The old adage: “Art is in the eyes of the beholder,” is very evident throughout Napa County.

Flames licking skyward above a garage window, a sombrero clad water skier and a tile mural against teen alcohol, are only a few signs of the valley’s artistic talents.

These three icons also happen to be the three images spotlighted in this month’s “Where in the Napa Valley?”

Spanish Flat skier

The little brown man water skiing and waving a sombrero is on the sign of Spanish Flat Boat Storage at 4420 Knoxville Road, according to Mary Taylor.

The “Spanish Flat Man” (or “Splat Man” for short) was first drawn by my mother, Elsie G. Plunkett, when she and my father were forming Spanish Flat Resort Inc. in the early 1960s, Taylor wrote in an e-mail.

“Spanish Flat Man” was the official symbol of the resort until the Taylors sold it.

The new owners have the right to use him, but have ended up using just his sombrero as their symbol.

However, the “Splat Man” lives on in the sign of my brother’s boat storage business, she added.

The “Skiing Splat Man” was one of his later incarnations; he first appeared standing, then sometimes sitting, leaning against a tree. Thanks for bringing back some memories, wrote Taylor.

Coombsville flames

John Long was looking to create curb appeal that would make his house more interesting. He accomplished that.

A few years ago on his garage facing Coombsville Road, Long got out his jigsaw, cut out the flames and nailed them above the window facing the road.

The flames are similar to what would be painted on a hot rod. And that makes sense, since Long used to do custom auto finishing, lettering and pinstriping. That was during the 1980s and early 90s, said Long, adding that he was known as “Big John,” in the custom auto painting business — plying his talents to mostly cars, trucks and motorcycles.

“I wanted to do something different. I thought the curb appeal of my house was boring,” he said. “I had second thoughts once I put them up there.”

About one year ago he took the flames down, but quickly put them back up when his friends complained that they missed them. Long has lived in Napa since about 1980.

Long has retired from his commercial painting business and is now concentrating on other things such as canvas and watercolors. “The more I paint, the more ideas I get.”

“I call myself the legend that stopped growing,” Long said with a chuckle. “The old car people around town know me.”

Vintage High School mural

Two years ago, students in Vintage High School art teacher Mel Simpson’s ceramics class created this mural, which is about an anti-drug and alcohol message.

The tiled mural involved more than 325 students, according to a plaque on the building.

It was dedicated in November 2006.

The mural was made possible by a grant from the United States Department of Education.