Thu, Feb 23, 2006 - Page 15 News List

Gnome man's land

Howard Solomon is known as the 'Da Vinci of Debris' for his approach to art, much of which is displayed in his castle

By Jeff Klinkenberg  /  NY TIMES NEWS SERVICE , ONA, FLORIDA

The "Da Vinci of Debris" was just warming up.

Solomon's Castle features buttresses, towers, a lighthouse, a drawbridge, a dungeon, a moat.

In 1991, Solomon built a full-sized galleon in the moat. It doubles as a restaurant and includes a poop deck, cannons and three masts. Inside are stained glass windows and a painting of a naked mermaid whose breasts are hidden behind a fishing net.

"We covered her so there would be no tittering in the restaurant."

Solomon often leads the groan-filled tours of his castle. Every room contains Solomon paintings and sculptures and toys. If Dali, Dr. Seuss and Willy Wonka were imprisoned in the same studio, they might produce Solomon's kind of art.

Every piece has a story.

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