November 21, 2025 • 25 mins
At the young age of 10, Michael Enns got his artistic start from Bean Backus. Taking his talent with guidance from Backus, landscape painting jumped on Enns' canvas during a commissioned work. He fell in love. What Backus had told him all along prevailed.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
You're listening to Evergreen Media Network. I am Cindy Schwartz
and this is our Veterans SWIS Radio show with your
host Ralph Nathan Alco.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Hello everybody, and welcome to Saturday, December sixth in beautiful
Vera Beach, Florida. Before we introduce our guests, I want
to share something with you. You know, we have a
podcast and I along with the podcasts, we're part of
the broadcasting system with iHeartRadio dot com. So periodically I
(00:41):
get a report of where our veteran's voice is tuned into,
where in the world that we've heard of the different
topics that we discussed, which ones are the hottest and
which ones may be a little slower. So I just
studied the report that I've received to day days ago.
Approximately sixty six to zero percent of our listeners are
(01:07):
in the United States. The next one blew my mind,
Cindy putting it in a lousy spot. Where with the
next canis that used to be? That's what I would
have thought.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
Twenty percent Japan. Twenty after sixty percent.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
Of the United States and listeners, the next highest group
of listeners are in Japan, and we're trying to analyze.
You know, we have a wonderful, wonderful relationship the United
States and Japan, bitter lessons from the past, wonderful lessons
that we've learned, and it's one of the greatest allies,
(01:52):
one of the most wonderful relationships and friendships that the
United States has earned over the years. But then somebody
asks something else, and I'd like to encourage whoever, if
you're in the Japan area and listening, I would I
would like to get your feedback. Somebody had suggested perhaps
(02:14):
because we have an unusually large military presence in the
Japan Far East area, that perhaps maybe that's part of
the twenty percent. I don't have any idea. I don't know, Susan,
you're from Japan or yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
I lived in Japan for five years, and I must
say that Japanese have always been that I met and
talked to, were always outward reaching. They had books from
foreign countries, they'd have newspapers, they'd have entertainers coming in.
They'd have shows, and I don't just mean wrestling shows
or things like that. They would have shows of art
(02:49):
and shows of handicrafts. That's a very cultural yes, yes,
so it could well be that they're interested in the
art or in things that are happening, and the Highwaymen
might have gotten popular, you.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Never know, apparently, and this thank you you prompted me
right into that I'm always interested who and where are
they with the listeners? And the next is what did
they like the most to listen to? Well, fourteen thirteen, fifteen,
whatever years we've been on the air, it started out
our Veterans Voice radio, and then it emanated into four
(03:24):
other categories, and that's the collectibles, you know, the Treasure
Treasure Finders World Show. Then you have the bookworms, which
is of reading, encouraging reading and speaking to authors, and
the fourth the High Women. And it's just sing enough.
As of the last couple of weeks report that I received,
(03:46):
number one is still the military, a veteran's voice, and
number two the high Women. All of you apparently as
enamored as the rest of us with the cultural movement,
the most beautiful art movement that affected my life, and
that's a Highwayman movement. So the old story is if
(04:09):
a businessman who has a retail shop, or if a
restaurant and they see what the customers want to eat
or want to want to buy, They're going to make
sure it's available. So I need to know, as your host,
what do you want to hear? And you're telling me
by the study that you want to hear about the military,
and you want to hear about the high Women. So
(04:30):
today and that this is walked it right back perfect
into our introduction, we have a very special guest. Everyone's
heard of Beanie Bacchus and the influence he had, an
extremely generous, very talented human being as far as the
High Women are concerned, well, today's guests grew up living
(04:56):
near and taught, trained and protegee of Beanie Beckis. So
it's literally my pleasure and by the way, I'm sorry.
And with us in the studio, we also have a
very very different Susan Harris. When we say Susan Harris
(05:18):
in Indian River County or Martin County, or Saint Lucy
County or Vera Beach, it's synonymous with what jensons.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
We hope you think Jetson's and of course art like
the Highwaymen and artist bean Backus, who's all part of it.
And that's why I'm so excited with Michael ends here.
Speaker 4 (05:38):
Ah by what's going to happen with Jetson's and I Women.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
Oh on January thirty first, we're going to have our
fifteenth annual Jetson Highwayman Show. Yes, Cindy, you've been there.
Michael Ends is coming. He is going to be we'll
have both the Highwayman Museum and the Backus Museum. And Michael,
as he will tell us, but twenty years he studied
with being backus then you know, being backus between scholarships
(06:07):
and grants and the generosity of being backus. He went
to Parsons up there in New York City, as Cindy
was talking about earlier, and then he ended up working
for many people, which he'll tell us about Andy Warhol
being one. So it's gonna be a great radio show.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Yeah, I didn't if you've used the name already. Michael
Ends his special guest. But interesting enough. Today is Saturday,
December sixth A week from today, December thirteenth, Michael will be.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
In Vero Beach.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
He will be at the hire Woman Art Gallery in
eighteen seventy two Commerce Avenue in Vero Beach.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
The show the store.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
The gallery is open from ten to three and Michael
will be there you'll be able to speak to him,
get his autographed talk, enjoy his artwork that he will
have and our gallery has on display. And the interesting
thing is, so you're going to see him before Christmas
(07:12):
and then not about a month and a half later,
five weeks later, you're going to see him at Jetson
in Fort Piers at forty one forty five US one
south US one Right, that's the flag well the that's
the Jetson with a huge fact on US one.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
Well, I hate to tell him, we just took down
the flagpole. Oh. I was trying to give him the signals.
We we couldn't find people to fix it. It was
one of the tallest out there.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
Yeah yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4 (07:41):
So yeah, the must have broken John's heart. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Anyway, but the beautiful thing is the greatest show every
year for the highwaymen. Barnan is in Fort Piers with Jetson. So, Michael,
I can't think of a better reduction that we could
present you with.
Speaker 3 (08:02):
So thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
I know you've not been feeling well and you're on
the way to recovery, but I want to really thank
you on behalf of Cindy, Susan, myself and our listeners
for taking the time to share with us your life
and experience with the High Women and Beanie pactis so
welcome to our Veterans Voice Radio and today the High
(08:24):
Women Party.
Speaker 5 (08:26):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 4 (08:27):
Oh that's an honor.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
So my I'm familiar with the N's family. I'm very
blessed of having met some members of your family. But
the End's family goes back quite a bit in Fort Pierce, right.
Speaker 5 (08:44):
It does.
Speaker 6 (08:45):
It does.
Speaker 5 (08:45):
It's actually the Gladwins, you know, because they were my
grandmother's family and they were the first to settle there.
And then back in the nineteen twenties, the ends Is
came and my grandfather married my grandmother who was born
in Fort Pierce, and and so it was, you know,
(09:08):
they're all crackers.
Speaker 4 (09:11):
What state did they come from when they emigrated to
Fort Pierce.
Speaker 5 (09:14):
Well, my grand parents, my grandmother's family was Hello, Federation
and then uh, and then I guess they had her
father had come from Connecticut and her mother came from Florida,
and then I think earlier from that they came from
(09:38):
South Carolina and some of them and you know, well, yeah,
so they've been around Florida for a long time.
Speaker 4 (09:49):
Well, what was.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
It like growing up in in Fort Pierce when when
you were a young man.
Speaker 4 (09:56):
Growing up?
Speaker 5 (09:58):
Oh, it was amazing, It was really, it was really
amazing because I just had access to so much. You know,
my parents were friendly with a bunch of cattlemen and
so we were all ways out camping in the ranches
(10:19):
west of Fort Pierce. We always were, you know, on
the ocean. We had you know, uh flotilla boats of
boats that all leaked that we used the city right,
and it was it was a fantasy there, truly was.
(10:41):
And then back then there were so many characters of
Fort Pierce.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
Characters.
Speaker 5 (10:49):
Yeah, it was character city.
Speaker 3 (10:51):
I mean there's a bit.
Speaker 5 (10:55):
Yeah, there's truly is. I mean, how all those people
you know gathered there? And I asked, I said, well,
how did all of these weird I was get here?
And they said, oh, it's a sand bar. They would
be coming down on their yachts or their chips or
whatever and they would hit the sand bar get stuck there,
(11:17):
of person. You know, the next thing they knew it
was right, you know, I loved it. It was such
a quiet little fishing village.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
Interesting, we're going to be going to our first break.
What I'd like to do for you to think about
when we come back. I want to ask you at
what point ab two questions, At what point did you
start drawing a painting?
Speaker 4 (11:40):
And at what point.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
Did you meet and how did you meet Beanie Beckus. So, everybody,
this is our Veterans Voice Radio with today's Saturday, December sixth,
and next week our guests. Today, Michael Lens will be
in person at the High Women Art Gallery in vero Be.
Speaker 3 (12:00):
We'll be right back, everybody.
Speaker 6 (12:03):
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Speaker 4 (13:06):
Hey, did you hear the latest about our Florida High Woman?
Speaker 2 (13:09):
No? What?
Speaker 4 (13:10):
There's a new High Woman art gallery in Vero Beach.
Speaker 2 (13:12):
Really where eighteen seventy two Commerce Avenue?
Speaker 7 (13:16):
Wow?
Speaker 3 (13:16):
When's it open?
Speaker 4 (13:17):
Seven days a week?
Speaker 2 (13:19):
Called nine five four five five seven six two two
six for an appointment any time, No kidding, Just call
for your appointment ninety five four five five seven six
two two six and then go to eighteen seventy.
Speaker 4 (13:31):
Two Commerce Avenue. Wow, that's good news. A member of
the iText training community, your I text dollars are welcome.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
And welcome back to Orbit and Swiss Radio showing Ralph Davianogo's.
Speaker 2 (13:46):
Susan Harris of Jetson's and a very very very special guest.
We've been waiting to do this conversation for so long.
Michael ends Michael, I believe you're in Coral Gables right now.
Speaker 3 (13:59):
Is that correct, Florida?
Speaker 5 (14:00):
It is, okay, I'm in Coral Cable. It's beautiful Coral Cable.
Speaker 3 (14:04):
Yes it is.
Speaker 2 (14:04):
There's beautiful history if you read up on Coral Gables.
So we uh today's show, we'll talk about the high Woman,
of course, and.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
At what age? How did what happened?
Speaker 2 (14:17):
How did you realize then all of a sudden you
have a talent for painting or drawing or interest in art.
Speaker 4 (14:23):
How did that come about?
Speaker 2 (14:25):
Oh?
Speaker 5 (14:26):
I don't you know. There was this uh actually this
lady that was friendly with my mother and she was Indonesian.
Her name was Anne Troop, and she gave me a
set of oil pain and I was like, oh man,
this is like really something. So you know, I just
(14:48):
like sort of dabbled and did stuff, and then I
went over. I bicycled over to Beans because I had
some other friends and he was like friendly or with
being so you know, I had been there to the
studio before, but you know, kind of with my parents
(15:08):
or for a party or something. And then I just
started hanging out there and you know, I went up
in the attic and played around and I found this,
you know, like Haitian sculpture, and I brought it down
and being said you can have that, and I was like,
(15:28):
oh wow. So you know I was there with my
hand out the whole time to get something. You know,
that is a really wild story.
Speaker 3 (15:42):
Do you still have that work of art?
Speaker 5 (15:45):
Well, this is what happened. I like, years and years later,
was in Atlanta and I was in the in this
big art folk art show, you know, going through it
and there was my sculpture. Wow, and I said, oh
(16:06):
my god, where did you get this? And the man said, well,
I bought it a garage sale of Tallahassee. And I thought,
I know what happened. My sister took it to Tallahassee
with her and then when she left Callahassee, she sold
it because it was my sculpture, this Catherine. But the
(16:28):
guy wanted five hundred dollars for it and I couldn't
afford it.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
So was this your sister Catherine?
Speaker 4 (16:35):
What she was?
Speaker 5 (16:37):
No, it was uh, she went to us. No, it
was my sister Mary.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
Well, I bet that that put it in a good
favor with you for a little while.
Speaker 5 (16:50):
You know, she could never get out of favor with me.
She's a she's a trip.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
Can I ask you know the question, you know you
said here, how old were you? So you were ten
or something or when you first went there and he
let you go up in the attic and he lets
you rummage around and do everything you wanted being.
Speaker 5 (17:07):
Back as to this, Oh yes, yeah, he you know,
the door was open. And then he had another little
attic in his uh, in his next to his bedroom too.
I used to like to go into that one and
check it out.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
What was in there.
Speaker 5 (17:22):
Oh, he had some old paintings. He had, you know,
old port a lot of old portraits and stuff like that.
You know that, you know, because he he did portraits.
But I mean they weren't that great, but you know
he did do them because you know, he was kind
of the only game in town at the time. I mean,
(17:45):
you know, so.
Speaker 4 (17:46):
Did he take a strong personal interest in you?
Speaker 5 (17:51):
Absolutely? Absolutely. We were like, you know, he was like
my best friend. I mean, he loved me, He really
loved me, loved all the questions I asked them. You know,
we had a really wonderful relationship.
Speaker 4 (18:07):
Now, when did you move out of Fort Pierce? Michael?
Speaker 5 (18:11):
I was eighteen, you know, I was eighteen. My father
showed me the door, and you know, but I, you know,
as wonderful as my childhood was, I always wanted to
move to New York. And I used to like, you know,
(18:35):
there was a train that ran the FEC railroad behind
our house, and I used to just go in there
and I would kind of jump a train and think,
I'm going to go to New York now, and I
just get on the train and I'd like get up
to like Vero Beach and get off the train and
(18:56):
walk home. So it was you know, I mean, I
just like long to you know, have something else, that
something more. I mean, when you have so much and
then you still want more, you know, I kind of
understand all the greed going on in the world now.
Speaker 8 (19:16):
So unfortunately, now, when you moved from Fort Pierce eventually
to New York, did you keep in touch with Pennie Packers?
Speaker 5 (19:27):
Oh my god, yes, I was just found a letter,
little letter. I mean, he didn't write long letters. They
were always like really short, you know, but it always
usually sped, you know, son of a Bee and you know,
now you know something something very crass. And the handwriting
(19:49):
was like, you know, like reading.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
A doctor really because his signature is very cold.
Speaker 4 (19:54):
His signature is very legible.
Speaker 5 (19:58):
Very legible. Yeah, but his other stuff was not. I
mean that's why a lot of times when he would
wanted something done, he'd always printed.
Speaker 4 (20:10):
Interesting.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
Yeah, because I have a personal check of his that
I framed with his picture, because I mean, to me,
he's one of my heroes because of the anonymity that
he maintained, being philanthropic and helping people in the community
not wanting the credit for it.
Speaker 4 (20:29):
And to me, that's a good person.
Speaker 5 (20:32):
He was a saint. He really truly was like the
most generous, level headed person you'd ever want, and just
had so much empathy for people. Yeah. I mean he
was a better humanitarian than he was an artist. And
that's really saying something.
Speaker 3 (20:53):
You're not kidding artists.
Speaker 2 (20:54):
I mean, but none, how high, how tall, is the
highest mountain kind of the world.
Speaker 5 (21:01):
I mean, yes, I mean there's like nobody, nobody, and
you know, honestly, like I met a lot of other
artists in New York and nothing compares to him as
a human being. I mean he you know, no one,
none of those artists ever had the generosity or whatever,
(21:23):
you know, stretch an extra mile for anybody like he would.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
So I'm probably asking a very obvious question, but I'd
like to discuss it.
Speaker 4 (21:37):
What kind of influence was Beanie.
Speaker 2 (21:39):
Bechis and Michael End's philosophy of what Michael wanted to paint.
Speaker 5 (21:46):
Well, I wanted to sort of get the lifeblood and
the essence of the tropics. That's what I really wanted
to do when I.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
Was younger and beautiful.
Speaker 5 (22:01):
And I just really wanted to be like a lot
more exuberant than being was. So you know, I created
a lot of bad art.
Speaker 4 (22:21):
Artist's opinion, we may not agree.
Speaker 5 (22:24):
And uh, and it was I really, I mean the
thing was I actually stood out because in New York
because I was like kind of more on that tropical side.
I thought I was more like a a like did
postcard art, you know kind of thing.
Speaker 2 (22:46):
And uh, now, how did the New Yorkers feel about
your tropical art?
Speaker 5 (22:55):
They thought it was a joke. It was kind of
a joke. They thought, you know, it was all light
and fluffy and not serious. And then I thought, well
that's cool. I can I can handle that because you know,
so so much of art is uh you know, it's
(23:18):
very subjective. Yes, yeah, And they had their opinion and
I so I started putting kind of this very dark
symbolism and the pieces and trying to like say, well,
here's this beautiful picture, but actually there's something very you know,
(23:43):
dark happening inside the piece.
Speaker 3 (23:48):
You speak like a typical artist.
Speaker 8 (23:49):
You know that.
Speaker 2 (23:51):
I've spoken to so many artists and they have their
own philosophy of what their art's all about. Michael, We're
going to take a short break the halftime and we
come back. I've really i'd like to.
Speaker 4 (24:03):
Have Susan and I and Cindy.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
I think you're familiar with backus his artwork because he
was such an influential person and like in this case, Michael,
but also like an Herald Newton, the famous palm trees,
the water. So when we get back, I wanted to
discuss your art, uh, and from what I gather and
(24:25):
what Susan has as far as the influence and in
addition to that brush as compared to palette knife. We'll
be right back, everybody. This is our Veterans Voice Radio
with Michael Ends
You're listening to Evergreen Media Network. I am Cindy Schwartz
and this is our Veterans SWIS Radio show with your
host Ralph Nathan Alco.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Hello everybody, and welcome to Saturday, December sixth in beautiful
Vera Beach, Florida. Before we introduce our guests, I want
to share something with you. You know, we have a
podcast and I along with the podcasts, we're part of
the broadcasting system with iHeartRadio dot com. So periodically I
(00:41):
get a report of where our veteran's voice is tuned into,
where in the world that we've heard of the different
topics that we discussed, which ones are the hottest and
which ones may be a little slower. So I just
studied the report that I've received to day days ago.
Approximately sixty six to zero percent of our listeners are
(01:07):
in the United States. The next one blew my mind,
Cindy putting it in a lousy spot. Where with the
next canis that used to be? That's what I would
have thought.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
Twenty percent Japan. Twenty after sixty percent.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
Of the United States and listeners, the next highest group
of listeners are in Japan, and we're trying to analyze.
You know, we have a wonderful, wonderful relationship the United
States and Japan, bitter lessons from the past, wonderful lessons
that we've learned, and it's one of the greatest allies,
(01:52):
one of the most wonderful relationships and friendships that the
United States has earned over the years. But then somebody
asks something else, and I'd like to encourage whoever, if
you're in the Japan area and listening, I would I
would like to get your feedback. Somebody had suggested perhaps
(02:14):
because we have an unusually large military presence in the
Japan Far East area, that perhaps maybe that's part of
the twenty percent. I don't have any idea. I don't know, Susan,
you're from Japan or yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
I lived in Japan for five years, and I must
say that Japanese have always been that I met and
talked to, were always outward reaching. They had books from
foreign countries, they'd have newspapers, they'd have entertainers coming in.
They'd have shows, and I don't just mean wrestling shows
or things like that. They would have shows of art
(02:49):
and shows of handicrafts. That's a very cultural yes, yes,
so it could well be that they're interested in the
art or in things that are happening, and the Highwaymen
might have gotten popular, you.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Never know, apparently, and this thank you you prompted me
right into that I'm always interested who and where are
they with the listeners? And the next is what did
they like the most to listen to? Well, fourteen thirteen, fifteen,
whatever years we've been on the air, it started out
our Veterans Voice radio, and then it emanated into four
(03:24):
other categories, and that's the collectibles, you know, the Treasure
Treasure Finders World Show. Then you have the bookworms, which
is of reading, encouraging reading and speaking to authors, and
the fourth the High Women. And it's just sing enough.
As of the last couple of weeks report that I received,
(03:46):
number one is still the military, a veteran's voice, and
number two the high Women. All of you apparently as
enamored as the rest of us with the cultural movement,
the most beautiful art movement that affected my life, and
that's a Highwayman movement. So the old story is if
(04:09):
a businessman who has a retail shop, or if a
restaurant and they see what the customers want to eat
or want to want to buy, They're going to make
sure it's available. So I need to know, as your host,
what do you want to hear? And you're telling me
by the study that you want to hear about the military,
and you want to hear about the high Women. So
(04:30):
today and that this is walked it right back perfect
into our introduction, we have a very special guest. Everyone's
heard of Beanie Bacchus and the influence he had, an
extremely generous, very talented human being as far as the
High Women are concerned, well, today's guests grew up living
(04:56):
near and taught, trained and protegee of Beanie Beckis. So
it's literally my pleasure and by the way, I'm sorry.
And with us in the studio, we also have a
very very different Susan Harris. When we say Susan Harris
(05:18):
in Indian River County or Martin County, or Saint Lucy
County or Vera Beach, it's synonymous with what jensons.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
We hope you think Jetson's and of course art like
the Highwaymen and artist bean Backus, who's all part of it.
And that's why I'm so excited with Michael ends here.
Speaker 4 (05:38):
Ah by what's going to happen with Jetson's and I Women.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
Oh on January thirty first, we're going to have our
fifteenth annual Jetson Highwayman Show. Yes, Cindy, you've been there.
Michael Ends is coming. He is going to be we'll
have both the Highwayman Museum and the Backus Museum. And Michael,
as he will tell us, but twenty years he studied
with being backus then you know, being backus between scholarships
(06:07):
and grants and the generosity of being backus. He went
to Parsons up there in New York City, as Cindy
was talking about earlier, and then he ended up working
for many people, which he'll tell us about Andy Warhol
being one. So it's gonna be a great radio show.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Yeah, I didn't if you've used the name already. Michael
Ends his special guest. But interesting enough. Today is Saturday,
December sixth A week from today, December thirteenth, Michael will be.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
In Vero Beach.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
He will be at the hire Woman Art Gallery in
eighteen seventy two Commerce Avenue in Vero Beach.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
The show the store.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
The gallery is open from ten to three and Michael
will be there you'll be able to speak to him,
get his autographed talk, enjoy his artwork that he will
have and our gallery has on display. And the interesting
thing is, so you're going to see him before Christmas
(07:12):
and then not about a month and a half later,
five weeks later, you're going to see him at Jetson
in Fort Piers at forty one forty five US one
south US one Right, that's the flag well the that's
the Jetson with a huge fact on US one.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
Well, I hate to tell him, we just took down
the flagpole. Oh. I was trying to give him the signals.
We we couldn't find people to fix it. It was
one of the tallest out there.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
Yeah yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4 (07:41):
So yeah, the must have broken John's heart. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Anyway, but the beautiful thing is the greatest show every
year for the highwaymen. Barnan is in Fort Piers with Jetson. So, Michael,
I can't think of a better reduction that we could
present you with.
Speaker 3 (08:02):
So thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
I know you've not been feeling well and you're on
the way to recovery, but I want to really thank
you on behalf of Cindy, Susan, myself and our listeners
for taking the time to share with us your life
and experience with the High Women and Beanie pactis so
welcome to our Veterans Voice Radio and today the High
(08:24):
Women Party.
Speaker 5 (08:26):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 4 (08:27):
Oh that's an honor.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
So my I'm familiar with the N's family. I'm very
blessed of having met some members of your family. But
the End's family goes back quite a bit in Fort Pierce, right.
Speaker 5 (08:44):
It does.
Speaker 6 (08:45):
It does.
Speaker 5 (08:45):
It's actually the Gladwins, you know, because they were my
grandmother's family and they were the first to settle there.
And then back in the nineteen twenties, the ends Is
came and my grandfather married my grandmother who was born
in Fort Pierce, and and so it was, you know,
(09:08):
they're all crackers.
Speaker 4 (09:11):
What state did they come from when they emigrated to
Fort Pierce.
Speaker 5 (09:14):
Well, my grand parents, my grandmother's family was Hello, Federation
and then uh, and then I guess they had her
father had come from Connecticut and her mother came from Florida,
and then I think earlier from that they came from
(09:38):
South Carolina and some of them and you know, well, yeah,
so they've been around Florida for a long time.
Speaker 4 (09:49):
Well, what was.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
It like growing up in in Fort Pierce when when
you were a young man.
Speaker 4 (09:56):
Growing up?
Speaker 5 (09:58):
Oh, it was amazing, It was really, it was really
amazing because I just had access to so much. You know,
my parents were friendly with a bunch of cattlemen and
so we were all ways out camping in the ranches
(10:19):
west of Fort Pierce. We always were, you know, on
the ocean. We had you know, uh flotilla boats of
boats that all leaked that we used the city right,
and it was it was a fantasy there, truly was.
(10:41):
And then back then there were so many characters of
Fort Pierce.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
Characters.
Speaker 5 (10:49):
Yeah, it was character city.
Speaker 3 (10:51):
I mean there's a bit.
Speaker 5 (10:55):
Yeah, there's truly is. I mean, how all those people
you know gathered there? And I asked, I said, well,
how did all of these weird I was get here?
And they said, oh, it's a sand bar. They would
be coming down on their yachts or their chips or
whatever and they would hit the sand bar get stuck there,
(11:17):
of person. You know, the next thing they knew it
was right, you know, I loved it. It was such
a quiet little fishing village.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
Interesting, we're going to be going to our first break.
What I'd like to do for you to think about
when we come back. I want to ask you at
what point ab two questions, At what point did you
start drawing a painting?
Speaker 4 (11:40):
And at what point.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
Did you meet and how did you meet Beanie Beckus. So, everybody,
this is our Veterans Voice Radio with today's Saturday, December sixth,
and next week our guests. Today, Michael Lens will be
in person at the High Women Art Gallery in vero Be.
Speaker 3 (12:00):
We'll be right back, everybody.
Speaker 6 (12:03):
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Speaker 4 (13:06):
Hey, did you hear the latest about our Florida High Woman?
Speaker 2 (13:09):
No? What?
Speaker 4 (13:10):
There's a new High Woman art gallery in Vero Beach.
Speaker 2 (13:12):
Really where eighteen seventy two Commerce Avenue?
Speaker 7 (13:16):
Wow?
Speaker 3 (13:16):
When's it open?
Speaker 4 (13:17):
Seven days a week?
Speaker 2 (13:19):
Called nine five four five five seven six two two
six for an appointment any time, No kidding, Just call
for your appointment ninety five four five five seven six
two two six and then go to eighteen seventy.
Speaker 4 (13:31):
Two Commerce Avenue. Wow, that's good news. A member of
the iText training community, your I text dollars are welcome.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
And welcome back to Orbit and Swiss Radio showing Ralph Davianogo's.
Speaker 2 (13:46):
Susan Harris of Jetson's and a very very very special guest.
We've been waiting to do this conversation for so long.
Michael ends Michael, I believe you're in Coral Gables right now.
Speaker 3 (13:59):
Is that correct, Florida?
Speaker 5 (14:00):
It is, okay, I'm in Coral Cable. It's beautiful Coral Cable.
Speaker 3 (14:04):
Yes it is.
Speaker 2 (14:04):
There's beautiful history if you read up on Coral Gables.
So we uh today's show, we'll talk about the high Woman,
of course, and.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
At what age? How did what happened?
Speaker 2 (14:17):
How did you realize then all of a sudden you
have a talent for painting or drawing or interest in art.
Speaker 4 (14:23):
How did that come about?
Speaker 2 (14:25):
Oh?
Speaker 5 (14:26):
I don't you know. There was this uh actually this
lady that was friendly with my mother and she was Indonesian.
Her name was Anne Troop, and she gave me a
set of oil pain and I was like, oh man,
this is like really something. So you know, I just
(14:48):
like sort of dabbled and did stuff, and then I
went over. I bicycled over to Beans because I had
some other friends and he was like friendly or with
being so you know, I had been there to the
studio before, but you know, kind of with my parents
(15:08):
or for a party or something. And then I just
started hanging out there and you know, I went up
in the attic and played around and I found this,
you know, like Haitian sculpture, and I brought it down
and being said you can have that, and I was like,
(15:28):
oh wow. So you know I was there with my
hand out the whole time to get something. You know,
that is a really wild story.
Speaker 3 (15:42):
Do you still have that work of art?
Speaker 5 (15:45):
Well, this is what happened. I like, years and years later,
was in Atlanta and I was in the in this
big art folk art show, you know, going through it
and there was my sculpture. Wow, and I said, oh
(16:06):
my god, where did you get this? And the man said, well,
I bought it a garage sale of Tallahassee. And I thought,
I know what happened. My sister took it to Tallahassee
with her and then when she left Callahassee, she sold
it because it was my sculpture, this Catherine. But the
(16:28):
guy wanted five hundred dollars for it and I couldn't
afford it.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
So was this your sister Catherine?
Speaker 4 (16:35):
What she was?
Speaker 5 (16:37):
No, it was uh, she went to us. No, it
was my sister Mary.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
Well, I bet that that put it in a good
favor with you for a little while.
Speaker 5 (16:50):
You know, she could never get out of favor with me.
She's a she's a trip.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
Can I ask you know the question, you know you
said here, how old were you? So you were ten
or something or when you first went there and he
let you go up in the attic and he lets
you rummage around and do everything you wanted being.
Speaker 5 (17:07):
Back as to this, Oh yes, yeah, he you know,
the door was open. And then he had another little
attic in his uh, in his next to his bedroom too.
I used to like to go into that one and
check it out.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
What was in there.
Speaker 5 (17:22):
Oh, he had some old paintings. He had, you know,
old port a lot of old portraits and stuff like that.
You know that, you know, because he he did portraits.
But I mean they weren't that great, but you know
he did do them because you know, he was kind
of the only game in town at the time. I mean,
(17:45):
you know, so.
Speaker 4 (17:46):
Did he take a strong personal interest in you?
Speaker 5 (17:51):
Absolutely? Absolutely. We were like, you know, he was like
my best friend. I mean, he loved me, He really
loved me, loved all the questions I asked them. You know,
we had a really wonderful relationship.
Speaker 4 (18:07):
Now, when did you move out of Fort Pierce? Michael?
Speaker 5 (18:11):
I was eighteen, you know, I was eighteen. My father
showed me the door, and you know, but I, you know,
as wonderful as my childhood was, I always wanted to
move to New York. And I used to like, you know,
(18:35):
there was a train that ran the FEC railroad behind
our house, and I used to just go in there
and I would kind of jump a train and think,
I'm going to go to New York now, and I
just get on the train and I'd like get up
to like Vero Beach and get off the train and
(18:56):
walk home. So it was you know, I mean, I
just like long to you know, have something else, that
something more. I mean, when you have so much and
then you still want more, you know, I kind of
understand all the greed going on in the world now.
Speaker 8 (19:16):
So unfortunately, now, when you moved from Fort Pierce eventually
to New York, did you keep in touch with Pennie Packers?
Speaker 5 (19:27):
Oh my god, yes, I was just found a letter,
little letter. I mean, he didn't write long letters. They
were always like really short, you know, but it always
usually sped, you know, son of a Bee and you know,
now you know something something very crass. And the handwriting
(19:49):
was like, you know, like reading.
Speaker 3 (19:50):
A doctor really because his signature is very cold.
Speaker 4 (19:54):
His signature is very legible.
Speaker 5 (19:58):
Very legible. Yeah, but his other stuff was not. I
mean that's why a lot of times when he would
wanted something done, he'd always printed.
Speaker 4 (20:10):
Interesting.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
Yeah, because I have a personal check of his that
I framed with his picture, because I mean, to me,
he's one of my heroes because of the anonymity that
he maintained, being philanthropic and helping people in the community
not wanting the credit for it.
Speaker 4 (20:29):
And to me, that's a good person.
Speaker 5 (20:32):
He was a saint. He really truly was like the
most generous, level headed person you'd ever want, and just
had so much empathy for people. Yeah. I mean he
was a better humanitarian than he was an artist. And
that's really saying something.
Speaker 3 (20:53):
You're not kidding artists.
Speaker 2 (20:54):
I mean, but none, how high, how tall, is the
highest mountain kind of the world.
Speaker 5 (21:01):
I mean, yes, I mean there's like nobody, nobody, and
you know, honestly, like I met a lot of other
artists in New York and nothing compares to him as
a human being. I mean he you know, no one,
none of those artists ever had the generosity or whatever,
(21:23):
you know, stretch an extra mile for anybody like he would.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
So I'm probably asking a very obvious question, but I'd
like to discuss it.
Speaker 4 (21:37):
What kind of influence was Beanie.
Speaker 2 (21:39):
Bechis and Michael End's philosophy of what Michael wanted to paint.
Speaker 5 (21:46):
Well, I wanted to sort of get the lifeblood and
the essence of the tropics. That's what I really wanted
to do when I.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
Was younger and beautiful.
Speaker 5 (22:01):
And I just really wanted to be like a lot
more exuberant than being was. So you know, I created
a lot of bad art.
Speaker 4 (22:21):
Artist's opinion, we may not agree.
Speaker 5 (22:24):
And uh, and it was I really, I mean the
thing was I actually stood out because in New York
because I was like kind of more on that tropical side.
I thought I was more like a a like did
postcard art, you know kind of thing.
Speaker 2 (22:46):
And uh, now, how did the New Yorkers feel about
your tropical art?
Speaker 5 (22:55):
They thought it was a joke. It was kind of
a joke. They thought, you know, it was all light
and fluffy and not serious. And then I thought, well
that's cool. I can I can handle that because you know,
so so much of art is uh you know, it's
(23:18):
very subjective. Yes, yeah, And they had their opinion and
I so I started putting kind of this very dark
symbolism and the pieces and trying to like say, well,
here's this beautiful picture, but actually there's something very you know,
(23:43):
dark happening inside the piece.
Speaker 3 (23:48):
You speak like a typical artist.
Speaker 8 (23:49):
You know that.
Speaker 2 (23:51):
I've spoken to so many artists and they have their
own philosophy of what their art's all about. Michael, We're
going to take a short break the halftime and we
come back. I've really i'd like to.
Speaker 4 (24:03):
Have Susan and I and Cindy.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
I think you're familiar with backus his artwork because he
was such an influential person and like in this case, Michael,
but also like an Herald Newton, the famous palm trees,
the water. So when we get back, I wanted to
discuss your art, uh, and from what I gather and
(24:25):
what Susan has as far as the influence and in
addition to that brush as compared to palette knife. We'll
be right back, everybody. This is our Veterans Voice Radio
with Michael Ends
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