By Libby Hopkins
Being an artist of any kind can be a very difficult job. Not because an artist can’t find inspiration for their work, the problem is that many artists can’t get their work shown to the general public. That was how Brandon artist, Abigail Markov felt. “Honestly, I couldn’t sell a piece of art here in Tampa,” Markov said. “I talked to a lot of artists, gallery directors and curators and they all said you can’t sell art here.” She decided to change the consensus and start an artist directory to join the entire Brandon artist community with the whole state. She created a website called Tampa Artist and she is currently accepting submissions for her directory. Whether you are a musician, dancer, or a painter, she wants to hear from you. “I decided to take all the people I know and all the experience I’ve had and combine them into an informative website.”
Markov grew up around art. Her mother was an artist and she planted the artistic seed in her when she was a child. Even though Markov originally wanted to be a scientist, art won her over. She is an experimental artist that is inspired by her love of science. “I found out that I loved art and it made me happy,” Markov said. “Through art, I found all these really cool artist people and I didn’t even know this world existed.” Gradually, her website came to life and is growing by the day. She currently has over 20 artists registered in the art directory since launching the site this past September. Her goal is to get as many working artists, organizations, publications, shows, galleries and anything art related in the state of Florida registered in directory. “I want people to be able to log into my site and find anything they need when it comes to art,” Markov said. “I want people to realize that Tampa is an art hub just like New York or Los Angles. It’s not dead here, people just don’t know where to find art.” She believes there are artist out in the community who are doing amazing work but they just need to find an audience where they can showcase their talents. She hopes her directory will eventually be the “go to” source for all things art in the state.
If you would like to learn more about Tampa Artist or if you would like to register in the directory, please visit Markov’s site at www.tampaartists.com.
