Art & Entertainment Archives

September 6, 2016July 3, 2019

The Art of Murder

Mystery writer takes her series to a South Florida historic landmark

by Monique McIntosh

Among towering royal palms and floating water lilies, the serene escape tucked away in Fort Lauderdale’s historic Bonnet House Museum & Gardens is the last place you’d expect a set up for a whodunit murder. But for local mystery writer Elaine Viets, the South Florida landmark and the city’s booming art community made the perfect backdrop for her new novel “The Art of Murder” – the latest release from her ever popular “Dead-End Job” mystery series.

For her gumshoe private investigator Helen Hawthorne, this mystery doesn’t travel the familiar pathways of crime plots set in old, grand family homes – no devious butler or conniving cousins seeking the family fortune here. “Instead,” Viets said, “the novel became an ode to the home’s rich artistic legacy forged by Chicago artist Clay Bartlett.” Constructing this winter home with wife Helen in 1920, the Bonnet House quickly became a creative canvas for Bartlett and later his second wife, fellow artist Evelyn Fortune Lilly. In addition to their collections of classic works by Pablo Picasso and Paul Gaugin, both filled their home with festive murals along the floor and ceilings, and decorative art crafts, including rescued, hand-carved merry-go-round animals perched around the courtyard, and a dining room filled with taxidermied fish that guests could point to when ordering their preferred dinner.

“Like most people, I thought [the Bonnet House] was one more rich person’s house. So many of those are lifeless, dreary accumulations of art and treasure,” Viets said. “[But] my husband, Don Crinklaw, persuaded me to visit the place and I was enchanted. Bonnet House has life, color, and humor. I love that the artist-owners, Frederic Clay Bartlett and his wife, Evelyn Lilly Bartlett, mastered the art of living. It shows a monument to their love for each other, and Evelyn worked hard to make sure that their home would be preserved.”

So with many nooks and crannies to explore, Viets’ usual dive into a local profession (which she does as research for every “Dead-End Job” novel) was an escapade itself. She even volunteered as an official greeter for the museum.

“Elaine wanted to come on as a volunteer to learn more about Bonnet House and what made it special,” said the Director of Education and Volunteer Programs for the Bonnet House, Linda M. Schaller. “She worked as a greeter meeting every guest who came in on her watch.”

It was also as a volunteer that Viets discovered why the Bonnet House made the perfect backdrop for a mystery, naturally attracting the many local characters (almost too good for fiction) that call South Florida home.

“Bonnet House attracts such interesting, sophisticated people who have traveled the world,” Viets said. “I met a retired surgeon, a funeral director, a flight attendant, a community activist who cares for the stray cats in her neighborhood, and so many more.”

The museum’s popular art classes in particular made “a good setting for a mystery,” Viets said. “The classes attract people of many talents and backgrounds, and they’re at the museum long enough that Helen can get to know them.”

Though the home didn’t turn out to be an artistic refuge for the novel’s murder victim, Annabel, Bonnet House has become the nexus for Broward County’s growing art scene, which is also featured prominently in the novel, from hot exhibits at FAT Village to the ever popular monthly art walks.

In fiction and the real life, this vintage canvas by the sea perfectly reflects the city’s enduring quirky, artistic spirit. “Readers accept that people in South Florida are more eccentric than the rest of the country,” Viets said. “This region is wonderfully diverse. Plus, we’re all slightly touched by the sun.”

March 11, 2016July 3, 2019

Country Music Starlet Liddy Clark

Like other 17-year-olds, Liddy Clark enjoys going to the movies or hanging out with friends at the beach. Unlike other teens, though, Liddy goes to a recording studio after school for two or three hours a day and takes frequent trips to Nashville, where she collaborates with other songwriters.
“I don’t have much time to do homework,” says the Parkland resident and North Broward Preparatory School senior. Liddy is becoming a familiar voice to South Florida audiences, having recently represented the country music genre at Duende 2015, the grand finale of Broward County’s centennial celebration.
Her soon-to-be-released but not-yet-titled album features many original songs, put together at West End Recording Studios in Pompano Beach. Her co-producer Pete Masitti, who has worked with artists including Toni Braxton, Shakira, and Kelly Rowland, says Liddy is “gifted with great natural instincts as a vocalist.”
Liddy’s Nashville colleagues also praise her talents. Co-producer, songwriter, and collaborator Stokes Nielsen says, “Liddy connects with her generation because she speaks the truth in her songs. What impresses me most in her songwriting is her honesty and ability to capture emotions that are uncanny for someone her age.”
Many of Liddy’s songs relate to the challenges — especially emotional insecurity — faced by so many teens. Her music may help people her age to accept that their feelings aren’t unique and that negativity can be defeated.
“A lot of my songs have to do with the frustrations of being a teenager,” Liddy says.
“Some days you feel like the whole world is against you. You just have to look to the next day and say, ‘I have to give a little bit of faith to this day because it might turn out OK,’” she says, referring to one of the album’s songs, “A Little Faith.”
The first single from the album, “Painted by Numbers,” also conveys an affirming message. “The song is about not being labeled by numbers that try to define society. I want to send the message that you are who you are. You have to forget everyone else and all of the negativity. That’s how you can overcome insecurity.”
Country music is in Liddy’s genes. Her cousin Drew Womack, former Sons of the Desert frontman, collaborated with Liddy on her album. Her ever-supportive family includes mom Shana, who travels with Liddy back and forth to Nashville and is her biggest fan.
Ever since she was a young child, Liddy has demonstrated talent and passion for music, taking lessons with a vocal coach since age 7. While going through the process of discovering her musical style, she experimented with musical theater and pop until country music captured her imagination. The realness of country music speaks to her. “It isn’t made up, like everything else,” she says, citing Kacey Musgraves’ witty songwriting as an inspiration.
Liddy’s youthful songs of self-acceptance and empowerment will undoubtedly expand country music. Plans for the next year include going on tour to promote the new album. Her enthusiasm to share her music is contagious and naturally involves family.
“I want to go on a major tour with a major act and play all over the United States. I want to meet people from different countries, different continents, and play to different fans. I want to sell a lot of CDs and make my music known to everybody. “And I’m going to take my mom with me!”

Check out a preview of Liddy’s Youtube channel here:

February 12, 2016January 21, 2019

Chinese New Year is Bad News for Monkeys

Suddenly, there it is – a flash of glimmering red scales as the magnificent dragon emerges from the back of the theater. Perfectly in sync with the pounding rhythm of the drums that fills the room, the dragon marches the length of the auditorium before claiming the stage as its kingdom. Then the real delight begins. The creature bounds from one side of the stage to the other, rolling its head from side to side with each step. As the auditorium lights illuminate the dragon’s body, which moves in graceful waves as it follows a ball that taunts it, a collective gasp of joy arises from the audience.

The dragon dance, a cultural tradition designed to bring good fortune and prosperity, flawlessly captures the essence of Chinese New Year. Celebrated on the first day of the Chinese lunar calendar, which happens to fall on February 8 this year, the Chinese New Year focuses most predominantly on the union of friends and family and the generation of good luck for the following year. The holiday, known as the Spring Festival in China, is the most important Chinese celebration of the year and brings together family from all over the country as well as the globe.

The dragon dance represents just one of the countless traditions that adorn the holiday, but it bears the common theme that runs through all of the Chinese New Year traditions: good luck. The red color that appears in the dragon’s body is a color that saturates this holiday. From the red lanterns strung from every conceivable surface to the red couplets stuck on the doors and the walls, the color of happiness and good fortune dominates Chinese New Year. The color red also appears in the festival’s most common gift of red envelopes, which contain “lucky money” to pave the way for future prosperity. Wearing red underwear represents yet another important tradition of the Chinese, as such an intimate object in the color of luck is believed to minimize any forthcoming bad luck.The superstitions, however, do not stop at wearing bright underwear. Chinese New Year is a holiday that does not shy away from food. Lucky foods like noodles, whose length symbolizes longevity, and spring rolls, whose gold bar-like shape symbolizes wealth, become especially important on this holiday. Additionally, during the Spring Festival, the Chinese prohibit all cleaning, forbidding everything from straightening up the house to maintaining personal hygiene. I can’t remember how many times my mother stopped me from taking a shower on Chinese New Year, for fear that I would wash away the good luck. On the other hand, good luck is reinforced by fireworks. Used to drive away the evil of the coming year, fireworks light up the sky every Spring Festival.

The Spring Festival also marks the transition of the animals of the Chinese zodiac, which bears a total of 12 animals, with each animal representing one year in a cycle of 12 years. The Chinese New Year of 2016 will bid farewell to the year of the goat and introduce the year of the monkey. Contrary to popular belief, the year of one’s animal sign on the Chinese zodiac is perceived as the least lucky year of the 12-year cycle. Thus, on February 8 this year, individuals with the goat sign can breathe a sigh of relief, while those with the monkey sign should take a large inhale and be extra careful of any impending danger.

With China’s budding influence on the western world and the increasing outward migration of Asians, the Chinese New Year will undoubtedly continue to grow in popularity outside the Asian continent. In our own community, celebrations are held every year by multiple organizations, including the Coral Springs Chinese Cultural Association and the Chinese Association of Science, Education and Culture of South Florida. These celebrations are open to the general public and are often held at local schools. So, as February 8 approaches, put on your best red clothing, stuff some luck into those red pockets, and get ready to watch a Chinese dragon dance of a lifetime.