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Check out Tampa Museum of Art's Inspired by Nature

Nature as muse at Tampa's top art museum.

By Cathy Salustri on Sat, Jun 23, 2018 at 1:46 pm

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Willie Cole

Willie Cole (American, b. 1955). "Sunflower," 1994. Scorched canvas and lacquer on padded wood; H. 80 x W. 78 in. Tampa Museum of Art, Museum purchase, 2004.012

Since the dawn of time — literally — nature has served as a muse for artists. In many instances, the shape of a vase offers an outlet for the artist to let his or her muse live (ever wonder why you see so many flowers and birds on vases? Welp, now you know). The way artists use vases, bird and flowers to honor their muse varies, and the Tampa Museum of Art has quite a few examples in its permanent collection. Inspired by Nature: Vases, Birds , & Flowers includes two- and three-dimensional works that offer proof of this. The show includes Sensuous Triptych (2000), a 2000 work from recently-deceased Betty Woodman, a ceramic artist who was the first living female artist to have a retrospective at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (2006). We're thinking that alone makes it worth a visit.

About The Author

Cathy Salustri

Cathy's portfolio includes pieces for Visit Florida, USA Today and regional and local press. In 2016, UPF published Backroads of Paradise, her travel narrative about retracing the WPA-era Florida driving tours that was featured in The New York Times. Cathy speaks about Florida history for the Osher Lifelong Learning...