Cover Your Face Reminder
by Sharon Williams Eng
Title
Cover Your Face Reminder
Artist
Sharon Williams Eng
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
This giant carving stands outside the Punta Gorda Chamber of Commerce. In the spring of 2020, the world is in the grips of the corona virus COVID 19. "Shelter in place," "social distancing," "protective covering" are being stressed daily. It seemed fitting that the chamber put face masks on both sides of the double-faced statue.
The sculpture was carved by Peter "Wolf" Toth and is an effigy to the first people to inhabit the area. It was dedicated January 20, 2006, and a time capsule was buried in the base. Artist Peter Wolf Toth carved the statue, locally known as the “Indian Head,” out of a rare monkey pod tree damaged by lightning. The imported tree’s wood is highly prized by sculptors, and is similar to mahogany.
Peter "Wolf" Toth is a Hungarian born sculptor who endured many hardships in his native country until 1956 when the Hungarian borders were open, briefly (before the Soviet tanks rolled in). The Toth family took the opportunity to flee. After two years of being shuttled from refugee camp to refugee camp, Toth and his family eventually immigrated to the United States, and settled in Akron, Ohio.
As Toth grew up in his new country, he developed a deep interest in native North American culture and history. He saw in their story a parallel to the violent repression he had experienced in Hungary.
Toth decided to honor the Native Americans by donating a sculpture in each of the 50 American states. Toth completed his goal in May 1988 with a statue (#58) of a Polynesian in Haleiwa, Hawaii. (Some states have more than one of his sculptures, and Canada has two). The collection of large statues is known as the Trail of Whispering Giants.
I am an exhibiting artist in southwest Florida and my art has been exhibited in galleries in Florida, Georgia and North Carolina and is in collections nationwide. I create abstract photography, mixed media photo painting, acrylic mixed media, and acrylic paintings. Many would make great decorative throw pillow
Uploaded
May 11th, 2020
Statistics
Viewed 181 Times - Last Visitor from New York, NY on 04/24/2024 at 2:04 AM
Embed
Share
Sales Sheet