#bloomartcenter

[scenefromthesidewalk]

December 25, 2016

CHRISTMAS MONSTER?

By James Oleson

I have no idea what the story is behind James Oleson’s red- and green-eyed monster but for today I’m going to pretend it’s part of some dark Christmas tale and hope your Christmas is made of more pleasant stuff. Merry Christmas!

Well known in St. Petersburg, Florida for creating the Bloom Art Center and providing gallery and work space for artists of the region, James Oleson is an accomplished painter and sculptor represented in a number of permanent collections, and the recipient of many awards. Oleson calls himself a “modern day street alchemist” salvaging cast-off materials and “making beauty in the rubble.” While Oleson also teaches sculpture at nearby Morean Arts Center he says he is constantly drawing and many of his sculptures begin in his sketchbook. Exploring human and animal expressions to reveal magic and humor his work invites viewers on a journey of imagination. It seems only appropriate then that as visitors exit I-375 in St. Petersburg, Oleson’s prominent painting on the corner of the Bloom invites them to stop by the center and continue that journey. @olesonart @startbloomin @scenesfromthesidewalk

[scenefromthesidewalk]

December 10, 2016

BLOOM ART CENTER

by Suzy Schultz

There is a first innocence—a beauty that is young, unmarred, untested. There is a second innocence—one in which the beauty is a result of the scars borne from the battles of life. I am interested in this second innocence. —Suzy Schultz

“I work the surface. I sand, layer, and scar, wanting to reproduce a piece that has a patina of age, and it is out of these surfaces that figures emerge” she says, painting faces that show the scars of life. Schultz has little formal art training but benefited from exposure to her mother’s painting from an early age. After several years of teaching math she found herself doing graphic design which ultimately led to an opportunity to do illustration. Encouraged by her mentor to quit and paint full-time that’s what she’s been doing since 1995. This beautiful work is not easy to find, tucked into an alcove toward the back of the Bloom Art Center in St. Petersburg, Florida, but is well worth the effort.  @suzyschultz11  @startbloomin  @scenesfromthesidewalk

[mitzigalore]

#aliceinwonderland #bloomartcenter #tweedledee #tweedledum #downtherabbithole (at Bloom Art Center)

[mitzigalore]

I went to an Alice in Wonderland themed art exhibit last night. I was the White Rabbit...sorta, lol. #aliceinwonderland #trippy #bunny #rabbit #whiterabbit #downtherabbithole #bloom #bloomartcenter (at Bloom Art Center)

[saintpaintarts]

#sculpting #slomo @startbloomin with @publicartproject @hillis727 @stpete_fl @19stonefree @sebastiancoolidge @saintpaintarts for "TAKING SHAPE" sculpture exhibition at #bloomartcenter November 14th!!! #bloomwithyourcity #takingshape (at Bloom Art Center)

[saintpaintarts]

New piece for #whigfest !!! "SEACRET SHIP" 24x36 aerosol and marker on canvas. #jellyfish #mermaid #ship #bloomartcenter #saintpaintarts #derekdonnelly