St. Petersburg-based artist John Gascot loves the food, music and
scents that each holiday season brings, but nothing gets him in
the spirit faster than decorating. “I love decor which celebrates
the tradition of joy and cheer in new and unexpected ways,” he says.
It’s a large part of what inspires his own work. Gascot
affectionately refers to his style as “Latin Pop,” colorful works
which combines elements of pop, Cubism and folk.
His “Curvy Girl” holiday ornaments are one example, made
from laser-cut wood and standing 4 inches tall. They have a metal
bale attached to the top and are strung with ribbon, a high quality
reproduction of his work.
“I offer reproductions of my work as ornaments because
ornament-making is such a fun activity,” he says. “They’re only
available locally. Here’s a tip: shop small and local if you want to keep
it unique, meaningful and cute.”
You can’t recreate Gascot’s trademark Latin Pop for your home, but
you can pass his online shop and studio information featured below
along to Santa Claus. In the meantime, you can learn how to make his
“Nostalgic Retro Birch Ornaments” by following his holiday how-to:
Nostalgic Retro Birch Ornaments
Materials:
-Birch rounds
-Ribbon of choice
-Vintage sheet music, story
books or imagery of choice
-Small scissors or
Xacto knife
-Glitter of choice
-Gloss Modge Podge
-Medium Art Brush
-Small screw eyes
Directions:
1. Cut your images to fit within
the birch rounds. I chose vintage
sheet music, but story books and
other images work just as well.
2. Brush Modge Podge onto
birch round. Place image on it
and brush another layer over it.
3. Sprinkle a small amount of
glitter on to still-wet ornament.
4. Allow to dry and brush on a
light top coat if needed.
5. Screw the screw eye into the
top of the ornament and finish
off with ribbon.
6. Ta-daaah! Enjoy your
ornaments.
John Gascot’s art is available at
the Studios at 5663, located at 5663
Park Blvd., Studio 4 in Pinellas Park.
You can also purchase his work at
Etsy.com/Shop/LatinPopShop and
learn more about him at Gascot.com.
Tampa Bay artists John Gascot,
Spencer Meyers lp deck your halls
R Y A N W I L L I A M S - J E N T
Holiday
How-To’s
Tampa’s Spencer Meyers has always considered himself
“strange and unusual,” something he exhibits prevalently
in his holiday artwork. “I love to create handmade cards and
ornaments for both Halloween and Christmas,” he says.
The holiday season excites him both creatively and visually. “It
must’ve been all those holiday specials I watched as a kid,” Meyers
explains. “Life should always shape who we are as artists.”
Like Gascot, the artist stresses the importance of shopping locally
this holiday season. “You are helping support a career and community
when you buy from a local artist,” Meyers says. “In return, you
are getting a gift that is special and unique. You have a gift that is
personal and an amazing
conversation starter.”
You can decorate more
than just your own halls with
holiday flair, he adds, by giving
others homemade cards.
While his unique style can’t be
duplicated, Santa can visit his
online shop and commission
work on your behalf. Meyers you how to make your own cards with his holiday how-to here:
Homemade Holiday Cards
Materials:
- Folded cardstock of your
desired size (or a set of
blank cards)
- Decorative paper
(scrapbooking or wrapping)
- Scissors or Xacto knife
- Craft glue
- Paper folding bone
(something with a hard-flat
surface will do)
- Gesso
- Acrylic paint
- Paintbrushes
Directions:
1. Cut the cardstock to the
desired card size and fold in half
to crease. (Skip this step if using
a pre-made blank card.)
2. Cut the decorative paper to
the size of the card’s front side.
3. Glue the backside of the
paper to the front of the card.
4. Smooth out with the paper
folding bone.
5. Let this dry and set.
6. With a thin layer of gesso,
paint a shape in the middle (this
is where the painted image will
be.) Let this dry. Try not to use
too much so it doesn’t warp.
7. Take out those paints and
get creative! Once your image is
finished, let the paint dry. Feel
free to add various decorations
such as glitter, buttons or ribbon.
Spencer Meyers’ art is available
at Etsy.com/Shop/SpencerPM.
You can also commission work
on Instagram @ArtOfSpencerPM
and learn more about him at
ArtOfSpencerPM.com.
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/LatinPopShop
/Gascot.com
/SpencerPM
/ArtOfSpencerPM.com