ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Chad Mize is the Alpha and the Omega at FloridaRAMA in St. Pete.
His work is at the entrance and exit to the immersive art experience.
And now the well-known St. Pete artist has a room all his own, covered in his work from ceiling to floor, called “Randomize.”
“So I fused all the styles of art that I work in — my patterns, my graphic test work and my doodle style,” said Mize.
There is curated sound on a seven-minute loop that includes funhouse sounds, waves on the beach and rain.
And there is a curated scent, petrichor and motor oil.
“So it’s the smell of rain hitting the asphalt with motor oil,” said Mize. “It’s based off me working in my home studio, which is my garage.”
Mize says project flexibility, collaborating with businesses, helped grow his name and appreciation for his unique styles.
“So I’m actually painting someone’s plane right now at the St. Pete airport,” said Mize.
And he has witnessed a lot of changes in St. Pete in his 25-year career here.
“And there’s a good and a bad to progress,” Mize said. “Back in the day, we all just traded artwork with each other, now we can actually sell art in the city. I will say we are lacking gallery space. So it would be nice to see affordable rents for galleries.”