The Key West Citizen Newspaper, December 31, 1953, Page 3

SOCIETY — PERSONALS — NEWS OF INTERES: TO WOMEN ITEMS OF INTEREST TO EVERYONE JO ELLEN KELLER, Editor ‘Thursday, December 31, 1953 THE KEY WEST CITIZEN Page 3 Gene Ottos Combine Backgrounds Of France, Key West In Homestead Expressive Of Artistic Achievements Paris was the prelude that drew Bostonian Anne Parker and Key Wester Gene Otto into the harmony of an art and a marriage shared and understood, Anne Otto was studying music in the French capital when she met art student Gene Otto. They delighted in the City of Light's opalescent mists, In the chimney pots and mansard roofs, in the bright carts of the flower-sellers, and, most of all, in one another. Gene Otto searched all of Paris} for a gift for his fiancee and found! Years later, when compliment- nothing lovely enough to satisfy|ing the chef of a trans-Atlantic him. . until he went into the lit-jliner, Gene Otto mentioned the tle shop of an antiquaire where he)ynxnown” Riviera inn. The chef had selected gifts for his family| pressed him for further information from. time to time, Still there was and upon hearing the name of the nothing beautiful enough for his honeymoon pension, told the Ottos even more beautiful Anne. Then his that it was one of the most famous e caught the sparkle of a deli-!of ali France, and that he himself cately wrought silver cross set/had adapted some of its specialties with white sapphires. The stumb-jinto his cooking. The Ottos were ling block was that it rested in/fortunate enough to eat humble the stout folds of Madame’ the| pie in the guise of Companie Gen- Shopkeeper’s rusty black dress./erale Transatlantique’s finest cul- It definitely was not for sale. It/inary achievements. was, Madame assured him, a trea- Returns Home sured personal possession, After his years of study in Finds Gift France in several reknown schools In vain Gene Otto pleaded, brib-|including the Grande Chaumiere, ed and very nearly threatened./L’Haute and the Academie Juli- Madame was obdurate and totally|enne at which Sargent and Whist- unmoved until her would-be patron|ler received their training, Gene blurted out that he wanted the/Otto was faced with the matter of cross as a gift for his fiancee.|establishing a permanent house- Madame immediately became his|hold. ally, though she scolded at first| When he turned to his wife, in because he had not said at once indecision, she said “There are that an affaire de coeur was involv-two places in the world where I ed. To his chagrin; Gene Otto dis-\could always be happy. . Brittany vovered that it was still impossible|or in Key West.” to purchase the exquisite orna-| The best of the France that is ment, for Madame preesnted it to\so much a part of the Ottos was| him in an impulsive Gallic gesture added to Key West's heritage when as her gift to him for his fiancee. they came to this city to live. In} * Anne. Otto keeps the shining sap-'the setting of their collection of| Le Jardin \ Bian ott id 1 ld MR. AND MRS. GENE OTTO f: charming garden of their Key Gene Otto received the trainin | “ ‘ind happiness “in their own backyard,” which happens to be the West home, The Ottos lived in France for many years while i that was to be the technical foundation for the art of his ma- site i » turity which has won him acclaim as the Key West artist. TELEPHONE: Citizen Office, 25661 RAUL’S SERVING COMPLETE DINNER NEW YEAR'S DAY FROM 12 NOON TILL 10:00 P.M. Roast Turkey... . . $2.85 Roast Sirloin of Beef . . $2.75 Child’s Ham or Turkey Dinner . $1.50 You'll Enjoy It! The Hansens To Open New Panther Room Fred and Renee, popular man- agers of the Fantasea Room at) the Trade Winds, are opening a new lounge to herald the New] Year this evening. | The new room will be called the ;Panther Room and it is situated | jOPPosite the Fantasea Cocktail Bar| in the same building. q An entirely new decor has been | employed and the atmosphere is | one of sophistication and intimacy | which keynotes the entertainment theme which the Hansens intro-' duced to Key West and have made | popular here. SUNDAY BRUNCH q Your family will love this deli- cious hot bread. | Grapefruit Halves Cereal Ham and Eggs Orange Coffee Beverage Cake ORANGE COFFEE CAKE Ingredients: 2 cups biscuit mix, 1 tablespoon grated orange rind, | \% teaspoon mace, 2 tablespoons sugar, % cup milk, % cup fresh orange juice, 1 egg (well beaten), 2 tablespoons butter or margarine (melted), 6 large or 12 small lumps of sugar, % teaspoon mace, 1 44 teaspoons grated orange rind, 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice. Methoid: Mix biscuit mix, 1 tablespoon orange rind, % teaspoon | mace and 2 tablespoons sugar. Stir in milk, % cup orange juice, egg and butter just until dry ingre. dients are moistened. Spoon into Paper baking cups placed in 12 medium-size muffin pans, filling Happy New ee 1954 FRED and RENEE HANSEN Help us Welcome our New Addition with a » — Gala New Year's Celebration at the New | PANTHER ROOM phire cross in one of the tiny draw. |fine old French furniture that is ers of an old French chest in the|surprisingly at home in the Vic- boudoir of their Key West home. |torian surroundings of Gene Otto’s ‘feeling of a country house. The| old. Anne Otto gave up her career) walls of the high-ceilinged rooms!in music though she had found| movement of the new. cups two-thirds full. Place 4% large : or whole small lump of sugar in together with the zest and center of each muffin. Mix % tea- spoon mace, 1 % teaspoons orange the old After their wedding in Paris, at- mother’s house, the gifted couple tended by members of Anne Ott: ave created a charming atmos- family who had crossed from Bos-|phere that draws upon the influ- ton to be with her, there was a ence of the old and new worlds. honeymoon on. che Riviera where! The Ottos have succeeded in they sought out, for their long stay, surmounting the stiffness and for- a small pension and were happy in|mality of cabinet-making of the its seclusion, They particularly en-/quatorzieme, quinzieme and seiz- Joyed the excellent cuisine of this|ieme periods of the Louis, Kings of! out-of-the-way place. France, with the pleasant bergere| mounted on linen and the colo: have mellowed to a rich silver- sepia. The sensitive hues of the woodwork, the new dining-room old Key West house are originated by Gene Otto. The artist’s studio is the former dining-room which is beneath the room in which he was born. The ANNOUNCEMENT CALENDAR THURSDAY, December 31st 12:15—Rotary Club, St. Paul’s Parish Hall 2:00—Auxiliary (sewing), at Monroe General Hoapital 6;:30—Lions Club, at the Den, 2007 Seminary St. 8:00—CAP Cadets at Poinciana Community House 8:00—Lower Keys Property Owners’ Ass’n., place to be- an nounced FRIDAY, January Ist As this is New Year's Day, please contact the chairman of your club or organization to inquire whather or aot meetings scheduled for today are to be postponed, studio holds simple but carefully selected furniture and materials used in Iffs painting. There is a feeling of intensity in the room, yet a remoteness not only from the rest of the house but from every- thing exept Gtne Otto's creative- ness. Dominant Role Though, like all artists, Gene Ot- to is an entity unto himself, his eminence in the field of painting is at least partly attributable to his dominant role in his own house- jare hung with the original papers|considerable success including pi-| In his own words, janoforte engagements at the Rain- |bow Room in Rockefeller Center in |true fulfillment in her husband's career in Key West, and has done ‘a rather stunning job of finding! maker and superb cook. | While Anne Otto graciously fills |many requests made by Key West jelubs and organizations, her hus. band has produced a genre of| painting that is entirely his own, jand has brought him acclaim as) {the Key West artist, Art Contribution The outstanding contribution of |Gene Otto, to date, to’ American| |painting is the subtlety and so-| phistication of his European back-| ground combined with the high key) and vibrance of Key West light. His work represents emotional ma- jturity and technical skill. Philip Wylie described, in |perceptive way, impressions Gene Otto's art in 1950. | his of Gene Otto States “Key West is my heritage, yet I feel that I am avant guarde New York where she played her|in my art; I use all the past en-| land the exterior of the graceful/°¥® arrangements, She found her|compassed in what I have exper-| i their high-lighted realism while fruits, flowers and: fabrics unfold a lush tuctual quality. Within it all} is the idealism of the artist that} transcends the ordinary and brings the what-we-know into the realm of pure beauty. Gene Otto is not limited by nar- rowness of concept. He finds love- liness and inspiration in the fam-| liar and commonplace, but he sees in these the universal essence of the subject and translates it,' through his genius, into a supreme experience, i ——_—_—_ Easy Christmas Sundae: whole) cranberry sauce spooned over va- nilla ice cream. If you like, you! may heat the sauce when you take rind and 1 tablespoon orange juice; | dribble 4% teaspoon over each su- gar lump. Bake in moderate (375F) oven 20 to 25 minutes, Despite their mythical nine liv- enced, then push a bit further.” €S, cats rarely live to be more In his still lifes, metals and por-| jher metier in being a gifted home-|celains have a ringing brilliance in} than 15 years old. COIFFURE, DESIGNERS J. REIDS Salon of Beauty 423 Fleming St. LA CONCHA HOT! ADELINE | Favors, Noisemakers, Special | Entertainment in Both the Fantasea and Panther Rooms —Added Attraction— DIANE PIERCE BOB CHASE Singer Piano | RESERVATIONS SUGGESTED for the PANTHER ROOM '! Trade Winds e Custom Work Dene In Our. Own } Decorating Workshop DIAL 2.2365 904 FLEMING ST. KEY WEST | He said “The cataract of light it from the can, adding a little jwhich floods Key West has chal- brown sugar and cinnamon to it, | We welcome 1954 with the hope that it be @ year of peace and contentment for our many friends and neighbors. From All of Us at HERMAN 'S New Year's Eve CENTRAL PHARMACY, White and Truman Avenve — Mail | Orders Filled. May you look forward to a banner year of abund- ance and lasting joy, as we look forward to serv- ing you again in 1954! | jlenged many painters and then, as/aod then ladle it over the ice they painted, overwhelmed their cream. palettes and confused their talents. Se In tumults of coloration they have generally lost, and lost altogether, New Bookshop that mixture of strange magic and intense familiarity which they have dy B Op d perceived and relished and endea- 0 € ene vored to set down. The light is starkly white, the radiance of tro- By Key Westers Pical sun, so constant and so vio- lent in itself. As it bathes the land-| Mr. and Mrs. George Mills White scape, even the most freshly-open- are filling a long-felt need in the ed flower gives back from its vivid community with the opening of surfaces more of the sense of pure their book-shop Saturday on Flem- light than of particulare hue. ing and Simonton Streets. “This is the observation upon) The accent is on service, and which Gene Otto has based an ori-|though the shep will carry an inter- ginal thesis for painting tropical esting selection of new books, or- regions — a thesis which has met ders will be taken and promptly with enthusiasm among critics and filled for any titles not appearing jeollectors. He has found a new key on the shelves. jin which to reflect the light-soak-, Hours will be from nine in the ed land, a key in which the colors morning until nine in the evening jwince in the heat and blanche in to facilitate everyone’s use of the jthe luminosity until his very can- bookshop. It will be of interest to jvas, seared and steamed by the Key Westers and tourists alike half-blinding whelm of glare and that there will be an up-to-the- glitter, takes on the feeling of his minute lending library which will |subject.” Exciting Theme Aside from Gene Otto’s incom- Parable scenes of Key West, there will be a new and exciting sur- prise when he exhibits his art in February. His still-life paintings are full of vigor and the refresh ing feeling of his own interpreta ition He b 3s preserved the best of Mr. and Mrs. Ge contain the newest best-sellers as well as a wide range of books to suit all tastes. Key West is fortunate in having people of the ability, taste and background of the George Mills Whites to manage the bookshop and the opening day is looked forward to by everyone in the Island City who is interested in books. orge Mills White Announce the Opening of THE BOOKSHOP 534 FLEMING STREET On Saturday, January 2nd COMPLETE BOOK SERVICE RENTAL LIBRARY SOUTHERN ENGINEERING COMPANY 1118 WHITE STREET HALF BUSHEL INDIAN RIVER Insured and Express Included Hobby Shop 1105 Truman Avenue PHONE 2-3961 CELEBRATION FLEET RESERVE HOME Caroline Street Members and Their Ladies and Guests Invited Favors Party Hats RESERVATIONS NOT REQUIRED