I’ve had a couple of people comment about the logo and I’m not sure I’ve posted here about it. Maybe an early newsletter. I ripped it off. In a way. I’m not sure if this really would be considered “fair use” or remix or what ever the copyright term would be.

The one time I’ve attended a Council meeting to speak at public comment, I waited on the landing back towards the Clerk’s office. In the corner is this painting.

If you’re not familiar with the artist, Mr. Martinez was an Ybor City artist that painted with coffee. If my memory serves me correctly, he was on the east end of 7th Ave in the space next to the imported tile shop. He’d reduce down Cuban coffee and create paintings in his studio.

The smell of coffee was ubiquitous with the Ybor of my youth. If passing through Palmetto Beach the smell of coffee from the Brisk roaster didn’t get you, Naviera on 7th would. That he could take that process a step further and turn it into art fascinated me as a precocious 6th grader at Philip Shore. I was fortunate enough to attend school there a few years before this painting and even luckier that Mr. Fernandez would take a few kids on weekly walks around Ybor. Often it included saying hello to Mr. Martinez at his studio. (Don’t tell anyone but sometimes we’d get to have a cafecito to complete the experience.)

Anyway, I snapped this picture and put into Illustrator to create a vector image. I then played around with it in a couple different applications including Pixelmator Pro. I didn’t want a detailed copy; it was the silhouette that I was really after. I also excluded the flag. But the connection to Mr. Martinez and Ybor and where I fell in love with this city is there and I hope it conveys some of the inspiration for what I’m attempting to do here.