Cape artist to compete in live competition
Cape Coral artist Carlos Suarez has been selected to compete in the Florida Art Masters 2026, a painting competition that celebrates artistic skill, creativity and the excitement of painting from life.
Hosted by The Depot Arts District and Notta Gallery in Lakeland, the competition will bring together 16 artists from across the state for a series of live portrait-painting sessions, which will culminate in a championship round in December.
The winner will receive a $5,000 portrait commission.
Suarez will compete Saturday, Oct. 10, in the first of four preliminary heats at the Notta Gallery.
The artists will work under timed competition conditions to create a portrait from a live sitter, giving spectators an opportunity to watch each painting develop.
The sitters are breast cancer survivors associated with the Breast Cancer Foundation of Central Florida.
The four heats will determine the four artists who will advance to the championship round.
“Portrait painting is normally a very deliberate process, so the challenge of creating a finished work in a timed, competitive setting is exciting,” Suarez said. “I’m honored to have been selected and am looking forward to meeting my sitter and painting alongside the other artists.”
Classically trained beginning at age 10, he draws upon the techniques and craftsmanship of traditional representational painting, while bringing a contemporary sensibility to his subjects. Suarez is a member of the Alliance for the Arts and Portrait Society of America.