Local artist paints Chiles restaurants

Hanging on the walls of three iconic restaurants — Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant & Pub, the Sandbar Restaurant and the BeacHhouse Restaurant — are water-based acrylic paintings of each. The works are not just of the buildings themselves, but the energy each exudes. The artist behind the paintings: world-renowned local painter John Allinson.

When the Chiles Restaurant Group commissioned Allinson, who is known mainly for his murals and overlaying colors, to paint the restaurants, he had not only a desire to take on the project but a passion for the locations as well.

Originally from South Wales, the artist has traveled and lived all over the world, but it is here that he calls home.

“I love it here,” Allinson says. “It’s a little bit like Old Florida, and the people are so friendly. Apart from Austria, it’s the friendliest place I’ve ever been.”

The painter found the area by accident while traveling with his wife, Mair.

“We were driving north from the Keys and saw a sign that said, ‘Beaches,’ and I said, ‘Let’s go there,’” says Allinson. The couple has lived on Anna Maria for four years.

Allinson, who says the outdoor seating area at Mar Vista reminds him of Greece, is no stranger to the restaurant.

“It’s such a wonderful place and that tree,” he says, pointing to the banyan that runs through the outdoor tables, “I love that tree. We’ll sail up to the dock, grab a beer and enjoy sitting outside to eat.”

With knowledge of the history and a firsthand understanding of the atmosphere and experience guests enjoy while dining at Mar Vista, Allinson knew he had to bring the old fish camp to life. Allinson refused to do anything along the lines of an architectural illustration.

“It would be boring to just paint what is here architecturally,” he says.

As an artist, Allinson does mostly figurative work, focusing on light and drama.

“Photo realism is becoming quite popular,” says Allinson. “Why slave and reproduce with pencil what you can take with camera? It’s about the light and the passion.”

Allinson’s painting is a deeper representation of the restaurant, an illustration of how most people view the old fish camp. Focusing on warm colors and the use of light, the artist makes it appear that the boats have melted into the sand.

“I put the energy into it,” he says. “In reality, this is just an old shack. It’s not the building — it’s the place I wanted to illustrate. This is a vibrant place because of the people who come in. I think they wanted to complement that.”