Known for its “ Skateboard Rodeo,” Westwind Lakes Park in West Kendall now has the distinction of a commissioned artwork by a noted Miami artist.
Stretching 22 feet along a clubhouse breezeway wall is the striking vision of a pine rockland, the work of Miami artist Griselda Lichini who broke normal rules by welcoming amateur touches to her original painting.
“This was a fun project involving the community,” said Lichini who was selected for the assignment after Commissioner Juan C. Zapata and staff admired her works during the inaugural West End Art Show in April.
“They loved my paintings and, since then, I was invited to participate in two Art in the Park projects,” she explained of her identification with Zapata’s focus for a cultural identity in the West Kendall area he terms Miami-Dade’s “West End.”
Several designs for the clubhouse wall were considered by Zapata and staff before selecting Lichini’s initial roughimpression of a pine rockland, a subject that arouses preservationists when development threatens extinction of South Florida’s unique habitat for sub-tropical plants, bird and animal life.
“As I finished the mural, so many asked questions about the colors and reason for a certain design elements that I decided to invite them to add a touch of their own,” she explained. “While that may be unusual, it just seemed right with people of this area being urged to be involved with community projects.”
Lichini’s initial West Kendall artistic works also replaced the bleak monotone of three of eight Adirondack chairs, completed earlier this year with one chair placed in each of eight West Kendall parks as colorful accents.
“I’m more than grateful to the people there, and especially to the commissioner and his amazing team, a group of hard workers and visionaries,” Lichini added for her artistic prominence in the West End.
Painting since 2008, she moved to Louisiana after a Miami modeling career and discovering her passion for painting. With a post-impressionistic style, she most often paints landscapes, the feminine figure and abstracts. During Art Basel Week 2014, she exhibited at Artisan Direct Gallery, Mana Wynwood and Futurama Gallery. Last December, she took part in an “Art Experience Tour” in Punta del Este, Uruguay, during shows with selected paintings up for public auction at the Conrad Hotel.
Most recently she completed a March residency at Daca Gallery, New York, that included a special showing. During June and July, her works were featured in a solo display at McCormick Place in downtown Miami, and in August at “Acentos y Paladares” organized by Federacion Latioamericana de Gastronomia of Miami.
For information about Lichini, visit www.GriseldaLechiniArt.com.
Westwind Lakes Action Sports Park at 6805 SW 152 Ave. is well known in Kendall for its 10,000-square-foot outdoor concrete skateboarding venue, home for the annual three-day Skateboard Rodeo competitions.
The park was designed for a combination of traditional skate park flow and street plaza obstacles with two six-foot quarter pipes, rails, launch ramp, bank ramps, wall ride, bench, stairs and several different sized hubbas.
Two other unique features setting the park apart are the volcano-shaped obstacle in park center and its UFO bank ramp. Well lit for night sessions, the park is open 365 days a year, weather permitting, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Skateboards, inline skates, BMX and scooters are all permitted. For information, call 305-388-4771.
