My favorite mural in St. Petersburg FL is Pantonio on the corner of Central Ave. and 19th Street North. Described on the Shine Mural Festival website “The wall is enormous, 113 feet wide and and 19 feet high if you count where it wraps around the corner to the back side of the building.
The background is white, with swirls of giant fish swimming across it in shades of blue and green. The fish are huge, bigger than a car, long and thin and black with iridescent aqua blue stripes. Each fish has graceful green fins shaped like leaves on a tree, on either side of the head by the gills, and on either side of the tail. It gives the scene the feel of fish swimming in a clump of seaweed, but the wide green leaves are actually attached to them.
The fish are in motion, swirling around each other. In the middle of the large rectangular wall that faces 19th Street, they form a tangled knot – six fish curving, heads pointed down towards the sidewalk. Two fish swim in from the edge of the wall on the left. Several more are headed up and to the right and two are swimming down from the top of the building, most of their bodies cut off by the roof. Two are swimming around the corner.
As the mural spreads around the corner to the north side of the building, space opens up, and a larger, less crowded circle is created. Half of the circle is on the right side of the wall that faces east, the other half of the circle is on the left side of the north wall – so that the complete gigantic circle stretching from the roof to the ground, is only apparent if you’re standing at the corner.
On the smaller, north wall, two giant fish swim in from the east wall, diving from the roof. Two other fish, one larger and one smaller, swim across the bottom of the wall from right to left, headed towards the larger group around the east corner.
This east wall is shaded by huge oak trees, and the artist was very interested in the interplay of shadows from the trees, with the fish. The shadows falling from the oak trees often obscure the tangle of fish on the wall, as happens in the wild.
This is completely hand-painted, using hand-held paintbrushes. The artist Pantónio is from the Portuguese islands of the Azores. His distinct, stylized murals of fish, birds and animals are celebrated from France and Ukraine to Morocco. The creatures that he paints flow and weave and come to life on buildings.” We are delighted that it is in a location we pass by on a regular basis. It makes us so happy to see it!
We will continue to bring you updates on the Shine Mural Festival each year. Check back for updates on the Shine Mural Festival 2021.
Update: 8/10/20 2020 Dates Have Been Changed
First, the SHINE Mural Festival is St Petersburg FL has been changed to Nov. 7, 2020 – Nov. 14, 2020. Moreover, world-renowned artists come to make their mark in one of the largest open-air art museums in the world. And you can enjoy the current 100+ murals that adorn the city of St Petersburg FL and witness the creation of more. Lastly, make plans to attend now.
SHINE 2018
Shine Mural Festival is located in St. Petersburg FL. Known for being the city with the most days of sunshine in the USA, the city decides harness that beautiful weather and create an outdoor art museum on the downtown buildings walls. Each year in October (November 2020 due to postponement of Covid-19) artists from around the world assemble in the sunshine city to create world of art on the downtown architectural canvas. Bringing in world renowned names such as “Pantonio,” St. Petersburg has become an epicenter for mural art in the USA.
October 6-14th 2018, artist from around the World came to St. Petersburg, FL to add their massive creations to the Mural City of Florida! Therefore, SHINE Mural Festival in St. Petersburg, FL is one of the top rated Mural events world-wide. Additionally, This year, 13 top artist from around the globe have added to the outdoor art gallery, Downtown St. Petersburg!
Furthermore, Come join me as I tour the murals LIVE on my Facebook Page. And here is the live post of the mural pictured in the top header: https://www.facebook.com/rob.johnson.79230/videos/10215145054232448/
For all the birds
Also, be sure to read about the artist on this page:
https://stpeteartsalliance.org/shine-mural-festival/
Additionally, If you want to see murals from past years, download this map:
https://stpetemuraltour.com/map-of-st-pete-murals/
Moreover, St. Petersburg is one of the best cities in the world for artists. Our city thrives on the arts and creates a place where art is the priority. Be sure to tune in Live to see more of the outdoor art gallery of Downtown St. Petersburg, FL.
If you are looking to move to the city of art, please give us a call, 727-262-7920.
Rob Johnson & Aaron Hunt
