be here.”

“What is insulting to me as a resident,” explains Dennis, “is the continuing notion that land and property value are why we choose to live here.”  Dennis says that he chooses to live in Laurel Park, because of its proximity to urban amenities, its “walkability” to downtown, its eclectic character, and the fact that his two daughters live nearby.  Both daughters, Jolie McInnis and Denise Kowal, also own property in Laurel Park.

But, some of these attributes are in jeopardy.  For example, Dennis thinks that “human scale is being violated” in the downtown area, by buildings that go right up to the sidewalk edge.  He feels that this damages the pedestrian experience within the city center.

Throughout Florida, Dennis perceives a growing problem of too much traffic, pollution and development.  “Florida is in the midst of destroying itself,” he says, “It’s eating itself alive.”

Despite these problems, when asked, Dennis reports that he intends to stay in Laurel Park forever.  No matter how much the area changes, he is “not for sale.”

For more information on Dennis Kowal, see his website www.denniskowal.com.

PHOTO 1: The artist’s studio on S. Osprey Avenue.

PHOTO 2: Kowal’s sculpture, Iris, which is featured in the 2005 Sarasota Season of Sculpture.

(TEXT BOX)

Are you an artist living in Laurel Park?   LPNA would like to invite artists who live in Laurel Park to display their work on the neighborhood website (www.HistoricLaurelPark.org).  The website contains a gallery of photos of the neighborhood.  We would like to expand it to include pictures of art pieces produced by neighborhood artists.  If you would like to participate, send an email to Chris@VisaAmerica.com.

 

Chris Jaensch, Laurel Park News, November 2005