Saumitra Chandratreya is an award-winning fiber-based installation artist currently based in St. Petersburg with a studio located at the ArtsXchange in the Warehouse Arts District. Born and raised in Mumbai, India, he received a BFA in Textile Design in Bangalore (Bengaluru) and attended graduate school at the esteemed School of the Arts Institute of Chicago,…
Technique and Style Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you got started in art? I’ve always been interested in art. I remember during summer camp one year one of the councilors told my mom that she felt I had talent and skill in art and hopes that it’ll be something…
John Taormina Born in 1978 in Massachusetts, John Taormina made St. Petersburg, Florida his home 15 years ago. What drew him initially to the city was its affordable living and inviting weather—two stark contrasts to the high cost of living in his native New England. At the time, St. Pete’s art scene wasn’t the dynamic…
The last time you were at the Salvador Dali Museum and you saw the dripping-clock bench in the Avant-Garden or the Rainy Taxi inside the gift shop, did you ever wonder who designed them or who was responsible for creating them? Would it surprise you to know that they were from the mind of an…
One of the highlights of art happenings in the Tampa Bay region is when area museums join forces to produce the Skyway exhibitions. 2024 marks the third iteration. For this version, five area art institutions are simultaneously presenting artwork by artists that live in the Tampa Bay region. It is always a wonderful journey seeing…
While titles, names, monikers, etc. are used by humans to attain an understanding; a comfort, a grasping of a person, place, or thing, they are not necessary. While there will always be those who categorize and pigeonhole, doing this tends to auto-generate feelings and preconceptions. I was going to do a traditional interview here but…
More and more often these days the Tampa Bay region can claim artists who are internationally esteemed. Kirk Ke Wang has established himself not only locally, but significantly throughout the world. His paintings have been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the National Museum of Art in Beijing, and the Dr….
Vlasta Smola has made art the fabric of her life. After moving to the United States to receive her MA in Communication Arts, she had a brief corporate career in marketing and graphic design. Her true passion was rooted in the fine arts, however, and before long she found her painting aspirations reignited. In St. Petersburg,…
Jim Kammerud 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…
Q: Where are you from and how does that affect your work? A: I was born in St Petersburg, FL. I grew up around the water and it’s always been a part of me. Sub tropical imagery is more in my bones than mountains and evergreens. I’ve always enjoyed the challenge of painting water and…