Tampa, Down South

Gasparilla: These festive paintings are based on a century old festival in Tampa, Florida, in which a fleet of “pirates” takes over the city for the day. Area businessmen dress as pirates and raid the city. Following this ritual is a rowdy and colorful parade along the city’s elegant Bayshore Boulevard. The Gasparilla series started in 1993 when I was commissioned to do the official image for that year’s Pirate Fest.