And a Sea Captain and Firemen and even a Mermaid – all of them masterfully assembled with brightly colored pieces of — junk.  

The genius behind the creations is Sebastopol artist Patrick Amiot, and thanks to his admiring neighbors who asked to display his work in their front yards, Florence Avenue in Sebastopol has become known as “the art street.” 

Natives of Canada, Amiot and his wife and fellow artist, Brigitte Laurent, have created hundreds of fabulous, environmentally-friendly sculptures. In addition to those on Florence Avenue, they also grace areas of Sebastopol, are exhibited at art galleries, and have even played a role in raising money for community schools.  

As Patrick states on their website: “‘The whole purpose of my work is to glorify these objects, because they have their own spirit. When a hubcap has traveled on a truck for millions of miles, and has seen the prairies in the winter and the hot summer asphalt, when it’s done traveling with that truck and finds itself in the scrap yard and I find it, I kind of like to use that. This hubcap, or whatever piece of metal, from the day it was manufactured until now, has an important history. And I like to think the spirit of all these things lived incredible lives. If they could talk to you, they could tell amazing stories. That’s something I don’t want to hide.’”  

As we mentioned in reasons # 10, 20, 22 and now here in #28, we’re fortunate to have access to an amazing art scene, from priceless masterpieces from the world’s great artists to homegrown creations made from toasters and hubcaps.

Have you been to Florence Avenue? What’s your favorite piece?

Check out Patrick Amiot on Flickr. (Photo credits: Karen Foley)

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Posted by:  Frank Howard Allen Realtors