HOME IS WHERE THE ART IS

I arrive at an unassuming estate located on a trio of lots in the southeast corner of a city block in Old Naples. Catbirds, ensconced in the prolific surrounding greenery, announce my arrival with meow-like squawks. I follow a driveway lined with skillfully placed white Florida river rock that leads to the small wooden door of a charming house and feel as if I am wending my way into a mythical setting. My eye is immediately drawn to a Carrara marble sculpture basking in the morning sun.

Selma Nettles, the owner and sole inhabitant of the residence, graciously welcomes me inside. I step into a cool, dark foyer with low ceilings that opens to a sitting room to the left and a dining room to the right; every available space on the wall or the floor showcases an object of fine art in somber hues of browns and blues. A dramatic, purple-veined mantel, carved from old building columns, occupies center stage. A 500-pound wooden sculpture, by American figurative artist Leonard