TV to ART

Wednesday, 01 August 2012 00:00

by Alex Suescun - Popular Pro Angler is making a splash in the art world  

 Former pro tournament angler and popular TV fishing show host, Alex Suescun, is making a name for himself in an arena where the rod and reel are not the main tools of the trade.

Believe it or not, Alex has made the jump to the world of marine and wildlife art, and his work is raising some eyebrows. “Illustrating the beauty and excitement of the amazing encounters with fish and wildlife I’ve been privy to over the years has been a hobby of mine for some time, and I finally decided to share my art with the public,” said Suescun.

The new art venture is quite a departure from TV fishing shows and redfish tournaments, so Alex wasn’t sure how people would react when he first put his art on display.

Encouraged by great response at a couple of local art events, Alex decided to give up pro angling at the end of the 2010 season to stay close to home and focus more on his art. “People really seem to like my stuff, and the feedback I’ve been getting has been terrific,” he explained.

Soon after he launched his new marine art website: fishandgameart.com, where visitors can browse through dozens of giclées depicting a variety of sportfishing scenes that feature all the popular game species, from tarpon to marlin and from redfish to bass.

Thanks to the internet’s reach and the power of social media, Alex’s art quickly began gaining exposure, and it didn’t take long for a couple of galleries expressed some interest. Island Visions, a popular Southwest Florida gallery located in picturesque Matlacha, put several of Alex’s pieces on display.

Then the Florida Gulf Coast Center For Fishing asked him to be part of its grand opening art exhibition. The exhibition, which kicked off in May, is taking place at the center’s beautiful new gallery & interactive museum in Largo, FL (near Tampa) where 10 of Alex’s favorite pieces will be on display through the end of 2012.

Also in May the former pro angler entered a nature art competition on a whim. The event was organized the Light, Space & Time gallery and it drew vast interest across the U.S.  and beyond, as  229 artists from 35 different states and 15 other countries (including Australia, Austria, Canada, China, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom) submitted a total of 829 entries.

“Full Moon Platoon,” a night tarpon fishing scene, earned special honors for the emerging South Florida artist at his very first juried art competition and is being showcased in the gallery’s latest online slide show, which features the top artwork entered in the event. Suescun was very excited when he heard the news. “This is a great honor, and it’s wonderful for any new artist to have early success. It just let’s you know that you are on the right track.” he added.

Although he has taken some time this summer to fling flies at tarpon, his favorite fish, Alex is staying busy working on new pieces and adding some shows to his 2012 schedule. He also donated some of his artwork to a couple of tournaments.

The “Keymorada Invitational” to benefit the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America, is one of the tourneys that awarded his art to winning anglers, and they even chose one of Alex’s pieces for the cover of their yearbook.

In the fall Suescun will have his first solo show at the gallery of the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Reserve in Naples, FL. The event will run from September 10th through November 13th, and include a special showing during National Estuary Day on Sept. 29th.

About the artist:

Alex Suescun grew up in South Florida chasing after saltwater gamefish with fly and light tackle, a passion that he managed to turn into a sport fishing career that spans more than 2 decades.

During that time Alex has worn many different hats and compiled an impressive resume that includes stints as assistant editor at Saltwater Fly Fishing magazine, and columnist for Florida Sportsman.

But most people associate Suescun with Tarpon Bay Tales, the TV fishing show that he hosted and produced for 10 seasons, and with the Redfish Cup (saltwater tournament series televised on ESPN), where he competed from 2003 through 2009.

Source: MARLIN WORLD MAGAZINE