- Tampa Bay artist Noland Anderson's work is inspired by the simple and subtle makeup of the world around us.

He creates organic, detailed works of art, celebrating people of color and the simple beauty of everyday urban life.

(bright music) - I started painting probably around four or five years old.

It started with comic books.

You know, superheroes.

The human figure was always my first interest when it came to drawing and painting.

(bright music) After finishing high school, I took up advertising at The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale.

After graduating from there, most of my work was always as a freelance illustrator.

During those years, I would design Judaic greeting cards.

They used a lot of gold and a lot of silver film that I began to use in my personal art.

And that's how it's been for me as an artist.

Doing so much work for different people, I sort of, like, picked a little from this and that, and it has influenced the work that I do now.

For about 10 years, I worked as a restoration artist in the yacht industry down in South Florida.

We did a lot of faux painting in the interior part of the yachts and sailboats.

I applied the techniques from that in the work that I do now.

You know, it's the certain look of wood I know from doing the restoration work.

I eventually moved to Tampa, Florida, and began to focus on my personal art and painting the things that I enjoyed doing.

Working as a freelance illustrator, it wasn't that often that I got a chance to paint people of color.

As I started doing my own personal work, I wanted to paint images that look like me, that reflect who I am.

I wanted to show that, you know, we are everywhere.

And with a lot of pieces that I paint, I put them in different settings.

And I try to do things in a way that you couldn't quite pick up what era it is.

And I sort of give a story to this in my head.

There's one called "The Pimp of Charlemagne Duvier," but it's really, it's two old men playing chess and a old mingy little dog beside him.

The main character is wearing this purple fedora.

And I use the term the pimp of Charlemagne, not pimp as in someone who's taking advantage of women or anything like that, but someone who's, like, taking advantage of life.

They're pimping life, so to speak.

That character, I've painted several times in different paintings.

(bright music) I think the subtle things are more true, genuine.

I would use nature, I would involve flowers or birds, or butterflies that's moving around, because I want that to be a part of that subtle moment that's just caught.

A lot of times I'm just painting.

I'm not really giving any thought to what I'm doing.

I just start throwing things around and see what happens.

I try not to overthink when I'm creating a piece.

I guess it's like musicians when they're playing music, they have a jam session.

You just playing.

And I think that some of the best stuff that comes out when you're not overthinking, you're not trying to think about it, you're just jamming away.

(bright music) - I had the opportunity to connect with Noland Anderson while I was the operations leader for the Renaissance International Plaza Hotel.

We were partnering and working with another local artist by the name of Meclina Priestley.

She said, "You know what?

I have the perfect brother that you gotta meet.

Not only is he the foundation of what Tampa is as an artist, his art is second to none."

I said, "I gotta meet this guy, Noland, and see what Noland's all about."

So we set up a meeting.

Noland came in, and honestly, he had us at, "Hello."

- I was invited to hang some work at the Renaissance Hotel.

Talib transitioned over here as the general manager of the AC hotel, and we wanted to do something a little different with the artwork.

Antonio Catalan was the founder of the AC brand in Spain.

Our objective was really to, you know, pay homage to Antonio Catalan and everything that he built.

- At the same time, while yet telling that story, also show a little bit about my background as an artist who liked to paint black art.

After doing a little research, I found a woman by the name of Yinka Esi Graves from out of Spain who does flamenco dancing.

- She was the blender of, you know, this flamenco dance, infusing the African dance.

So we said, "All right, we're in."

It's beautiful.

They wear these wonderful dresses.

They have so much that you can do in that piece.

And then the texture that would come out of that would be outstanding.

The only ask was that it takes up a whole wall.

- If you look closely at the artwork there, there's that mixed medium.

There's the concrete, and there's some sculpture going on.

There's the gold leafing in there.

The gold leafing was the influence from years of doing the Judaic artwork.

I knew a rough idea of what I want it to look like.

And as it began to take shape, then I knew the direction to go in.

(bright music) - Every first Saturday of every month, we host an event called Elegant Saturdays.

- That event for me as an artist, I'm there to do live paintings, to connect with the community, to let them see the process.

- [Talib] They're getting a chance to meet the actual artist that is our resident artist in the space.

He's given an opportunity as well.

So when we do curate our next art show, now the people that have been coming every month to Elegant Saturday, now they feel part of what Noland's doing, right?

So now they're gonna show up, and they're gonna support Noland as well.

- A lot of times when I'm creating in a studio, not so much that I'm creating for someone else, I'm creating for me.

But I don't get that feedback until after the piece is done.

But when I'm doing live painting, you know, I get the interaction with people.

I get to hear what people are thinking about.

- When you meet an artist like Noland, he gives off this aura of patience, of sophistication, of luxury.

Where I see the future for Noland, and I see him across the United States in multiple different brands and really showcasing his work.

But not just showcasing his work, giving the hotel an opportunity to display something worth displaying, and inviting the community in to their hotel to make it vibrant.

- What I would say to other artists, just keep painting.

Even if you don't feel like it, paint.

Even if you don't know what you want to do, just paint.

You know, don't try to overthink anything.

Just keep doing it.

Try to do something every day.

And don't worry about what the final piece is going to look like.

Just go with it.

Don't overthink anything.

- [Narrator] See more at nolandandersonart.com.