The Tampa Bay area just gained a great new and Campbell and Cope Artist Cousins Provide Original Art for Home and Fashion
By Deborah Bostock-Kelley Recently retired art educators, professional artists, and entrepreneurial cousins Debra Campbell and Alene Sirott-Cope were looking for their next big move. Their love of nature photography, mixed media, collage, acryl ic and alcohol ink paintings were helping them pass the time, but they wanted to do something more substantial with their work.
“We both wanted an encore to our careers. Although we hadn’t seen each other in six years, we started talking on a regular basis. It was clear that we were both frus trated that we weren’t producing our own art. As an art educator for 20 years and an adjunct professor at USF, I did art every day, but it was in the service of helping
® Your community. Your magazine. The Premier “Shop Local” Community Magazine Directly Mailed To 15,000 Homes In Carrollwood, Lake Magdalene & Avila Vol. 10, Issue 8, August 2022 From the Editor: ...............................................5 Fine Art Santa (cont)........................................12 Campbell & Cope(cont)...................................14 INSIDE THIS ISSUE Fine Art Santa Photography comes to Tampa with Early Christmas Santa Sessions in Odessa! See “Campbell & Cope” on page 14 See “Fine Art Santa” on page 12 Masterpiece Christmas is opening a new location in Tampa Bay—Odessa! The Florida-based photography studio is locally owned by renowned photography and painting artists Larry and Ela Hersberger. Together they bring to Tampa Bay a level of photographic art not seen nor experienced before in the Tampa Bay area. Nostalgic and Iconic Fine Art Santa Photography commissions resulting in breathtaking wall art and magical night before Christmas children’s photo storybooks set to poetry.
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4) Al’s Finger Lickin’ BBQ - Feast on some of the best BBQ and soul food in the city, try scrumptious side dishes that are made fresh daily, and make sure to wash your hands after you’re done licking those fingers!
Small businesses are the fabric of our community, and Tampa Bay has many excellent and unique blackowned small shops that are counting on your support; I am here to showcase some of my personal local favorites;
5) Booze & Bubbles- Planning a fun get-together, social event, wedding, or holiday party? Booze and Bubbles strive to provide a unique drinking ex perience where they bring the drinks to you! They offer two innovative services. A non-alcoholic series, where they serve beverages such as coffee brews, hot cocoa, and kid’s drinks, and a unique al coholic drink experience with infamous champagne walls.
3) The Snaphouse - While explor ing the historic Ybor city district, make sure to stop by this fascinating “selfiestudio” that offers over twenty sepa rate magnificent styled picture-perfect frames that are the ideal backdrop for your next selfie or professional photo. Make sure to use #BlackBusiness Month to show your support when uploading your selfies to Instagram and other social media accounts!
Black business owners account for about ten percent of U.S. businesses and thirty percent of all minority-owned businesses. According to the U.S. Cen sus Bureau, that amounts to approxi mately two million companies owned by African Americans.
2) 7th and Grove - Grab your friends and family and get ready to enjoy Southern classics with an upscale fair. From succulent fried chicken to french toast, there are plenty of deli cious options at this Ybor City gem.
1) The Cake Drip - From incredible desserts, custom cakes, chocolate bars and tasting flights, the Cake Drip is a must-visit place located in the heart of Hyde Park Village.
For a comprehensive directory of black-owned businesses both in Tampa and the city of St. Petersburg, please visit Green Book of Tampa Bay https://www.greenbooktb.com/.at:TampaBayNewsandLifestyle’s pri mary mission is to encourage the com munity to “shop local” and to support small business owners of every race and gender. Let August be the month that you show your support for our hardworking Tampa Bay minorities. Until next time, Carla Dubis Tedeschi August marks National “Black Business Month,” where we recognize black-owned businesses nationwide.
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With over 35 years as a commissioned, internationally renowned, and award-winning artist, Larry Hersberger’s art is sought after worldwide. Larry has become one of the bestknown and most influential Christmas/Santa artists in the world today. He has been privately commissioned to write and create numerous children’s storybooks. With the extraordinary help and inspiration of his wife Ela Hersberger, together they have created Masterpiece Christmas. The success of his style has led Larry to also become a teacher and mentor to photographers and artists worldwide. After a decades of creating art for clients in more than 50 countries Larry and Ela, together with their three beautiful daughters, decided to settle in Odessa, FL. Masterpiece Christmas sessions are about capturing non-posed emotion and the magic of children with Santa. The result is breathtaking fine art and storybooks set to poetry. This is not Santa pics and not meant as a Christmas experience prior to Christmas. The concept of these extraordinary fine art Santa photography sessions is to capture the “wonder” of your children in iconic Santa moments. The performance/ experience is designed and choreographed to allow the Hersbergers’ and their team to capture a sequence of images to produce stunning artwork and your very own night before Christmas storybook. Hours of artwork go into the photos from each session.
A photo session with Masterpiece Christmas can take an hour or more. These sessions are, simply put, remarkable, unique, and very memorable. There is a live photo set, a professional Santa, a master photographer, a photography team, a custom wardrobe, and a magical experience that your child will never forget. Each photo is meticulously pre-planned, and the experience is like a play/ performance. (Your child will never know they are actually in a play.) They will love learning the secrets of the North Pole and the true meaning of Christmas from Santa Claus.
Art Santa- story continued from page 1
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exciting art/experience option!
Serving over time. The storybooks feature poetry that is Fine
theygenerations.beandunderstandstorytelling.art,meaningchoosesMasterpieceCommunityChristmastobringthetrueofChristmasintopoeticstorybooks,andLarryandElathatthesebookspiecesofartworkwillreadandseenbymanyAsheirlooms,willbehandeddown
• BOOK YOUR FINE ART SANTA SESSION TODAY
• More info: com.www.MasterpieceChristmas.
• If a specific child is at that perfect age and size for the photography session, it is time to do the session. That size will go away and not come back, but the artwork will last for generations.
whimsical yet full of life lessons and the true meaning of Christmas. The creation of this artwork gives Larry and Ela a platform to share joy, love, and kindness with children and viewers as they read and see the artwork and books. It is their way of giving back to impact their community in a positive and joyous way. The resulting fine art and storybooks are exquisite heirlooms.
Masterpiece Christmas sessions are available on specific dates only and are a very limited number. Why does Santa come south to Tampa so early? It is essential to Masterpiece Christmas that each of their clients receive their fine art pieces and storybooks before the holiday/ Christmas season begins. They want clients to enjoy their artwork throughout the holiday season.Children never need a reason or rationalization to visit Santa. Kids want to see him in person, have milk and cookies, and enjoy lots of fun. Why book a Fine Art Santa Session with Masterpiece Christmas?
• Parents and grandparents can enjoy a special moment with their children in a non-rushed and magical environment.
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“We look forward to hearing from you and creating for you. Now is a perfect time to beat the Christmas rush and give your child magical and exciting experience this summer. Christmas in July has been part of our culture for a long time. We just take it to a whole new level.” says Larry Hersberger. Talk to Larry or Ela today at 336-870-6503
• Creating quality artwork and bespoke poetic storybooks takes time. It is better to photograph and create well prior to the holiday season providing ample time for artwork and writing. Christmas gift shopping and art decisions are done early and in a stressfree environment.
FB MASTERPIECECHRISTMASwww.facebook.com/
• Ela explains “As a parent, I know how challenging time constraints are during the Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas seasons. Stress levels can be high and there is just so much to do. Time is short and family is very important. We want to mothers to have a stress free holiday.”
14 AUGUST 2022 For Advertising Info 727-943-0551 I info@nnlflorida.com or visit tbnewsandlifestyles.com others to create. Alene and I started sending each other paintings, copies of things that we’ve done or par tially finished work, and the other person would finish it. It began with me send ing Alene a foreground, and she would place it on her background, creating a Campbell and Cope paint ing that looked seamless. It’s like we had the same creative DNA.”
“This free program is open to any young artist who wants to be a fashion or product designer. Students, parents or teachers email us photos of the art and then we will continue to work with them to tweak their de signs, and then place their art on the leggings, back packs etc. Their designs will show in our store for two weeks so they can see their work on actual products and then have the option to purchase their work. We title the art by using the stu dent’s first name and age. So far, we’ve had seven, nine and ten-year-olds submit art, and it’s beautiful. This is a real-world experi ence for the kids. The stu dents can design wearable art, and if they want, buy it. After two weeks, the de signs are taken down from the site so that it doesn’t actually become part of the Campbell and Cope line.”
Passionate about shar ing art with the younger generation, for a backto-school celebration the artists invite young design ers, from third grade to college, to design their own leggings, backpacks, lap top covers or phone cases.
To get involved with the student design program, you can contact Debra on the Campbell and Cope Art Products Facebook page or directly at dcampthree@ gmail.com.Inthefuture, Debra hopes she can return to traveling once the pandemic is contained.“WhenbetterI travel, that’s when I get a lot of ideas for my art.” Not doing something creative was not an option for her and Alene.
“Both of us have way too much energy. We were climbing the walls while we were waiting for this idea to become a reality. We need ed this this focus, and now we’re doing what we love. It’s not work. You can call it a hobby that we do every day, and we’re very serious about our hobby.”
“The students are hav ing a ball, especially with the leggings. They’re learn ing how to design for fabric which is different than just doing a painting. We are also trying to work with art teachers so they can do a design curriculum, and then the students can get addi tional help with their work.”
Learn more about Campbell and Cope and check out their product line
“We’re inspired by any place that makes you catch yourCustomersbreath.” can discover wearable art such as yoga capris, adult and children’s leggings, origami bags, tote bags that can be used as purses, a line of scarves, draped kimonos (a combi nation of a wrap and a scarf) and lounge pants. These are at their Art of Where boutique artists/campbellandcope).(artofwhere.com/ Home décor, wall art, laptop cases, backpacks and phone cases are from Society 6 where you can add these unique art products to your shopping carts. (society6. com/campbellcope)
In February 2022, a unique collaboration called Campbell and Cope was born.Campbell and Cope now offer two online bou tiques that showcase the pair’s original artwork on wearable art and on home decor and tech accessories. Their art products feature wildlife, coastal scenes, fish, fishermen, and forests in Florida, Pacific Northwest, Alaska and the Canadian Rockies.
gingsartworkartistsinformationtheirInternationalsoonCenter.thetalfocusesshowDebragramProductsCampbellthemcampbellcopecopecom/artists/campbellandhttps://artofwhere.at:orhttps://society6.com/YoucanalsofollowonFacebookatandCopeArtandonInstaatTwoArtCousins.willhaveanartfeaturingworkthatonenvironmen-changeinOctoberatCarrollwoodCulturalAlene’sartwillbefeaturedatTampaAirport.VisitFacebookpageforonhowyoungcansubmittheirforprintonleg-andbackpacks. Campbell & Cope- story continued from page 1
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