KEY WEST, Fla. (WTHR) — Key West is an island home for the strange, unusual, artistic and in some cases, one of a kind type of personality. This tiny town, set apart from the United States in more ways than just distance, is a place where some come to get away and some come to be noticed.
Rick Worth came out of Missouri, into the Navy and then into Key West three decades ago and has made an indelible mark on the southernmost town in the country. You name the kind of art and he has tried it. In some cases he also teaches it. Take a walk around town and you'll see his work on murals, cars, fences, tee shirts and in the famous Studios Of Key West.
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With no formal art training, Worth decided that to make money and support himself, he had to try something, so he started painting. That fascination with art and it's forms led him to paint on shingles, shutters, walls and even canvas on occasion. Successful with paining, he learned how to sculpt and then sold those sculptures.
His most famous work though is his painting of seascapes on old, beat up cars. He has painted hundreds of cars over the years, saying that he charged 60 to 80 dollars a car for the artwork because it's "cheaper than Maaco", the famous franchised car painting business.
His popular painting class "Boot Camp" is a staple at The Studios Of Key West where people can get an insight into how Rick's style of paining can be adapted by just about anyone.
If you're ever in Key West you'll see his stuff. Idyllic looks into quiet Key West life, paintings of the brightly colored Key West Gypsy Chickens and even his take on Washington crossing the Delaware, featuring head shots of the town's most famous residents.
Who knows? That car with no muffler rumbling down Duval Street with a dolphin painted on it, just might be one of Rick's latest projects.