Florida mosaic
Gulf Breeze native's art selected for Orlando airport featured in Southern Living
BY LISA NEWELL Gulf Breeze News lisa@gulfbreezenews.com

Bokas' winning design was made into the terminal floor at Orlando Airport.

Victor Bokas never imagined people would be stepping all over his artwork, but he's "proud, excited and amazed."

The Gulf Breeze native and 1979 graduate of Gulf Breeze High School, knows millions will tread on his design because it was selected to be the floor of the Orlando International Airport.

"It¹s a great honor to have your art selected for a public space, especially one as popular as the Orlando International airport," Bokas said.

Now, his accomplishment is getting even more attention because it is featured in the November issue of Southern Living Magazine as part of its Florida Living: People & Places special section.

The article prominently features Bokas standing in the terminal that bears his whimsical, colorful design. Much of Bokas' artwork is dynamic, blending fish, flamingos and palmetto fronds into a mixture that has a distinctive Florida feel.

Apparently, an editor from Southern Living arrived at the Orlando Airport and found the mosaic to be worthy of an article. Bokas says the entire airport is full of art, welcoming visitors and helping them deal with the stress associated with traveling.

"It's less of an airport and more of an art gallery," Bokas said.

The art was selected after a group of Central Florida artists put together concepts for the project, and Bokas' design, a blend of two existing pieces, was the winner.

The terminal floor is a massive 88 feet by 15 feet. The construction was done entirely in Italy using polished natural stone and vitreous ceramic.

"It was done almost like a paint-by-number," Bokas said of the mosaic. Italian craftsmen laid out the design, outlining each image and assigning different stones to portray the colors in the image. The enormous jigsaw puzzle was then divided into 2 foot squares held together by contact paper and numbered to a grid.

Once the squares arrived in Orlando, they were arranged in order, the contact paper was removed and the entire floor was grouted.

"The fact that they stayed pretty realistic to the painting is amazing," Bokas said of the Italian craftsmen. The project took one year from concept to installation.

Submitted photo Victor Bokas kneels on the mosaic created from his artwork to grace the Orlando International Airport's colonnade.

Bokas is still painting, although he earns his living as a freelance designer for the Tupperware Company. He is currently preparing for an upcoming one-man exhibit March 7, 2008 at the Maitland Art Center near Orlando.

He says he got interested in art at age 12 after visiting an art festival in the parking lot of Gulf Breeze High School.

"I bought a one-dollar raffle ticket and won a collaborative painting created by 12 local artists. I asked my parents if I could start taking painting lessons. I¹ve been painting ever since," he remembers.

He said he remembers taking art at Gulf Breeze High School under the direction of Mr. Long, who is still on the faculty.

Bokas' parents, are George and Aspasia still reside in Gulf Breeze. Sister Sonthe now lives in Birmingham with her family.