More Than Words: Winter 2025
If a picture is worth 1000 words, then how much is that picture worth if it’s made of 1000 words?
When I’m craving a little art fi x, I don’t need to hop on a plane to Paris or brave the crowds at the Louvre to ponder the Mona Lisa’s iconic smile hanging behind bulletproof glass. Nope, I just cruise over to Dive Wine & Spirits in Sarasota and step into their hidden gem of a restaurant, where a striking portrait of Anthony Bourdain greets me. This isn’t just any portrait; it shows the late, legendary chef flipping the bird at a flurry of flying knives, and it’s done in an eye-catching pointillist style.
But here’s the twist: Instead of tiny dots of paint, Bourdain’s image is crafted from his own words, pulled straight from his bestselling memoir Kitchen Confidential. It’s a brilliant blend of art and literature that perfectly captures the spirit of this culinary icon. Here are three important things to know about this work of art: 1) This is my favorite piece of art. 2) It’s one of a kind, and the current owner, Broc Smith, refuses to give it to me. 3) The incredible artist behind this unique piece, Kira Lee, lives and works in Sarasota, and I recently had the distinct pleasure of getting to know her a little better. Spoiler alert: She won’t re-create the Bourdain picture for me (or anyone else), but she’s got plenty more where that came from…
Kira Lee’s gallery is located on Main Street and is connected to the fabulous coffee shop owned by Kira and her husband, Vic Cipolla, named after Kira Lee’s alter ego: Dani Daniels (a different kind of artist). “DD Roasters” features tongue-in-cheek references to Dani’s “naughtier” exploits and has been heralded as Sarasota’s sexiest coffee shop. Everything is toasted, roasted, and ground in house—no artificial syrups, no store-bought pastries. I highly recommend taking home a bag of single-origin, barrel-aged luxury coffee from the “One Night Stand” collection.
The coffee shop—with its tasty bites and tempting treats— is the perfect side piece to the art gallery that shows off Kira Lee’s stunning portraits. She’s a “pointillinguist” (pretty sure I just coined that term) using the words of celebrities and fictional characters to paint their portraits. There’s a joyful Julia Child and a dynamic David Bowie and a delightful Dolly Parton. Kira is working on a glorious portrait of Gandalf in which she’s exploring more mixed media but who knows if that one will be for sale or merely for display?
Vic jokes that he must sometimes nudge his beautiful and passionate wife to share her creations: “You can’t keep all the paintings; you have to sell some of them.” Their house contains an eight-foot-tall Mick Jagger and a seven-foot-long Kurt Cobain, after all. Kira Lee works on commissions, which is great news if you’re in the market for an unforgettable gift for a loved one. “This comes out after Christmas, right?” Kira Lee smiles conspiratorially. “Good, then I can tell you about the commission I’m working on—it’s Baby Yoda from The Mandalorian made entirely from Taylor Swift lyrics.”
I notice an arresting portrait of Vic in the gallery, another piece that’s definitely not for sale. The words are private jokes and other personal references between the couple, and you can tell that this couple is very much in love. They complement each other like coffee and art; they go together like an introvert and an extrovert (you might be surprised to learn which is which). There are so many things that I’d like to speak to you about Kira and Vic and their easy slice of paradise in downtown Sarasota, but I’ve been sworn to secrecy and, even if I wasn’t, what’s sexier than a little mystery to solve? Sometimes the answers are locked behind an enigmatic smile and some bulletproof glass, and sometimes they’re hidden in plain sight.
