Dr Bob’s Studio

Self-taught outdoors artist Dr Bob is a fixture in the Bywater, and you’re sure to recognize his signature work – the ‘Be Nice or Leave’ signs that appear in restaurants and bars around town. Dr Bob’s work also turns up in the House of Blues and museums throughout the South. In addition to the signs, he’s known for his alligator carvings and sculptures of assembled found objects. Garbage-can lids, bottle caps, pieces of junked musical instruments and essentially anything that strikes Dr Bob’s weird sensibility is turned into art. His gallery is really a fascinating junkyard of art, with a sculpture garden comprising spray-painted lawn ornaments. The man himself is a bit ornery (ironic, considering his signs, but no ­matter) and not always in – call ahead.