Local artists offer pier-spectives

A structural engineer can look at the Anna Maria City Pier and estimate its length, its height over sea level.

A woodworker can estimate the number of planks in the boardwalk and the circumference of the pilings.

And what does an artist see in the 100-year-old pier that’s getting a birthday tribute this weekend?

There is no variation in the pier’s length or the number of planks, but there is variation in artistic presentations of the pier that stretches into Tampa Bay at the east end of Pine Avenue.

For a century, artists — painters, photographers, sculptors, printers — have interpreted and reinterpreted the pier. The Islander recently surveyed just a sample of the large body of city pier work, which can be found at Island Gallery West, the Anna Maria Island Art League, the Artists’ Guild Gallery and other stops on the Island.

“The pier is a fun place where friends gather to enjoy the dolphins, turtles, manatees, fish and birds in the beauty of Anna Maria,” said Holmes Beach artist Barbara Hines, who created a whimsical pier image that has become an Islander vacation guide tradition.

Some artists, such as watercolorist Sue Cotton, chose to capture the pier from the shore looking south. Cotton’s piece depicts people fishing, walking the boardwalk and lounging at the pier bar.

Andy Boyd stood near that location and photographed the pier under an expansive, bold blue sky, while Tom Gross photographed the pier’s north side at a dramatic dawn.

Robert Johnson, who often paints on site, created a color-rich oil painting looking south, and chose to “zoom in on the pier … to do a detailed realistic version.”

Jo Anne Curtan photographed the pier looking north from the shore and entranced by the clouds that reminded her “of the carefree days of my youth when I had the time to watch the clouds, and all of the magic held within them.”

Mary Hamilton chose that angle, too, as did photographers Phil Jensen and Richard Stewart and watercolorist Midge Pippel.

“I wanted to include the wonderful beach grasses, white sand and some of the beautiful birds that are along the shoreline,” Pippel said.

For “The City Pier,” painter Darlene Holbrook chose a straight-on angle, standing in front of the welcome sign and looking out to the restaurant.

“One of the first places my husband and I visited when we moved to Bradenton was the city pier,” Holbrook remembered. “And we had an experience we will never forget. About eight manatees were swimming back and forth under the boardwalk making little squeaky sounds. It was as though they were trying to communicate with us.”

Holmes Beach painter Barbara Hoehn also captured a view with the sign, as did batik artist Robin Zimmerman and painter Judy Strom. The sign also caught the attention of Joan Voyles, who has created several pier pieces.

John Higgins, meanwhile, trekked out to the end of the pier to capture some of his photographs of the structure, including a striking image of white egrets against a darkening sky. Higgins’ pier photographs span three of the pier’s 10 decades.

Two of the more unique pier paintings can be found in the murals outside IGW in Holmes Beach — one shows in the pier in homage to Paul Gauguin and another shows the pier in the famed “Hokusai wave,” said artist Shirley Rush Dean.

“We always include the AMI pier, just for fun,” the artist said of the gallery artists.

Barbara Hines created this scene of happy-go-lucky pier-goers, which The Islander has used to cover its seasonal vacation guides.

Andy Boyd, a member of the Anna Maria Island Art League, took this big, blue sky photograph of the AMCP in November 1990.

Sue Cotton stood on the shore between the Rod & Reel Pier and the Anna Maria City Pier to create this perspective of the city structure.

Jo Anne Curtan says this is her favorite photograph of the pier.

Anna Maria Island Art League member Steve Gorman offers an Adobe Illustrator design of the pier.

Tom Gross’ angle takes in a sunrise.

Mary Hamilton’s print can be found at the Artists’ Guild Gallery in Holmes Beach.

John Higgins has been photographing the city pier for more than three decades.

One of the first paintings Darlene Holbrook completed was of the city pier.

Barbara Hoehn completed this painting in 2005.

Phil Jensen ventured out late one November 2010 afternoon to capture this image.

Popular Island artist Robert Johnson zoomed in for this painting of the pier.

Guild artist Midge Pippel stood on the sandy beach for this perspective.

Shirley Rush Dean’s pier can be found in the “Hokusai” wave mural outside Island Gallery West.

Barbara Singer’s watercolor of the city pier.

Richard Stewart’s digitally enhanced “Heron on City Pier.”

Judy Strom sought to capture the excitement of anticipating a pier walk.

Joan Voyles created this image on site in 2006.

Batik artist Robin Zimmerman sometimes sees her design on T-shirt wearers on the city pier.