Neverne Covington's drawing, Portrait of Bob Devin Jones (detail), 2005. (Pictured below left: Covington's Portrait of Dave Ellis. Pictured below right: the complete portrait of Jones, which measures 45" x 88".)

Since April, St. Petersburg's Studio@620 has been unfurling a series of events designed to celebrate the multidisciplinary arts venue's fifth birthday. Following a gospel brunch, film screening and theatrical shorts, Friday's art auction – to be held at St. Petersburg Clay Company – benefits the Studio while offering local collectors a chance to purchase works by some of the area's artistic luminaries.

Neverne Covington, a St. Petersburg-based artist whose longtime studio space at Jannus Landing makes her a neighbor as well as a fan of the Studio@620, contributes two large-scale portraits of the nonprofit’s co-founders, Dave Ellis and Bob Devin Jones. Recalling her first encounter with Jones (while attending a performance of his play, Uncle Bends: a home-cooked negro narrative, at Eckerd College), Covington remembers thinking, “Who is this person? We need to keep him around…”

Mission accomplished—thank goodness.

This article appears in Jun 10-16, 2009.