My first Art Walk in Saint Petersburg, Florida was a success. Thanks to Brigitte Whitaker, owner of Brew D Licious, I was able to display my work at her chic and nifty coffee shop, as well as paint live for 4 hours straight. I spoke to numerous onlookers, traded words with fellow painter Chris "Loki", and made some contacts that will potentially further my creative endeavors. I learned about the Morean Arts Center, and the Dazzio School of Arts - which I am very interested in exploring.

The event was such a success that Brigitte invited me back to do it again in August! I came close to selling 2 (possibly 3) paintings - but the price was "too high" for one, another painting (the one I was working on) wasn't finished, and is intended for an upcoming show, and another may still yet be sold.

I have much thanks to give to my Art Manager and Hubby Joey who has been working his butt off to make contacts, and find shows and contests for me to partake in. We have 1 more show, and 3 art contests to attend, and more to come. It definitely is rewarding to be able to share this experience with Joey, and it really is a team effort. I could not do this without him. Here's to the future - it is quite exciting.

"The Horse" is a surreal piece that explores the life of a horse, and its existence being controlled by Man. It's acrylic on board. The rider is the dark specter of man, the obelisk represents power, and the chessboard represents "the fame of life".

We attended our first Crafty Fest at ArtPool Gallery in Saint Petersburg, FL on Central Ave. It was a stressful couple of weeks getting everything together. Many props go to Joey, my newly appointed Art Manager, for pulling things together. Also thanks goes to Keith and Debi for helping out too. Though we sold absolutely nothing, this was a great opportunity to network, gather information, be among other creative and talented folks, and set up future events. Joey was diligent as my promoter as he went out into the Saint Pete Pride crowds, and passed out flyers and free MikeJenkinsDesign swag. Quite a few neighbor booths came over to pass on kind words and advise.

Though it was scorching, and exhausting - our day went from 10am to 5pm both Saturday and Sunday (and we also attended the Pride parade at night on Saturday) - it was well worth the effort. Now to prep for 4 more shows  - the Indie Market, Artwalk, Gulfport Market, and the Enigma Club event.

"A Snowman Screwed" is an 11 x 14" acrylic painting done in 2003. It was a fire and ice project, and is an epitome of my sci-fi fantasy tastes. It is one of my favorite "babies" which accounts for its hefty price tag. It's also been featured on the cover of the Sarasota, Florida Edition of Weekly Planet in December 2003, as well as the Atlanta, Georgia Edition of Creative Loafing.

This was a logo design I did for a client back in 2008. It's vector-based like many logos, and was scalable for use on the side of his boat. His daughter rendered a graphite drawing of the octopus and skull, which I then traced digitally, and incorporated with the text.

There's all sorts of weird bugs that seem to rear their "ugly" heads in Florida's hot summer. Here's what we discovered in our yard on this sunny-to-rainy Sunday afternoon.

To the left is a Banana Spider - harmless, but big. Scary at first, but a quick visit to Wikipedia.org cleared up any need to freak out. Below, is the Spiny Orb-Weaver. We like to call it a "Crab Spider", but apparently, there's an uglier arachnid that wins that title. Again harmless, and both are actually good for the yard, taking care of a lot of those pesky bugs that buzz about.

Graphic Design can be a tough business. Some designers find comfort in working for a design firm, advertising department, or other position of similar capacity - having access to benefits, a steady pay check, and 9-5 hours. Other designers seek to strike out on their own, taking on freelance work - calling their own shots, and maintaining their own income. Still others, do a combination of both, having a full or part time steady day gig, and doing freelance to supplement their income.

I myself am one of those common hybrids. I find it beneficial to have that steady day gig with steady paycheck, health insurance and other benefits, while still being able to take on a couple of side jobs here and there to keep the creative skills from becoming stagnant. I have come across few designers who have struck out on their own to provide for themselves full time, bringing in a comfortable to well-proportioned salary - albeit they do exist (I've worked for one). It's more common, in my experience, to see designers working for companies to lend their creative skills. Some might take on extra work, and others don't.

The dream is to take on more and more freelance work to bolster that annual income - and maybe someday be secure enough to strike out as an independent contractor.