After several millions of years crawling out of the water and onto dry land, multimedia gonzo artist Hunter Payne will take humanity back into the ocean as he dives off the deep end for his next art exhibit, Let’s Draw Underwater. “If it doesn’t seem like it’s possible, that’s the project I need to do,” Payne says. “That’s where life’s fun. The ideas that scare me, the ones that I know will most likely be a failure, those are the ones I want to put my energy towards. Drawing underwater? Florida Keys? That’s an idea, man.” To raise the funds for Mylar paper, art supplies that work in saltwater, an underwater video camera, and boat transportation to the dive sites, 21-year-old Payne took the 21st century approach and made an intriguing and different plea on kickstarter.com. Let’s Draw Underwater will feature hundreds of drawings created entirely underwater, accompanied by a documentary of his adventures in the Florida Keys.

Let’s Draw Underwater by Hunter Payne – Grand Opening, January 27, 7pm, at The Studio@620, on 620 First Avenue South, St. Petersburg, Florida. The show is on view until February 18. According to Payne, the Grand Opening will include, “Free admission, chocolate milk, a lot of weird art, the very first look at the documentary, and other awesome secret things that would be anticlimactic if I gave them away. I will also be autographing sports jerseys all night.”

(Illustration: Hunter Payne’s supeRrRrRr ƒfƒun collab with the wonderful Steve Roggenbuck of Live My Lief)