Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 7-20-18

Feature
Young Artist Wants To Share Spotlight With Others
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
Give Markanthony Little a block of wood, and he’ll create a work of art.
Give him a block of wood and some old maps, and he’ll create a mural that was seen by an estimated 7,000 to 10,000 people last year.
The latter is a mural, “Trade Routes,” that was installed last year inside Cruise Terminal 6 at Port Tampa Bay. It’s Little’s grandest work yet, cobbled together after three months of work, including building the platform and sketching the maritime-themed visual.
Bringing the mural to life required the self-taught Lit- tle to embrace a schedule where he worked full-time during the day, painted part-time at night, and slept just five hours.
But the result was worth the havoc, said Little, who was awarded the contract to create the mural after par- ticipating in a bidding process.
“(The Port of Tampa Bay) didn’t have the wall built. They didn’t have the terminal open. But they had to have the painting,” he said. “It was an amazing challenge.”
Overcoming challenges could describe both Little’s life and career. Born in Los Angeles, Little was adopted
and raised by a white family. Growing up, Little was pas- sionate about photography and took classes briefly at Riverside Community Col- lege.
Little hadn’t seriously considered a career in any artform until a professor in- vited him to an art show.
It was then that Little said he saw the possibilities of becoming a full-time artist.
But first, he reconnected with his biological father
MARKANTHONY LITTLE
whom he found living in Valrico. After a few visits, he moved permanently to Florida and founded a transportation company, Skyline Limousine.
Little was still practic- ing photography during this time. But after apprenticing with two photographers, he could see the field was changing rapidly, thanks to digital technology. He soon began learning sketch tech- niques and eventually moved into working with
paints.
“I started from taking
pieces of wood out of the trash and started painting on it,” he said.
Over time, Little’s artistry evolved from sketches to full-blown paint- ings of subjects ranging from cityscapes to abstracts.
Realizing the potential to earn money from his art- work, Little began produc- ing art shows where he could showcase his and oth- ers’ work.
“(Art shows) give an artist confidence to be judged on a main stage,” he
said. “Local shows set you up for the world-class stage.”
The process of producing a show – cultivating and staging artwork, arranging the lighting, working with sponsors – was an eye- opening crash course in the business of art.
“You develop the skills to negotiate business,” he said. “It also opens you up to the community.”
Most importantly, art shows can help artists estab- lish relationships with col- lectors who regularly purchase and commission their work, Little said.
Wanting artists to learn more about the business side of the field, this year Little and two partners foundeed an agency that works with artists to help them develop and build their brands.
The goal is to put the spotlight on more artists in the Tampa Bay area, he said.
“Artists just want to paint and paint and they don’t understand that no one’s going to come to your house,” he said. “You have to get on out there.”
Open House At The Little Studio
Artists of all levels are in- vited to come paint and cre- ate starting at 7 p.m. Friday, July 20th, at 1401 S. DeSoto Ave., in Tampa. Admission is free. For more informa- tion about Markanthony Little, visit www.ineed maart.com.
PAGE 2-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2018