Longboater aims art at making a difference

It was a fleeting emotional connection that inspired Ed Miracle to create “Trilogy,’’ an 800-pound bronze sculpture depicting a forlorn woman with her face cast to the ground while she holds another mask-like face higher.

And it was another emotional connection that told the Longboat Key artist he had succeeded in his goal to create more meaningful art, not simply art that pays the bills.

Miracle created “Trilogy” after the 2006 killing of a woman near Longboat Pass Bridge. While driving over the bridge not long after the woman’s death, Miracle spotted a man working on a memorial. The two made eye contact, which startled Miracle and ultimately compelled him to create a domestic violence piece.

Years later, when the piece was complete, Miracle said he saw a man looking at it, crying.

The man explained the sculpture represented to him the mask he felt he wore growing up in a church-going family with an abusive father. To make someone feel that strongly was the most rewarding feeling for Miracle.

“We never know who we really are,’’ Miracle says on his website, explaining the piece, which stands 4 feet high.

When Miracle was beginning his artistic career, he couldn’t decide if he wanted to be a painter or a sculptor. At 24, he chose painting, but he promised himself that when he turned 65, he would turn to sculpting. At 78, he’s followed through.

From a commissioned sculpture on the Pacific Coast Highway in California to traveling with the American Ballet Theater, Miracle’s artwork has taken him near and far. He grew up in California, Texas, Colorado and Florida. 

“As boring as it looks, it’s very exciting,” he said. “Every stroke, every move you make, has an effect on the outcome.”

When he started out, Miracle painted ships and seascapes because he knew they would sell easily.

“That’s how you eat,” he said. “[But] at my old age, I wanted to say more than that. I want my work to have some kind of reaction to it as opposed to being oblivious.”

Now Miracle, who lists such notable people as the late Ronald Reagan and the late  Frank Sinatra as owners of his art, works on more meaningful pieces, such as “Trilogy.” And he has visions for a future project. In an effort to combat addiction, Miracle is starting a “Don’t Feed the Monkey” Campaign. The idea is simple, but the motive is complex.

Miracle hopes to reach out to young people and have them create a piece of art, whether it be a song, painting or video, about their personal monkey. The saying refers to the adage of giving into one’s monkey, their desires.

The end goal? Bring addiction to the forefront of people’s minds and host an art exhibit made up of the participants’ work. Then, Miracle wants the campaign, something he hopes can turn into a nonprofit organization, to go national.

Right now, though, Miracle is focusing on raising awareness and money for the project. Through various art lessons, Miracle is hoping he can find support in Longboat Key residents. For those interested in taking art lessons with Miracle, contact Tree Beesong at 730-9480.