S. Fla Artists Seek A "Sketchy" Miami

MIAMI (CBS4) - One South Florida group wants to promote the idea that art can be for everyone.

They have come together with the hopes of introducing art to the masses.

How are they doing it? They are making you the center of attention. One artist involved in the project is putting pen to paper to blur the lines that may lead some to believe art isn't for everyone.

"We like to have a dialogue about people and get them interested in what we like to do and know a little bit about us," said artist Jean Paul Mallozzi.

Mallozzi is using his gift to introduce regular people to the art of art. He has had his works on display in South Florida is showing people what takes place during one of the workshops at Lester's Cafe in Wynwood, where people come together to sketch each other whether they are artists or not.

"It gives people a sense of importance because they are literally sitting down and someone is looking at them and they are creating something just for them," said Mallozzi to CBS4's Jorge Estevez.

Robert Campbell, an artist himself, is one of the creators of the concept.

He and a partner designed the website www.sketchymiami.com, where anyone can submit their photo for free much like these people did and give local artists a chance to sketch them. They can then either buy the sketch from the artist or not.

"Artists already have made money off of their drawings. They never would have done it if they did not have the site or the photos," said Robert Campbell.

The hope is to one day create a business model that gets South Floridians lining up for sketches and gives people a peek into the world of art.