The Artisan Magazine - October 2023 Edition

“Sentimental Journey”

A solo exhibition of the art of Lance Rodgers

Exhibit dates: Friday, October 13th - Saturday, November 4th

Opening Reception: Friday, October 13th from 5 to 9pm

From Classic to Contemporary, we specialize in concierge art consulting services to help you create a space unique to you. Tell us about the atmosphere you want to create, and we will present a variety of artworks for your consideration.

We provide an array of art services including:

Art Advising & Consultations

Custom Frame Design

WORLD RENOWNED PEN/INK AND SCRATCHBOARD ARTIST

IS HOSTING HIS FIRST SOLO EXHIBITION IN ST. PETE THIS IS A MUST SEE SHOW FOR EMERGING, MATURE, AVID COLLECTORS AND ART LOVERS ALIKE.

THE FACTORY - ST. PETE 2622 FAIRFIELD AVE. S. 11-11-2023

5PM-9PM

PLEASE JOIN US IN CELEBRATING JOHN’S EIGHTIETH (80) BIRTHDAY WITH LIVE, SERENE MUSIC, CHAMPAGNE AND DELICIOUS CAKE.

EMIT Latin Jazz Fest - October 5, 6 & 7

José Valentino & Eternal Power

Thursday, October 5 at 7:30 PM Music Center at St. Petersburg College

Experience the brilliance of multi-Latin GRAMMY®, 15-time Global Music®, and Emmy® Award Winner, José Valentino & Eternal Power.

Gilberto Garcia & The Latin Knights

Friday, October 6 at 7:30 PM ArtsXchange Stage at the Warehouse Arts District.

Founded in 1997 by percussionist Gilberto Nino Garcia, The Latin Jazz Knights Band have made a reputation for themselves as one of the leading Latin jazz bands in Tampa Bay.

Dimas Sánchez and The Afro Latin Jazz Project

Saturday, October 7 at 7:30 PM ArtsXchange Stage at the Warehouse Arts District.

Dimas Sánchez and The Afro Latin Jazz Project is influenced by the sounds of Afro Puerto Rican, Afro Cuban music and African rhythms.

Arts Annual 2023: The Party

November 9 @ 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Creative Pinellas is excited to announce Arts Annual’s THE PARTY on Thursday, November 9th from 6-9 pm at the Gallery at Creative Pinellas. This one-night event is Creative Pinellas’ only fundraiser of the year with proceeds supporting our artist and cultural organization grants, and student summer camp grants. Purchase individual tickets for $25 or become a sponsor! Enjoy a cash bar with light bites, captivating art, and create memorable moments as you delight in music and activities throughout the evening – all while knowing you are uplifting the arts and artists of Pinellas County. Discover the Art, the People, the Experience! www.creativepinellas.org/event/arts-annual-2023-the-party/

Florida CraftArt presents: Ghost Stories

Exhibition Dates: Through October 21, 2023

Janna Kennedy’s ghoulishly humorous Ghostly Memories looks as if it accidentally rolled into the gallery after taking a wrong turn in the afterlife. Although the skeletal remains of the rider are dressed in proper Victorian attire, her posture and the piles of paraphernalia that surround her suggest she is more of a peddler. Her ramshackle carriage, constructed from a Civil-War era wheelchair, is encrusted with framed photographs that attest to that time’s fascination with death.

MFA - The Nature of Art

Opens October 21

As an encyclopedic museum, the Museum of Fine Art, St. Pete, aims to examine the whole of human art production, and one of the most exciting possibilities of a collection that spans 5,000 years is the ability to explore big ideas across space, time, and geography. This allows us to see the commonalities of the human journey and contemplate how specific conditions produce unique works of art with a strong sense of place. The Nature of Art looks at the disparate ways humans have engaged in artistic expression to understand our environment, mediate our relation-

ship with nature, and attain a more profound comprehension of our role within the world.

This exhibition is a celebration of the highest aspirations of humankind—our intellectual and creative activities that reflect and shape the world in which we live. "Our mission is to preserve art objects in perpetuity. The pleasure and honor we have in doing so is our collective ability to “interpret” these objects and to use them as prompts to engage, educate, and excite our community."

Sueños de Dalí 2023

October 28 @ 8:00pm – 11:00pm

Join the Dali Museum for Sueños de Dalí, the year’s most surreal soirée, where the spectacular building and gardens morph into a world of whimsical delight. Float through the galleries and grounds as you enjoy gourmet bites, themed open bars featuring specially curated cocktails, live entertainment and more—all to support the Museum’s vital mission as a nonprofit arts and education organization.

José Valentino

Dimas Sánchez

Meet the Mural Artists of the 9th Annual SHINE Mural Festival, Presented

by REFLECTION St. Pete

Back for its ninth year, October 13-22, 2023, the SHINE St. Petersburg Mural Festival has curated another impressive line-up of mural artists from the Tampa Bay area and beyond. Adding to the city’s diverse collection of outdoor art, SHINE continues to celebrate art in public spaces while elevating the medium of mural art and championing St. Petersburg as an arts destination worldwide.

SHINE will add 14 new murals throughout the art districts plus a series of street art related events, tours, and community Bright Spot projects. For artist bios, the 2023 map of murals, Bright Spot project information and full event details, visit www.stpeteartsalliance.org/ shine-2023.

International Artists:

• Andrea Wan, Canada

• Dave Bonzai, London

• Bryan Beyung, Canada

• Loretta Lizzio, Australia

National Artists:

• Bunnie Reiss, California

• Hannah Eddy, Nevada

• Hoxxoh, Miami

• Max Sansing, Chicago

Local Artists:

• Artist Jones, Tampa

• Chris Dyer, St. Petersburg/Peru

• Fabstraq, Tampa

• Michael Vasquez, St. Petersburg/Miami

• Rhys Meatyard, St. Petersburg

• Sarah Sheppard, St. Petersburg

Bright Spot Projects:

“Girl Power” with The Happy Mural Project and Girl Scouts of West Central Florida

A color by number mural hosted by Alyssa Marie of The Happy Mural Project and completed by Girl Scouts of West Central Florida, designed to inspire and empower girls and young women through art.

Chenlin Cai and The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art

The James Museum partners with Chenlin Cai to create a mural that is an extension of The James Museum's special Exhibition From Far East to West: The Chinese American Frontier to highlight the resiliency and self-determination of Chinese Americans who helped build the American West. Cai's work explores the dichotomy between the two cultures he inhabits, and this project speaks to identity and community and how the past can impact the present.

The annual SHINE Mural Festival, produced by the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance is grateful for the support of its first two-year Title Sponsor, REFLECTION; a partnership that will culminate with a four-story mural on the façade of the luxury condo building for SHINE’s 10-year milestone in 2024.

“St. Petersburg is a vibrant and growing community due in large part to its commitment to the arts. REFLECTION St. Pete was designed to incorporate the art and character of St. Petersburg into a modern luxury residence. We are excited to be SHINE’s title sponsor for the next two years and make REFLECTION St. Pete a landmark for the living arts in downtown St. Petersburg,” remarked HP Capital Partner Fred Hemmer. •

ARTIST JONES MAX SANSING

BRYAN BEYUNG ANDREA WAN

BUNNIE REISS CHRIS DYER

RHYS MEATYARD HOXXOH

DAVE BONZAI FABSTRAQ

SARAH SHEPPARD

MICHAEL VASQUEZ

LORETTA LIZZIO

HANNAH EDDY

The Florida Museum of Photographic Arts is now open in Ybor City! The Museum invites you to explore its first exhibitions Icons of Black & White and Prodigy: Storytelling Through Photography. Visit the new FMoPA space Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. at its new location at 1630 E 7th Avenue, Tampa FL, 33605.

Brenda McMahon Gallery Honors Breast Cancer Warriors with Radical Self-Acceptance

Brenda McMahon Gallery is honoring Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October with a stirring photographic exhibition highlighting breast cancer warriors by Tampa artist Michelle Caudle. The exhibit, Radical Self-Acceptance, opens on Friday, October 6th from 6-9 pm during Gulfport’s First Friday Art Walk and is one of several avenues the gallery is taking this month in support of The Affirmations Project, a Tampa-based non-profit supporting cancer survivors.

Javier Dones Featured Artist

the ArtLofts ad for October 2023 use which ever version fits your available space

Javier Dones is our Featured Artist - October

The organization will have a booth set up outside the gallery during the opening to speak with and answer questions from visitors and the gallery has committed 10% of all sales through the month to the group.

https://brendamcmahongallery.com

DRV Gallery Celebrates One-Year of Creative Growth

DRV Gallery celebrates its one-year anniversary this October with the addition of four new fine artists, a creative workshop by the nationally acclaimed artist and instructor Shawn Dell Joyce, and an ongoing exhibition by The Exhibiting Society of Artists (TESA).

Visit artists who create, show and sell their work on site. Jewelry, painting, sculpture, photography, stained-glass, mixed media and more.

Open for Second Saturday Art Walks 5 p.m.-9 p.m.

The four new artists - sculptors Eileen Finegan and Cyntia Zontek, award-winning fiber artist Dawn Waters, and widely celebrated St. Petersburg artist and teacher Rebecca Skelton, whose work spans drawings, paintings, and sculptures – bring the gallery’s roster of fine artists to ten.

Come on Up 10 Fifth Street North, DTSP upstairs from Florida CraftArt Gallery www.theartlofts.com

Bring in this ad for a free drink next ArtWalk

“Part of the excitement of the gallery is its diversity in both artists and the art itself,” said DRV Gallery owner Deserie Valloreo, who added that the gallery will celebrate its official anniversary on October 6th with a private reception.

The gallery’s TESA exhibition opened on September 28th and continues the gallery’s support of local artists and organizations, featuring works by nearly 20 Tampa Bay area artists of varying mediums and subjects. The exhibition will be on display to the public during regular gallery hours on Saturdays from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Visit artists who create, show and sell their work on site. Jewelry, painting, sculpture, photography, stained-glass, mixed media and more.

Open for Second Saturday Art Walks 5 p.m.-9 p.m.

Come on Up www.theartlofts.com

10 Fifth Street North, DTSP upstairs from Florida CraftArt Gallery

Bring in this ad for a free drink next ArtWalk

A Conversation with Bill Edwards Patron of the Performing Arts and more…

By Matt Hoolehan

Why St Pete? Why the Tampa area?

I don’t know how this place - the whole Tampa Bay area - has so much energy, but it does. People from all over the country come here and fall in love. That’s my story, certainly. Living in St Petersburg was never my goal, but growing up in the more reserved world of the Northeast, I found the energy and passion here to fit my energy and passion. A love affair with this place was born.

Specific to the arts, I find Florida to be a muse. The colors you find here can somehow seem richer than other places and I think that can inspire people. Not just visual artists, mind you, but you see it in things like performing arts and the exquisite glass art you find here. This is a place where you can’t help but find creativity. That’s why I love it.

Why performing arts?

All great art, from poetry and paintings to murals and music, moves people. That’s why I love it. To see a play, listen to a symphony or to dance at a rock concert is to participate in the art, with the artist. I get a lot of pleasure in sharing that. I’m also a guy that doesn’t like to do small things. If I’m going to do something, do it right. I want to involve everyone from my team to the community. I don’t want to have a

painting that only I can see - I want to see people moved by the performing arts we present.

What got you into music? What was your start?

Not many people know that I’m a musician. While that tells you something about the music I wrote, it also gives me insight to musicians. That’s what made my music studio successful. Understanding the artists helps a promoter do his job that much better. It also allowed me to be involved with the music itself, recording, producing and promoting bands like AC/DC, Kool and the Gang and Cheap Trick. I’ve been part of the creation of some great music.

Sharing the music might be more important, though. Let me tell you something: putting on a show and watching an audience engage is the best feeling I know. It’s a much different feeling than you get from real estate or business success. It’s bigger.

Tell us a little more about a show you remember promoting that gave you that feeling…

They all do, but I’ll answer this way. A couple years ago I put together a show in Vegas, it was Cheap Trick playing The

Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper album. It was a huge, expensive and theatrical show. People loved it. The band loved it. I loved seeing everyone love it.

But you know what? My foundation also does a thing called BAM!Fest at the Mahaffey- it stands for Books, Arts, Music. It’s part of our Class Acts Series where we bring in schoolkids to experience things like drawing, reading, playing the drums, acting and dancing on stage. When I sit up in the balcony, watching these kids enjoy themselves, that’s probably one hundred times the feeling of the Cheap Trick show.

How are your business interests like your art interests?

Artists and successful business people share a lot of similar goals. An artist makes art to satisfy their vision and at the same time, to communicate to an audience. That’s the same thing that a successful business person does. When I invest in something, I have my own vision, of course, but it’s driven by the question, “How will this move other people?” Real estate is the obvious example, but you develop with a vision that will move people to participate

in some way. Buying the Rowdies, my vision was to create an experience for our community before it was gone.

What are you really excited about these days?

I’m at the point where I only work on things that excite me. That’s mostly my foundation, Bill Edwards Foundation for the Arts and the Mahaffey Theater. The foundation is all about supporting programming at The Mahaffey Theater and promoting the arts to young people in the greater Tampa Bay area. We do educational classes, summer camps, and other events to get kids excited to experience all aspects of the arts. Many of these kids might never have been able to see a play or a performance. We offer that to them at no cost or on a scholarship. Our kids

programs’ are free because we don’t want money to get in the way of the experience. That’s maybe my biggest thrill.

Bill Edwards Team from L to R: Nick Mitsis - Director of Production, Mahaffey Theater, Amy Miller - President of Bill Edwards Foundation for the Arts, Bill Edwards - CEO of Big3 Entertainment and Bill Edwards Foundation for the Arts, Ericka Dunlap - Guest and former Miss America, Joe Santiago - General Manager, Mahaffey Theater, Katrina Young - Education and Outreach Coordinator, Bill Edwards Foundation for the Arts

We’ve been successful with the Mahaffey since we took over its management 13 years ago. This will be our biggest season yet. We’re a preferred national venue for artists. We’re also more than a place to see rock shows. Symphonies, plays, ballet - we’re about performing arts and we take that seriously.

What makes the Mahaffey special for the community?

I can’t think of many places to see a show that matches the beauty of the Mahaffey and its setting. Maybe the Santa Fe Opera House or Red Rocks Ampitheatre. But it’s hard not to be inspired by seeing the Bay, the Dali and the skyline. We also have a visual arts gallery with major announcements forthcoming.

Soon, there will be a full-service destination restaurant in the Mahaffey. It’s the next part of our vision. There’s no other theater I can think of that will combine the quality of acts we bring in, the atmosphere of St Petersburg and a quality dining experience all under one roof. This will be a game-changer for the theater, and it’ll be one more thing that this area can and should be proud of.

You asked earlier about why I love this area. It’s because everything is possible. That’s because the people here are hungry for art and ideas. They’re on the lookout for new ways to participate with others in their communities. They want to embrace the arts and to share them. The Mahaffey is just another way to do it.

What does legacy mean to you?

The Bill Edwards legacy? I’m going to keep on going for as long as I can, and that should be a while, god willing. I don’t give up on anything very easily. But that’s all I can say for my personal legacy. The legacy of the work we’ve created, the art that we’ve shared, and the experiences we’ve provided to the community are what’s important to me. It’s been a lot of fun and truly what I care about. After all - if you’re going to spend a big part of your life working - it should be fun!

Select October Events The Mahaffey

ARTRAGEOUS!

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4 AT 10:30AM

CIRQUE DANCES WITH TROUPE VERTIGO

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 7th & 8th AT 2PM

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 10 AT 8:30PM

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12 AT 8PM

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13 AT 7:30PM

COPLAND’S APPALACHIAN SPRING

FEATURING JUBILANT SYKES FOR AMERICAN SPIRITUALS

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21 AT 8PM

OCTOBER 31 AT

RAYMOND JAMES POPS

BENISE FIESTA!

HOUGH FAMILY FOUNDATION MASTERWORKS

THE BLACK CROWES

DOT DOT DOT: A NEW MUSICAL MONDAY, OCTOBER 30 AT 11:15AM

CELEBRATING DAVID BOWIE TUESDAY,

8PM

40 YEARS OF MORRISSEY

JimKammerud

Contemporary figure painter and portrait artist

Jim has always been an artist and storyteller. He wrote and directed several Disney movies, and animated and storyboarded on many others, like The Peanuts Movie and Space Jam (the original and the sequel). He’s raised five kids and married the best girl in the world. Now he’s living in Saint Pete and returning to his first love, drawing and painting––but still always telling a story. Jim finds beauty in the human form, in our unique faces, in the connection between people and our environment, and in the joy of being with each other.

Inthe late 80’s Jim Kammerud started an animation studio in Columbus, Ohio with his friends. They were making local TV commercials when The Little Mermaid came out, starting a renaissance in 2D animation. Soon Jim and his studio were working on Hollywood animated features, and it seemed like a dream come true.

“When you’re a kid, you draw for fun,” Jim says. “And if you can draw really well, you might get into animation—and next thing you know you’re directing Disney movies, and it’s all awesome and everything, until one day you realize you don’t draw any more, you talk for a living.”

Jim started oil painting as a way to reconnect with his love of drawing, painting

portraits of anyone willing to sit for him. “They were decent likenesses, because I could draw, but I was just figuring out this oil paint thing.”

Today Jim paints portraits, both from life and from photos. “A portrait in oils brings people joy. It becomes an heirloom passed down for generations,” Jim says. “And sometimes I make more contemporary pop art portraits, just pushing the color and brushwork to see what happens. And sure, dogs, cats, grandkids… it’s all super fun. When I’m painting I’m totally in the moment. Hours can go by and even though I’m concentrating fiercely I won’t have a thought in my head.”

Jim’s more personal work captures intimate moments of couples

in their ordinary lives. “The most important thing that ever happened to me is my relationship with my wife, Janie [St. Pete oil painter Janie Haskins].

All the couples who model for us are really stand-ins for the two of us. I’m trying to express the joy of that connection––the sheer fun it is to be a couple and have someone to share your day with. My paintings are tender, or cuddly, or sexy, but they can be silly too. So much of what we see in popular culture leaves out the fun.”

Jim typically photographs a couple at their home. “I have sketchbooks filled with ideas for paintings, and I guess because of my filmmaking background I think in scenes, developing a narrative image that

www.jimkammerud.com

tells a story. I use the drawings in those sketchbooks to pose the couples for photos that I’ll take back to the studio to paint.”

Jim still works in animation, storyboarding for feature films and TV. “Animation is amazing because you can gather four or five hundred people together and make this enormous art you could never make by yourself,” Jim says. “But what I love about painting is that I can tell the story I want to tell without raising 100 million dollars or getting the green light from a movie executive.”

Jim and Janie share a live-work space at the ArtsXchange in the Warehouse Arts District. “We live in a tiny apartment that feels like a dorm room, but we have a huge studio.

"... what I love about painting is that I can tell the story I want to tell..."

Jim leads a weekly open Figure Drawing group with a live model Anyone can come—bring

And it’s great to share the space because we help each other out a lot.” Jim’s studio is inside the big garage door next to the Tully-Levine Gallery. It’s open for Second Saturday Art Walk, the St. Pete Sunday Market on the 3rd Sunday of the month, and by appointment.

Ballet in the Burg

Suzanne Pomerantzeff, fondly known by her students as Ms. P., is the Co-Founder and Artistic Director for the Academy of Ballet Arts. In 1969

Suzanne, along with Lester Jacobsen, founded the Academy and led the classes and summer intensives for the next 55 years. ABA is home to the St. Petersburg Ballet Company and the St. Petersburg Folk Ensemble (Russian folk dance). Mrs. P. established a

ballet program at St. Petersburg Junior College, (now known as St. Petersburg College), and was responsible for the development of the dance department at the Pinellas County Center for the Arts (PCCA) at Gibbs High School. She served as the Ballet Department Chairperson and was instrumental in bringing about the first annual Florida Dance Assessment, which was hosted for its inaugural year at PCCA.

Suzanne's background and training include the San Francisco Ballet School and the University of Utah, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts. She

performed with the San Francisco Ballet, Ballet West, Tampa Ballet, and Virginia Ballet.

Many of Ms P.'s students have been chosen to compete in the Youth American Grand Prix, an international ballet competition that has been running since 1999. YAGP awarded her the Best Teacher award (2006 and 2007) and the Best Choreographer award (2006). In 2003, she received a grant from the SURDNA Foundation to travel to Ireland and produce a ballet on Irish history.

By Malory Speir

If you ever have the privilege of listening to Suzanne Pomerantzeff talk about her ballet school and students, you’ll feel her excitement and love of dance as her eyes light up and her smile grows. It’s contagious.

Pomerantzeff, also known as Ms. P, is the co-founder of the Academy of Ballet Arts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dance school in St. Petersburg. Previously located on 1st Avenue North, the Academy moved this spring to the Pruitt Education Center at the Warehouse Arts District Association (WADA) ArtsXchange campus.

“When WADA invited us to their campus, they asked me what my philosophy of the arts was, and I loved that,” Ms. P said. “Being here is like being in a mini arts school. We’re in a place that’s alive and we’re going to be very active in this location.”

Despite a new location, the Academy of Ballet Arts has been around for 55 years. Founded in 1969 by Lester Jacobsen and Suzanne Pomerantzeff, the Academy is one of the most established and respected ballet schools in the Tampa Bay area and is home to the St. Petersburg Ballet Company. A pre-professional ballet company is different from a typical ballet studio in that students have to audition to be in the ballet company and audition to be in performances, rather than a studio that puts on dance recitals for every class/age group.

More than 100 students from St. Petersburg Ballet Company and the Academy of Ballet Arts have gone on to become professional dancers. They’ve performed with American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet, Frankfurt Opera Ballet, Moiseyev Dance Company, Cirque du Soleil, Lion King on Broadway, and doz-

Artistic Director: Suzanne Pomerantzeff

Malory is a writer and editor and longtime St. Pete resident. She’s been an editor for print and digital publications for more than a decade, where she’s written and edited content about health, food, travel, and arts/ entertainment.

Ms. P

ens of other prestigious dance companies.

Although the professional path is a goal for many of the Academy of Ballet Arts’ students, there are also many students who get involved with dance at the school who don’t intend to make careers out of dance. They offer adult ballet classes, they recently created a beginner’s program, they’re starting a musical theater program, and for many years they’ve worked with arts programs at local schools like Perkins Elementary, John Hopkins Middle School, and Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Gibbs High School.

They also just restarted a program for children with Down syndrome and autism, which they had for about a year and a half before COVID hit. “I want to give the kids a chance to explore movement and let them try a little bit of ballet, a little bit of character and theatrics,” Ms. P said. This program was inspired by work that Ms. P did with kids at Gibbs High School’s ESE program.

These various programs and partnerships with schools are just some of the examples of the Academy’s community involvement. They are also involved with American Stage, Eckerd College, Creative Pinellas, City of St. Pete, St. Pete Arts Alliance and its Performing Arts Taskforce, and more.

Students from the academy have per-

formed at recent ArtWalks, which take place the second Saturday of every month and involve more than 45 studios and galleries throughout the city. The Academy’s performances can be seen at the ArtsXchange campus at 515 22nd Street South.

In addition to the Academy’s performances at ArtWalk, you can catch their annual performance of The Nutcracker from December 1-3 at The Palladium. Tickets will be available through The Palladium’s box office and website.

Whether you’re a longtime supporter of the Academy of Ballet Arts or this is the first you’ve heard of the school, their new location and deeper involvement with the St. Petersburg community is something that should excite every art lover. And if the gleam in Ms. P’s eyes when I spoke to her is any indication of the future of the Academy, you’ll definitely want to keep your eye on what’s happening with them!

To learn more about the ArtWalk and see upcoming dates, visit: stpeteartsalliance. org/artwalk

To learn more about the Academy of Ballet Arts, visit: www.academyofballetarts.org

Class picture taken after Academy alumnus Calvin Royal III, principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre, taught a guest class.

MINSTERPIECE

Richard Minster

Richard is a Minsterpiece; a piece of work, gregarious, open, honest about himself, and his art. Richard creates out of a desire to contribute, and, because it is a utility for him; he creates to search his soul. He has no formal art training, no mentors, no teachers. The moniker “artist” began when the newly divorced and single man was searching for a new partner in life, as somewhat of a ruse but also as a new life, a new beginning. Creating.

Painting and art are salves that help heal his old wounds. In 2012, after a divorce, his art was shown in restaurants, salons, boutiques, etc in New York. When they sold he became more and more involved in his art. He then had a solo show at The Scope in SOHO in New York City. He was hooked, and that’s when he started painting in earnest.

He once wrote a letter to Steven Spielberg, who had similar events happen in his life, for advice. He did not get a reply, but the attempt was somewhat conciliatory. His wounds may not ever completely heal but they are either expressed or forgotten when the brush hits the canvas.

Painting and drawing are now his passion, allowing him to express his emotions and to cope with the challenges in his life, a catharsis. He moved to St. Petersburg in 2020 to find his place in the Warehouse Arts District, amongst a thriving arts community.

Richard uses many different mediums, such as enamel, acrylics, and pastels. He believes that working in a single medium is restrictive to his artistic process. Each idea manifests in its' own individual style. He loves bold color and utilizes the colors of nature in his art. He likes to hide images within images. You may count as many as 50 faces or more within a single abstract piece.

He is prolific. His studio/gallery is overflowing with years of creative introspection. He will produce between 100150 new pieces within a year. Many of them sell, many remain in the studio. To Richard it almost does not matter if his art sells or not, he has what he needs financially, what gives him great pleasure is just knowing his work is hanging on a wall in someone’s home or at a business. When creating, he feels at peace.

Steganography: The art and science of hiding something in plain sight. A pictue within a picture.

THE WRITE LIFE

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

www.maureenmcdole.com

“A simple life is not seeing how little we can get by with—that’s poverty—but how efficiently we can put first things first. When you’re clear about your purpose and your priorities, you can painlessly discard whatever does not support these, whether it’s clutter in your cabinets or commitments on your calendar.” -Victoria

Moran

EMERY’S RULE

CHAPTER ONE - “There’s no place like home”

Hurricanes never begin in Florida, but they often end here.

Our storms start small, a dry wind from an arid plain somewhere over Africa. They blow west and cross the Cape Verdes Islands then launch themselves out into the Atlantic. High pressure systems propagate the tropical depressions south while prevailing winds push them west as they begin to tighten into fists. We measure their health by wind speed and we test their barometric pressure. We name them and they circle upon themselves like clockwork. Once they find the Gulf of Mexico, they graze upon warmer waters and then finally open their eyes. They look at towns like Galveston and Houston and Beaumont and Biloxi, but the open mouth of Tampa Bay calls them all toward home.

bay. There was a quick spitting sound behind the boat when something surfaced, a dolphin maybe, emptying its lungs before filling them again in a seemingly single burst.

Grandfather awoke so I burrowed deeper.

I heard his metal coffee cup clang against the red ceramic covered pot and matching metal lid and my grandfather began conducting his orchestra. The sliding of the wooden cupboard as it opened and closed. The hiss of gas being released as he turned a knob, the spark of an igniter, and the cough of combustion. Pouring water. Scooping grinds. Closing lids and the endless exhale of the fuel being burned before the water began to boil. Then the first bubble burst inside the ceramic coffee maker on the stove, and then more as the water percolated through the grinds.

My father passed away at the end of August. I was lucky enough to spend an enormous amount of time with him during the last two weeks of his life. It really put things into perspective about what’s important and what’s not. He died at home and once he was gone everything in his house, which had once been infused with the magic of him was just a bunch of stuff. It all had to be rehomed, thrown away or donated. I understood this concept in theory, that we really do leave all our possessions behind, but I didn't fully understand until I witnessed it first hand.

This last year for me has centered on how to simplify my life, so I have more time to focus on the things I love and spend time with people I love. In the past, I was programmed to think that I always have to work towards having more and doing more, that was a sign that I was on a successful path. But lately, I’ve been realizing that the simple life is where it’s at. The more time I have to focus on the things that I truly enjoy and to spend time with people I love, the richer I feel.

During my father's last days it wasn't about anything other than him being comfortable and spending time with the people who

came to say goodbye. He gradually shed his daily clothes in favor of pajamas. As he got closer to death his needs got simpler and simpler. He was a hardcore introvert, but at the end he loved having his apartment full of the people he loved and hearing us talk and laugh and enjoy each other's company.

"I don't imagine this is something you want to do alone", was one of the last full sentences he said to me. It wasn't about his house full of stuff (though it was beautifully filled with art and books) it was about his relationships that meant the most to him in his last days.

If we are too busy to spend time with those we love in pursuit of the almighty dollar or a bigger house or longer resume, are we really living our best lives? You will have to answer that for yourself. For me, the answer is definitely NO.

Yes, I want time to pursue my creative passions, but when it comes down to it, I want to be surrounded by all my favorite people as I move through this life. This means I have to prioritize those relationships. I would be a lucky person to die like my father did, surrounded by my nearest and dearest. What a priceless gift. •

As a boy, I feared these hurricanes and plotted them on sheets of graph paper with the sharp tip of my number two pencil. I drew lines between their dots as they crossed the Caribbean and then cut the Keys in half. Those storms drew mile-long car lines and they pulled poor families into food lines and they pushed high tide lines further into town.

But when I was eleven, I tracked a different storm. This one gave no warning.

Mom’s pressure dropped and her eyes opened less. Her cyclone circled and her two poles pushed and pulled the water level from my childhood. Mom’s depression, Amanda, was my most dangerous storm, and it marched across the longitude and latitude of my younger years before finally making landfall in the summer of my twelfth.

On a warm summer night in August, I slid my bedroom window open and climbed outside. I tumbled. Hid. Slipped. Crept. I walked down the long slope of land to our dock where I boarded my grandfather’s sailboat and I ran away from home.

***

When I awoke on that first morning, the sun exposed everything inside the boat. A teak cabinet, a purple cushion, and the red stuffed parrot swaying on a gold hoop. It looked like a page from a pirate’s picture book.

I wiggled further into the back of my berth.

A scratchy voice crackled from the radio mounted on two brackets on the ceiling above my hiding place. “One hell of a storm last night, Sonny.” Then, “Over.”

The VHF radio volleyed voices back and forth as if humidity was their conduit. They narrated the weather (clear) and the tide (high but outgoing) and everyone on the water around us announced their boat names like a roll call. They used beautiful words from a different language to describe their life at sea. Left was port and cleats had horns. There were winches and spreaders and shrouds and stays. Ropes were lines and no one ever ate a banana.

Beneath the boat there were biting sounds and crackling sounds from the bottom of the

The scratchy voice returned over the radio. “Must’ve been a hell of a ride out there in the Gulf? Over.”

The black transmitter hung above me. The smell of fresh coffee filled the cabin and pulled me forward from my hiding place. I thought about how wrong people on land had it when they said that the calm came before a storm instead of after one.

“Sonny, do you copy? Any damage? Over.”

My grandfather reached above me and pulled the transmitter from its hook and the black pigtailed cord stretched out to his mouth. “Just some ballast on my port side. Over.”

We were close enough to touch and I heard the ticking of his wrist watch counting the seconds of silence.

One Mississippi. Two Mississippi. Three. Ballast? Were we sinking? I couldn’t stand it so I slid forward and peeked from under my covers. Grandfather was standing there above me. His gray mustache perched above his smirk and his deep blue eyes sparkled behind his glasses.

I poked my head out. “Hi.” Grandfather’s dimples deepened.

“It’s me, Emery.”

“I’m aware of who you are.” He took a sip from his cup of coffee. “Was wonderin’ when you would wake up.”

Brian Wedlake’s fiction has been published in HEMINGWAY SHORTS, Volume Six, a collection of writing in the best tradition of Hemingway. He recently won first place in the “Inspirational” Category of the 91st Annual “Writer’s Digest” Writing Competition. EMERY’S RULE is Brian’s debut novel in progress and can best be summarized as WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING meets “The Goonies”. The coming of age story starts in 1969 and takes readers along on a sixteen year treasure hunt where pirates still exist. A selection of the novel was recently long listed (top 1% of submisions) in the Master’s Review Novel Excerpt Contest. You can follow Brian on Instagram @brackish.waters Or on his website, www.BrianWedlake.com He is currently completing his second novel.

Maureen’s weekly podcast The Write Life can be found at:

Webs of Debt

DEBT got me stripped down to my socks….

“Weary Blues,” I’m a syncopated fool.

Dreams now foreclosed, Debt has me gloomed.

My debt consumes the life from my womb,

Takes my will to procreate, Makes me barren.

Can’t add nothing to this race, The money it takes

The thoughts of having a family

Saddens me with this load over my head. First, they got us with these homes, Now foreclosed. Gentrification

Got us weary. We still pay for houses

We can’t live in anymore, or we sold them

To people who don’t look like us. We went to college to be better people, Maybe feel like we could be Equal, But nope, NAW,

We just smart and stupid people

Who have consumed debt, Drowning and gloom. A dumb fool I was, Debt got me weary and blue

It takes away my hope to procreate, My aspirations to hold my own daughter

One day. These tears take me to sleep.

I cover my face to the world, This dishearting and shaky truth, My gloomy reality.

Carrying these degrees, This divorce

It makes me broke.

Brokenness and holes in my pockets

Burn through my heart.

I’m broke and I’m broken, So don’t ask me for no money.

No baby, no love—nothing.

I am a weary gloom-broke woman!

Fragile Egos

Their fragile egos, sad fuck selves— They love bomb us then gaslight us. They mirrored everything we need just to absorb our energy our time our space. They strip us of ourselves argue about the imperfections that make us Us.

What am I supposed to do? But leave you in your own made-up quarrels And go live my life

Until you figure out

That I’m still going to be me—

Either love it or leave it and I’ll decide whether I’ll forgive you. The pain you gave me when you left I’ll never unlearn it—

Un-memorize

the words you said—

Or the past that you reminisce To throw me away— The past Healed Stronger Opinions

Don’t matter.

Just the ones that are mine. Hard lessons

I am no more a broken little woman

Too confused to know when someone uses their hurt against me.

I see his eyes follow me

Eager to catch a glimpse of me

When I’m away I wanted to say hello

But all the pain muted my voice.

I can only now just love you from a distance, You Narcissist.

Everybody on Sorry

People share the wrong news, and it causes drastic changes, un necessary detours

And a sorry is to what?

Erase the pain, the headache of travel and the mental frustration?

A sorry here for not being good enough a sorry here for not having enough love to give love and redemption to understand discernment that gains wisdom

A sorry for a lack to ask before one does whether it’s touch, emotional, or visual— You ask. Don’t assume that I am okay with you sharing my hidden secrets or goals, and when you do without permission it violates me.

And you say SORRY

Is that suppose to erase the embarrassment that what I was hoping for never came true?

Then I am then sorry to those I never meant to involve.

I don’t want to be sorry. I want to know before I do.

A sorry is such a distaste. It leaves nothing to be regained or hoped for better than a sorry.

Sorry can’t fix anything

It is always too late

And sad

But I’m sorry

Are you sorry

We sorry

I’m sorry

Sounds so empty and

Final.

But we sorry.

"A Beautiful Disaster," available on Lulu.com, published in September 2018, her second collection, "Embers & Scars. She was honored as the Keep St. Pete Featured Poet in January 2019. Miesha's poetic prowess has graced various esteemed platforms, including the "YOU GOOD" Tulley-Levine Gallery at the ArtsXchange Campus, where she was one of the featured poets for the St. Petersburg Warehouse Art District Poetry contest. She also was the Factory St. Pete Lit's "Speak Series" featured poet in August 2022 and has shared her insights on diverse platforms such as the American Griot radio podcasts and Greenbook Tampa Bay events in June 2022, like the Sunshine City Jazz/ Poetry Fest in 2022 and 2023. Recognitions for Miesha, with her selection as a Rising Star in Voyage Tampa Bay Magazine's January 31, 2023, and her inclusion in Creative Pinellas Artist Spotlights in January 2023. She has garnered attention in various news outlets, including the Tampa Bay Times, The Weekly Challenger, USF Crow's Nest, and many more. Beyond her literary achievements, Miesha holds a bachelor's and master's degree in criminal justice, complemented by a crime scene tech certification, and is presently on the path to obtaining her ELA (English/Language Arts) Teacher Certification.

Miesha

Brundridge, is a multifaceted talent known for her role as the STUDIO 620 Poetry Showcase Curator and her captivating literary work,

"Indigo" Jones Bob Devin Jones

“Well I have been afraid of changing 'cause I built my world around you but time makes you bolder children get older and I’m getting older too”

Stevie Nicks

The month of August I celebrated my 69th Birthday. I had the very good fortune to be in Los Angeles (my hometown) and the seminal place where I initially purposed myself to a peripatetic creative life. From Oregon Shakespeare Festival, to Taos New Mexico, to Santorini Greece, to Memphis Tennessee to Cork Ireland (where I performed James Baldwin) to Atlanta Georgia, at the New Horizon Theatre where I directed a production of my first full length play, Uncle Bends. While in LA we attended an ever so lovely Bossa Nova concert at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, performed by Daniela Soledade and the Nate Najar trio. Attended two relentlessly delicious art exhibitions on Bunker Hill, LA’s modern-day Acropolis. Jean-Michel Basquiat at the Grand, which is directly across the street from Walt Disney Concert Hall, and Keith Haring at the Broad Museum which sits directly south of Frank Gehry’s Disney Hall masterpiece.

Both artists (Basquiat and Haring) were younger than Jesus when they died. And both artists are still very compelling, and necessary modern-day storytellers. These particular artists created exquisite socially relevant, political canvases that continue to reflect and refract the current social tumult. In short Jean-Michel Basquit and Keith Haring still have the atavistic tall to teach, astonish, inspire and to heal. It was well worth the trip.

I gathered and re-unioned with several of my high school friends (go Fairfax Lions ’72) Charles Lane from Woodcrest Elementary ’67 and David Prather from American Conservatory Theatre in San Franciso ’79. And my best friend of five decades Joe Marinelli LMU ’ 76-79. There is more than 350 years of friendship amongst the lot of us. I am truly at home with this crew... they have known me long before I could make subject and verb agree in a simple sentence... ‘children get older.’

‘... but time makes you bolder”

Jabari Reed aka i.B.O.M.S.

Twilight: Los Angeles 1992

In the spring if 1991 I had just returned home to LA after working at the Sacramento Theatre Company. I had either portrayed Walter Younger in Lorraine Hansberry “Raisin in the Sun” or Bynum Walker in August Wilson’s “Joe Turner Come and Gone”. Twenty-one plus years blurs the precise sequence of events. I played both roles in back to back seasons at STC. I was in the bedroom talking to my father in the Silver-lake Boho apartment unpacking my suitcase. The TV is on and I see this grainy night time footage of the savage beating of man. The identity of the man was Rodney King. I dropped the phone trans-fixed to the images on the TV screen. It was blow to the gut and blunt force trauma to the heart. I have never in fact walked that Rodney King LAPD mile , however something in that horrific moment told me I easily could have. Similar to the George Floyd beating (which I have seen only one and half times) I became the man on the screen. And their agony became mine. The horror is all to real and the toil rearranges your internal organs. The exact same thing occurred when I attended the final matinee performance of Jobsite’s Twilight LA: 1992. Expertly directed by Artistic Director, David Jenkins. Actor, Andresia Mosely brilliantly, achingly portrays over 25 characters. Each breath she takes, each nuanced sigh, harsh invective and inflection speaks volumes of the menace, hurt, fear and maybe just maybe the possibility of redemption. Indeed the fire next time... "time makes you bolder, children get..."

Well, they get to become i.B.O.M.S. a GHETTO GODS (title of his current exhibition on view at Studio 620) or an emerging Ghetto God like Jabari Reed aka i.B.O.M.S. Jabari uses paint like a Molotov cocktail, it explodes on the canvas with incendiary poetry, like Amiri Baraka or Sonja Sanchez. His visual line contains some harsh truths, some real black boy hurt. The kind of hurt that we need our artists to triumph through or at least mitigate the harsher love bombs of life for all the rest of us. Sort of navigating an emotional mind-field, not so much telling us where not to step, but rather as witness. i.B.O.M.S. uses pop and hip hop lyrics to underscore some of the visual word transubstantiations he infuses in his paintings. Song

lyrics as graffiti.

Sometimes the exact reference may elude, but now Jabari Reed provides a ghetto fabulous Rosetta Stone in his work to re-examine and re-live the meaning.

freeFall Theatre Company's Motown Celebration, had me “Dancing in the Street” and in my seat! And what “I Heard Through the Grapevine”, was this. “Reach Out and Touch Somebody’s Hand, Make This World a Better Place”

Humbly submitted by bob devin jones

“and I’m Getting Older too and I’m Getting Older too"

i.B.O.M. - Grandsun - 60x60

Bob Devin Jones and i.B.O.M.S.

Welcome

Do you read? Do you write? Do you live in or around St. Petersburg? Well then, check out Keep St. Pete Lit, where we celebrate and promote the area’s literary community. Whether you’re a writer, a reader or just love the arts, we want you to help us Keep St. Pete Lit.

Founder Maureen McDole

PLATFORMS FOR ARTISTS: ART STORE FRONTS (ASF)

By Alice Absolutely/artist

OverallArt Storefronts has been 4.5/5. I do like the platform and have been using it for two years. I would definitely make the purchase again. They are very supportive and there is a lot of information on the platform about marketing that I appreciate. I do like the art industry-specific strategy for marketing. I like their 3rd party integrations for prints and merch. Their customer service and support are excellent and they really want you to succeed. I have attended their daily workshops. I am a co-pilot customer (social media and email marketing upgrade). I am working through their Niche Masterclass and their Facebook Growth Strategy at the moment. I didn't need their Instagram Growth Strategy, but I did read it and it was a solid plan.

The only drawbacks I've encountered so far is that they email you ALL the time. But I can't really complain about that--I am paying for their marketing services so I want them to be good at what they do and they are very good at email marketing! Their website builder is clunky. I am trained on Squarespace, Wix, and have dabbled in WordPress. Their builder is just not a great UX and it has some limited functionality. However, from an art standpoint, I really appreciate the fact that every image I post there is protected from download and it does have an integrated AR function for people to see my work in their space. That is a big lift to code into something like Squarespace or WordPress so it balances out.

Their 3rd party vendor for prints and merch has very slow production and shipping times and doesn't communicate as much as I would prefer on delivery times, but I am used to the instant gratification that comes from Amazon, so that's on me. Everything I have ordered there has been of great quality though.

I do hope they expand their marketing services beyond organic marketing on social media and organically grown email lists. I understand that organic marketing is free, which is what most artists are looking for, but I don't know that completely ignoring paid advertising and PR opportunities is the quickest way between point A and point B. They make a great case for sticking with organic-only marketing, but I have a marketing background and I do think paid advertising and PR should have space in most marketing plans--even low-budget ones.

What was the $ outlay the 1st year?

I pay $600/year. Their pricing structure has changed a lot. I'm sure it is a lot more now. I bought a package for 5 years upfront. It reduced the price of the initial

buy-in so much and it gives me discounts with other services like Canvy and future services ASF offers. I'm currently on their co-pilot service ($598/month) for $188/ month because of my initial package. It was dramatically less than what I was paying for Squarespace with all the add-ins I was using. At the time, Squarespace had a really bad POD service which was a big additional upcharge. Squarespace has since changed its model. I don't know how it compares to ASF now.

With the base platform and marketing segment going and focused on by you, what are sales/revenue expectations per month?

I don't know that I am a typical use case to answer that question. I paid in for the 5-year package and then immediately bought a 100-year-old home that needed a lot of renovations. I told Art Storefront this when I purchased it and they gave me my first six months free (so I got 5.5 years out of my purchase). The renovations on the house ended up shutting my studio down entirely for all of 2022 and three months into 2023 (I lost 5 quarters of revenue.) None of that was on Art Storefront. I had to stop my business to take care of the house.

What percentage do the 3rd party integrations take for fulfillment?

They do all the printing and shipping, correct? They do all the printing and shipping unless you offer Originals or hand-signed limited editions. You would do self-made orders to have in stock for self-fulfillment or in-person sales at an outdoor/pop-up event. They do not take a set percentage of fulfillment. Instead, they have a set pricing schedule and you decide how much you want to markup your merchandise. They do the calculations automatically on all fulfillment orders once you decide what your markup is.

Do you use any other platforms, Etsy, Fine Art America, etc.

I do not. I have looked at others and do not like their markups. What I used to spend on show entry fees, travel expenses, gallery fees, commissions, and platform markups, I now spend on a marketing agency for my business and running digital advertisements. I get more lead generation and ROI on my money that way. It is not a common or popular business model for most artists. But it works for me. My marketing agency mentioned Fine Art America to me last Wednesday. So, we are discussing that now. I'll keep you in the loop on those talks.

Candidate" starring Robert Redford as charismatic Bill McKay, offers a thought-provoking glimpse into the inner workings and moral dilemmas of election campaigns, skillfully blending sharp wit and insightful commentary within a classic political satire.

TICKETS $15

WAREHOUSE ARTS DISTRICT ASSOCIATION & SUNSCREEN FILM FESTIVAL

Scan QR codes to find your next favorite artist

ARTIST REGISTRY

In partnership, Celebrate St. Pete and The Artisan Magazine will provide a free profile for every art-related business in The Artisan Magazine on Celebrate St. Pete's online directory, and include a post in at least one of the following of the online directories sections; Daily Post, Article, Event, Photo, Product, or Video.

Shelby Dillon

hello@shelbydillonstudio.com

919-886-7046

Coastal paintings, fine art prints, and online painting classes for all levels.

K.R. Porter Krporter@centralartclasses.com

727-481-6612

Central Art Classes: The Downtown destination for art classes. All ages. Taught by professional artist K.R. Porter at the ArtLofts.

Blaquejack Studios

Artmosphere Studio 21 327 14th Ave S St Petersburg FL 33701 727-273-5011

www.blaquejackstudios.com

IG: @blaquejackstudios blaquejackstudios@gmail.com

Patricia Tierney Moses

The Factory St. Pete 2622 Fairfield Ave. S.

727-599-7144

IG: @pangelatierney Tricia@ptierneymoses.com

MULTI-MEDIA

Richard Minster richardminster@gmail

727-655-8234

I use many different mediums, such as enamel, acrylics, and pastels.

Nancy Cohen

Nancycohenstudio.com

917-921-6821

Classical fine art paintings, studio visits welcome. Represented by Woofield Fine Art.

Carrie Jadus cjadus@gmail.com

727-318-3223

Jadus is a Tampa Bay Artist, her work is exhibited in galleries and private collections all over the world.

Lance Rodgers lrodgersart@yahoo.com

727-365-4662

PAINTING

Janie Haskins

janie@janiehaskins.com

614-330-5463

Colorful, impressionist oil paintings of coastal scenes, shorebirds, and Florida life.

CERAMIST

Brenda McMahon brenda@brendamcmahon.com

518.692.7742

Custom designed sculptural ceramic tile and Japanese inspired vessels.

FINE ART/PAINTING

727-403-1315

“An American Tonalist” Fine Art Painter of Florida Wetlands

SCAN TO DOWNLOAD

PAINTING

Jim Kammerud Warehouse Arts District St. Pete

614-353-9556

Contemporary figure paintings and portraits

PAINTING

Cheryl Yellowhawk

Cherylyellowhawk@verizon.net

727-599-6568

Vibrant florals, nature, still-life, wedding bouquets, women, children, commissions, oil and pastel painting classes.

PAINTING

D YaeL Kelley dyaelk@gmail.com

727-365-6664

An organic expressionist, Yael Kelley’s paintings are in collections internationally.

CHINESE BRUSH PAINTING Workshop with Jo-An Jthomas@cmdigroup.com

(617) 921-6880

Learn the art of Chinese Brush Painting at the Morean - Oct. 21st

Cold War’s Comforts

48” x 36”

Ready to make its debut along with several new works at Woodfield Fine Art on October 13th

Works in permanent collections of: The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art Daytona Museum of Arts and Sciences Florida Gulfcoast Museum of Art American Embassy, Madrid, Spain

LanceRodgersArt.com