Great Abstract Art For Display Inside Or Outside

Local artist Dustin Miller is always busy creating new pieces of art, and if you travel around the local area and further afield you may have seen some of his pieces. Taking his inspiration from the elements and from shapes that are in nature, and using highly durable materials, he creates vibrant sculptures that really communicate with the space they are in, and to those who view them.

There is a really bustling art scene in Clearwater, St Petersburg, Tampa, and the whole Tampa Bay area, and the SeaHorse Gallery and Gift Shop is a great example of this. Located next to the beautiful Clearwater Beach, it is the perfect setting for you to view art.

Really great art communicates, and there is something about finding a great gallery where you can enjoy great art - time disappears when you are stood in front of a great piece of art, and when you have a whole gallery full of great art, you can easily lose a whole day.

If you like art there are some great artists that have local connections. You can see world renowned artists like Jim Warren and Dick Zimmerman, and Marci Braun, and view some amazing work.

You can see work that represents the ultimate in portraiture and imaginative painting, as well as works that capture some of the unique character of Florida itself.

Jim Warren has been a successful artist for 40 years, is multi-award winning, and internationally known. One of his best known pieces is the Grammy Award Winning album cover to Bob Seger's album "Against The Wind."

Dick Zimmerman, who has been painting for over 45 years, and has painted many well known people, including Salvador Dali and his wife, and he created the portrait of Michael Jackson that was used on the "Thriller" Album Cover.

Kim Braun, who comes from Sycamore, Illinois originally, found inspiration in `982 while visiting the Florida Keys, and brings a vibrancy and unique vision to the life from under the sea and the water birds that surround it.

You are guaranteed to find a piece that you will fall in love with and want to own.

Clearwater is finally free from the frequent intrusion of train horns, which has been a long time coming, and is no small thing. For anyone in downtown Clearwater there were often several times in the day when you would have to hit the pause button on any phone calls you were trying to have because the train would come through and would announce to everyone that there was indeed a train passing through. You couldn't hear anything while it was going on, and depending on the length of the train, it could be a little unpredictable about how long the experience would go on.

 

It strangely got installed without much fanfare, which was a bit of a missed opportunity for whoever managed to finally get the decision pushed through. There had been enough coverage on how noisy it was, but no one has been out to ask how it feels to have the peace and quiet in place.

Train Now Moves Quietly Through Downtown!

I hadn't even noticed myself that it had happened, but when it was pointed out it was obvious. You can get so used to working around an issue, and so make it a part of your routine, that it becomes almost invisible – even if it is very audible.

 

Given that the barriers and lights were pretty obvious, it did make you wonder who exactly the train horns were catering for. To witness the normal routine when a train came through, and the impossibility of crossing in front of it, you would have to work really hard to not know that there was a train coming. When the train would sound off it wouldn't just be once, or if it was one noise it was continuous until the train passed.

 

But no wall you get is the Florida sunshine and the occasional car noise. It's great!

Winter Wonderland Comes To Clearwater For The 24th Year

Just because it isn't naturally wintry in a place, it does not mean that you don't want the traditional trappings of Christmas to take over the month of December. If you live in Florida, where the sun is usually always shining, and sand is more likely than snow, you have to make your own. The weather might get a little cooler, but you are unlikely to have real snow falling on you.

Every year, since 1993 Santa has been visiting Clearwater for Winter Wonderland, in an event jointly sponsored by the Clearwater Community Volunteers and the Church Of Scientology. Winter Wonderland creates a really great environment for kids and their families to experience the ambiance of Santa's home and what it might be like, while providing games and food and other entertainment.

Come And See Santa And Go On The Rides!

You can see from the faces of the people there that they really enjoy it, and it has been growing every year – a regular event on people's calendars that is often a lot of children's first experience of a big Christmas event, and their first time meeting Santa.

From December 2nd right through to December 22nd from 6-9pm Wednesdays through Sundays you can come and visit this great event.

At the event they also ask that you bring an item of non-perishable food and an unwrapped toy, that are then distributed to local charities. The lights and the atmosphere and the fun you can have has drawn people from all over the world to come and visit the Winter Wonderland, and this year will be no different.