Sit in St. Pete

About the Artist

Taking the living form of wood and turning into beautiful, functional art has always appealed to me. Each piece of wood is unique, having its own character and detail that emerges and is then showcased in the finished piece. I choose not to purchase wood (what some call “wood blanks”). Instead, I prefer the “start” to “finish” process of working with downed trees, or reclaimed "historic" woods. The hardware and embellishments used are collected from my travels abroad including Italy, France, Germany and Austria. Much like the historic nature of the wood I use, the hardware used is often collected from antique and architectural salvage shops, some being many centuries old. READ MORE


Recent Work Gallery

 

Media Coverage

Good Day Tampa Bay 11/2019

Nick Reale Woodturning Fox 13 Charley's World

Granville Court Banyan Tree 8/2020

ABC Action News Tampa - Nick Reale Woodturning - Banyan Tree

"Made in Tampa Bay" Featured Artist

Fox 13 News - Made in Tampabay - NIck Reale Woodturning

"Banyan Tree Gifting" 09/2021

Florida CraftArt Feature 11/2021

"Good Day Tampa Bay" 11/2021

 

Public Art Project Proposal  Click here to download PDF

11/3/2021 

SIT IN ST. PETE 

I want to create benches and chairs with the oak trees that will be cleared to develop 400 Central Ave. This seating will be placed at different venues around the city--indoors and out. I would work with local government and developers to decide the placement of this seating which would tie together the past, present, and the future of downtown St. Petersburg. 

SIT IN ST. PETE, is a project that recycles the natural waste from the building site at 400 Central to create a new point of reference for citizens and visitors in Saint Petersburg. 

My work has always been about using the debris of natural events and development to create community. In my personal craft I use local trees to create work about rebirth, revision and community revitalization. As a longtime resident of Pinellas county, I have seen a great amount of change in the form of population growth that has taken place in our area. My work is about remembering Pinellas County’s past (the trees) and putting them in a new context of the present and future. 

In my last project, “The Banyan Tree”, I used an historic tree being removed from a local community due to development and disease to help reunite the community. The Banyan Tree cut down at (Granville Court ) was brought to my studio where it was cut into slabs for use by artists and other community members to use for projects. I utilized the tree to create desks, tables, chairs, and then objects of remembrance for the residents of Granville Court. My goal was to take a divisive situation and resolve it through the tree itself.

SIT IN ST. PETE, would entail harvesting the current trees at 400 Central and processing them into lumber which would be used to create contemplative seating in various locations in our community. The seating is a metaphor for the life of the oak trees, which have patiently sat at the site of 400 central for years watching the comings and goings of people, events, development and change. Sit in Saint Pete would allow individuals, like the oak tree, to sit and contemplate the best the city has to offer. 

This project would require harvesting the trees, sawing and milling the lumber, drying the lumber, design time, and build time. 

Thank you for your consideration, 

Nick Reale 

727 235 1442 

njreale@gmail.com 

Studio: 

1499 Beach Drive SE 

Unit D 

St. Petersburg, FL 

33701