Do you remember Peddlin’ Patti? Local artist Dick Tolsdorf does
Boca Grande is known for its people, as well as its gorgeous beaches, beautiful seascapes and terrific fishing. Occasionally there are “community characters” who add to the interesting vibe of the island. Sometimes we know them, but at other times we simply see them and embrace their presence among the things that make this an interesting place to live. Patti was one of those little-known but fondly remembered characters.
No one seems to know her last name or much else about her, except that she rode her three-wheeled bike all over town and brought a splash of color along with her. Dick Toldsorf, a well-known artist who has lived in Boca Grande for about 22 years, knew Patti in passing. He saw her often in front of Hudson’s store or by one of the churches or riding along Park Avenue. He knew she lived with her mother, who took care of her, but he knew little else about her.
“She was always friendly,” he said, but he indicated that she was not able to interact with people a great deal. When her mother died, Patti’s care fell to someone outside the area, and Patti left the island.
Before that happened, though, Dick stopped Patti one day and asked if he could take her picture. “I knew she would not be able to sit for a portrait, but she might be willing to have her picture taken,” he said. She agreed. His plan had been to do a series of portraits of the island’s interesting community characters. Patti was to be the first. As it turns out, her portrait is the only one he has done so far. That was many years ago now, so the series many never be more than Patti.
“I used to do a lot of portraits,” Dick said, “but I’ve moved on to other things. I was doing a lot of landscapes, and now I’m painting mostly abstracts,” he said. Another favorite art form for Dick is what is called “gyotaku,” or Japanese fish-rubbing. This is a technique Japanese fishermen used to authenticate the fish they caught, showing the size and type of fish.
The fresh fish is dried and covered with an oil-based ink, using a paintbrush. The fisherman or artist then covers the entire fish with a sheet of rice paper, which is thin and flexible. They then rub the rice paper along the surface of the fish to transfer its image to the paper, adding details and color afterwards.
“I like to add some color and have a little fun with it,” Dick said. The traditional ink is black, but there is nothing that says one cannot add color to the fins or to the body of the fish if that works better for the artist. Dick uses both big fish, like snook, and smaller ones, like ladyfish, for his pieces.
Whatever the subject or the technique, Dick Toldsdorf is continually using his talents to show some of the most interesting aspects of Boca Grande.
