Matlacha group has ‘Paint n Picinic’ in effort to restore town

After Hurricane Ian, local business owners received help from the Matlacha Civic Association to help paint wooden poles in parking lots to make their town bright again.

Business owners along Pine Island Road in Matlacha were under 5 feet of water after Hurricane Ian.

Business owner Ono’ Frio Demattia of Onofrio D. Oro Fine Jewelry Store was only open for six months until Hurricane Ian flooded his business, taking all the jewelry with the currents.

“It was very devastating to finally break into my store a week later and see everything turned upside down,” said Demattia. “You don’t realize what depression is until it finally hits. I went into a very bad state of depression.”

The photo above, outside of Onofrio D. Oro Fine Jewelry shows the water level that was inside his business. He now operates from his business, creating fine jewelry using exquisite materials.

Across the street from the fine jewelry store, is the metal art store Matlacha Menagerie. The owner of the metal store, Linda Solinger, had to relocate the store due to the flooding.

“I didn’t know how to act or what to do,” said Solinger, as she described how all of metal art was found in the mud.

Demattia designs his own jewelry; as someone with metal art experience, he decided to ask for Solinger metal birds to restore them.

“So, he took all of our birds that have been in the mud, and he started putting them on top of all the posts,” said Solinger, “I was like, Uno, that’s awesome.’

The metal birds are on top of wooden poles, found in two parking lots, adjacent to each business.

The Matlacha Civic Association contacted Demattia about the dull birds and wooden poles, asking if they could paint each one to bring back ‘color’ to their community.

“I’m an artist. I would I was about to do it, but I just didn’t have the time,” said Demattia. “For them to come in and do that, for me…I mean, my heart just melted.”

The group of nearly a dozen women received approval from the civic association to buy paint products to redecorate the birds.

One lady from the group, Cynthina Ward, painted “The Tiny Home of Matlacha”, painting her home along and her neighbors, celebrating the final rebuild of their homes after Hurricane Ian.

“Whether you are an artist or not,” said Ward. “It’s good to participate.”

The project took nearly two days to complete, the first day priming the wooden poles and birds, then adding color the next.

The president of the Matlacha Civic Association, Carol Scott, organized the group to come out and paint.

“We’re all friends, we do activities together, and we felt out [of] town, and that’s time,” said Scott. “To start bringing back the spirit of Matlacha with color.”

The photos above show the artist involved in the “Paint n’ Picnic” initiative to brighten the poles entering their community.

The Matlacha Civic Association is looking to get involved with more art projects. To find out more, follow their Facebook page.