Where to Find the Best Murals in Downtown Tampa

Pep Rally Inc. is a creative studio that specializes in murals, art installations and brand identity. We are a multidisciplinary team of artists and designers that strives to create a unique aesthetic with each piece we create. Every project is a team collaboration to allow multiple styles and ideas to come to the surface. We love to create pieces that celebrate the history, culture and natural environment.

The Lighting mural downtown was a celebration of the Stanley Cup Championship. We included each of the team members and a few of the cities where key games were won during the session. We wanted to create the silver cup using only black and white halftone. This was a huge challenge but the end result was worth it.

The Lighting mural downtown was a celebration of the Stanley Cup Championship. We included each of the team members and a few of the cities where key games were won during the session. We wanted to create the silver cup using only black and white halftone. This was a huge challenge but the end result was worth it.

The idea behind the color palette was derived from the static of a digital screen during a thunderstorm.

The impact we hoped to have is to strengthen the connection the Lighting has with the community. We wanted to give fans a destination to gather and take photos together before games. We also wanted to make the art something that could live beyond 2020 and be appreciated by anyone, not only LIghting fans. We achieved this by making the Stanley Cup side of the mural extremely detailed and specific to the Championship but as it wraps the building the art becomes more abstract and minimalist.

The future of art in Tampa Bay is beyond exciting. The influx of people continues to add more diversity, more resources, and more opportunities to create new pockets of creativity.

Every project we take on is a literal collaboration with the client. We develop commissioned pieces by sitting down with the people and learning who they are and what visual stories they would like to tell.

Our recommendation for Artists would be to never stop pivoting. We all learn and inspire each other but the path of each artist has multiple factors and timing that make them who they are. If you do the work and put it out in as many forms as possible you will find your lane. No shortcuts, just pivots. If something doesn’t work, focus on the aspects that did and chase after them relentlessly.

Bask as a brand is just Ales Bask Hostomsky, the person. The two are knotted up tighter than a ball of Christmas lights. I don’t know how to describe my style beyond saying that it’s a result/combination of ongoing moving parts that influence each project differently. It’s never the same recipe and it’s never made the same way twice.

In short. It’s fun to make a mess. Putting paint into a fire extinguisher and blasting a wall is just hilarious. Granted, it’s as blunt of a tool as one could use and it’s appropriate/applicable in a very limited amount of circumstances, but when it is, it’s a fun tool to use.

Long story short, Tes One and I were originally approached individually to make a proposal for that project. Upon review by the powers that be, they liked both proposals and asked us if we would work together.
Once we got started, I suggested that we do something typography based on the long wall and Tes then proposed the phrase “stay curious”. It was perfect. The city (our client) wanted something positive and inspirational and that phrase captured that. It was just as ambiguous as it was perfectly clear. And the rest of the imagery and presentation was built on top of that foundation.
It took some to hone everything in. 6 months I recall. As we prepared various options and directions. And even much of what is on the finish walls was decided on the spot. We had a blueprint as a baseline and made changes as needed along the way.

We hoped that the project would bring an uplifting backdrop to what was before just a parking garage.

Honestly. I don’t collaborate directly with that many artists that often. And even as successful as the stay curious project was, it took a huge toll on both of us. We have a lot of creative overlap but there are also fundamental differences in how he and I approach our craft. And on a project as massive and complex as this one was, and how long we spent working on it together, by the time it was over, it’s no secret that we were both glad we can go back to doing our own thing again. And, there is no way we could have taken on this project, and if it wasn’t for the help of the Vitale Bros, their crew, and all the other friends and family that helped us bring that project to life. Tes One and I get most of the credit; however, it wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for the Vitale Bros. They became the third and equal collaborators on this project by the time it was finished.
So collaborations are often times difficult to navigate because each artist has a specific way they like to approach their own work. And even in the best of times, the process has the potential to be rewarding but also taxing. But collaboration doesn’t always mean direct involvement in specific projects. The creative community is best served when the only thing that outweighs healthy competition is mutual support and networking with one another. Helping each other out whenever asked to the degree that you can help. Celebrating each other’s achievements and not becoming crabs in a bucket. To me, the real value is in the collaboration of the community which includes patrons and business owners, collectors, and city officials, all coming together on projects for the betterment of us all.

This area has always been rich with creative people only up until recently, the opportunities for them to shine have been minimal. Today, thanks to many forces in play, artists in Tampa Bay have many channels available to them to present their work and make a great living. As long as this continues to prove itself as a norm rather than a just trend, then the future of the arts in this area is very exciting.

Next week, August 1st, I am doing a show with comic book legend Bob Layton at Scarfone Hartley Gallery in Tampa. Among Bob’s long list of accomplishments, some of his most notable are while he was doing work for Iron Man and Marvel in the 70s and 80s. The show is a celebration of his life’s work and I have made several large-scale paintings directly inspired by his art. The show is also part of a film release on Bob’s life which will debut at the Tampa Theatre next week as well.

Yes. Your ego should never be more than an engaged passenger and never the driver on your creative journey. Be humble, Be honest, and always “Stay Curious.”

From 2015 to April 2022 Illsol was the collaborative studio of Tony Krol and Michelle Sawyer. (@tonykrol & @radiantwasteland) Since May of 2022 Illsol has transitioned to the studio of Tony Krol. The style of artwork is influenced by the natural decay of physical matter, with textures being prevalent throughout the work, intermixed with clean-lined illustrations and rendered elements (although this mural doesn’t have any rendered elements).

“For the Love of This City” was commissioned by the Portico art initiative to brighten up the side of this building on Florida, Ave, downtown Tampa. The mural represents all of the original neighborhoods in Tampa with the two alligators being a nod to the “two headed alligator” of the Seminole Heights seal. The rooster represents Ybor City, and the star and halo around the rooster’s head is a part of the West Tampa Seal. We also focused on the natural surroundings of the Tampa Bay area with the inclusion of native birds, and water sports that are a part of Tampa’s history.

This mural represents connectivity, as it includes elements of many historical neighborhoods. It was painted in 2015, and represents the love that exists for Tampa by its residents… it is meant to encourage viewers to love where they live.

The colors for this mural were inspired by Tampa’s rich cuban heritage. The colors in the mural were inspired by what you would find in Havana, Cuba on the buildings and cars.

Absolutely, there are a lot of new programs in education and new collaborations making it an exciting time for the Arts in the Tampa Bay Area.

The Hillsborough County School superintendent just announced visual and performing arts as a priority in public schools, which is a very positive step forward. Art is the foundation of the perceivable world, literally nothing can be done or interacted with without art, an attorney couldn’t sit at a desk without someone designing it, we can’t drive our cars without someone designing them and the streets we drive on – so the more this point is reiterated, the more creative freedom is promoted, and diverse ideas can be expressed. We live in a time with more music and art festivals than any other time in history, and these things are just growing, so we need to all embrace creative solutions and creative freedom to make our schools, neighborhoods, and businesses more interesting. Also, Tony is the director of Tampa Walls (@tpawalls) a new mural festival part of the @powwowworldwide network of festivals that take place all over the world, with the first Tampa festival taking place in April of 2022 and looking forward to the programming in 2023.

Tricks and trades – just take advice from one of the best marketing slogans ever made used by Nike – just do it. If you want to do something, just learn by doing and figure it out. Painting is like that – if you can paint small, you can paint large.
And any mistakes can be fixed with paint, just paint over it until it is right. We need more color in our world, and more art created with love, care, and attention to detail. With so many resources on the internet and a google search away there’s no excuse to not follow a passion or dream! Be present and set intentions with artwork, it has the power to inspire and change lives…