The Artisan Magazine - St Pete

THE ARTISAN

The heat wanes, the rains abate, the population of birds increase, including “snowbirds”. The downtown condo that has room for 250, with only 50 residents during summer is now filling up to capacity. The people, the animals and yes, the economy returns! I am so looking forward to the shows, the festivals, the openings, the music, etc. throughout fall, winter and spring!

As 2022 begins to come to a close, hopefully so do the residual effects of Covid. No doubt it will be with us for a long time.

Go shopping, keep it local, buy art for the holidays!

We have readjusted some distribution of The Artisan. We now have many lo cations in hotels, shops and restaurants on the beaches! The goal here is to put St. Pete, its art and culture, in front of visitors to Florida. So that we are not just “preach ing to choir”. Thank you Duncan.

I hope you make the time during the coming holidays to spend time with family and friends. After the past couple of years I think we all have a greater appreciation for our relationships. And remember, art is a gift that lasts a lifetime!

VOTE! Keith Matter/Publisher

P.O. Box 791, St. Petersburg, FL 33731 www.TheArtisanMagazine.com 813-842-3818

info@TheArtisanMagazine.com

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Robin O'Dell has also been a contributing writer for such publications as Arts Coast Magazine, Bay Art Files, and Image Magazine. Her former positions include Curator of Photography at the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Peters burg and Curator of Collections at the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts in Tampa.

©2022

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Columnist at Registry Tampa Bay, Contributing Writer at American Stage, Arts Ambassador at Creative Pinellas, Host of Beauty & The 'Burg arts & culture podcast at Helium Radio Network, Contributor, Creative Pinellas Arts Coast Magazine.

Maureen is a direct descendant of carnies, carpenters and fishermen. She is the author of three books of poetry, Exploring My Options (2006), Longing for the Deep End (2011) and Feast (2021). She founded the literary arts organization, Keep St. Pete Lit

Maureen McDole

Robin O’ Dell

Cindy Stovall

Bob Devin Jones

Founder of the studio @620, Bob is a native of Los An geles, has been a theatre worker for over forty years. He began as an actor performing in Shakespeare Fes tivals, including Oregon, Berkeley, Illinois, Idaho, and in St. Petersburg.

“THE MOST VISIBLE, WIDELY-READ, GLOSSY, ART & CULTURE-BASED MAGAZINE IN ST. PETE!” 25,000+ READERS/ISSUE

Aluna Michaels

Aluna Michaels is a second-generation astrologer. She also holds a Masters in Spiritual Counseling and has been teaching and consulting for more than three decades.

Danni Matter

Danni is a writer & photographer living in St. Pete. She has shot for and assisted in studios in numerous cities in Florida. She attended Florida International University in Miami.

What is Art?? ? ? ?

• Art is coming face to face with yourself.

– Jackson Pollock

• Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.

– Thomas Merton

• Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.

– Edgar Degas

• Art is what you can get away with.

– Andy Warhol

• Art is never finished, only abandoned.

– Leonardo da Vinci

• Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.

– Banksy

• Art is the lie that enables us to realize the truth.

– Pablo Picasso

• The most seductive thing about art is the personality of the artist himself.

– Paul Cézanne

• Art is standing with one hand extended into the universe and one hand extended into the world, and letting ourselves be a conduit for passing energy.

– Albert Einstein

• The world always seems brighter when you’ve just made something that wasn’t there before.

– Neil Gaima

• Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.

– Scott Adams

• All art is a kind of confession, more or less oblique. All artists, if they are to survive, are forced, at last, to tell the whole story; to vomit the anguish up.

– James Baldwin

• The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.

– Pablo Picasso

St Pete Woman’s Club Creative Side

TheSt. Petersburg Woman’s Club was established in 1913, and occupies a beau tiful building on Snell Isle that is on the National Registry of Historic Landmarks. The 501c3 organiza tion boasts 231+ members repre senting an impressive body of vol unteers that is proud to support the art community of St. Petersburg.

While the main focus of the St. Petersburg Woman’s Club is volun teerism via their Community Ser vice Programs, the Club has its own body of talent which is showcased through an Arts & Crafts competi tion every January. Each member is encouraged to select from a wide variety of categories which include drawing and painting in different mediums, mixed media, photography, crafting categories like sewing, knitting, crochet, jew elry, floral design, wreaths, also “forgotten” crafts like macramé and quilling.

These projects must have been completed within the previous cal endar year and must be complete ly original work. Local artisans are recruited to judge the entries and award ribbons to the winners. The prize is bragging rights, and the ability to advance to the District competition, where the blue rib bon entries compete against the blue ribbon winners from 13 other clubs within our geographical area. It’s all done in the spirit of friendly competition and gives the mem bers a chance to learn new things or to shine a light on their talent! •

Inaugural Bohemian Night at The Kenwood Gables B&B Features an Exhibition of Works by Three Local Award-Winning Artists

OnThursday, November 17, 2022, (6pm – 9pm) the Kenwood Gables Bed & Breakfast (2801 7th Avenue N, St. Petersburg, FL 33713) will pres ent the opening celebration of a 3-month exhibition of works by His toric Kenwood artists Letisia Cruz, Michael Satino, and Luci Westphal.

All three artists received the prestigious 2022 Artist Grant from The St. Petersburg Arts Alliance (SPAA), which funded the three art projects featured at the inaugural Bohemian Night.

Letisia Cruz is a Cuban-American writer and artist. Her project titled Rituales: An Exploration of Faith in the Caribbean features 10 illustra tions that explore the practice of rituals, ceremonies and spiritual traditions of her native Cuba and the Caribbean, inherited through cultural mythology and spiritual beliefs and draws inspiration from practices rooted in indigenous and Afro-Caribbean origins.

Michael Satino is known for his versatile and integrative style that employs striking visual elements throughout various disciplines. His project funded by the St. Pete Arts Alliance Grant is called Light Painting Photography – The Energy and Elegance of St. Pete. Luci Westphal is a visual non-fic tion storyteller and social artist focused on biophilic art to enhance people’s well-being by connecting with nature through art, especially in unexpected places. Her St. Pete

Moving Stills use the medium of video in a photo display method to bring the outdoors inside.

Inspired by the Bohemian movement of the 19th century, Bohemian Night promises to be a splendid, art-filled evening at the sprawling 1929 Tudor Revival Kenwood Gables B&B. Located in Historic Kenwood, the boutique B&B is the perfect venue to show case the works of these three local artists. The setting features soaring ceilings, an original fireplace, and historic details throughout the estate.

Following the opening event on November 17, the artists’ works will remain on exhibit at the Kenwood Gables B&B through February 2023.

Letisia Cruz

Michael Satino

Luci Westphal

What is a Food Stylist? A question I’ve been asked for almost 30 years. The short answer: anyone that prepares food for the camera, food for the eyes. It’s a bit of science, a bit of art, and a lot of patience.

I started out in this unusual career as a set and prop stylist. Hired by a catalog printing press with in-house studios, photographers and stylists. My background was as an Interior Designer. At first I did room sets, later moved on to tabletop and housewares which needed food props. I later went out on my own as a freelance Food Stylist.

Sometimes food is the product to be sold, other times maybe the china or glass ware is the product and the food is the prop. The photo needs to sell the product. Each project comes with its own challenges and logistics, but the end result must be an appetizing vision shot by a professional photographer or film crew.

This has been a very interesting career, many memorable highlights from shoots on cruise ship restaurants at sea, imaginative ads at MTV and Nickelodeon, cook ing shows, magazines, films and commercials.

Food Stylist

Rebecca Martin

By Robin O’Dell

Sustainability is defined as the ability to exist and develop without depleting natural resources for the future. Other than the odd sculptor who re uses found objects, it’s not a subject that comes up often in the world of fine art.

Sustainability is important to the award winning artist Nikki Devereux and it informs not just the way she lives, but the way she approaches creating. A self admitted passion for learning has led her to explore many varied artistic techniques including oil painting, dark

Nikki Devereux - Explorer

NIKKI DEVEREUX

room photography, and encaustic (a form of painting utilizing heated wax). You see these beautifully incorporated into her por traiture collages. Starting with an ink trans fer process of her original photographs, she then adds layers of all types of found materials including magazine clippings, old books, discarded plastics and metal, fabric, leaves, organic materials and even architec tural salvage.

Both figurative and surreal, the vibrant and imaginative pieces evoke more than just what your eye is seeing. Devereaux writes that, “In a world that seems driven by ego, I prefer to explore the beauty of vul nerability.”

These works hint at emotions and worlds beyond the present. Even the titles, for ex ample Explorer, This Side of Yourself, and So You Want to Play with Knives, conjure exploration of meaning. They are beautiful and mysterious.

In 2020 Devereux won a Creative Pi nellas Emerging Artist Grant. Part of the grant process was working with a mentor. She was paired with the Assistant Professor of Art and Design at University of Tampa, Ryan McCullough, who is an interdisciplin ary artist focusing on low-toxic printmaking and digital print media. He was responsible for introducing her to artist-made books, where creatives form imaginative pieces in book form. Being the earnest explorer that she is, this sent her down a new pathway to teach herself to make hand-made paper. Now her desire to work sustainably could see an even better return. She takes the left over pieces of magazines and newspapers from her collage work, hand shreds them, and turns them into something entirely new. Her project for the Creative Pinellas exhibition culminated in her presenting her own artist-made books.

Creating hand made papers has now led her to a new series of work she calls The Planet Room. This collection of imaginary planets are made of one-hundred percent hand-made recycled paper with added magazine clippings, fabric scraps, and oth er items that would have otherwise ended up in the trash. All water used to make the paper is collected while she is warming up her shower for bathing. She identifies the planets as potential backups for earth, acknowledging that there are currently no other planets that can sustain life. Her ad vice? “The project seeks to remind us of the fact that we only have one Earth, and that we need to do everything in our power to sustain it, so that it can continue to support us and our plant and animal neighbors.

Devereux’s work enables us savor un expected textures and layers of beauty while also challenging us to examine how we move through the world. This offers the viewer the potential to add joy to both the here and now and to our future selves.

•

By Alexandra Morgan

Susan’s Pierced Ear I

tell myself, This is the last story I will tell about my Dad. It hovers above on the second floor of my psyche, circling, lingering there, waiting for me to look up and see it and give it words.

As always, I am sucked back to the house in Pasadena. My child hood home is a cream-colored, stucco, 1920’s Mediterranean-style man sion with wrought iron balconies and red clay roof. The house of cards ready to fold. The house that is large enough it could lose a few rooms and no one would miss them: the house that hopefully will cut this piece of me free. This piece sitting in the study one evening on the big down sofa with the muted red, floral-print cover with beige fringe edging the cushions. It is my favorite room throughout my child hood because this is where we get to watch TV while eating the family-size bag of M&M’s that we separate into piles by color on Friday nights. Mom is always nice on Friday nights. Dad is home for dinner and the rest of the weekend. We all relax as we eat our M&M’s and watch the programs she condones.

Another reason I like this room is that this is where Dad does his paperwork on the vast wooden desk next to the French doors. I like to sit on the couch just to be in the same room with him, even though he doesn’t talk or answer me when writing. Five minutes later, he’ll surprise me by saying something. It’s the answer to my question, but I’ve forgotten what I asked. I feel safe here in the big room with him. It’s quiet, and he hums to himself while he works. I find his voice soothing.

This night I am sitting on the couch in the study next to Dad, and Clare, my older sis ter by two years, sits on his other side. We are all smooshed together, leaning against each other as we watch TV and listen to the loud screaming, banging, and foot-stomp ing on the floor of the room above us. It is mom and my oldest sister, Susan, who is a young teenager, probably 14 or 15 years old. They are in Susan’s bedroom, which will become mine when she moves out. We hear their bodies struggling, objects crashing and shattering against the floor, more screaming,but we can’t make out the words.

All three of us sit frozen. As still as antelope stalked by nocturnal predators. Dad holds our hands, and we all tremble together, looking up in silence. Dad has never been home for one of these events before. He doesn’t know what goes on when he is at the office in downtown LA and we are at home alone with mom. I suppose I want ed Dad to do something that night. To get up and intervene upstairs. To make them stop. But this thought did not enter my range of possibilities until much later. Dad was not a protector. Neutral and passively benign, yes; a fun playmate, yes; but more like a sibling than a parent. He was, after all, mom’s oldest child.

We continue to sit on the couch, listening as the fight winds down, and we hear my sister sobbing, running down the stairs. I catch a glimpse of her as she passes through the hall, her hand cradling her bloody ear. As she runs past us, she cries, I don’t want her permission. Then she flees through the front door into the cool, clear October night. Mom appears with the tiniest gold stud dripping blood on her hand.

Alexandra Morgan has been the featured poet at Omega Institute, Beacon’s Howland Center, The Colony in Woostock, and the Shahinian Gallery in Poughkeepsie. She has participated as a reader in The Woodstock Poetry Festival, Woodstock Story Slams, TMI and many group Hudson Valley readings. She now resides in sunny St Petersburg where she has found her home. Alexandra is in the process of publishing her collection of stories and poems, “Daddio”, about growing up in LA with a gay fashion designer father.

A

Make a wish, honey

Absence of a muse, My muse is absent.

Sometimes I feel illiterate on my pages And homeless in my own bedroom.

The lines I’ve written after you are strangers,

Like they’ve been transcribed by a bored liar and

The amount of times I’ve been born again this year

Has made me sick of birthdays and the

Blasting of quiet white images that argue that

The magnitude of my effort is far too vast

And nowhere near as aesthetic as emptiness, So I melt down the wax from all the old birthday candles

Into seals of approval (Carved in your initials),

Pressing them over my notebooks

Like your finger across my trembling lip.

Life in Poetry

By Maureen McDole Founder and Executive Director of Keep St. Pete Lit

There is no part of me that is domes tic. The fact that I have kept myself and my 16-year-old child alive all these years is shocking to me. Yes, I have exposed him to art, cinema, and good music, but the fact that he is walking around healthy and thriving is mind-blowing to me. I have spent a good portion of my life feeling guilty about the fact that I don’t cook, I really hate to clean, I wear pretty much the same three dresses multiple times a week, and I don’t think about externals much. Yes, I leave the house presentable, showered and smell ing good, but I’ve had the same haircut and clothing style for decades. Most of my wardrobe consists of the color black. Lately, I am about to have my 48th birthday, I realized that this is who I am. I might as well enjoy being me. I mean, what’s the alternative? It’s time to stop feeling guilty and full of shame because I don’t fit into a traditional model. I would rather have my nose in a book, or be writing, or learning something new than thinking about the cobwebs that are collecting in the corner of my bed room. As a woman and a creative, this has taken a lot of deep reprogramming to get to the space I am in now. It might not have anything to do with being a woman, but as a person, it’s taken a lot

to get here. I am now OK with who I am and with my lifestyle; I trust that there’s a reason I’m wired this way. I have specific work to do as an artist, which means to me that I am not meant to live a con ventional life. Luckily, I am also raising a child who is an artist, so my way of being has actually been proactive, since it’s shown my son how to also live an uncon ventional life. If I had tried to conform to traditional gender and societal norms, I may not have inspired him to embrace his own creative and personal journey as well. I honor that I have poems to write, books to read, and adventures to have. My way of occurring in the world doesn’t always fit into what society deems as an acceptable way to spend your time. It definitely doesn’t fit into hustle culture. It may not make me famous or rich. That’s OK. It’s OK to be different. It’s OK to go against the status quo. That’s sometimes exactly what moves society forward. Go ing against the grain can create space for innovation. I’m not writing this to justify my existence, it might just be my way of getting out of doing the dishes tonight (Ha!), but if we don’t enjoy the lives we are living, doing what we love, what’s the point? Just be you. It’s a good look.•

Keep St. Pete Lit www.keepstpetelit.org

- By aenea

“If you always do what interests you, at least one person is pleased.”

Katherine Hepburn

aenea is a spoken-word poet based in St. Petersburg, Florida. Her work is centered around identity, environmentalism, black womanhood, mental ill ness and existentialism. Her work can be found in Neptune Poetry Magazine, Aji Magazine, Silent Spark Press, and her zine publication Visitors.

Jan Richardson

Genres and Generations

Withso many artists and creatives being drawn to St. Petersburg lately, it’s good to be reminded of the depth of experience and skills that reside here. Award winning ceramicist Jan Richardson has been making art for over 60 years.

In her bio she states that her art spans genres and generations. This is an understatement. After studying art history and ceram ics at the University of California Santa Barbara in the late 1950s, she owned and operated a gallery in Minneapolis, Minnesota where she presented her own handcrafted clothing and accessories along with work by other artists. In 1973 she turned her creativity full time to

ceramics. Not content to just make the art, she threw her considerable energy and creativity into Windy Meadows, a business that oversaw the creation and selling of handbuilt clay architectural miniatures using surrounding rural Maryland as inspiration. Richardson was the proprietor, head artist, and design er, employing as many as thirty women artists over the years.

You would think this would have been enough to keep her more than busy, but the list of places she has studied is long. It includes the hallowed Penland School of Craft in North Carolina and the Inter national Institute of Ceramics in Certaldo, Italy. She has participated in hundreds of juried arts festivals

throughout the country, served as the Festival Chairman of the Freder ick Festival of the Arts in Maryland for twelve years, and has taught workshops and classes nationwide, among many other accolades. In 2014 Richardson moved to St. Petersburg, where she has con tinued to make art, win awards, and contribute to the community. She has taught at the Morean Center for Clay and at the Safety Harbor Art and Music Center. Her creations have been featured in exhibitions at the Morean and the Dunedin Fine Arts Center, but also as far flung as the Piedmont Craftsmen in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and Peninsula Arts Association in Long Beach, California.

You would think someone with all this experience and years behind her would be resting on her laurels, yet Richardson continues to push forward with new ideas and experimental creations. Her newest line of “watering cans” manage to be both elegant and whimsical and very different from her deeply carved prior work that reflected her love of geometric patterns and indigenous art. •

Richardson is a local treasure. Her work can currently be viewed and purchased at the Dunedin Fine Arts Center, Morean Center for Clay, and Florida Craft Art.

Photo by: Amber Sigman

By Robin O’Dell

By Robin O’Dell

Oftenwhat we do for a living tends to define us. This can be espe cially true for artists. This person is a painter or that person is a sculptor. The reality is that everyone is a combination of interests and passions and the overlay of how an artist spends their time when they are not making art informs the work when they do.

Beth Reynolds is an award winning photographer. She has accumulated a long list of awards and notations includ ing being the recipient of a Jim Rolston Memorial Professional Development Grant and being named the inaugural Photographer Laureate of Tampa. Many know her from her many years of work ing at the Morean Arts Center where she took on numerous roles including being the Director of Photography and Community Engagement, as well as be ing the Gallery and Education Director. She was the owner of the successful Base Camp Photo Community Center in Greenfield, Massachusetts.

As impressive as these accolades are, the list on her resume of places where she has volunteered in our com munity is longer than any other part of the document. The places vary widely: Race for the Cure, Heart Gallery, SHINE Mural Festival, Tampa Bay Shore Bird Alliance, Pet Pal Animal Shelter, Hind man Settlement School, just to name a few. It’s almost impossible to go to arts events or fund raisers and not see Beth there taking pictures and helping out.

Her body of work incorporates these passions into heart-felt and beautiful images. Soaring nature shots of shore birds, playful rescue dogs, shy school children, scenes of rural simplicity, and heart felt images from a series she created invoking her elderly mother. They vary in subject, but share in a love for the world around her. Her deeply felt images reflect her interests and passions and give us a glimpse into Reynold’s very busy tender-hearted world. - Continued next page

Beth Reynolds Community

Beth Reynolds

“For most of my life, I have relied on my camera. Light gives me pause, but it of ten leaves me at a loss for words. With my camera I can pull together my emotions and words and create a photograph that speaks for me. When I was much young er, and shy, my camera was my shield, my suit of armor. It made it possible to go places and meet people that I might not have been ready for on my own. As I grew older and more sure of myself, my camera helped me find my way into new places and new experiences. It was a kind of Global Positioning System to help me navigate the maze that my learning dis abilities created for me.”

INTERVIEW

Robin (RKO) - Where were you born nd how long have you lived in St Pete?

Beth Reynolds (BR) - I was born in St Pete, right at Mound Park Hospital, now Bayfront.

RKO - You had your own studio and photography school in Massachusetts. What made you move back to St Pete?

BR - The quick answer is – I hate being cold. In the short few years, I was there, the winters got longer and colder. I had to wear socks; can you imagine? The last year I was there, we had snow piled in parking lots till May. I was always coming home to show new work, teach a workshop or see family so I knew that St Pete was in a growth phase and I loved seeing the murals spread, more studios, more dedication to the arts. I felt it was a good time to move back. I never intended to stay away more than five years. Moving and coming back several

times has always energized me.

RKO - What are your biggest art influences? Inspiration?

BR - Over my career, I have found inspiration in different places. Early on when I worked as a full-time photojour nalist, I admired and still do, the work of the Farm Security Administration photographers. I adore Eudora Welty as a photographer and writer. During graduate school, I was very fortunate to meet Leslie Dill, Carrie Mae Weems, Barbara Kasten, Sandy Skogland and Tina Barney. They are very diverse in their work and they really opened my eyes to the power of lens-based art. I had been riding in one lane for years as a documentary photographer and never explored much beyond that.

RKO - What are you working on now?

BR - In the last 2-3 years, I have been learning more about printmaking and how to use my images and blend these

mediums I love. Photogravures are a favorite and now I am exploring the a very old tradition of cyanotypes – specif ically botanicals. We live in an extraor dinary place of beauty and I volunteer for several conservation organizations that have sparked a desire to blend my art with nature. I am starting a series of botanical cyanotypes of native Florida fauna.

RKO _ Yes, I know you are very involved in the community: attending openings, photographing events, caring for hurt and stray dogs, taking care of shore birds and sea turtles. What am I missing?

BR - I think you have covered it –dogs, birds, art…I am a chronic vol unteerer. There is not enough time to volunteer for all the things I want to do. Helping non-profits tell their story aligns with my documentary heart and protect ing our bay and shore birds, I feel, is part of our responsibility while living here in Florida.

RKO - What motivates you?

BR - Motivation for my art comes from a desire to learn new mediums, even if I never use it in my own art. I have taken almost every class the Morean Arts Center has to offer – from basic drawing to glass blowing. It all comes around to inform what I do personally. For everything else in my life, I try to live by an MLK Jr quote - “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” So, I try my best to help animals who have no voice, my neighbors and friends. It makes my heart happy.

RKO - What are your favorite and least favorite parts of being an artist?

BR - My favorite part of art is mark-making, brainstorming projects with other artists, and selling a piece to someone I don’t know! My least favorite part of art is dealing with people who ask for freebies and discounts, shipping art, picking up work that didn’t sell from

a show and the generally low pay.

RKO - What changes in St Pete are you seeing?

BR - I see, like everyone, so many people moving here. It is a love/hate situation all around. I want new folks to discover us but maybe slow it down a little. I see more murals – which I LOVE! I see more arts-related jobs too.

RKO - What would you like to see?

BR - For St Pete, I would love to see live/work studios for artists. There is a wait list for good studio space. Wouldn’t it be cool to have affordable places for working artists that had a studio on the first floor and a place to live upstairs? I don’t want St Pete to become a canyon land, too many tall buildings that eliminate the sunshine we love and crave. We need a great art supply store, more funding for art and music in schools. I can keep going…

RKO - What would your dream job be?

BR - My dream job would be to work at a community photography cen ter – but not run it, that is not my best skill set. I love teaching, mentoring, and leading photo tours. A club house for lens-based artists to gather, learn, and show work.

RKO - Advice for emerging artists?

BR - My best advice for any artist is to make sure you understand the business side of art. So much of an art career is the marketing, selling, and branding of yourself. Surround yourself with people who have your best inter est at heart. Find an excellent book keeper to help you, they are invaluable. Don’t bend to the market, create your art, be true to your passion and don’t try to make art based on trends or what you think people will buy.

OceanBlue Galleries, located on Beach Drive in St. Pete is one of 5 galleries owned by Jay Shaffer and Guy Vincent who have a combined 55 years of experience in the art world.

The gallery’s focus is on national and in ternationally renowned artists, some of the most collected in the world. Here in St Pete, General Sales Manager Tad Pequignot and Gallery Director Michelle Gervais bring a high level of professionalism to the gallery, giving art lovers and collectors comfort in their experience.

The growth of the art scene in St. Pete and its stated intent to become recognized globally as an arts destination is enhanced by Ocean Blue and the artists it represents.

• They offer a “Collector’s Program”.

• They ship world wide.

• They do expert framing and packing.

• Their prices start at just $85…something for everyone!

• They bring their artists to St. Pete, with shows throughout the year….meet your favorite artist.

Wyland Dr. Seuss Tom Everhart Michael Cheval Stephen Harlan Steve Barton Muldoon James Coleman

Nano Lopez David Wight Clarita Brinkerhoff Wendy Norton David Oppenheimer Oscar Zanetti Michael Hudson Borowski Bros. Glass

Upcoming Show schedule Michael Cheval Nov 18-20 Stephen Harlan and James Coleman Dec 9-11

Current artist list 16 top-collected artists from around the world

Michael ChevalImagine III

D YaeL Kelley

D YaeL Kelley is a recipient of the prestigious MUSE Visual Arts Award and is registered as a US Department of State Art in Em bassy artist whose work was recently exhibited in the embassy residence in San Salvador. She is a founding director of the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance and the Center for Contemporary Arts. Her work can be found in private collections throughout the world.

Woodfield Fine Art Gallery will be having a Solo Exhibition “Deeper Meaning” by D YaeL Kelley. A reception for the show is on November 11, 2022 5:00p – 9:00p in their special solo exhibition space and runs through January 7, 2023.

“This is a very important exhibition of the latest works by this acclaimed internationally collected artist,” said Jim Woodfield, owner of Woodfield Fine Art. “Now her amazing new paintings will be on view and available to discerning collectors at our gal lery.”

“Watching the sky for portents I fly through holes in the universe Made by the motherchild of creation I land to be carried by wisdom turtles To where the sleeping bear awakens”

- Quote from a Dallas street artist named Roddy about the work of D YaeL Kelley www.DYaeLKelley.com www.WoodfieldFineArt.com

“I believe Art should be passionate, spiritual, political and relevant. I want to see things in a way no one sees them even though they are in plain sight. Art is a conversation with the infinite, opening yourself to the universe and truly listening”.

“Yael’s work… the use of color, balance of dark and light, depth and complexity of forms… is com pelling on multiple levels. Her work is soul-catching, and often seems like portals to the unseen corners of the World.

Yael’s work is like a gift of vision in a darkened room.”

- Hal Simon, Museum Interpretative Specialist

Aluna's Zodiac

Scorpio (Oct. 23 – Nov. 21) — Happy birthday Scorpio! Jupiter direct expands rela tionships! Longterm issues can heal, even if it’s child hood traumas that affect present-day bonding. You can also have the courage to leave situations where you’re drained by giving far more than you’re receiv ing. Don’t be afraid to examine your subconscious in therapy or meditation. It’s time to throw off toxic beliefs that limit your joy and fulfillment in life! Also you can see what impedes financially abundance.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 – Dec. 21) — The Full Moon dives deep into your subcon scious. Observe your internal reactions to information and events. Practice deep breathing before you blurt things out or take instant actions. Since Mars is retrograde, relationship issues can make you feel defensive. So the whole key is practicing inner poise so you’re prepared when you need that emotional steadiness. Life is much smother with the New Moon late in the month, so hang in there!

Capricorn (Dec. 22 – Jan. 19) — Trust your gut! You’re not paranoid. If you feel it in your viscera, it actually happening, even if others deny it! But the concern is how you present that in formation to people, It’s quite a reactive month, so just remain centered in the fact that something’s “off”. If possible, wait until next month to confront or take action. Meditation, affirmations and

positive visualizations soothe in pow erful way. You’re not avoiding; you are calming your nervous system.

Aquarius (Jan. 20 – Feb. 18) — Finances are going quite well! You have more than you thought! You can correct old relationships issues, or even re-connect with a partner in a healed way (with healthy boundaries in place). Work can present challenges, since you are so fixated on integrity, as you should be! This is a theme though January, with the Mars retrograde. You don’t always have to take action or blow the whistle. Remain steady in your beliefs and choices, and let time reveal the “icky” stuff within others.

Pisces (Feb. 19 – March 20) – Jupiter moves direct in your sign, bringing abun dance and fun! You can also re-connect with your spirituality. It will seem easier to meditate and to get “in the flow” of life! Amazing career options can open up. Be sure to stand up for what’s best for you. It’s ok to be “selfish”, since you’re naturally aligned with what will also benefit the whole group. And yes, you deserve all that money! You can even get a handle on health issues, especially if you’re overindulging in food or drink.

Aries (March 21 – April 19) — Meditate on abundance as Jupiter and the Full Moon bring amazing insights into money, and clears whatever

blocks the flow. You can meet powerful people who help, either with finan cial backing, or with deep insights. In relationships, you’ll be able to dislodge energy that clogs your ability to fully love. You can feel soothed by intimacy, rather than be unsettled by it. Also, Mars retrograde asks you to think carefully before blurting!

Taurus (April 20 – May 20) — Jupiter opens the door to connections with friends and fun activities! Follow your bliss and pursue fulfilling hobbies that give your life meaning. The Full Moon can bring sizzle to a current partnership, or take a new one to an exciting level of passion! The New Moon later this month brings even more depth. Hold your boundaries at work and you can be rewarded with respect and even a promotion or bonus.

Gemini (May 21 – June 20) — Mars moves retrograde in your sign until January. You can realign your goals with your values. You can learn to manage anxiety, worry and over-think ing. Trust your inner voice and separate it out from fears on one side, and wishful thinking on the other. Having resilience in your nervous system bring amaz ing peace, poise and success! Jupiter moves direct and blesses you with cool job offers or a bonus!

Cancer (June 21 – July 22) — Mars is retrograde for a number of months, helping you dig into your subcon scious. You can unearth, confront and re lease old traumas, fears and limitations. You’ll emerge empowered and ener gized! Keep track of things that trigger you, no matter how small. Meditate on the roots of your reactions for amaz ing insights. Relationships transform. Emotional and physical health improves. Finances start to flow. So don’t be afraid of the “inner gunk”!

Some jewelry makes you feel like never before

Leo (July 23 – Aug. 22) — The Full Moon clarifies issues in relationships. You can heal long term issues in a current partnership. You can also let go of things that haunt you from past connections. Jupiter moving direct helps you trust intimacy again! You can even have breakthroughs with finances. Open to abundance and prosperity! Reconnect with friends and activities that make your soul sing!

Virgo (Aug. 23 – Sept. 22) — Focus your meditations on cre ating resilience in your nervous system. It’s never to late to start building a sense of safety with in! Make effort to have a sacred space in your home as a mini sanctuary. If you persist, you’ll even find nagging health issues resolving in almost magical ways. As Jupiter moves direct, relationship problems resolve. Communication im proves. If single, you can start a fulfilling new partnership!

Libra (Sept. 23 – Oct. 22) —

Mars retrograde wants you to reconnect with your spiritual practices. That might mean meditation, prayer, inspira tional reading, yoga, or walks in nature. Staying grounded and centered helps you make decisions in relationships and to set/maintain healthy boundaries. You can also rediscover strengths and talents you’ve neglected. Positive affirmations and imagery also work wonders.

Aluna Michaels is a second-generation astrol oger. She also holds a Masters in Spiritual Coun seling and has been teaching and consulting for more than three decades. Her book “Spiritual Gifts of the 12 Astrological Signs” is now on Amazon in Kindle version and as an E-book on her website. Aluna is available for appointments in her home, by phone or Zoom. Call (727) 2397179 (landline, so no texting)or call/text (248) 583-1663 or visit www.alunamichaels.com

‘Indigo” Jones

THE SAINTS of Saint Petersburg

Iam fairly certain many of you have enjoyed a bowl of Louisiana gumbo, redolent of sassafras, crustaceans and all manner of delectable seafood, okra, andouille sausage, and a little bit of yardbird: chicken. Most probably the gumbo was made with a roux... or not. But why, why would you want to eat a gumbo, that was not based on a smoky roux. The darker the roux the more authentic and the mo’ better tasting the gumbo. Perfecting a proper roux instills in the human spirit a sense of well-be ing, contentment and overall happiness. I feel this exact same way about skillet corn bread and collard greens. Roux is the foundation of much of Louisiana cui sine. My mother grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana, and she taught me the way to cook, so I know how to cook, so I know all this to be culinary gospel.

The roux of the St Petersburg com munity is the myriad and varied poets, artists, dancers, novelist, actors, filmmak ers and theatre workers that have fun damentally enhanced and changed the DNA of our city. I refer to these artists as the “Saints” of St Petersburg. Of course the Saints are not limited to just artists, it can generally include educators, pa trons, administrators, creative directors, and mentors. However for this column and subsequent offerings, I will in the main be focusing primarily on the artists. These artists come to mind even before I finish my “top of the morning” decaf feinated (no foam) latte with a single blueberry pancake at Craft Kafe. Or my crispy Madeleine and decaffeinated latte at Kahwa North or my warmed croissant and decaffeinated latte (warmly served to me by Jurate) at Cassis Bakery. So, for this most autumnal of months, I’ll high light several artists (Saints) who make our lovely city an appreciably better place to call home.

Jazz has been an integral part of St Petersburg for many, many decades at least since before the Last Supper. Saints such as Duke Ellington played the histor ic Manhattan Casino on 22nd Street South. At various times two local musi cians, the fabulous late trumpet player Buster Cooper, and the incomparable bassist John Lamb were a part of the Ellington orchestra. Al Downing was a teacher at Gibbs High School. Currently there is an extraordinary Jazz ensemble

at Lakewood High, under the direction of Michael Kernodle. And trumpeter Jason Charos, an esteemed alumnus of Lakewood High, has performed at Studio @ 620 and venues throughout the Tampa Bay region.

Over the past several years Nate Na jar has graced the Studio with his classi cal jazz guitar almost from the Studio’s inception. Recently Najar along with his muse and collaborator Daniela Sole dade and the Nate Najar Trio completed a successful Bossa nova tour of Europe, with sold-out shows at Ronnie Scott’s in London and in Paris... that’s harvest ing in some pretty tall cotton indeed! These two Saints of St Petersburg have become ambassadors of the artistic deliciousness that abounds in the ‘burg. Durning the recent lockdown Daniela and Nate performed weekly, streaming Bossa nova concerts from their con dominium... it was a definitive point of togetherness and light in the midst of all that initial Covid darkness. You may catch them at their monthly stint at In termezzo, or at Nate’s annual upcoming Holiday concert at the Palladium.

Two time NEA Fellow, Peter Meinke has been both Poet Laureate of Florida and the city of St Petersburg. Meinke’s 1995 poem “Apple,” says this in part at the second stanza: and illustrates why he is considered the Bard of the Bay:

Calais. Peter Meinke’s poetry and short story prose is that creative sentinel (the light and the sustenance) in its gentle but emphatic insistence that: we at least ought to try to melt that iceberg. The well-being and creative life of any community depends on it. That is what’s important. James Baldwin, wrote, “Art is important because life is important” QED! Peter Meinke, one of the literary Saints of St Petersburg.

Saint Sharon Scott: The sublime, unreasonable genius of hearing Sharon Scott sing occupies all the necessary interiors of my heart. She raises the spirit to some other where in the near uni verse. I have accustomed myself to the distinct pleasure of working alongside of this creative powerhouse for over twenty years. Eight seasons of Langston Hughes’s “Black Nativity” (free and open to the public) at the Palladium Theatre. Sharon has performed in several August Wilson plays at American Stage. Play readings and performances at Studio 620 and the Vinoy Hotel. One of the featured performers in the musical I wrote about the Manhattan Casino. The musical was commissioned by Live Arts Peninsula Foundation and presented for ten performances at the historic Colise um. Sharon was part of the ensemble of musicians that inaugurated the Studio’s groundbreaking ceremony, June 20, 2004. In 2013 the Studio received an Artists Accelerator Grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. Sharon’s voice and her talent mentoring young artists was the guiding principle for this Doris Duke initiative. Like the Divine Sarah, there is an entire symphony in Sharon Scott’s voice and this quality resides in the very sinews and wooden rafters of the Studio @ 620.

Department. “Fanfare for the Common Man” by Aaron Copland is the music I hear when I see the torqued beauty of Aeling’s “First Flight.” This is the stunning sculpture of Tony Jannus in his Benoist plane on its inaugural flight. Suspended in motion as the plane seems to turn in flight as it crests a wave “toward some further shore washed beyond some farthest sea.” I have seen “First Flight” dozens of time, but the heart quickens every time (particularly on foot) when I approach this signature work of art. When I see a piece of art like “First Flight,” the departure is always easy and new and always necessary.

Times necessitates I bring to pause this iteration of Indigo Jones. So with the usual admonition regarding the creek and the three-legged dog, stay safe.

Humbly submitted by Bob Devin Jones

That iceberg between us... that inevitable force and all too often, very human moment of mis-connection. This mis-communication, is the exact moment where the poem and the read er (the witness, if you will) catch their breath. Where the roux darkens, deep ens and thickens, and promotes mo’ better living. This poem is easily down loadable, attainable through google or purchase. I hope you get it — like Rodin’s monumental sculpture the Burghers of

One of the most prolific of the Saints of St Petersburg is sculptor Mark Aeling and his MGA Studio: I have been to his Warehouse Arts District studio many times. There is always a bustle and a purpose to the design and fabrication of these ocular masterworks. And there have been many: the frolicking dolphins in the central court of Sundial; the 30 foot aluminum wing entitled Shield, suspended from the ceiling in the lobby of the Police station; and Gladiolus, the exterior piece, that is a welcome beacon of acknowledgment to the community and a commitment of service from the