Famous photographer Ansel Adams once said, “A great photograph is one that fully expresses what one feels, in the deepest sense, about what is being photographed.”
For Christine Cook, that is exactly what she had in mind while creating her 2016 Sunset Award winner, “Retreat,” pictured at left.
“As I was wandering through various options in my creative exploration, I felt myself going inside deeper and deeper — inside the shell and inside my own ethereal being” she says.
The Tampa Bay History Center is featuring the original work of fine artist Don Maitz as part of its exhibition, The Art of Piracy: Pirates in Modern Culture. The exhibition began on Jan. 24 and runs through April 26.
Maitz is famed for creating the original artwork for Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum when the adult beverage was first brought to market to be properly swilled.
The exhibit examines the role of art in shaping the popular and iconic images associated with 17th and 18th century pirates in and around the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic seaboard.
Originally from Connecticut, and now based in Sarasota, Fla., Maitz’s interest in pirates and sea rovers goes back well before he moved to the Buccaneer coast. The move simply made his pursuits in pirate art even more appropriate.
“A lot of artists and illustrators had moved west and were doing western art. Since I moved to Florida I didn’t think that subject matter really fit. Illustrating what was going on in our coastal waters and treasure hunting, I thought pirates would be interesting subject matter for me to continue. Plus, some of my favorite artists have worked in that genre,” says Maitz.
For this exhibition, Maitz printed some of his most notable pirate art to date using his Epson Stylus Pro 7800 on Sunset Hot Press Rag, LexJet Premium Archival Matte and Hahnemuhle Photo Rag 308 g.
Maitz sends his artwork – typically oil paintings and watercolors, though he works in a variety of media, including acrylics – to Eagle Photographics in Tampa to capture his work.
“I get a digital file and go through ImagePrint software to balance the print to the original art. I use Photoshop to manipulate the color and the ImagePrint software to change the image based on the surface of the paper I’m printing to,” he says. I want to use the highest quality paper possible. I like Sunset Hot Press Rag because it has a little less tooth so it doesn’t collect things like dust and oil from your hands. I use Premium Archival Matte for more cost-effective smaller prints.”
Maitz cuts the prints by hand, rather than using the automated cutter inside the printer. He says it’s best to keep the dust produced by cutting as far away from the printer as possible; a clean printer alleviates potential headaches from clogged nozzles and cuts down on maintenance routines.
Maitz has worked with LexJet as print supplier partner since he bought his printer. “What I really like about LexJet is that I place an order and it gets here quickly; that’s a real plus. Also, when I first bought my printer from LexJet, my learning curve was dropped considerably by help from my rep and technical support,” adds Maitz.
The Colosseum Italian Restaurant recently opened in Naples, Fla., so what better interior design motif than a giant canvas giclee reminiscent of the Roman Colosseum?
The owner of The Colosseum (the restaurant, that is) contacted Jerry Summers of ColorTec Graphics and Design, Cape Coral, Fla., to see if he could print what would be a 21′-high and 44′-long canvas piece to frame the main dining area. They had collaborated on canvas giclees in the past, so canvas seemed a natural fit.
“He asked me if I could do it, and I told him we won’t know until we try,” recalls Summers. “It exceeded expectations. The prints turned out extremely sharp and he did a great job of applying it.”
As you can see from the pictures, it was a project of extreme detail, as Summers built the images literally brick by brick in Photoshop.
Ultimately, Summers would print close to 40 canvas panels to be applied to the structure that would hold the canvas, built in 33 4×8 plywood sections. Summers used Sunset Select Gloss Canvas, printed on an Epson Stylus Pro 9880.
“The color turned out wonderful on the canvas. I’ve used Sunset Select Gloss Canvas for several years now and I really enjoy it,” says Summers. “The owner of the restaurant calls it the largest canvas giclee in the world, and I can’t argue with him because I don’t know of a larger one.”
The canvas prints were applied to the plywood structure with contact cement to ensure a permanent bond. Now it’s the perfect backdrop for dining and enjoying the live music and entertainment regularly featured at The Colosseum.
The Tampa Bay Business Journal today announced its 2013 Tampa Bay Business 100 list. LexJet debuted on the list this year at the 66 spot.
As one of the companies that have not previously appeared on the list, the Tampa Bay Business Journal profiled LexJet as part of the feature with the goal of bringing their readers “up to date information about these important contributors to the local business community.”
“The Tampa Bay Business 100 is an impressive bunch. These privately held companies employ nearly a quarter of a million people collectively, including about 65,000 in the Tampa Bay area. They had combined revenue of $49.6 billion in 2012, about the same as the gross national product of Guatemala or Uruguay and larger than the GNP of some 75 smaller countries,” commented Margie Manning, quality and content editor for the Tampa Bay Business Journal. “These companies serve as an economic barometer for the Bay area. They often buy local, partnering with other Bay area businesses, and with 2012 combined revenue for the TBB100 up about 5.1 percent from 2011, indications are strong that the recovery is on track.”
LexJet was recognized for its double-digit growth in 2012 and its dynamic business model, which is bringing innovation to new markets, serving more customers with its personalized support, and providing employment opportunities.
Click here to read the profile, and click here to see the full Tampa Bay Business 100 list.
For the fifth year in a row, LexJet has been named one of the Best Companies To Work For In Florida by Florida Trend magazine, moving up from 13th to 10th in the midsized company rankings from last year.
“Our Best Companies coverage this year is simple and direct: We went to the employees of the Best Companies To Work For and asked them to tell us what they like most about working where they work,” says Mark Howard, executive editor. “The responses are illuminating. Some of them highlight innovative perks, benefits and incentives, while others reveal how these top companies communicate effectively with their employees and empower every worker to make decisions. We hope these ideas are instructive for other companies that are looking to create a Best Companies-type workplace.”
The Best Companies To Work For In Florida program was created by Florida Trend and Best Companies Group and is endorsed by the HR Florida State Council.
As you can see in the image accompanying this post, LexJet and veteran customer specialist Jaimie Mask were featured in the opening spread (you can click on the image for a larger version, by the way). The recognition illustrates LexJet’s top priorities, which are to enhance both the customer and the employee experience.
“Great customer service doesn’t happen just because you want it to happen,” says Art Lambert, who founded LexJet with Ron Simkins in 1994. “You absolutely have to focus on making sure each employee is not only happy, but that they have the opportunity to be entrepreneurial, along with the support they need to do so.”
To participate, companies or government entities had to employ at least 15 workers in Florida and have been in operation at least one year. Companies that chose to participate underwent an evaluation of their workplace policies, practices, philosophy, systems and demographics.
The process also included a survey to measure employee satisfaction. The combined scores determined the top companies and the final ranking. Best Companies Group managed the registration, survey and analysis and determined the final rankings.
“A happier staff is one that is engaged with the company, its products, and its objectives,” says Florida Trend Publisher Andy Corty. “Those are the type of employees who carry the message out to clients and help the company grow. It’s our pleasure to recognize those great companies and encourage others to join them in building Florida’s competitive advantage.”
For a list of the 100 Best Companies To Work For In Florida, go to www.FloridaTrend.com/BestCompanies.
The PostNet store in North Port, Fla., like other PostNet locations across the world, provides a full slate of printing-related services. Over the past three years or so, the North Port location has seen its wide-format printing operation grow substantially each year.
North Port PostNet owner Joyce Klingle estimates that wide-format printing now accounts for about 30 percent of the store’s sales, which is quite a jump over three years given the plethora of products and services the store offers its clients.
A big break came when a local Perkins Restaurant manager noticed samples of perforated window graphics at North Port PostNet. The manager asked for pricing and a sample to send to Perkins’ headquarters, which led to a contract to ship window graphics all over the U.S.
“Our customer specialist at LexJet, David Iannotti, first told us about what we could do with perforated window film. Any time we have a question about anything all we have to do is call David; he’s our go-to guy for information about wide-format printing,” says Klingle. “We printed more than 1,500 window perf graphics for this project and laminated them since we knew they would be displayed outdoors.”
The project came off without a hitch and helped contribute to the positive word of mouth so crucial to this PostNet location since it’s not located on busy Highway 41, which bisects North Port.
“We’ve been at this location for three years. We were located across the street from here for about two years before we moved into this location,” explains Klingle. “We rely a lot on word of mouth and people coming in to see what we can do.”
And they can do just about anything with their Canon iPF8000S, though the bulk of their wide-format printing is for canvas gallery wraps printed on LexJet Sunset Select Matte Canvas and coated with Sunset Satin Coating, banners typically printed on LexJet TOUGHcoat ThriftyBanner and window graphics on LexJet Aqueous Perforated Vinyl.
“Every year our wide-format printing increases by about 50 percent,” adds Klingle.