Unexpected Artwork

On my last day in Florida I visited with my sister, kissed her goodbye and headed to St. Pete. The city is a delightful mix of art deco, bungalows, and high rises, all crammed in together to take advantage of views of powder white sand, blue skies, and equally blue salt water. It's hypnotic. Our first stop was the Art Center, a large building in the center of town, full of very high quality artwork by local artists. We wandered around downtown, and I finally got my camera out to shoot various interesting architecture, including the traditional Vinoy hotel which is undergoing renovation by a design firm in Dallas I work with sometimes. I will process the photos and send them on hoping they will see something they can work into the project.

We headed west from St. Petersburg (yes, you can!) and took the beach road all the way up to Clearwater. I was in my element, stopping frequently for photos, and digging my feet in that sparkling sand. We had a fresh seafood dinner al fresco, and between bites I took photos of pelicans diving into the surf.

After the tropical sunset framed by palms, we pointed the rent car to Tampa. We were tired when we arrived at the Quorum hotel, but not too tired to notice the artwork in the lobby. Just to make sure, I took a close look at the signatures, and yep, it was me! "AWalker" There were five pieces, and when I told the desk clerk that I was the artist he upgraded us to the concierge level. Cool! It was a short night, though, since we had to get up at 3:30 to make our 6:00 am flight back home.

This morning I am rested and ready to go back to work. Which is a good thing, because I have some tweaking of a photograph for room art for a hotel in Virginia, I have several commissions to paint, and I'm doing concepts for a hotel in Puerto Rico. Fun!