Art On!'s Arts Against Hunger on Central Avenue.

Sidewalk View, Arts Against Hunger

Art On! Puts on large-scale, community-centered art events in Saint Petersburg. These events are inclusive, bringing together galleries, art schools, and individual artists, many of whom illustrate the arts process via live painting, simultaneously educating the public. This takes no small amount of coordination, and Art On! keeps pulling it off. This time it was at the 600 block of Central with the Art Against Hunger Festival, with every storefront there involved as well as many artists on the sidewalk. There was a fundraiser against hunger of works donated by several artists.

Works for Silent Auction

Derek Donnelly, "Adele"

There was a large array of works at auction from many well-known local artists. On the right is one of them, "Adele", by Derek Donnelly, whose work was recently reviewed here.

 There were many artists doing live painting, which is a direct art experience for the viewer, and a chance to talk to the artists about what they're doing, and why. On the right is L. Cox, busy painting one of her large nudes.

Across the sidewalk, at the Dazzio Art School, they had a wall full of paintings of lions in a variety of styles. On the right is a close-up.

Malcolm Johnson

In the Crislip Arcade, I visited with Saori at her Olio gallery, and while chatting, Malcom Johnson walked up. Malcolm is a documentary photographer whose work follows the Arts scene in Pinellas and Hillsborough County for deades. His archives are rich with clippings of local arts history, and he is a living treasure, a repository of our history like no other. I am proud to say that at one time Malcolm was a correspondent for AT.

This work is by the artist formerly known as Lost Talent, who now goes by Sleep.

One learns to appreciate the creative mystery and focused concentration and energy of the artist at these live paint events. On the left is Alex, a gifted and disciplined painter and musician at work on the initial stages of a painting.



Congratulations to all the artists who participated and donated works, to those who helped the fight against hunger by bidding for the works at auction, and to Art On! for putting together a good sidewalk show.