Still's Artistry Runs Deep

TARPON SPRINGS Christopher Still pulls on his fins and scuba tank, grabs his underwater sketch pad and pencil and swims into the Gulf waters off Fred Howard Park.

Kneeling on a lawn of gently undulating sea grass, he sketches a scallop with its row of glittering blue eyes, then a school of mullet darting by.

The only way to get details and lighting correct is to be there, Still explains. He points to the irregular lighting dappling his arms. Many artists would paint that with one consistent color.

"But that just isn't right."

The 45-year-old Clearwater native has been painting Florida since 1986. His dream was to return home to paint the things he loves after learning from masters at a Philadelphia art school and studying fresco technique in Florence, Italy.

The results have been rewarding. His work hangs or has appeared in the Smithsonian Institution, the White House, the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, the governor's mansion in Tallahassee and the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg. He has won numerous awards but is best known for the 10 murals he was commissioned to paint for the Florida House of Representatives chambers. They depict the state's history and underwater life.

He doesn't want to say how much he earned for his most recent project, three beach-themed murals at the new Sandpearl Resort on Clearwater Beach. But a painting completed in 1990, which originally sold for $12,500, was recently appraised at $135,000 when donated to Ohio State University.

Living At A Lighthouse

Hunter S. Thompson was the original gonzo journalist, but Still could lay claim to the title of gonzo muralist.

He lives the stories and subjects he paints into murals, experiencing the surroundings as surely as he paints them.

For a mural of Florida's coral reefs, he took up residence in the Carysfort Reef Lighthouse near Key Largo. Field trips included daily scuba dives to make underwater sketches and paintings. Then, he'd return to the dock by the lighthouse to sit on a cooler in front of his easel, dabbing oils while shaded by a droopy straw hat. The resulting "Beyond the Seven Mile Bridge" is one of the murals at the state House.

For his "Patriot and Warrior" piece, Still visited the Smithsonian Institution in Washington to see for himself a plaster cast of Seminole chief Osceola's face.

"They pulled the cast out of storage," he says, "and I sat and drew there to learn of his bone structure."

He's all about the detail and getting a feel.

"I get relaxed, go experience it and gain a sense of excitement," he says. "If I can get an emotional tie to what I am painting, I am set. I have to touch it - literally."

For underwater creating, he invented a 60-pound painting box. It's made of industrial plastic, with a slanted pane of Plexiglas bolted into place. Oxygen pumped into the box through a regulator from his tank keeps the glove he wears from expanding. The paint brushes are attached to Velcro strips, while his oils are in a pill box along with an easel and pallet.

"People have said, 'You should patent this,'" Still says. "But I tell them, 'Nobody could use this.' It's hard to get the hang of, and you really need to want to do it."

Selling Art In 2nd Grade

Still's father taught history at Clearwater High, and his mother expressed her artistry in needlepoint and quilts. By second grade, Still was selling at local art shows. He went on to Dunedin High School and earned a full scholarship to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.

"My goal was to get training and do paintings about Florida," he says. "I'm a lucky man. The main thing is, I love what I'm doing.

"Look at those clouds," he says, glancing at the puffy white taking on the orange and pink hues of sunset. "Look at this light. I need to be out painting now."

He loves exploring the Gulf beaches and sea grass beds with his wife, Kelly, a biologist, who helps him with research. They search for subjects that will take viewers underwater without having to hold their breath.

One of his three lobby murals at the Sandpearl, "Beneath the Waves," features a young boy snorkeling off Caladesi Island. It captures the spirit of playful search amid the shells and marine life. The diffused sunlight helps take the viewer down near the sandy bottom alongside the boy.

He also paints in subtle tones of history.

The beach scene on his other large Sandpearl mural, "Return to Picnic Island," shows a family walking the Caladesi shoreline, just a few miles north of the resort. In the background standing on a bluff are Henry Scharrer and his young daughter, Myrtle. Scharrer was the Swiss immigrant who settled Caladesi in the late 1800s, and Myrtle was born there.

A large great blue heron prancing past a water-ravaged sand castle dominates the work, but small details such as a corked glass vial containing a pearl and a room key from the old Clearwater Beach Hotel dot the sand and link to the past.

Printed explanations are available for guests who want to know the rest of the story. A video will premiere Saturday.

"Christopher doesn't just paint a picture," says Sandpearl general manager Stuart Arp, "he paints the whole story."

Reporter Steve Kornacki can be reached at (813) 731-8170 or skornacki@tampatrib.com.

ART EXHIBITION AND SALE

Christopher Still

WHAT: A public exhibit and private sale of the original work of Tarpon Springs artist Christopher Still

WHEN: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday; private exhibit with cocktails, dinner and silent auction is 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday

WHERE: Sandpearl Resort, 500 Mandalay Ave., Clearwater Beach

NOTE: Parking is limited; free trolley service from Harborview Center and Coachman Park in downtown Clearwater is recommended. Trolleys depart every 20 minutes from 8:45 a.m. to 2 p.m.

HOW MUCH: The exhibit is free. The private sale and dinner is $125. Call (727) 942-1846, e-mail christopherstill@ij.net or go to www.christopherstill.com.