Six Pinellas artists unite for ‘The Shape of Us’

Opening with a public reception Friday, The Shape of Us at the Gallery at Creative Pinellas is six exhibitions in one, as a half-dozen Pinellas artists are represented by colorful installations, painting, textile and multimedia works. The Shape of Us will run through Aug. 10.

Alice Pickett Lewis, “Wildflower Meadow.” Her work includes textile design, multi media, photography, painting, quilting, embroidery and applique.

While the main gallery is occupied by the iBOMS: Imagine Nation exhibit, each of the six artists have been given one of Creative Pinellas’ smaller gallery spaces. “I’ve allowed each artist to come in and explore the space,” said exhibit curator Freddie Hughes. “We worked through the size of the room, we laid out some ideas, we talked about their experiences – some of them haven’t shown in a while, some are emerging, and having a space this big allowed them to get creative and think about how they really showcase themselves.

Tavia Reyes, “Seven Generations.” A neurodivergent artist whose work combines symbols, scribbles and raw emotion.

“So I consider this more of a collaborative experience, with each artist. And uplifting each one of them to show who the shape of them really is.”

The artists are Kirk Palmer, Zulu Painter, Karel Garcia, Luke Vest, Tavia Reyes and Alice Pickett Lewis.

Zulu Painter is probably the best-known on the six. Painter (aka Carlos Culbertson) has been contributing vibrantly-colored paintings, murals and custom art to St. Pete for a decade.

“There is something from almost every aspect of his artistic practice reflected in this exhibition,” Creative Pinellas executive director Margaret Murray said. “And it’s really amazing to see. If you’ve followed his work, you will be able to see that his exhibition is really the shape of him. It gives me goosebumps to even think about that.”

Springtime traditionally means the “Emerging Artists” (little known creators) exhibit at Creative Pinellas, but Hughes and Murray felt so strongly about these six artists’ work that showcasing them all together became a no-brainer.

“They all have a really unique perspective on what’s happening in the art world right now,” Murray explained. “There’s not an over-arching theme that ties each artist together, but as a whole they have something really compelling to say about what is happening in Pinellas County right now.”

Friday’s artist reception is 6-8 p.m. Find more information at the Creative Pinellas website.

Kirk Palmer, “The Terrain of Our Undoing.” Said Margaret Murray: “He creates his own pigments, which is something that is very now and of the moment. But some of the pieces in his portion of the exhibition are small, impactful paintings of debris that was left by the side of the road in the wake of the two hurricanes last year. And they’re so beautiful that you wouldn’t even know what they are until you read about that.”

Karel Garcia, “Feminine Forces.” A Cuban-born artist who also works as a professional architect.

Luke Vest, “DayDream Builder.” The artist has a background in graphic design. From the Creative Pinellas website: “Blending oil, oil pastel, spray paint and metal leaf, Vest constructs layered, alchemical surfaces that merge human, mythic, and cosmic forces.”