Daisy Flamingo was stolen, to begin with. Meeting with Dr. Nik, his degrees uncertain but expertise in the sculptural and constructional arts undeniable, he allows only the briefest glimmer of gloom as he imparts the news, before breaking out into another grin. “It’s all good,” he says in an almost conspiratorial whisper, as if to say it too loudly would break the already fragile thing. As the artist behind Daisy Flamingo—one of Nik’s many elaborately adorned and painted bicycles that dot Sarasota’s city streets as “Transportational Two-Wheeled Sculptures”—one might expect anger at its theft, violation at its chain snapped in the night by nameless transgressors. But Nik’s already moved on.

As the go-to Mr. Fix-It and Mr. Build-It at Florida Studio Theatre, Nik has long been known for his eternally upbeat demeanor, but it’s been his Transportational Two-Wheeled Sculptures that made him a Sarasota staple, or That Bike Guy. But Nik’s always been That Bike Guy, from way back when his father, Big Art, took him out to Specht’s Junkyard for an old frame and a couple tubes to make his own bicycle. And he’s always been fascinated by mechanics, whiling away the hours after the walks home from school with a box of dead watches from his uncle, taking them apart and building them back up.

So when FST needed a bicycle that could be thrown across the stage night after night, they went to Nik. And when the show finished its run, Nik saved it from the scrap pile, bolting a basket to the now-pink bicycle to store his tools as he rode from job to job. And when his then-wife complained about a yard full of eight old bicycles and other assorted odds and ends, Nik put a flamingo on one and jokingly called it art. One flamingo turned to five, turned to 20, turned to 30 and finally topped out at 44 flamingos turning the bike into a bushy pink mass and an object of interest when parked outside the theater. Looking out the window of his workshop those days, he sees people gathering around and taking pictures. He sees laughter and joy. He has one thought: “We need more.”

Today, there are 20 or so of Nik’s Transportational Two-Wheeled Sculptures parked around Sarasota at any given time—most all of them functional, every one of them photogenic. Some have owls, some have doves, some have hearts and one even looks like it’s made of wood. More than a few have that signature flamingo. The Ring A Bell For Peace Bike down in Five Points Park remains one of Nik’s favorites, the message simple but resonant, even if people tend to nab the bells as keepsakes. Many sculptures are built to weather the elements, but most are spared the human element. Not Nik’s.

Like the Daisy Flamingo, more than a few of these unguarded works of art are stolen. Some people only remove pieces, and one can imagine the flattery in wanting a souvenir. Others simply snap the sculptural elements off or slash the tires with a knife. But sooner or later Nik will be back, wheeling in another sculpture. No time for negative energy, he says. Not when the good vibes keep coming in strong. “Laughter. Joy. Love,” he says. “I get it every day.” And so he keeps going, building new bikes whenever he can, even sending a couple as far abroad as New York City and San Francisco. “Because when I’m doing it, it’s good,” Nik says. “It’s a good thing.”