January 27 – February 18, 2012
The Studio @ 620, St. Petersburg, FL
Multimedia artist Hunter Payne will take humanity back into the ocean as he dives off the deep end for his next art exhibit, Let’s Draw Underwater, running Jan. 27 through Feb. 18 at The Studio@620. The Grand Opening will be Jan. 27 from 7 to 10 p.m. and will include the first viewing of the project’s accompanying documentary. Admission is free.
Let’s Draw Underwater will feature hundreds of drawings created entirely underwater by Payne, accompanied by a documentary of his adventures in the Florida Keys where all the work for the exhibit was produced.
“If it doesn’t seem like it’s possible, that’s the project I need to do,” Payne said. “That’s where life’s fun. The ideas that scare me, the ones that I know will most likely be a failure, those are the ones I want to put my energy towards. Drawing underwater? Florida Keys? That’s an idea, man.”
According to Payne, the Grand Opening on January 27 will include, “Free admission, chocolate milk, a lot of weird art, the very first look at the documentary, and other awesome secret things that would be anticlimactic if I gave them away. I will also be autographing sports jerseys all night.”
To fund the project, 21-year-old Payne took an unlikely and truly 21st century approach to raise the $1,000 needed to purchase Mylar paper and art supplies that work in saltwater, an underwater video camera to shoot footage for the documentary, and boat transportation to the dive sites. He made a plea on kickstarter.com, an online community focused on funding creative projects. Payne’s pitch was so intriguing and different that strangers donated $1,292 in less than four days, nearly $300 more than his goal. To view Payne’s pitch video, log onto http://huntermadeit.com/lets-draw-underwater.
For more information, call The Studio@620’s box office at 727-895-6620 or log onto their website at studio620.org. The Studio@620’s gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 12-4 p.m. The Studio@620 is located at 620 First Ave. S., St. Petersburg.
