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Gold Is Color Of Celebration

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By ELIZABETH LEE BROWN

The Tampa Tribune

Published: April 5, 2008

CARROLLWOOD - The brilliant yellow rays of the Florida golden aster will soon be glistening on the walls of the Carrollwood Cultural Center.

Tampa watercolor artist Taylor Ikin has created a painting of the indigenous flat-topped flower to honor the building's opening.

Ikin said she chose the bushy, perennial herb that grows on protected land in eastern Hillsborough County for its beauty and uniqueness to the area.

She said that when she paints the yellow flower, it's usually to mark a special occasion.

"That's a celebratory flower, and this is a celebration of a building," she said. "This is to commemorate the fact that the doors are open and they work right."

Ikin was approached about creating a painting during the cultural center's planning stages. One idea was to paint a portrait of the former Episcopal church before its conversion into the cultural center as a gift to the congregation.

But after a few false starts, Ikin started the 20-by-26-inch watercolor painting, "Let's Celebrate," about five months ago, focusing on the endangered native flower.

She paints in her home studio in South Tampa using sketches and photographs of the plant taken during visits to preserves in eastern Hillsborough.

Painting the golden aster is a combination of emotion and inspiration, mixed with the whim of accuracy, said Ikin, who specializes in Florida landscapes.

After being matted and framed by Nuance Galleries, the artwork will be presented to the Friends of the Carrollwood Cultural Center.

The 22,000-square-foot center opened in March and offers classes in art, music and theater, as well as concerts and performances on weekends.

"It's a wonderful building, and I felt a sense of wanting to be involved when it was done," Ikin said.

The artwork is created on a synthetic paper called Yupo. The glossy paper commonly is used for menus, labels, maps and brochures.

"It's tree-free. It's actually made out of plastic. It looks and feels like a bright piece of paper," said Troy Olson, Yupo's marketing director in Chesapeake, Va.

The synthetic paper has been popular in the graphic arts industry and has been embraced as a medium by the art community, he said.

Ikin said she prefers the slippery material because watercolors dance on the slick surface. The paper will not absorb water, so artists have the freedom to change things with a wet brush.

"It doesn't have the fiber to grab the colors to make it look dull," she said. "It's always whatever you want to make it. You're not restricted."

Ikin said she is ecstatic about how the artwork turned out.

"Once I start, the painting takes me to where I'm going anyway," she said. "Each time, it's the spirit I'm after, not the actual rendering."

She said the painting conveys happiness.

"I like the rhythm of it. I think it's joyful looking," she said. "It's pleasing and happy and neutral in content. It brings up nothing but nice thoughts."

Reporter Elizabeth Lee Brown can be reached at (813) 865-1502 or ebrown@tampatrib.com.

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