- December 13, 2025
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A local celebrity is being recognized with artistic immortalization at a shop on St. Armands Circle.
Gauthier Salon & Wellness Spa is celebrating its third year of operating on the Key, and as part of the festivities, the owners commissioned a mural on a wall near the entrance, featuring the famous Ziggy.
Sonia and Serge Gauthier said they hope to help bring more artistic talent to St. Armands Key. Their first undertaking is with muralist Ludmil Iliev, who recently painted his first piece in the Sarasota area at the shop.
When it came to finding inspiration for the piece, Iliev said with his focus on animal portraits, celebrating the Gauthier's dog, Ziggy, was only logical.
"When I came to see the wall, I saw Ziggy, and I thought it made more sense, instead of painting a tiger or something, to work with the live model right in front of me," he said.
Those who have visited the salon before have likely already met the 9-year-old Australian Shepherd, who is happy to give customers a tail wag in exchange for belly rubs. Sonia noted Ziggy has a gentle disposition and training as a service dog.
She said they couldn't have imagined anything better to decorate their business than Ziggy.
"When he first drew it on the wall, we hadn't seen it beforehand and didn't know what he was going to do exactly," she said. "When Serge and I first looked at it — I still get shivers — I teared up because it was my baby. Everybody loves their animals with unconditional love. To see him in such a ginormous format, I just loved it. But then to see the quality, too, at every step was great."
Iliev, who originally hails from Bulgaria, recently moved to South Florida after traveling extensively throughout Europe, Africa and North America. He has painted a piece in the St. Petersburg area, but the mural at the St. Armands shop is his first in the area.
His portrait style is based in realism, but he likes to add a softer, dream-like element over adhering strictly to photorealism.
"It can be tricky, because you're trying to capture the soul of the animal, not just the visual appearance," he said. "But, you do still want to be accurate structurally."
He added, "Ziggy is a real character."
Little touches like flipping the original composition sketch to face the entrance, just like Ziggy does when customers arrive, are what contribute to making a mural that tells the animal's story, he said.
Even with the scale of the full-wall mural, he was able to get the acrylic painting done in about two and a half days.
Iliev paints the full gamut of the animal kingdom in oil paints, watercolor and sketches. He started doing wall paintings around 2001.
"You draw and paint what you love," he noted. "I've been doing these portraits for many years now, and I never get tired of it. I always find something interesting. I may have seen many dogs before, but I've never seen Ziggy."
He said he focuses his attention on animals because he appreciates the challenge of bringing them to life with his two-dimensional works. Whenever possible, he endeavors to find inspiration from live sources, like at local parks and zoos, rather than attempting to recreate a photo.
"It's like with painting, drawing or taking a photo of humans," he added. "Each one is different."
Iliev said he would love to see more murals enliven Longboat Key and Sarasota, especially considering how vibrant the local art scene is in other media.
Sonia said it is hard to believe it has already been three years since she and her husband moved to the area from Quebec. They shared the story of their move on the Canadian reality television show "The Big Move."
Reflecting on their first years in business, Sonia said they have appreciated getting to connect with community members and watch the St. Armands area evolve from their eagle-eyed view on the second floor.
The Gauthiers said art fans have plenty to look forward to at the salon, including a pending installation by the artist behind the Tiny Doors installations.
Those who want to see more of Ludmil Iliev's work can visit IDrawAnimals.com, or follow his Instagram account, ludmililiev. Inquiries can be emailed to [email protected].
