It's Gecko Season, and if you live in Gulfport — or if you've caught GeckoFest fever — you know what that means: It means from now until Labor Day, Gulfport goes a little gecko-crazy. It started as a one-day festival at the end of summer — GeckoFest and Mullet Mutiny— to draw in shoppers and help businesses. But then it was too big for one day, so next came GeckoBall, where the uber-laid-back Gulfportians show their Jekyll side (yes, you read that right) and get fancy with elaborate costumes and compete for top honors. Next, there was the GeckoCrawl, some sort of elaborate bars-and-card game that involves a passing knowledge of poker and the ability to consume mass quantities. Finally — at least for now — there's the Art Gecko Art Show. Art Gecko involves Gulfport artists making geckos and displaying them at local venues. Gecko supporters (that's "locals and people who really love Gulfport" to you and I) bid on the geckos, and after Gecko Season ends (with GeckoFest, an all-day and most-of-the-night street party), they get to take their geckos to their new home (think of it as an "adopt a gecko" program). This year, we're asking each of the gecko artists (gartists? geckotists?) seven questions. First up, Larry Busby.
[At] high school vocational school, was in a two-year Graphics Arts program. Spent as much time as my teacher would allow in the darkroom playing around. He noticed, brought in a 35 mm camera, showed me how to use it, let me borrow it and said I could use the darkroom to develop the film. Joined the US Navy where I attended the US Naval Schools of Photography and became a Navy Photographersmate.
Do you have a "day" job or can you support yourself on your art (and if so, how)?
I am a Florida State Park Ranger, [and] will soon retire and devote my time to my art full-time.
Why do you live in Gulfport?
The art community and the quality of life. Its my last stop, I’m done moving!
How did you approach this art?
Like a sponge, soaking up as much knowledge as I could. I figured the more I knew behind the science and physics of the art the more creative I would become. Kinda like a painter, the more colors on their palette and different types of brushes the more creative they could be.
What's your favorite piece of art that you've ever made, and why?
My photograph of the old wooden dock at sunrise here in Gulfport, just behind the rec center on the beach. I think because like the sunrise, it represents a new beginning in my life, in a setting that is a bubble that time forgot in a bit of Old Florida. It also captures my love of the sea, all things nautical and nature at its finest. It was also chosen to be displayed at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts last year.
How could the Gulfport art community best grow?
I think it is doing just fine. There are many very talented artists that have a far better vision and that are more business savvy than I that are already shaping the future of art in Gulfport. I am just happy that they have allowed me to come along for the ride.
Just for fun: You are mayor of Gulfport for a day. What three things do you do?
Funny you should ask, [Gulfport mayor] Sam Henderson interned under me when he was studying environmental policy at USF St. Petersburg in 2008. He did his internship at my nature preserve, Terra Ceia Preserve State Park. I would like to think that there is a little piece of me in him whenever he has had to make environmental decisions regarding Gulfport. But you would have to ask Sam if that’s true [laughs].
This article appears in Jun 14-21, 2018.