Call to Artists: Trans Hub Fundraising Auction

Dear Artists,
Local businessman and Trans-activist Andrew Citino and I are organizing a fundraiser for the development of the Trans Hub, a resource site for the Tampa Bay Trans community. It will contain listings of professional and personal services such as Trans-friendly healthcare providers, businesses, events, education and opportunities.
I oversee the curating and organizing a silent auction for the event. We seek artworks which vary in style and price range.
Participating artists will receive payback of 50% of the auction selling price. Those who wish may donate a higher percentage.
The fundraiser will take place in January of 2018 at Freefall Theatre in St. Petersburg. It will include a screening of the documentary The Death and Lifeof Marsha P. Johnson as well as food and drink.
If you are interested in participating please submit up to 3 quality images of available works. Please include Title/Medium/Size info for each as well as what percentage of the auction selling price you wish to donate to: jgascot@gascot.com

Deadline: December 20, 2017

About Trans Hub:
We are local trans community leaders who saw a great need to develop a sustainable mechanism to share resources and events relevant to the Tampa Bay transgender community. We named it The Trans Hub because we envision an all-access website that provides professional and personal resources, education, event info, and opportunities to volunteer - a hub of information for the trans community.

The Trans Hub is continuing to raise funds to hire a professional web designer. Because this website will provide an integral resource to our trans community, it requires an expert who will work with us to ensure a product that is state-of-the-art, user friendly, interactive, fully accessible and robust. The Trans Hub will be a resource that does not currently exist in Tampa Bay and is desperately needed.

New T-shirt: Love & Kisses

Love & Kisses!
Look sharp in this Gascot-designed Pop Art tee. A pattern of off-set stylized lips (a common feature in John Gascot's paintings) make up a heart (another common theme in his work).
The graphic was composed from an original block print design.
Get yours HERE.

Kisses, Smooches, Mwah!

Kisses! Smooches! Mwah, darling!
This fabulously fun clutch purse is a great statement piece for day or night.
Black background with pink kisses makes it a flexible accessory.
Using linocut block I carved, I have given this vintage bag a new lease on life.
The ink is specifically made for fabric application.

Available from Latin Pop Shop on Etsy.

Exquisite Corpse Games, St. Pete

I was honored to be invited to join the Exquisite Corpse Games this year.
The game is designed to bring the artists out of their comfort zone and create a piece of art JUST FOR FUN.
I attended the introductory meeting for the games at St. Petersburg's Museum of Fine Arts (also where the final pieces were unveiled last week) eager and ready. Well, almost ready. It was a particularly busy month with upcoming exhibits and workshops. Per the rules of this game you only get 17 days in which to complete your section of the corpse so that the next (mystery) artist can get on to their piece. The pieces start at the legs, followed by torso and finally head.
So all through the meeting, during artist introductions, instructions and other pleasantries a record skipped inside my head. "Please don't give me legs. Please don't give me legs. Please don't give me legs."
Not only did I have a hectic schedule and feared having to tackle an extra task would affect the quality of the piece, but vanity also played a role in my anxiety over getting legs. I'm mostly known for "my ladies". Their stylized faces are, for lack of a better word, part of my "brand". What would I do with legs or even a torso?
Finally the envelopes were handed out and I carefully opened mine. Wouldn't you know it??? I got the goddamned legs.
At this point I settled into my role and took on the challenge. I had to remember that I was to create JUST FOR FUN. And I did. I resisted injecting too much thematically into my piece and created out of chaos. The result: a quasi self-portrait. A barefoot artist painting another barefoot artist (or self) among his creations and inspirations (women and music).

Barefoot Artist, my collaboration to Exquisite Corpse Games 2017

The complete 3-painting collaboration.
Photo credit: Freddie Fred, who created the piece's torso.
The head was painted by Tammy Berk.