Harbor uses photos of land, sea and sky encompassing St. Petersburg's Albert Whitted Airport and the adjacent port and yacht basin. I combined and layered those images to portray a mirage harbor for vessels of both air and sea, suspended in sky and water above and below.
This iconic airport is an enduring part of St. Petersburg's open waterfront and identity. I look out on it from my balcony, fly aircraft off its runways, and often use pictures of it in my collage art. And I'm dedicated to saving it from development.
The world's first regularly scheduled air service launched from these waters, in a flying boat, on January 1, 1914. Flights from a shell runway began in 1917 and the site was named Albert Whitted Airport in 1928.
In its early years the airport housed Goodyear blimps, military training aircraft and National Airlines. For decades this was home for Coast Guard aircraft and it's still home for the regional Coast Guard fleet. Today the airport houses over 200 aircraft and businesses, generating over $120 million in annual economic activity.