Art Hop 2013 and Upcoming

Art Hop 2013 was a stunning success. Many thanks to Scott Thompson and The Greater Largo Library Foundation and to John Dunn of Art Warehouse for the quick supplies that got me ready in time. The event occurred this past weekend, March 3rd at Largo Public Library. Opening to the public at 6:00PM the Art Hop had fewer exhibitors than last year, due in part to the economy, but this allowed the participants to further expand their exhibits. New to my show area this year was some custom signage designed in Photoshop CS6 and produced by my boss at FASTSIGNS of Lighthouse Point (my new employer). To my judgement, I believe we had better turn out in visitors this year, which resulted in higher sales for me. On that topic, I had offered, for the first time this year, photographic prints and reproductions of my pencil and charcoal sketches. The sketches actually oversold the photography to my surprise and, as I recall, there was a recurrence of the statements "my daughter will love this" and "This looks like my granddaughter." I'll have to devote some more time to drawing this year to boost my collection.

As I type this I'm preparing for my next installation which will be at Pinellas Park City Hall (7600 58th Street N, Pinellas Park, FL) for March 8th through May 8th. Likewise my work will be on display at Saint Petersburg College (9200 113th Street N, Seminole, FL, University Partnership Building) for two upcoming shows presented via my friend Brandy Stark - one hosted by the Exhibiting Society of Artists (Spring-themed) starting on the 16th and another upcoming to be hosted by The Pinellas Park Art Society. In addition to that there is also a plan for PPAS to install a 60-piece show at Stirling Studios Gallery this Fall (730 Broadway, Second Floor Gallery, Dunedin FL).

More news to come.

Thanks for reading!

(2C More art go to www.ArtofLylePolyak or www.TheMindscapeArtFoundry.com)

The News

New Year, New job, New plans, New opportunities, New… stuff.

2013 opened at a rapid pace with welcome changes, and I can now legally introduce myself as a Graphic Designer for the national signage and advertising firm FASTSIGNS. Included in the job description… the design and production of custom graphics, logos and backgrounds for tradeshow banners, window displays, billboards, menus, props, decals, vehicle graphics, wall art,… You name it, we print it or have a subsidiary that does it for us. FASTSIGNS presented me a welcome departure, well received, from previous careers that had no focus on art. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

My duties continue with the Pinellas Park Art Society. In addition to welcoming new members I have been seeking venues for the display of public art. The first of which was Largo Public Library’s Gallery 120. The Library welcomed thirty artists of PPAS, for a month long show in their spacious gallery wing and we eagerly await our next opportunity to display our work. If you own or work with a venue in Tampa Bay with ample wall space and an appreciation for fine art, send me an email. We at PPAS have the talent to give you a great exhibit.

It’s still only January and already my works have hung in Ruth Eckerd Hall, Park station, Largo Public Library, Suntan Art Center, The Menaul Fine Art Gallery and more, but 2013 shall be a year when I aim to do more with my art. I’m reaching out to my peers for critique, and taking up, anew, many of the artistic genres that I enjoyed prior to college…  Charcoal, Pencils, Pen and ink, Pastels. My sketches have hung in Park Station and Suntan Gallery in previous shows, but I hesitate to give my sketches equal billing, beside my photography, until I know that others view them as quality art. (In truth, my drawing style arises from the techniques I have learned from many different peers and professors. Some of those instructors emphasized point perspective and the golden ratio, others insisted that art based on math is “cold” and encouraged emotion at the expense of perspective. Not all the techniques I learned work well together. So I aim to attain “the nod of approval” from at least a few peers who owe their good reputation to similar art.) Perhaps soon I will have online galleries devoted to sketches as well?

Thanks for reading

L Polyak

Below: Anatomy of a work in progress

(2 C More Art go to www.themindscapeartfoundry.com or www.artoflylepolyak.com)

Art Hop 2012

The 2012 Art Hop at Largo Library was a stunning success. Set-up started at 3:00PM yesterday and, with some new display hardware, I was able to get my table visitor-ready in under an hour. That gave me enough time to finish a barred owl drawing and start an anhinga sketch - which I worked on sporadically for the remainder of the night. The Greater Largo Library Foundation was kind enough to allow me a table by the reference desk again this year, which gave me ample room to set up my print rack and my new wire-mesh display column – from which I hang my canvases. I had enough room to station a chair and an easel to give my visitors a live demo.

The evening was wonderful, I had the opportunity to socialize with a number of friends whom I’ve not seen since my last big art show – Arlen Thorensen, the oil painter, Mary Byrd the owner of Frame Factory, and a number of my friends from the Pinellas Park Art Society. The night opened with music by a local pianist and catered hors d'oeuvres from seventeen local restaurants. I sampled a full gambit of delicious samples – marinated mushrooms, herbed meatballs, chicken parmesan, vegetable stir fry, pad-thai, sushi, roast pork, Cuban rice and flan. Quite a selection of artists presented their work both indoors and on the patio and the genres of art presented spanned all aspects of the creative spectrum… Oil and watercolor painting, caricature and sketch, computer generated art and photography, pottery, jewelry and textiles, music and the culinary arts.

I presented a number of different genres – my wildlife and landscape photography, my canvasses, my sketches and my comics. I sold a few prints of beach scenes and enjoyed the visit of a couple who saw my juvenile burrowing owls and recounted the story of a clutch of owls who had called their yard “home.” For their time and an enjoyable discussion, I felt compelled to offer my barred owl sketch to them as a gift. The canvasses of the owls and the macaw garnered attention, the print of “Beach Boardwalk” was the top seller again, but the comics were my attention-grabber again. The laughs of my readers and their refrain of "Aww, that character is so cute" tell me my job is done right.

At eight o’clock the piano music ceased and a local brass band – the Treble Clefs – took over. They set up directly opposite me. A better opportunity for a few caricatures of musicians in action could not have been wished for. And I spent the remainder of the night sketching the saxophonist, the trumpet-player, the drummer, vocalist, and piano man. I suspect my friend Diann Franks, who specializes in jazz-themed art, would have been proud. At the end of the night each musician took home his likeness as a gift. The auction ended at ten o’clock and my 24x36 canvas – “Cape of the Twilight” – has found a new home and my family has acquired two new curio cabinets for ninety dollars.

The Art Hop is as usual among my favorite art events of the year and the only one to so involve the community and bring together so much talent under one roof. Every year the show gets better. My heartfelt thanks go out to all who make this night such a wonderful success year after year.

Thanks for reading!

(2 C More art go to www.artoflylepolyak.com or www.themindscapeartfoundry.com)

Next Up...

Greetings to all my readers. A Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, a joyous Kwanzaa and an Artful New Year to all...

2012 is still a few days off, but already off to a beautiful start. A little lesson for you about life here in the sunshine state - specifically my region of Tampa Bay - our economy is driven by tourism. Coming from a land heralded for its white sand beaches and outlying barrier islands - I myself can attest to the predictable peaks and lapses in activity that come yearly.

From spring to early summer our resorts bustle with activity from the nation's spring-breakers and international guests who fly in from Europe and Australia. This crowd mostly disperses before the summer heat reaches its peak and then in fall and winter the crowds return anew with tourists from the northern states, eager to escape the snow and ice.

From late spring and on through late fall is the typical season of art festivals, galas and exhibits - to market to the tourists and visitors when their numbers peak. Then from Christmas to spring again is that lapse when the best use of an artist's time is to purchase new stock with the profits made earlier.

2012 is off to a refreshingly busy start. There are currently two framed works of mine installed at Ruth Eckerd Hall with my fellow T.E.S.A. Members. Visitors of the theater may browse these works and purchase their favorites while they await the performances. This exhibit has been featured in multiple local newspapers - The Beacon, The Leader and The Bee - and the article is available for you to read on line at...

(http://www.tbnweekly.com/editorial/local_entertainment/arts_museums/content_articles/120611_leart-05.txt?archiveview&print)

...until the link is archived.

Then from the 2nd to the 31st of the New Year, another exhibit will be hosted by T.E.S.A. at the Stirling Studios of Dunedin. This show will feature a new gallery wrap of mine - titled The Macaw. Featuring an inquisitive inhabitant of The Suncoast Parrot Sanctuary - The first of many wildlife portraits that I intend to release in 2012.

And in March of 2012 I shall again participate in that artful night... The Fifth Annual Largo Library Art Hop and Taste Fest. This is one night gala in Largo's Public Library, a spacious, beautiful building, in which local artists, crafters and purveyors of gourmet delights, will cater to the public. A ticket to this exhibition earns visitors free access to view and purchase fine art at the Library, and round trip, on trolleys, to other local businesses for samples of art and gourmet treats. Later that evening visitors may also participate in the silent auction of art and gifts - proceeds benefit the Greater Largo Library Foundation. My piece "Cape of the Twilight" shall be among the auctioned items.

The below articles and invitations have been released by The Greater Largo Library Foundation and T.E.S.A. to advertise these events. I hope to see many of my friends and fellow artists participate and enjoy.

Until my next update, enjoy yourself and be creative. Thanks for reading!

(2 C More art go to www.themindscapeartfoundry.com or www.artoflylepolyak.com)

The 2012 Largo Library Art Hop

Coming on March 24th 2012, the 4^th Annual Largo Library Art Hop will showcase the art and wares of Pinellas artists, local businesses, and the youth artists of the area from 6  to 11 PM. 

What is it?

Art Hop is a catered, one-night art show, held at Largo Public Library and presented by the Greater Largo Library Foundation, which features wonderful visual art, sculpture, music and culinary art, delicious foods, entertainment and dancing.

How does it work?

The art exhibit showcases the talent and wears of local artists at the Library and permits the free sale of art with no commission. Each artist purchases a table or space in the library, in advance, and may set up all the art he or she can safely fit. The library closes early on the designated day and artists participating are encouraged (but not obligated) to donate a artwork of their choice to the charity auction, held in a library meeting room. All proceeds from the auction benefit educational programs offered by the Foundation. Meanwhile, away from the Library, local restaurants and businesses also participating in the event welcome guests ferried to their doorstep via free PSTA transportation.

Where is it?

Largo Public Library is located in Largo Central Park at 120 central Park Drive, Largo, FL  33771.

What does it cost to attend and view the art?

The ticket price is $30 per person in advance, purchase and pick up tickets at Largo Library before the night of March 24th 2012, at the door they are slightly more.

What does it cost to participate and sell my art?

·         For artists and vendors, the cost per table is $50, you must submit your entree form and payment by December 1st, 2011 if you wish to participate. Request these forms by emailing officegllf@yahoo.com, subject line "Art Hop"

·         Artists are encouraged to donate a piece of art to the charity auction to be held at the Library, but this is not an obligation. If you would like to donate to the charity auction your auction auction forms must be submitted by December 1st, 2011 and your auctionable artwork must be delivered by February 15th 2012. Request these forms by emailing officegllf@yahoo.com, subject line "Art Hop"

·         Artists who would like to have their work advertised in the Art Hop brochure may do so for a nominal fee, ad sizes range from business-card-size to half-page to full-page ads. To request an ad inquire via email at officegllf@yahoo.com, subject line "Art Hop"

Where can I get more information

Visit the website of the Greater Largo Library Foundation at http://www.greaterlargolibraryfoundation.org/ or call 727-586-7398.