Florida Keys,Marathon Florida Keys,Key West . Updated 10 / 27 / 2024

 Famous Florida Keys Recycling Artist

 Florida Famous Recycling Artist ,WEIRD FLORIDA: ROADS LESS TRAVELED

Charlie Carlson visits one of the weirdest guys in the world, the one and only Hong Kong Willie. WEIRD FLORIDA: ROADS LESS TRAVELED

Google Hongkongwillie
Raised on Tampa city dump,like living in the Penthouse in the upper east side.

Google Hongkongwillie
Raised on Tampa city dump,like living in the Penthouse in the upper east side.




FUNDING FOR THIS PROGRAM IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE
S.L. GIMBEL FOUNDATION.
IN THIS EDITION OF "WEDU ARTS PLUS,Hongkongwillie

  To Live a life in the art world and be so blessed to make a social impact. Artists are to give back, talent is to tell a story, to make change. Reuse is a life experience  




Florida Keys Legendary Recycling Artist,

Blue Marlin Dream of Key West.

$225,000  Hong Kong Willie Art

FUNDING FOR THIS PROGRAM IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE
S.L. GIMBEL FOUNDATION.
IN THIS EDITION OF "WEDU ARTS PLUS,Hongkongwillie

CALL US,  WE ARE HERE. 

  ASK FOR 

   HONG KONG WILLIE.    

813 770 4794

Florida Keys,Marathon Florida Keys,Key West.
Marathon Florida Keys

 Reuse artist.
Hong Kong Willie. Artist of the 60’s in the now. Acclaimed Florida folk artist, Living the Life of using objects for many uses. Follow the travels of life.
Marathon Florida Keys

 Marathon Florida Keys
Artist Born for this time, Lived on a landfill as a child. Reuse Became the way of life. To read the story from the inception of the Name Hong Kong Willie. Famed, by the humble statements from the Key West Citizen, viable art from reuse has found its time. To Live a life in the art world and be so blessed to make a social impact. Artists are to give back, talent is to tell a story, to make change. Reuse is a life experience.
Hong Kong Willie Art Gallery In Tampa, a reuse Art Gallery. Artist Kim,Derek,and Joseph. reuse artist that have lived the life and are meant for the green movement in the world. A gallery that was born for this time. Artist living a freegan life,art that makes a social statement of reuse. Media that has a profound effect in making the word green truly a movement of reuse in the world today and the future.

Florida Keys,Marathon Florida Keys,Key West
Hong Kong Willie Preservation Art Group

Florida Keys,Marathon Florida Keys,Key West

Hong Kong Willie. The name of the artist. In 1958 his mother took Hong Kong Willie to an art class. The name started then. An art teacher when doing crafts out of Gerber baby bottles, made a statement, in Hong Kong reuse was common. At that time he thought this was very interesting. His father had low-land, at that time landfills were common also. The county had told Hong Kong Willie’s father, it was safe, but as we now know this was not so. Something can come from bad to be good. Hong Kong Willie the name came from that art teacher impressing on that young mind that objects made for one use could be for many other uses. Hong Kong for the neat concept. Willie for an American name. So for many years Hong Kong Willie had a life of reuse. Hong Kong Willie saw forms in a different light, His life now was meaningful, knowing this was and would be his life. Art made from found objects, making less of a footprint on this world. Art and art teachers, HOW IMPORTANT. For the ones that have, and the ones who have not. Media can be found. Now 50 years later, we know now being green is important. We need to look at this very carefully. Our children and our world need a different understanding. Objects can be used in many different ways. Hong Kong Willie the tons of objects in his life that have been used, without much change, So for that art teacher what she did for my life. Thank You. I still have the Gerber baby bottle till this day. Hong Kong Willie.


Florida Keys,Marathon Florida Keys,Key West

FOX News

Florida Keys,Marathon Florida Keys,Key West

 Florida Keys,Marathon Florida Keys,Key West

FAMOUS, ETSY Tampa Art Gallery, WEIRD, VIRAL.

No Name Pub, No Name Key.
World Famous Reuse Artist Hongkongwillie.
FAMOUS KEY WEST PEOPLE,famous recycling artists
.
Florida Keys Famous People,No Name Pub
WILL YOU EVER ForGet The Name Hongkongwillie.World Famous Reuse Artis,
The first time i can remember, The Florida Keys. The long road , narrow water on both sides. Beach, not to my understanding. Key West, Duval St, only what tourists see, was my first impression. WOW, that would change.
View Larger Map

Today "i seldom do this" i received a phone call from Al in Ramrod Key, a Florida Key. A Key that is about 27 miles from Key West. Al: a rocker, drummer, out there kind a guy. Al and i met in a funny way. Al living near some small town in Massachusetts also having this cool place in the Florida Keys.
All in Ramrod Key, a Florida Key
View Larger Map
NO NAME PUB BIG PINE KEY
Al, Artist,The Florida Keys
.
Artist have this draw to the Keys, Why, Well it took this road to discover,. Al now living in Ramrod, calling to tell what had happen in the Isle of Ramrod. Not to mention Cat, oh i forgot, Cat is how i met Al. Tomorrow or When its Write.
FAMOUS KEY WEST PEOPLE

I KNOW WHAT IT MEANS,WHEN YOU SAY I GOTTA GO FISHIN AGAIN

Al, someone that, well to say what a friend. Some nights sleeping on his pool table. and not far is No Name Pub, well there you go, pub, by any other name spells trouble. Well contrary to your disbelief, what a place of history. This is where it begins.or When its begins.
NO NAME PUB BIG PINE KEY
View Larger Map

This once remote Key, NO NAME KEY,NO NAME PUB, remote, to say the
least, pub , when seeing the place, everything you can believe, and more,
just from the appearance. Now no matter what you have heard second
thoughts still occur.. Its still time turn around, not to night. The
Rainbow Trail by Zane Grey, was spoken here, my first exposure to the
days of Zane Grey, oh I'm getting ahead of myself. No Name Pub, a Zayne
Grey second office in the Keys, later to be one of mine. No Name Pub,
the history, the wild west, well, great writers, why they come here, No
Name Pub. Real artist, Real Treasure hunters, Fisherman, and the trade no
one saw, all came. No one made a big deal who came or left.

Black Bird of Key Largo Tampa Art Galleries Hong Kong Willie Art Gallery $98,000.00 USD
“Black Bird of Key Largo”To Buy Now click this link   The allurement of the winds blowing in the palm trees and the moon shining through and the “Black Bird of Key Largo” looking upon.Hong Kong Willie**HONG KONG WILLIE artist Kim Brown, chose aged Florida sawmill stock as canvas. Recovered Brass Hanger: Key West lobster trap rigging. Originally connects and suspends rigging of spiny lobster traps in Key West waters. Candy-like appearance due to multiple protective layers. Assigned number in artist register by Fisherman ID tag, corresponding burn-etched # rear of piece. Key recovered by Robert Jordan, acclaimed treasure hunter: also in identification of piece and artist.*Prior to shipping, final coating will be applied to each piece. Dimensions: 24″ L 8″ W 4″ H Weight: 17+ LB Green Art For Sale

No Name Pub history takes us far back to 1931 when we were a
Link to no name Pub
www.nonamepub.co m/history.html
general store
NO NAME PUB BIG PINE KEY
and bait and tackle shop.
We remained that way until 1936 when the owners added a
small room on to the
main structure which became an eatery. Thus the Pub was born.
Our early customers included people from all walks of life, world
travelers that arrived from the mainland via Ferry to the local
Fisherman. The late 1930s brought an interesting twist to
In an effort to increase business the upstairs storage room was
converted into a Brothel. Unfortunately, the venture failed after
several years as the Fisherman were reported to be better looking than
the ladies.
The 1940s saw the end of the
Brothel and beginning of a real
Keys landmark.
Travelers (we had few tourists back then) and locals alike began to discover this quirky out of the way place.
The ladies would do their shopping in the general store as the men
would browse the bait and tackle shop, then kick back and have a beer
and sandwich in our eatery.
It was during the 1950s that the general store and bait and tackle shop closed.
The Pub was now 100% bar and restaurant.
No Name was added to the already Pub name and we became forever more the
No Name Pub.
No Name Pub
quickly became a Keys hangout.
NO NAME PUB BIG PINE KEY
Our honky tonk atmosphere of beer drinking, pool shooting and great food eating became known from
Miami To Key West.
The place would get so smokey and crowded the customers would spill out
into the backyard where dice, crap and card games would eventually
break out.
The old timers say the place never got raided because the Sheriff ran the dice games.
1960 brought about another addition for the better to the Pub.
It was during this era that our famous pizza was born. Two great cooks
from Italy brought their recipe with them when they worked here.
For over 40 years we still use
the same great recipe, we have to, when the cooks left they wrote the recipe on the kitchen wall so we would never forget.
The 1970's and 80's was the rowdy time
of our history.
Jimmy Buffett's "Why don't we get drunk and screw" played on the juke
box while people would drink, eat and dance to excess in the Pub.
There was a lot of illegal money passing
through the Keys back then and everyone
loved to spend it. They had so much
money in fact they started hanging it on our walls
NO NAME PUB BIG PINE KEY
.
As the new millennium arrived the rowdies grew up and the No Name Pub
became a place once again where people from all walks of life could
enjoy great food, cold beer and good conversation.
Our juke box is still here, the walls
are covered with a few more dollar bills and we are one of the last great
places with that old Florida Keys atmosphere.
"A nice place if you can find it."
As The Sign reads,this was true

Come inside the Hong Kong Willie Gallery! See
.
..

The first piece of art, Al, had heard, but where else. No Name Pub, selling bells, made out of scuba tanks. What a tip bell. Old times late 70's early 80's when Bob Jordan found the Atocha. Bob a real treasure hunter.,Pirates, No Name Key, and treasure.Al had been looking for some time for the first piece of art.Was it to be or was it going to be like Bob Jordan and the Keys. A short Link of Bob Jordan and the Atocha

bootlegacylaw.com/2007/04/26/curse-of-the-atocha-part-1-i...

google hong kong willie
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbpC9S-gIOo]
NO NAME PUB BIG PINE KEY
"GOOGLE HONG KONG WILLIE"
HONG KONG WILLIE FOX NEWS
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrV3Aj85I84]
Hippie Handbags. Hong Kong Willie. Hippie Bags
HIPPIE STORE ON LINE. BUY HIPPIE MADE HANDBAG. HIPPIE BAG MADE IN HIPPIE ART GROUP.GOOGLE HONG KONG WILLIE.
[googlemaps http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=hong+kong+willie&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=34.313287,79.101563&ie=UTF8&ll=28.094698,-82.347851&spn=0.074664,0.154495&z=13&iwloc=A&cid=7256894786005316276&output=embed&w=425&h=350]

No Name Pub on Bing
No Name Key
Famous Reuse Artist
google Hong Kong Willie
World Famous Reuse Artist
No Name Pub
Google Hongkongwillie

.

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KEYNOTER MARATHON FLORIDA KEYS. UPDATED 5 / 6 / 2024

 Famous FLORIDA KEYS Artist

Raised on Tampa city dump,like living in the Penthouse in the upper east side.

Weird Florida Hong Kong Willie episode


FUNDING FOR THIS PROGRAM IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE
S.L. GIMBEL FOUNDATION.
IN THIS EDITION OF "WEDU ARTS PLUS,Hongkongwillie

  To Live a life in the art world and be so blessed to make a social impact. Artists are to give back, talent is to tell a story, to make change. Reuse is a life experience  




FLORIDA KEYS Artist,

Blue Marlin Dream of Key West.

$225,000  Hong Kong Willie Art

FUNDING FOR THIS PROGRAM IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE
S.L. GIMBEL FOUNDATION.
IN THIS EDITION OF "WEDU ARTS PLUS,Hongkongwillie

KEYNOTER MARATHON FLORIDA KEYS

KEYNOTER MARATHON FLORIDA KEYS
 Hong Kong Willie Reuse Artist. Artist of the 60’s in the now. Acclaimed Famous Florida folk artist, Living the Life of using objects for many uses. Follow the travels of life

Artist Born for this time, Lived on a landfill as a child. Reuse Became the way of life. To read the story from the inception of the Name Hong Kong Willie. Famed, by the humble statements from the Key West Citizen, viable art from reuse has found its time. To Live a life in the art world and be so blessed to make a social impact. Artists are to give back, talent is to tell a story, to make change. Reuse is a life experience.
Hong Kong Willie Art Gallery In Tampa, a reuse Art Gallery. Artist Kim,Derek,and Joseph. reuse artist that have lived the life and are meant for the green movement in the world. A gallery that was born for this time. Artist living a freegan life,art that makes a social statement of reuse. Media that has a profound effect in making the word green truly a movement of reuse in the world today and the future.

Famous Keys  Artist.


Famous Keys artist raised on Tampa city dump,like living in the Penthouse in the upper east side.

MY FOX TAMPA BAY, Tampa Art Galleries Fletcher and 75 

 

Here is a Few Articles On

Florida Keys Artist

  Hong Kong Willie

John 3:16

King James Version (KJV)

 ¹⁶For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

New Tampa Patch 

By Tristram DeRoma 

The Story Behind the Eye-Catching Art at I-75 Exit 266 Tampa Florida

Folk artist Joe Brown, better known as "Hong Kong Willie," makes art with a message at his home/studio near

I-75 Exit 266 Tampa Florida

 

Sometimes, it’s the smallest experiences that have the biggest impact on a person’s life.
While attending an art class in 1958 at the age of 8, Tampa folk artist Joe Brown recalled being mesmerized by the lesson. It involved transforming a Gerber baby bottle into a piece of art.
“The Gerber bottle had no intrinsic value at all,” he said. “But when (the instructor) got through with me that day, she made me see how something so (valueless) can be valuable.”
By the time class was over, Brown learned many other lessons, too, such as the importance of volunteerism, recycling, reuse and giving back to the community. He recalled being impressed by the teacher's volunteer work in Hiroshima, Japan, helping atomic bomb survivors.
"One of the last words she ever spoke to me about that was, ‘When I left, I left out of Hong Kong,’ ” he said. After turning that over in his young brain for awhile, he decided to use it in a nickname, adding the name “Willie” a year later.
You've probably seen Hong Kong Willie's eye-catching home/gallery/studio at Fletcher Avenue and Interstate 75. But what is the story of the man behind all those buoys and discarded objects turned into art?
Brown practiced his creative skills through his younger years. But as an adult, he managed to amass a small fortune working in the materials management industry. By the the '80s, he left the business world and decided to concentrate on his art. He spent some years in the Florida Keys honing his craft and building his reputation as a folk artist. He also bought some land in Tampa near Morris Bridge Road and Fletcher Avenue where he and his family still call home.
Brown purchased the land just after the entrances and exits to I-75 were built. He said he was once offered more than $1 million for the land by a restaurant. He turned it down, he said, preferring instead to make part of the property into a studio and gallery for the creations he and his family put together.
And all of it is made of what most people would consider “trash.” Pieces of driftwood, burlap bags, doll heads, rope — anything that comes Brown’s way becomes part of his vocabulary of expression, and, in turn, becomes something else, which makes a tour of his property somewhat of a visual adventure. What at first seems like a random menagerie of glass, driftwood and pottery suddenly comes together in one's brain to form something completely different. One moment nothing, the next a powerful statement about 9/11.
One Man's Trash ...
Trash? There is no such thing, Brown seems to say through his art.
He keeps a blog about his art at hongkongwillie.blogspot.com. .
In his shop, he has fashioned many smaller items out of driftwood, burlap bags and other materials into signs, purses, totes, bird feeder hangars and yard sculptures.
He sells a lot to the regular influx of University of South Florida parents and students every year who are are at first intrigued by the “buoy tree” and the odd-looking building they see as they take Exit 266 off I-75.
Brown Sells More Than Art
Of course, the real locals know Brown’s place for the quality of his worms.
If there’s one thing that Brown knows does well in the ground, it’s the Florida redworm, something he enthusiastically promotes, selling the indigenous species to customers for use in their compost piles. Some of his customers say his worms are just as good at the end of a fishing hook, though.
“To be honest, what made me come here is that they had scriptures on the top of his bait cans,” said customer John Brin. “Plus, they have good service. They’re nice and they’re kind, and they treat you like family.”
Though Brin knows Brown sells them mostly for composting, he said they are great for catching blue gill, sand perch and other local favorites. He also added that he likes getting his worms from Brown “because his bait stays alive longer than any other baits I’ve used.”
For prices and amounts, he has another blog dedicated just to worms.
Of course, many people also stop by to buy the smaller pieces of art that he and his family create: purses made of burlap, welcome signs made of driftwood, planters and other items lining the walls of his store.
He’s also helped put his mark on the decor of local establishments too, such as Gaspar’s Patio, 8448 N. 56th st.
Owner Jimmy Ciaccio said that when it came time to redecorate the restaurant several years ago, there was only one person to call for the assignment, and that was his good friend Brown.
"I’ve known Joe all my life, and we always had a good chemistry together,” Ciaccio said. "He’s very creative and fun to be around, and that’s how it all came about.”
Ciaccio says he still gets compliments all the time for the restaurant’s atmosphere he created using the “trash” supplied by Brown. He describes the style as a day at the beach, like a visit to Old Key West. “They’re so inspired, they want to decorate their own homes this way,” he said.
It’s that kind of testimony that makes Brown feel good, knowing that others, too, are inspired to create instead of throw away when they see his work. He simply lets his work speak for itself.
“Somebody once told me to keep telling the story and they will keep coming," he said, "and they always do."

FLORIDA KEYS

FUNDING FOR THIS PROGRAM IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE
S.L. GIMBEL FOUNDATION.
IN THIS EDITION OF "WEDU ARTS PLUS,Hongkongwillie

FAmous Key West Recycling  Artist raised on Tampa city dump,like living in the Penthouse in the upper east side.

Blue Marlin Dream of Key West.

$225,000  Hong Kong Willie Art

New Tampa Patch By Tristram DeRoma The Story Behind the Eye-Catching Art at I-75 Exit 266 Tampa Florida American Recycling Artist Joe Brown, better known as "Hong Kong Willie," makes art with a message at his home/studio near I-75 Exit 266 Tampa Florida Sometimes, it’s the smallest experiences that have the biggest impact on a person’s life. While attending an art class in 1958 at the age of 8, Tampa Recycling Joe Brown recalled being mesmerized by the lesson. It involved transforming a Gerber baby bottle into a piece of art. “The Gerber bottle had no intrinsic value at all,” he said. “But when (the instructor) got through with me that day, she made me see how something so (valueless) can be valuable.” By the time class was over, Brown learned many other lessons, too, such as the importance of volunteerism, recycling, reuse and giving back to the community. He recalled being impressed by the teacher's volunteer work in Hiroshima, Japan, helping atomic bomb survivors. "One of the last words she ever spoke to me about that was, ‘When I left, I left out of Hong Kong,’ ” he said. After turning that over in his young brain for awhile, he decided to use it in a nickname, adding the name “Willie” a year later. You've probably seen Hong Kong Willie's eye-catching home/gallery/studio at Fletcher Avenue and Interstate 75. But what is the story of the man behind all those buoys and discarded objects turned into art? Brown practiced his creative skills through his younger years. But as an adult, he managed to amass a small fortune working in the materials management industry. By the the '80s, he left the business world and decided to concentrate on his art. He spent some years in the Florida Keys honing his craft and building his reputation as a folk artist. He also bought some land in Tampa near Morris Bridge Road and Fletcher Avenue where he and his family still call home. Brown purchased the land just after the entrances and exits to I-75 were built. He said he was once offered more than $1 million for the land by a restaurant. He turned it down, he said, preferring instead to make part of the property into a studio and gallery for the creations he and his family put together. And all of it is made of what most people would consider “trash.” Pieces of driftwood, burlap bags, doll heads, rope — anything that comes Brown’s way becomes part of his vocabulary of expression, and, in turn, becomes something else, which makes a tour of his property somewhat of a visual adventure. What at first seems like a random menagerie of glass, driftwood and pottery suddenly comes together in one's brain to form something completely different. One moment nothing, the next a powerful statement about 9/11. One Man's Trash ... Trash? There is no such thing, Brown seems to say through his art. He keeps a blog about his art at hongkongwillie.blogspot.com. He also sells his creations through the Website Etsy.com. In his shop, he has fashioned many smaller items out of driftwood, burlap bags and other materials into signs, purses, totes, bird feeder hangars and yard sculptures. He sells a lot to the regular influx of University of South Florida parents and students every year who are are at first intrigued by the “buoy tree” and the odd-looking building they see as they take Exit 266 off I-75. Brown Sells More Than Art Of course, the real locals know Brown’s place for the quality of his worms. If there’s one thing that Brown knows does well in the ground, it’s the Florida redworm, something he enthusiastically promotes, selling the indigenous species to customers for use in their compost piles. Some of his customers say his worms are just as good at the end of a fishing hook, though. “To be honest, what made me come here is that they had scriptures on the top of his bait cans,” said customer John Brin. “Plus, they have good service. They’re nice and they’re kind, and they treat you like family.” Though Brin knows Brown sells them mostly for composting, he said they are great for catching blue gill, sand perch and other local favorites. He also added that he likes getting his worms from Brown “because his bait stays alive longer than any other baits I’ve used.” For prices and amounts, he has another blog dedicated just to worms. Of course, many people also stop by to buy the smaller pieces of art that he and his family create: purses made of burlap, welcome signs made of driftwood, planters and other items lining the walls of his store. He’s also helped put his mark on the decor of local establishments too, such as Gaspar’s Patio, 8448 N. 56th st. Owner Jimmy Ciaccio said that when it came time to redecorate the restaurant several years ago, there was only one person to call for the assignment, and that was his good friend Brown. "I’ve known Joe all my life, and we always had a good chemistry together,” Ciaccio said. "He’s very creative and fun to be around, and that’s how it all came about.” Ciaccio says he still gets compliments all the time for the restaurant’s atmosphere he created using the “trash” supplied by Brown. He describes the style as a day at the beach, like a visit to Old Key West. “They’re so inspired, they want to decorate their own homes this way,” he said. It’s that kind of testimony that makes Brown feel good, knowing that others, too, are inspired to create instead of throw away when they see his work. He simply lets his work speak for itself. “Somebody once told me to keep telling the story and they will keep coming," he said, "and they always do." It,(was the dump) that had all this media, and a young enterprising mind. Not enough time to capture it all.