A LITTLE ABOUT ME

It took  a primordial experience on Melbourne Beach in 2017 to deepen my sense of interconnectedness with the universe. I had an epiphany while witnessing a mama sea turtle return to her birthplace to nest. So began my connection with these creatures and their incredible journey. It's a story I've expressed through a series of abstracts titled Turtle Tracks Art.  

We often visit our daughter and her family on the Atlantic Coast of Florida. We take midnight strolls along the sands of Melbourne Beach, which are marked by sea turtle nests. They have more than 25,000 sea turtle nests each year in the 20-mile stretch between Melbourne Beach and the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge. The night of my transcendence began quietly, blanked by inky darkness. Slowly,  a mama loggerhead sea turtle began her ascent from the water. We stood motionless-three generations-as she propelled her flippers forward. Lumbering, then stopping to rest every few feet, the mama answered the call to lay her eggs exactly where she was born. Just as generations of sea turtles have done for more than one hundred million years. In those moments I felt the most profound connection to this mama turtle and every living thing throughout time. The miracle of creating life, and the energy that cascades from nature, has left me deeply and profoundly moved. 

The next morning, we found the perfect, sandy swirls of her journey. I was overwhelmed by the need to document that she was there. The tracks would be gone in a few hours, buffeted by wind, water, and man. I photographed the unique patterns and decided I would learn to paint to capture the fragility of life and its resilient interconnectedness. 

Art and music seem to strike a chord with many people, connecting the viewer to something bigger than themselves. Painting these tracks on canvas would be a lasting tribute to this mama. By following and filling in the flipper patterns with abstract colors and textures-and noting the day and time of each track-I want to capture the sea turtle's struggle  to survive to adulthood and perpetuate her ancient species. 

Paintings in this series will be marked with * in the title. 

Welcome to the Hermitage Luxury Apartment Homes in St. Petersburg, FL where currently there is a featured collection of paintings by Diane V Radel. Thanks to the built-in PixelStix technology in these paintings, you can experience these works through a self-guided tour hosted by Diane herself (without Diane having to stand around the lobby all day)!

If you aren't familiar with Diane V. Radel's work, she is an artist in the Tampa Bay area with a truly inspiring conservation message that she conveys through her paintings. Her 'Turtle Tracks Art' series is her best-known collection to date and as the collection's name implies, the stars of the show are sea turtles and their famous beach tracks. Each morning after an inky-black night of sea turtle watching on Florida's East coast, Diane will photo document the tracks left in the sand by sea turtles. The ability to witness such an important part of the sea turtles' life cycle with her family fuels her inspiration for painting these abstract turtle track photos. Each piece in her 'Turtle Tracks Art' series is a unique, beautiful work, ranging from psychedelic images with bold colors to painted metallic sculptures that depict the textures left in the sand by leathery flippers.Apart from the inherent uniqueness of the Turtle Track series, Diane also films herself in her studio describing the process of creating each piece. When she asked us if we could develop an archival-safe way to embed each video into her paintings, we were intrigued. When we began this collaboration with Diane over a year ago, we could not have imagined how well her innovative work and PixelStix technology could come together in a gallery setting like it has at the Hermitage. What would have normally been just a collection of paintings in a lobby has become a true gallery experience with Diane as your docent in a self-guided tour of her work. How do you explore this gallery with PixelStix?

• First download and open the free PixelStix app on your Android or iPhone.
• Tap the P logo on the home screen of the app and a visor will appear letting you know that the app is ready to interact with one of Diane's paintings.
• Hold the back or nose of your phone a few centimeters above the signature of any of her paintings until you feel a small vibration letting you know that it worked.
• Grab a chair or stand in front of the painting while listening to her describe the creation story of the piece in front of you.

Note: If you were to purchase any of her paintings, this technology remains with the piece so you can always go through the same process in your home by yourself or with friends to enjoy hearing her describe the painting. Brilliant, right? We certainly think so and are truly amazed at Diane's art and innovation.So take a moment to enjoy walking through the beautiful, well-lit space at the Hermitage while visually experiencing Diane's work, tap your phone to her painting, and take a seat in one of the many plush swivel chairs while learning about each piece from the artist to create your own personal gallery experience.This amazing and unique collection will be installed through November 15, 2020 and we encourage you to enjoy it by visiting the Hermitage at 7th St S, St. Petersburg, FL. The Lobby is open from 9am to 6pm; social distancing and masks are highly encouraged. If you'd like to learn more about Diane V. Radel's work or purchase any of her art, you can do so on her website at https://dianevradelart.com/

                                                                                                        Matthew Walker, CEO & Founder, PixelStix