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

Do you want to donate to the Florida Chapter of the American Fisheries Society?  Great! Do you want to own my artwork?  Great! Now you can do both at the same time!  My work is currently raising money for AFS and you can join in the fun. There are also fishing trips and gear so check it out! Join the AFS online auction here: https://www.32auctions.com/flafs20 Artist Kelly Reark   www.KellyReark.com   www.KellyReark.FRIOicechests.com   www.TattooedTarpon.com

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...

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

© 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...

© 2017 Kelly Reark,  Sepia Sailfish . Acrylic on fiberglass. Kelly Reark Chosen as 2017-2018 ROFFS ™  Artist of the Year In 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 ROFF...

© 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...

Within Reach tattooed tarpon mount (C) Kelly Reark It's more than a mount ... it's a memory. From the very first tarpon mount I created, I was "hooked" on this unique art form. Every one that I do is completely original and individualized to the story behind it. Most people that ask me for tarpon mounts want to be reminded of the beauty and historical sites in Boca Grande, or the fantastic memories made while catching their Silver King. In addition to the very popular tarpon mounts, I have created some sea turtle mounts and am currently working on a free-standing snook mount. Sign up for my VIP Patrons emails to see photos first.

There have been multiple asks for a link to my Collector's Circle email signup form. Here is the link! Thank you for your interest in my artwork. My Collector's Circle enjoys advance access to new artwork. My art is in demand and many times the originals sell to my Collector's Circle before ever being released to the public market. This is the singular best way to see all of my new art and have a shot at purchasing it.  Otherwise you will have to wait for me to do a public art launch. :(  Who likes to wait?  Especially when it means most likely missing out on buying your choice of artwork.  For instance, I launched a turtle painting to my Collector's Circle and sold it within  minutes . There were a dozen inquiries to that painting. That art is not going to be reproduced as a print, so the patron who acted on the email offering was able to acquire a very special piece of artwork. When I post the image to my website later in the month, no on...