Artist Couple Celebrates Separate Art Shows In Atypical FL Venues

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Creative couple Luci Westphal and Scott Solary have a lot to celebrate — each artist has separate showcases of their work on display in atypical venues in St. Petersburg.

Solary, who creates original woodcraft designs and wall art under the name Man Glitter Studio, celebrated a new collaboration with Sip Shop Hooray, 2053 Central Ave., at the end of March. His work is hanging on the shop’s walls indefinitely and he hopes to curate shows featuring other artists in the space down the road.

Meanwhile, works from Westphal’s “Post-Historic St. Pete” photography series, capturing the city’s changing urban landscape, is featured in two locations throughout April.

An opening at the Craftsman House, 2955 Central Ave., is set for April 10, while the opening for her showcase at Forever Florida Realty, 2629 Central Ave., will take place April 12.

Westphal has also organized a panel of speakers at the Craftsman House on April 17 and a closing event at Forever Florida is scheduled for April 27.

Solary, a Florida native, and Westphal, who is from Germany, met in the dark room while attending Santa Fe College in Gainesville in the early 1990s, they told Patch. After getting married, they went on to Florida State University, where he studied creative writing and she studied film.

For several years, they split their time between Berlin and New York City. Both worked in the film industry, Solary as a producer and Westphal as a director and editor.

They came together to work on a film project, “All God’s Children,” a documentary about allegations of abuse and neglect of children of missionaries at a boarding school. The film premiered at the Sarasota Film Festival.

“It was the first independent investigation into missionary boarding school abuse cases,” Westphal said.

They spent several years living in Colorado, where they moved when Solary was offered a job opportunity. They eventually began dreaming of their next home, envisioning they might spend their winters in California and Arizona, and the rest of the year in New York.

But they fell in love with Pinellas County and the beach when they visited for a friend’s wedding. They moved to Florida in 2018, spending a couple of years living in Belleair Bluffs.

They realized they belonged in St. Petersburg, known for its arts scene, though, and bought a house in Historic Kenwood during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s our first house ever and we love it and haven’t left since,” Westphal said.

Solary was in the marijuana distribution industry in Colorado, a career he was able to continue in Florida. But when his company downsized, he began working in historic window restoration.

“I always kind of worked with wood. My dad just taught me in the garage,” he said. “You didn’t need to weld. You could make anything you can think of with wood. With the right nails and screws and glue, you can make anything.”

About two years ago, after a neighbor cut down a number of trees, his wife noticed birds looking for a place to make a nest. So, she suggested he build a birdhouse.

After doing some online research, he began building bird feeders and houses, eventually selling them at local markets. This inspired his current artform.

“I started doing different techniques on the birdhouses and seeing different things in the wood grain. I started using colors and dyes and started making what I call ‘grainscapes’ about a year ago,” Solary said. “The way people see things in clouds, I see them in wood grain.”

While he has sold these woodcraft landscapes at local markets, his collection on display at Sip Shop Hooray is his first showcase of his work.

“I was really wanting to work outside that (market) world a bit,” he said. “Wood art isn’t all the time considered fine art; it’s usually craft or fine craft. I knew I needed (a space) that was different or atypical, but I wanted to get this collection of new work onto walls.”

Westphal, who works with John Hopkins Middle School’s magnet art program and was a 2024 Creative Pinellas Emerging Artist, became interested in St. Petersburg’s changing landscape — the juxtaposition between the high-rise developments going up and the city's historic buildings and iconic landmarks.

She was awarded a Gobioff Foundation grant to explore the theme and created two pieces, which were showcased at Creative Pinellas' Arts Annual show. Both pieces sold at the event.

Wanting to continue the series, Westphal got to work to create all new pieces for future solo shows.

Many residents and visitors seem interested in new developments and construction projects across St. Petersburg, Westphal said. “And people have opinions, which is exciting.”

She added, “The kind of artwork that interests me is something that isn’t just decor — and there’s nothing wrong with decor. I find beauty exceptionally important in life … for mental, physical and emotional well-being. But I put effort in wanting to create things that make people think and provoke thoughts and feelings and emotions about things they maybe haven’t thought of before. I hope my work can make people ask questions, not ask them what they should be thinking.”

She’s also planning an interactive experience for those attending her April 10 opening. She plans to leave small prints of her work on the ground along Central Avenue between Craftsman House and Forever Florida.

“My real goal is for people to experience the city and give them a reason to go outside,” Westphal said.

These pieces will be placed on both sides of Central Avenue, she added. “That way when they cross the street, they have the best view of what’s being built downtown in contrast with the lower buildings and they can see some of the drama of what’s going on in St. Petersburg right now.”