Artist Kelly Reark

Tarpon fever - What a transformation! I spent a lot of time with this mini tarpon. It came from the 2003 World's Richest Tarpon Tournament captain's trophy. Through the years, it took a lot of sun and weathering. I used apoxie sculpting medium to patch the holes and chipped paint, and I sanded and sanded to make the body smooth again. Several coats of paint followed several coats of primer, and I finished with four coats of high gloss sealing varnish. I completely changed the look of this tarpon because I wanted it to be a Boca Grande Pass tarpon. Using photos from fish caught here in the Pass, I gave him the seaglass green, gold and silvery hues we love to see flashing f... To read the rest of this newsletter or to subscribe, please click here. https://mailchi.mp/9199c74d4589/wet-paint-reark-5028030

Follow this link to my special offer for newsletter subscribers! https://mailchi.mp/487f1a1c90d7/wet-paint-reark-4907097 If you sign up now (5/3/20) you will be just in time to attend my online vault sale! I am offering some of my retired paintings for subscribers only. Hope to see you there! Artist Kelly Reark www.KellyReark.com www.KellyReark.FRIOicechests.com www.TattooedTarpon.com

2019 © Kelly Reark, RICHEST MEMORIES. Acrylic on canvas (36x48). Photo credit: Boca Beacon Thank you so very much for coming out and visiting with me at the Boca Grande Invitational this past weekend. Listening to all of your positive feedback about my new paintings, and they way that the tournament artwork brought about memories for you made me grateful that I could touch so many of you. This fishery really is a family. Yes, many are related by blood and marriage. There's so much more to it than that. I'd venture to say that nowhere in the world has our kind of community friendship and love. Thank you for sharing your stories with me.  Results of the 2019 World’s Richest: First tarpon of the first day: Capt. Sandy Melvin, Boca Blue - $12,500 Last tarpon of first day: Capt. Wayne Joiner, Hey, Moma! - $12,500 First tarpon and last tarpon of second day: Capt. Lamar Joiner Jr., Searene - $25,000 Second place with four total releases in two...

In March, 2019, Kelly launched a line of wearable artwork in a collaboration with FRIO Ice Chests and Visual Promotions brand. Visit  https://kellyreark.frioicechests.com  to check out all of the designs. New items added regularly - follow Kelly on Instagram and Facebook for product launches.  Wholesaler opportunities - please inquire - www.kellyreark.com Reigning Silver  Tarpon Hammerhead Hide Buy some new gear! Cool info about my shirts: The solar performance long sleeve shirt offers superior sun protection and performance qualities featuring UPF 50+ solar protection. This long sleeve tee is lightweight, comfortable, and extremely durable. The fabric features moisture-wicking technology developed to keep you dry while you are out on the water. UPF 50+ 100% Polyester Interlock Moisture Wicking  Odor Resistant  Stain Release Technology  Ultra Tight Knit Resists Snagging Generously siz...

2019 © Kelly Reark, ON THE EDGE OF PEACE. Acrylic on canvas (24x30). I hope you’ve been following me on social media ( facebook and Instagram ) to see the start-to-finish time lapse videos I’ve released.The 20 to 30 second tidbits give an idea of how I work a canvas. I have compiled 50+ hours of video into about 7 minutes so that you can watch it all at once. I posted it to YouTube ( Click to view ). Right now, there's some background music. The pollen, weird weather, and red tide have combined in a perfect storm and struck me down. I am a wheezy, coughing asthmatic mess. As soon as my voice returns and I stop coughing, I can dub the audio with commentary on my process. If you have any questions that you’d like me to answer during my video, send them to me now! This art represents the PReaCH campaign. We launched the artwork at the Peace River Revival in Punta Gorda on March 30. PReaCH is dedicated to bringing resource protection awareness to, and advocacy for,...

South County Healthy Living Article Hitting the shelves November 2018 is the inaugural edition of the South County Healthy Living Magazine. I was interviewed for the edition, and if you would like to read the online version click  HERE . You can pick up a copy at many of the local businesses throughout Venice, North Port, Nokomis and Englewood.

Here's my completed "Banyan Street" painting. I am happy to report that it hangs in its new home along with its sister painting called "Wormsloe". Stay tuned to my  Instagram  for a timelapse clip of my work in action! Artist Kelly Reark www.KellyReark.com www.TattooedTarpon.com www.WaterfrontKelly.com

© 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,  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 © 2018 Kelly Reark,  Manatee Love . Watercolor on cold press paper. (8.5 x 8.5 inches)

© 2017 Kelly Reark,  Bahamas Royalty   Permit. 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 pai...

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, 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 ...

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 supp...

What Ladies Day Tarpon Tournament means ... For more than a decade, my mom and I fished the  Ladies Day Tarpon Tournament   together 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 Pa...