Hundredth Orange Goes Up at Institute for Creative Arts

Nena may have 99 red balloons (remember the German one-hit wonder from 1984?), but Dunedin has 100 orange ... fruits.

painted his "centennial" orange on the north outside wall at the Institute for Creative Arts (968 Douglas Ave.) in front of a small gathering of friends, family, artists and community members during the early morning hours on April 23. Orange-themed donuts and orange juice were served.

Spathelf, known for his orange painting on buildings all around town, reserved No. 100 for Bill Coleman’s Institute for Creative Arts building on the corner of Douglas Avenue and Skinner Boulevard. He said all two years worth of his orange painting locations are written down.

Spathelf worked from an orange photo and began painting around 8:30 a.m. He finished within two hours.

“It’s great because I finally get a chance to see him work,” metalworker J.R. Lodico, 33, said. Lodico, who lives in St. Petersburg, teaches traditional blacksmithing at the Institute for Creative Arts. “It’s pretty amazing, the dimension — a beautiful representation.”

“It makes me want some orange juice,” laughed metalworker Dominice Gilbert, 30. Gilbert, Lodico’s girlfriend, teaches welding and metalworking at the Institute.

Since opening in November 2010, metal and glass workers, a jeweler, a muralist and a photographer have moved into workspace there. The facility also houses a gallery where the artists can put their work up for sale.

“We wanted to create an artist co-op,” Coleman said. “We wanted to work it in unison with the and do the heavier arts here that the Art Center’s not able to do over there … and make this area into an art overlay district.”

Gilbert and Lodico instruct metalworking classes in their respective mediums at the Institute for Creative Arts starting Saturday, May 7. Their classes run for four weeks, with two sessions available from 9 a.m. to noon or 1 to 4 p.m. Sign up through the .

For orange painting and other mural rates, contact Spathelf at 727-736-1594.