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Adventures & Stories
August,
2011: Great Tarpon Fishing
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A great season of fishing,
with several memorable fish to the boat -- here's one. |
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August,
2011: 81st Annual Sarasota
Tarpon Tournament
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August,
2011: The Tarpon Queen
Rides Again. . .
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| Another successful
year for the Tournament, marked by 130+ anglers and a great banquet
at the Hyatt. Here's Brendan with one of his Limited Edition
giclees awarded to the Tournament winner, alongside the historic
silver trophy. |
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Here's Brendan,
proud Tournament Committee member, celebrating with the new Queen
at the Offshore Grand Prix Boat Race in July. |
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August,
2011: Sarasota Burlesque Show. . .
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| A new troupe of burlesque performers
has been popping up around Sarasota, so Nicole and Brendan, along
with some friends, enjoyed a fun showr. |
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May,
2011: 21st Annual Boca Grande Ladies Day Tarpon Tournament
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May,
2011: American Business Women's Association (ABWA) Fundraiser.
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| Nicole
and I were on hand to sign all three designs of my limited edition
posters (sold out for 2011!). This early-season tournament didn't
produce a winning fish, but it was still a lot of fun. Some posters
are still available at the BG Chamber. |
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My
painted canvas bag was in the live auction -- the winning bidder
planned to give it to her niece, graduating from college soon
(what a perfect fit!). |
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April,
2011: Siesta Fiesta
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| A great show (albeit hot and
buggy), but Nicole and I had fun visiting with friends &
patrons. The wood signs were really popular. |
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"Meet
the Artist" Event, March, 2011
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| The Boca Grande Chamber hosted
a reception so folks could meet the artist who created the very
popular "Boca Beauties" image licensed to the Chamber
for the 2011 Tarpon Tournament. A fun event with a tropical theme.
(L-R: Lew Hastings-Chamber Exec Director, Larissa Wells-Tournament
Committee, Brendan, Nicole, Kerry Hunter-Tournament Chair) |
"Art
at the Ranch" Show, March, 2011
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A great show in Lakewood
Ranch, where the wood signs were a huge hit. |
Art
for a Great Cause
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| I recently painted a bag that
will be auctioned at the American Business Women's Association's
annual Runway Party to raise funds for scholarships. The event
will be April 30 at Michael's on East. Here I am at the preview
event with my finished bag - there were so many awesome pieces
by some big artists, so it was an honor to be asked. |
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East
Coast Sailfish Trip January, 2011
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Great fishing aboard
the Anzuelo with friends. I managed to boat one and we all had
a fun day. |
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End of Year Fun, December, 2010
Nicole and I enjoyed
a nice holiday season, managing to sneak in a little fun amidst
time-sensitive work projects.
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After a bike ride on Longboat Key we stopped to see the sunset
over the bridge (and Brendan wants it noted that that is NOT
his purple scarf!). |
Ever-present is Brendan's inner child so, to indulge him, Santa
brought him a remote controlled helicopter (really cool, by the
way). |
First Trout of 2011, caught in Sarasota Bay. |
A special dinner at home during our low-key 'ringing in'
of 2011. |
Sarasota
West Marine Grand Opening - December, 2010
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| Nicole and I had a lot of fun
exhibiting at the grand opening -- lots of familiar faces and
new friends who got to see Brendan's latest retro-style and marine-life
work. |
Sandy
Claws - December, 2010
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| I beat last year's time for
this fun 5K on Siesta Beach. It was cold, but my Santa hat kept
me warm! |
November,
2010 - Mote/FWC Tarpon Challenge
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| Captain Nick Winger is the winner
of my 'Emerald Water Kings' Limited Edition print, as part of
my 2010 'Challenge to Anglers' who submitted Tarpon DNA samples
over the summer. The award presentation took place at Mote Marine
Lab, alongside Kathy Guindon (FWC Tarpon Genetics Program) and
Carol Neidig (Mote Researcher). Oh, and the 2010 Tarpon Queen
(aka Nicole Coudal) also made an appearance, representing the
Sarasota Tarpon Tournament! |
Serendipity Gallery
in Boca Grande
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| If you're in Boca Grande, Florida
please stop in to the Serendipity Gallery to see some of my work
- it's a charming little art gallery in the heart of that pretty
town. The Gallery is located at 321 Park Avenue (941-964-2166). |
Summer Trip - August,
2010
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| Nicole and I spent one of the
best vacations we've ever had in Nantucket and upstate NY this
summer. Here I'm heading down a dune in Nantucket for some late
afternoon surf fishing. Didn't catch anything, even with the
'tried & true' lure the guy sold me, but what a beautiful
night it was. . . |
Tarpon Queen - July,
2010
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| It's nice being married to someone
who likes to fish. Nicole recently won the Ladies Division of
the 80th Annual Sarasota Tarpon Tournament by catching/releasing
a 36" girth fish (that's about 165 lbs!). Not only that,
she was selected to represent the tournament as "Tarpon
Queen", a role the committee resurrected after a 40-year
hiatus. She makes a pretty queen with her sash and tiara! |
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New Artwork Partnership -
July, 2010
My friends just opened a cool
new store on Venice Avenue in Venice, Florida. Stop by Destination
Beach to meet 'Steve' and see some really cool stuff like scooters,
skimboards, skateboards, apparel and fun beach necessities. You'll
also see my artwork, and get to grab some KONA coffee and a piece
of authentic Key West key lime pie. You've got to see this place
and tell them Brendan & Nicole sent you! www.destinationbeachfl.com
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Tarpon! May, 2010
Caught my first one for the Sarasota
Tournament -- about 100 lbs. Textbook. Fish to the boat in 30
minutes!
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Little Gasparilla Island -
May 2010
Nicole and I spent a week on
Little Gasparilla Island -- just fished and not much else. Here's
one of the big Redfish I caught.
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Tournament Kickoff - May,
2010
Start of the 80th year tournament
- here at Kickoff Banquet with my painting 'Island Girl' - a
pretty girl releasing a Tarpon while her little dog tries to
get it. A perfect piece to celebrate the historic event.
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South Florida Museum - May,
2010
Met at the Museum to talk about
potential exhibit of my retro-style paintings. Also got to meet
"Snooty" the Manatee, a family member of the museum
for many years
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Siesta Fiesta - April, 2010
Nicole and I exhibited at Siesta
Fiesta, which was a lot of fun, particularly since we saw so
many familiar faces. My retro-style art was the biggest hit,
and the weather was beautiful.
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Artists in Action - April
2010
Painting outside Art Uptown Gallery
is always fun - here I'm working on a new painting of birds seemingly
flying like musical notes
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Prize-Winning Artwork, March
2010
My 'Waiting on the Tide' painting
of redfish hovering over a grassy flat took third place at the
Juried art exhibit celebrating Mote Marine Laboratory's 55th
Anniversary. There was some beautiful artwork there, so I was
honored to earn a trophy.
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Playing Hooky
One of our first great, sunny
days, so after delivering artwork for the show at Mote, Nicole
and I had lunch at New Pass Grille on Longboat Key, then walked
Lido Beach. It would have been a shame to rush back to the studio
to work. . .!
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First Offshore Adventure of
2010. . .
We're finally back to normal
conditions in April, so friend Jim rounded up the crew for a
great day of fishing - offshore 115 miles, no less. Here's just
one of the many grouper caught that day.
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Special Olympics Fishing Tournament
For my third year, I participated
in this fun tournament, taking Nicole's brother out fishing.
A beautiful day, and we caught so many Spanish Mackerel we didn't
know what to do with them!
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Tournament Artwork
Here's one of my newest retro
gals - the image will be licensed by the Sarasota Tarpon Tournament
to celebrate its 80th year. A great opportunity to be a part
of such a historic event.
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Tampa Outdoors Expo, March
'10
A fun event, sponsored by Tampa
Tribune and Frank Sergeant, somewhat of a legend in the Tampa
area. Exhibiting was fun - here's my booth.
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TV Show, March '10
Filming at Comcast studio with
fellow tournament committee members announcing 80th annual Sarasota
Anglers Club Tarpon Tournament in 2010. My painting 'Reel Reel
Reel!' got some good play, too!
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Wedding Bells
On Valentine's Day Nicole and
I renewed our vows at Siesta Beach - we're coming up on our 5th
anniversary and thought we'd do something fun.
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Cupcakes, Anyone?
Recently participated in a cupcake
eating contest for charity. It was hard work, let me tell you.
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Street Painting December '09
Brendan paints in front of Art
Uptown Gallery, December, 2009 - it was a beautiful day that
just begged for some outdoor activity!
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Brendan Runs First 5K in 5
Years. . .
And does pretty well overall,
considering small children were passing him!
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Meeting Two of the "Deadliest
Catch" Guys. . .
Brendan and Nicole are on the
committee for the 2010 Sarasota Anglers Club Tarpon Tournament,
and at a recent fundraising event met Keith and 'Mouse' Colburn.
Great guys, and a fun event overall. They were heading out to
Alaska a few days later to start production on their show, and
pick up another crab season. What an exciting job they have!
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Thanksgiving, 2009
The artist not only creates masterpieces
on canvas, but can also carve a mean turkey, too! Art has no
limits. . .
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Nautical Trader Event
If you’re in Nokomis, looking
for a special nautical-themed object or marine hardware, stop
by the Nautical Trader (www.thenauticaltrader.com). It’s one
of Brendan’s retailers for his ‘new vintage’ prints,
so Brendan stopped by for the recent open house in October to
showcase more of the artwork, and he had a lot of fun too.
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Boca Grande Art Show
Nicole and I participated in our
first outdoor art show in Boca Grande, mid-October. Here’s
our finished tent display, plus one of us inside trying to stay
warm. In spite of ridiculous amounts of wind and chilly temperatures,
it was a great day – lots of fun. We may just do another
one!
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Showcased Artist at Art Uptown
Gallery, Sarasota, June, 2009
Brendan, with marine-life paintings
featured in the windows, works on his newest Ballyhoo™ girl
– a mermaid riding a sea turtle. It created a lot of buzz
on the street.
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Brendan with renowned surfboard/skateboard artist Drew Brophy
at the Surf Expo in Orlando. |
During our trip to Chicago in August, we just had to stop into
Al’s for a real Chicago dawg. . . |
Recent trip offshore (120 miles, to be exact. . .) on friend
Jim’s boat – caught these delicious Tilefish. |
Brendan, featured artist at the 2009 Sarasota Anglers Club Banquet
at Marina Jack’s. |
| June
30, 2009 marked Nicole’s and my last day as owners of Dockside
Store in Nokomis. . .we sold the business to a friend, and plan
to focus all our energies on my artwork. Oh, and we’ll be
having more fun, too! |
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Featured Artist on “Gulf
Coast Journal with Jack Perkins” |
Film crew from Gulf Coast Journal interviewing in our backyard.
That’s host Jack Perkins standing. |
Taking footage of me working on a new painting in the Ballyhoo™
series. The show will air locally on WEDU late August, 2009. |
Featured Artist at Sarasota
Anglers Club Tarpon Tournament
June, 2009 |
Brendan with his original painting “Reel Reel Reel!”
at the Kick-Off Banquet. |
This is the longest running tarpon tournament in the world -
2009 marking its 79th year. Here’s Brendan with the much-coveted
silver trophy, which he’s determined to win next year! |
Brendan with his first tarpon caught in the tournament –
it was a great day of fishing! |
It wouldn’t be my website without a cute shot of Nicole
on the boat, in search of tarpon. |
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Featured Artist at Boca Grande’s
Ladies Day Tarpon Tournament May, 2009 |
Brendan with patrons who purchased a special, Limited Edition
poster for the event. |
Brendan with two adoring patrons, along with featured artwork
“Round ‘Em Up” which caused a huge buzz throughout
the tournament (everyone loved it!). . |
Brendan and Nicole in the studio,
heading out for a tournament event (recognize the model in any
of the paintings?) |
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