Travel e murals of St. Petersburg are so numerous - seventy at last count - that the tourism folk decided to divide them into Districts. Here are a few from the downtown area. Move over, the Louvre in Paris, Florida is giving you a run for your money. Dave Hunter and his wife, Kathy, tour the state visiting its outdoor artworks. Towns and cities throughout the state are turning outdoor blank walls into canvases for beautiful paintings. And this is not street art like Banksy’s gra ti and the “bombed” spray paintings which appear from time to time overnight in various European cities…these are superb artworks created by professional muralists. e production of Florida’s murals has become its own self-sustaining industry. A check of any city’s online business directory will reveal a number of companies which specialize in outdoor murals, with artists available for hire. New assignments for suitable building walls are usually commissioned as the result of a “call” published by the local town or city council. e “calls” o en attract professional muralists and today, you will nd such national names as Sarah Sheppard, Tim Haas and Rob Robbi adorning Florida city walls. Kathy and I rst became aware of this unusual Florida art world a few years ago, when we joined a media walk in Florida’s Hollywood mural district. We enjoyed it so much that last winter, we consulted the comprehensive online list of the murals compiled by Visit Florida, the state’s tourism agency, and selected a few cities to visit and photograph the best. A TRIP AROUND FLORIDA’S MURAL ART GALLERY ST. PETERSBURG GALLERY “Mad Hatter Tea Party”by Sarah Sheppard (2823 Central Ave.) is a mesmerizing, building-long scene with characters from “Alice in Wonderland.” “Native American Girl and Horse” by David Rotham (631 4th St. N.) is a vivid and sensitive mural showing the love and respect between horse and owner. “Galleon”by Matt Kress (125 19th St. S.), dedicated to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is designed to reach out to not only sports fans, but to those who enjoy art and colour. 28 | www.snowbirds.org
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