Southern Fields Art Resource

Image via Wikipedia

All it takes is an essay, $199 and some luck. Channel 10 did a news story, and the Art Decor International web site has the details.
Here’s part of what the winner gets:

A minimum of 700 framed prints
A minimum of 400 framed oils
A minimum of 100 matted prints
A minimum of 200 stretched oils
A minimum of 300 unstretched oils in stock
A minimum of 200 dry mounted prints
A minimum of 7,000 feet of framing material
A minimum of 150 full size sheets of mat board
A minimum of 50 sheets of oversized mat board
A minimum of 5000 prints
A minimum of 100 pre made frames
A minimum of 1000 feet of fillet
Whatever amount of glass and foam board is in stock at end of contest,no amount guaranteed
Stretcher bars for oils will be included no guaranteed amount
Framed and unframed mirrors no guaranteed amount
A miter saw capable of handling framing material up to 76″ long
Vee nailer (underpinner) for fastening frames together
Glass cutter
Speed cutter for cutting beveled mat openings.
Dry mount machine.
Industrial stapler, point gun, manual oval mat cutter, manual circle mat cutter
Rolls of tape and wire, hangers, off sets, screws, etc..
ART DECOR sign on building.

A good way to find community-involved, active artists in the Tampa Bay area is to review the artists roster at TampaArtist, which is a non-profit, self-governing grass roots coalition of working fine artists. from the Central Gulf Coast of Florida.  All hail their nameless webmaster for making this a usable, up-to-date site.

tampa artist dot com

We don’t think there is any question that Megan Voeller, arts critic for Tampa Creative Loafing, among other things, has in Artsqueeze the most consistently useful source for arts news in the Tampa Bay area. Her’s is a personal blog, and as such is not subject to the constraints and publishing pressures of the blogging arm of a commercial publication. Translation: She can say what she wants and doesn’t need to publicize that which she feels is insignificant.
We all need news filters and aggregators. Easy enough to find nationally, tough to find locally.

Tampa Bay artist Melia White announces her reception and show:

THE DEPTH OF LOVE; LIFE
A series of works that capture the ambiguity of life with passion. Each piece a sensuous story all it’s own.
Please come early to meet the artist and enjoy a glass of wine, Melia will talk about her inspiration for her new work.
You can preview 2 new pieces and get further details at meliafineart.com.
Friday, August 1st, 2008
Starting at 7
Opening Reception at Sequins & Denim Boutique
Located at 441 Central Ave, Downtown St Petersburg
Show runs thru August 31st

Stolen art in the Tampa Bay area; we had no idea it was such a problem. Alex Pickett of Creative Loafing Tampa sketches out the situation and then proposes a partial solution.
We are reminded by these stories that we are more and more often asked to install security key picture-hanging hardware when we do large installations in Florida. For a mere two extra bucks a frame, enough security is afforded that the casual, opportunistic thief will be deterred. Oh, and the picture won’t bang around during earthquakes or whatever.