Artist Kelly Reark

Local Artist Kelly Reark on Conservation and Remembering That One Great Catch Click through Kelly Reark’s online gallery and you will find yourself in a South Florida ocean scene: canvas, silk, and fish mounts show bright renditions of turtles, flats fishermen, sea horses, and—of course—bonefish, tarpon, and permit. Kelly’s Florida roots go back several generations. As a child, she developed an interest in the local wildlife while hunting and fishing with her family. She attended the University of Miami and upon graduating in 2002, moved to Boca Grande where her father ran a tarpon fishing charter. Eight years later, Kelly started her career as a professional artist. She began experimenting with different media and color combinations, even adding her “trademark” style to three-dimensional fish mounts. Someone asked Kelly to paint a mount and, saying, “I’ll paint on anything!” she watched a rush of similar orders come in. The mounts have “this nostalgic quality to them, but they’re sti…

Press Release – November 16, 2017 Kelly Reark Wins Artist of the Year for 2017-2018 At ROFFS™ we annually select an artist that we would like to feature as our “Artist of the Year.” The purpose of this honor is to develop a mutually beneficial relationship with relatively new and up and coming artists in the marine community. We select artists based on a variety of objective and subjective criteria. Previous recipients have been Don Ray, Steve Goione, Cary Chen, Kevin Brant, Barry Barnett, Daniel Jean-Baptiste, Mark Ray, Tony Ludovico, Judy Shillingburg, Larry Rackley, David Mellor, Dustin Cole, Dennis Friel and Adrian Gray. This year the ROFFS™ “artist of the year 2017-2018” is Kelly Reark of Gulf Cove Studio, Port Charlotte, FL We hope that it will promote the artist and their art in that our web visitors will tell other people about the art and generate sales for the artist. We hope the samples of their art will make our website a more interesting place to visit. ROFFS™ does not g…

In 2017, I created the "Johnson Shoals" tarpon mount for a Bonefish & Tarpon Trust auction in Boca Grande. King Sailfish supplied the fish mount for this project. The idea for the painting came to me from the many times I have drifted in the Pass, watching the waves and the shadows dancing beneath them. The shoals are on the south side of the pass, so when you look back across it you can see the Boca Grande lighthouse. From this perspective, the Gulf waters are to the "left".  The fundraiser was a success and one of Boca Grande's own purchased the fish to hang in a local office building.

Artist Kelly Reark
www.TattooedTarpon.com

​Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Kelly's artwork "Conch Republic Mermaid" was featured at Orlando Harley-Davidson's BIKE WEEK 2017. The mermaid was inspired by the Atocha shipwreck and a 1950's Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Sharks circle the wreck as a siren of the sea gathers her treasures. Take her for a ride on t-shirts and poker chips commemorating the event. Several Florida Harley-Davidson locations will carry the artwork. 
​To purchase a shirt, click here.

​Rotary Spring Fine Arts Show On the 25th and 26th of March, 2017, Kelly sponsored the Rotary Club of Englewood's Spring Fine Arts Show. Her painting, "Double Dip" was available for purchase on shirts and posters. One lucky patron won a framed giclee from the limited edition. Proceeds provided funds for the Youth Scholarship Program. Original and giclee limited editions are for sale, as is the original. Kelly participated in the March 24-25, 2018 show. Thank you to all who stopped by at the booth!

© 2018 Kelly Reark, Turtle Jelly. Watercolor on cold press paper.This is a very detailed pen and ink drawing of a sea turtle swimming toward it's favorite candy: jellyfish! I painted the jellyfish in these airy pink and purple hues because the lightness of the creature floating in the water makes me think of the wispy sugar strands of cotton candy.

© 2018 Kelly Reark, Ink Tarpon. Watercolor on cold press paper. (11 x 17 inches) You missed it!  One of my VIPs snapped up this beautiful watercolor. My VIP Patrons enjoyed a private art launch and each of the wonderful original works were only available to them. I won't be making any prints of these works. The only way to get in on them is to be one of my VIPs.Take a minute and sign up! Thank you for following the progression of my artwork. I look forward to sharing with you as I continue to grow and refine my craft.

"Ink Tarpon" was so much fun to create. I went crazy with the background and used washes, salt, blotters, alcohol and watercolors to create an abstract environment for these beauties. Tarpon are so darn beautiful. My pen and ink drawing is detailed and each scale articulated. 
In conjunction with the World's Richest Tarpon Tournament coming up in a few months, I am showing new art pieces in the Invitational Art Show held in downtown Boca Grande on May 18-…

© 2018 Kelly Reark, Orca 2018. Watercolor on hot press paper. (8 x 4.5 inches) "Orca 2018"
Inspired by a recent trip to Sea World and some upcoming contributions to the Ocean Foundation, I painted this watercolor portrait of a beautiful killer whale. I was fascinated with the way the colors of the arena bounced off of their slick rubbery skin.

This piece was the smallest in the February art launch, and sold to one of my Very Important Patrons (VIPs) who just so happens to have a love for those same Orcas at Sea World.

Art Trivia - Did you know that the Mona Lisa is only about 20 inches x 30 inches? 

VIP EMAIL SIGNUP (Get access to my art before it goes out to the public!)

"Manatee Love" was the second piece in my February 2018 art launch. These gentle manatees have such squishy whisker faces just begging for a smooch. A few years ago I swam with them in the Crystal River and Kings Bay springs here in Florida. I now know why people love them so.

My VIP email subscribers see exclusive first looks and first dibs. "Manatee Love"will not be reproduced as a limited edition print. One of my VIPs purchased "Manatee Love" before it was ever even seen by the public during the private art launch. She got this one of a kind, original watercolor of mine before you ever even knew it existed and what's more is that she got it for only $150. Now do you understand why getting on my email list is so darn important???
VIP EMAIL SIGNUP

© 2017 Kelly Reark, Sepia Sailfish. Acrylic on fiberglass. Kelly Reark Chosen as 2017-2018 ROFFS™ Artist of the YearIn a press release on November 16, the announcement was made that I won the Artist of the Year title at ROFFS™. What an honor to be among this elite group of artists!

ROFFS™ annually selects an artist to feature as "Artist of the Year." The purpose of this honor is to develop a mutually beneficial relationship with artists in the marine community. Artists are selected based on a variety of objective and subjective criteria. ROFFS™ promotes the Artist of the Year and does not get a commission or any direct financial benefit from this. They just love really great marine art! Previous recipients have been Don Ray, Steve Goione, Carey Chen, Kevin Brant, Barry Barnett, Daniel Jean-Baptiste, Mark Ray, Tony Ludovico, Judy Shillingburg, Larry Rackley, David Mellor, Dustin Cole, Dennis Friel and Adrian Gray.

Click here to go to the ROFFS™ website to learn more! 
Please emai…

© 2017 Kelly Reark, Bahamas RoyaltyPermit. Acrylic on fiberglass fish mount (34" Permit)
The idea for Bahamas Royalty came through looking at photos of my last trip to Marsh Harbour. A queen triggerfish, queen conch, queen angelfish, silver king ... so many royally beautiful fish from our daily dive!
Having a marine biology background, I enjoy the research involved in preparing a work. I look at the entire ecology of the main subject: the habitat, lighting, supportive species, food source and biology.

Days of sketching later, I settle on my idea and got to work with the paint. My process is to sketch multiple views of each creature or landmark. Then I use transparent paper to make an outline and work out the best placement on the fish mount. Many of my sketches and images are saved for another project because my ideas are usually too many for one fish mount.

The next step is to antique the areas that I want to give that "old paper" look and to paint the sepia features. I st…

The inside joke ...When I paint, my style is realistic surrealism. I enjoy the challenge of accurately painting God's creations in somewhat ideal settings, and I also enjoy infusing humor or sarcasm. Here is my FL lobster - we call lobsters "bugs". These bugs and all sorts of other bugs are a fact of life here in FL. This one is hiding under the fin of the mount, which I have painted with a Kino flipflop. I don't know about you but when I see a bug in my house, my Kino is usually the first thing I grab.

I was lucky growing up. My dad is part Indiana Jones, part Bruce Willis and part Steve Irwin (before any of us knew who Steve was). He taught my brother and I how to hunt, fish, use weapons and use our heads in the Great Outdoors. We learned to take only what we needed, to not kill anything we weren't prepared to eat, and to leave nothing behind. We learned how to be happy no matter the weather, or at least be quietly unhappy when the waves were taller than the sides of the boat.

We've had so many great adventures together as a family. Now that we are grown with families of our own, we choose to get together and continue our adventures! There's no place any of us would rather be than together in the woods or on a boat somewhere. Even when we disagree, we try to disagree over a campfire or a bait well. Our family is strong because of the love and learning provided by our parents.

If you are blessed to be a father or grandfather, or if you might someday be one, thank you for t…

Are those tarpon scales real silver?It sure would seem that way! Congratulations to Alex Shouppe's team on the HEY MOMA! with Captain Wayne Joiner for their $32,400 first place win in the 2017 World's Richest Tarpon Tournament. Captain Wayne also took home the Jay Joiner Memorial Belt Buckle.

The first fish caught and second place prizes went to the Wise team aboard Captain Charlie Coleman's CASUARINA. Combined winnings collected by Howard Wise's team amounted to $48,600.

Captain Nat Italiano and SPOOK hosted Howard Franklin's team. They caught the last fish of the tournament and won $27,000. Nat joked with me that their fish was probably worth about $1,500 per inch. Maybe an exaggeration, but still proving it doesn't have to be a record-setting fish to win a record-setting prize.  Goodbye, my love.
Many of you braved the heat to catch up with me at the Boca Grande Invitational Art Festival, and I am SO thankful for that! Great to see your smiling faces! My beautif…

Break Out the Big Guns ...It's time for the World's Richest Tarpon Tournament!I am proud to announce that my artwork will represent the 2017 World's Richest Tarpon Tournament this week. First prize in last year's WRTT was $39,000 (prize amount depends on the number of boats). There's also a rodeo-winning-cowboy-sized belt buckle up for grabs. I am sure it would look great on a shelf, but can you imagine the looks if you were to sport that baby with a Columbia and some flipflops? The tournament is Thursday and Friday, May 25-26.

To go along with the tournament and silver king celebration, I will be participating with approximately 50 other marine wildlife artists in the invitational fine art festival in downtown Boca Grande. My brand new Tattooed Turtle shell will be on display during the event. The art festival is Friday and Saturday from 10 am - 4 pm.

If you haven't purchased your 2017 WRTT Tervis tumbler or fishing shirt, they are in short supply at the Boca Gr…

What Ladies Day Tarpon Tournament means ...For more than a decade, my mom and I fished the Ladies Day Tarpon Tournamenttogether in Boca Grande Pass aboard my dad's boat - the SALTY CRACKER. Mom and I love fishing, and it is something many mother-daughter teams share in this particular tournament.

Ladies Day has traditionally been fished on Mother's Day weekend because it is the one weekend during tarpon season when captains would reserve a tide and take their spouses and daughters out on the water to have a family day instead of taking a charter. In the beginning we were all just out there together, taunting and fishing and waiving to the other women in the Pass. Through the hard work of some very special ladies, the first official tournament was fished in 1990.

Forward, 27 years later, there is as much camaraderie and competition as ever. There are great prizes and shenanigans too. It's the one big tournament where female anglers flood Boca Grande Pass to raise the mighty …