behind the scenes

Cecilia’s iconic painting, Ballad of the Blue Mermaid, is on view in the Mermaid Star Motel Lobby. Rendered in restorative water blue, the painting celebrates mer-culture and history. About working with Fairgrounds St. Pete, Cecilia says, “I have always been fascinated by the ocean and especially its most magical and elusive creatures, mermaids. So, for me, Fairgrounds St. Pete presented a unique opportunity to create artworks that convey the mysticism of the mermaid along with Florida’s natural beauty. In making Blue Mermaid I was inspired by the captivating Art Nouveau style of Alphonse Mucha, an artist I greatly admire.” In addition to this piece, 20 of Cecilia’s life-like Birds of Tampa Bay can be found through Fairgrounds St. Pete and comprise the bulk of our Bird Brains Scavenger Hunt.

Argentine-American artist Cecilia Lueza is well known for creating vibrant public artworks across the United States and beyond. Throughout her career, she has intensely explored a wide range of artistic media including painting, sculpture and monumental public art installations. Her geometric, nature inspired murals can often be found in unexpected locations such as rooftops and street intersections. Cecilia’s work is a personal expression of her lifelong fascination with the visual effects of color and the concepts of space, movement and transition. Through a meticulous and careful process, she strives to create unique works of art with great visual impact. Since 2000, Cecilia has been working on a variety of private and public art commissions. In the last year she completed public art projects in Tampa Bay, Fort Lauderdale, FL; Jacksonville, FL and Washington, DC, among others.

To see more of Cecilia’s work at Fairgrounds St. Pete, get your ticket today, and join our Insiders Club for the latest Fairgrounds St. Pete news.

For Fairgrounds St. Pete, Liz created Once a Mermaid, Always…., a painting of a vibrant, healthy older woman in a colorful flower swim cap located in the Mermaid Star Motel lobby.

Contemporary artist Liz Schulze’s work reflects the tropical colors and brightness that make the Sunshine State famous and fabulous. Born in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, a gray and cold place, Liz is truly inspired by St. Pete, whether she’s working with clay or painting a mural. Liz says, “I am so influenced by St. Pete in my art. It’s so uniquely beautiful and exotic. The colors of the sky and sea on any given day give you so much to think about and there’s such a vibrancy to the constantly blooming plants, the sea creatures, the birds and tropical trees…there’s such a lushness that fills my work.”

To see more of Liz’s work at Fairgrounds St. Pete, get your ticket today, and join our Insiders Club for the latest Fairgrounds St. Pete news.

Have you experienced Alley Gator 3030 (AG3030) yet?

We have a difficult time conveying the energy, hard work, and dedication that our Fairgrounds St. Pete team and participating artists put into creating the work you get to now enjoy in our immersive exhibit!

Today we’re sharing some behind the scenes images of the work that went into creating this incredible artwork. Alley Gator 3030 aka AG3030 is by artist Joshua Hall aka Baghead.

As with all of the artwork at Fairgrounds St. Pete, Alley Gator 3030 has a story. Ready to learn more?

The year is 3030, in a post-apocalyptic Florida state where we have built new cities over preexisting swamps and the Everglades. Scientists and engineers have secretly invented hybrid cyborg animals to make up for the number of vanishing species.

During one rainy hurricane season, lightning struck over a pool of radioactive swamp water and sparked an electrical current into a cyborg alligator. It had been dormant inside an abandoned warehouse, left to rust and rot as a relic of these underground science experiments. Alley Gator 3030 (AG3030) thrashed through brick walls until it short-circuited due to inflicting substantial damage onto itself.

A group of urban explorers discovered AG3030 and were entranced by a portal glowing inside the creature’s mouth. They bravely walked through this large gateway which led them to little worlds and beyond…

Check out this fun behind the scenes video of Joshua Hall aka “Baghead” as he talks about immersive artwork, what inspires him, and takes you through the process of creating AG3030!

To see more of Joshua’s work at Fairgrounds St. Pete, get your ticket today, and join our Insiders Club for the latest Fairgrounds St. Pete news.

Have you experienced A Mysterious Portal to the Bay⁠ by artist Mike Hicks yet?

It’s often difficult to convey the energy, hard work, and dedication that our participating artists and Fairgrounds St. Pete team put into creating the work you get to now enjoy!

Here are some behind-the-scenes photos sharing the process.

As with all of the artwork at Fairgrounds St. Pete A Mysterious Portal to the Bay⁠ has a story.

Comprised of projection mapping, CGI, audio, mixed media construction, 3d modeling, 3d printing, CNC, Microcontrollers⁠, Mike has created a room size installation for Fairgrounds St. Pete that is the largest and most intricate artwork he’s created to date.

A Mysterious Portal to the Bay is a single viewpoint immersive experience that places viewers beneath a bridge on a warm summer night where you see, smell and feel the elements in their natural state.⁠ ⁠This impressive installation transports viewers to a place both eerie and vaguely familiar (to Floridians at least).⁠

Curious about Mike Hicks and his art practice?

Mike Hicks has lived in the bay area for about 30 years. He received a BS in Electrical Engineering from USF Tampa and has worked in various engineering and programming positions ever since. He holds more than a dozen related US patents. A bit of a frustrated mechanical engineer at heart, he started learning 3D CAD and began pestering the shop people at work to print some of his 3D designs (which were horrible, they were very kind to put up with him); he now is known as the “3D printer guy” for the whole place. Occasionally, however, he does dream of winning the lottery and becoming a theater set designer.

Have you experienced A Mysterious Portal to the Bay⁠ yet?

To see more of Mike’s work at Fairgrounds St. Pete, get your ticket today, and join our Insiders Club for the latest Fairgrounds St. Pete news.