10-Foot Marlin Sculpture Shines at Exhibit

"Lucky Mike" and artist Rene Gibson (LAC)

(Press Release) Tequesta, Fla., (June 17, 2025) – “Roadside Reveries,” on view at Lighthouse ArtCenter through August 1, 2025, brings together 22 contemporary artists from across Florida and the United States to explore the strange beauty and nostalgia of Florida’s vacation culture. From hand-painted signage and souvenir-like sculptures to surreal taxidermy and mermaids, the exhibition captures the quirky spirit of roadside attractions and the wonder they inspire. Among the standout pieces is “Lucky Mike,” a ten-foot-long sculpture of a leaping marlin by mixed media artist Rene Gibson, encrusted with nearly 100,000 shimmering crystals that catch and reflect the light in dazzling, ever-changing ways.

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Curated by Anthony Record, Roadside Reveries explores how Florida’s tourist destinations blur the lines between history and fantasy, as well as between the natural and the man-made. Curator Anthony Record expressed, “Pieces like ‘Lucky Mike’ show how art can transform the way we see nature, not just as a scenic backdrop but as something alive, full of possibility and character."
 
Gibson’s “Lucky Mike” anchors that vision with shimmering intensity. Composed of crystals in 36 different colors and enhanced with 13 specialty coatings, the sculpture glows with a dreamlike quality. “I saw a marlin one day and thought it would be gorgeous covered in crystals,” said Gibson, who began the project in 2017. “It became a labor of love—an extraordinary statement piece destined to shine in a Florida coastal home.”
 
The marlin’s journey from concept to completion spanned several years and personal milestones. After beginning the piece, Gibson was sidelined by a vestibular virus and later diagnosed with breast cancer. During her recovery, the work took on deeper meaning. “At that time, finishing the marlin no longer seemed important,” she recalled. “But as I healed, my desire to complete it came back stronger than ever.”
 
Completed in 2019, “Lucky Mike” was briefly exhibited in early 2020 but remained in Gibson’s home during the pandemic. Its return to public view at Lighthouse ArtCenter invites visitors to marvel at the craftsmanship and the perseverance it represents.
 
“Roadside Reveries” is on display at Lighthouse ArtCenter’s main gallery, located at 373 Tequesta Drive in Tequesta, Florida. Admission is free for members and a $5 suggested donation for nonmembers. For hours and additional exhibition details, visit lighthousearts.org or call (561)746-3101.