Originally from the Buckeye State, Matt Kress moved to St. Petersburg in 2014 and grew his career as an artist. Today, his murals and artwork can be found nationwide—on walls, in homes and even on planes.
ABOUT ME
Art has been my first love since I was a child. I still remember walking into the Carnegie Museum, seeing the likes of Van Gogh and Gustav Klimt, and thinking, “I want to be in there someday.” On a work trip to St. Petersburg in 2014, I experienced a city developing with support for the arts and beautiful weather. Like a magnetic field, this place pulled me in. Over the next 5-10 years, I hope to see Tampa Bay’s support for the arts grow. My dream is to see Tampa Bay covered in murals and become a premier world art scene.
MY LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
The Dalí Museum has been a source of inspiration for me over the years. Anytime I need to come up with new ideas, I try to crawl into Dalí’s mind, and the creativity flows. My second source of inspiration is driving to any of the Gulf beaches to catch a sunset. Shell Key is a true hidden gem of Tampa Bay. Connecting with nature to recenter in solitude is the best natural medicine available. This also reflects why our city is rated one of the happiest in North America.
Some of my favorite new restaurants include Concrete Jungle and Fortu. These are my favorite spots as they have some fantastic dishes paired with a beautiful scene. The Brussels sprouts and chicken anticuchos at Concrete Jungle are a go-to for me. For a casual business lunch, I’m heading to Engine No. 9 for a burger. I recently took some friends from Germany there and they admitted this was the best burger they’ve ever had. If you’ve been to Germany to experience food, then you’d appreciate this compliment.
My family and friends visit often. If I was designing a perfect getaway, we would rent a big beach house in Pass-a-Grille Beach. During the day, we’d score some day passes to The Don Caesar for some pool time or walk down to Undertow Beach Bar. Evening group dinners at The Urban Stillhouse or Wild Child. The bison filet dish at Urban Stillhouse is my spirit animal! I’d also take the group on a mural tour. We’d start in Channelside, roam through Tampa, then head back to St. Pete. Most people are unaware that I painted the largest sea turtle on earth at over 70 feet tall in Channelside facing Deputy Kotfila Memorial Dog Park.
I’m a lover of both rock music and electronic music. I’ve seen so many good concerts over the years at Jannus Live, The Ritz Ybor and Ruby’s Elixir. The lower level of Concrete Jungle is my favorite spot to see some EDM.
To keep myself healthy, I cycle about 100 miles a week and get to the gym about four times a week. Most of that cycling is on the Pinellas Trail appreciating what a beautiful place we live in. Beach Bods is a great spot with a complete section of the gym outside. I also paddleboard Fort Desoto often.
My favorite new hidden gem event spot in Tampa is The Spiral Staircase. The team there gave me an opportunity to reimagine the staircase of this historic downtown building by painting art directly on it. This is such a dreamy place for events with an inspiring group of women owners.
Tampa has been so good to me over the years. I have goals to grow further here as an artist and also branch out into other areas of the country.
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