Suncoast Inkslingers

When St. Petersburg Junior College teacher Jack Cassady decided to take his teaching job in Pinellas County, he also wanted to have a cartoonist group in the area. Jack had already created a group in 1987 in Tennessee that he left as a very successful group. He began the Suncoast Inkslingers in 1995. It was a dues paying group that had formal meetings, various fun exercises, art excursions and other activities. Most of the meetings were held at a library in an area known as Carrollwood in northern Tampa. Jack decided to take an art teaching job in Georgia. This time there was no one to keep the group around and it drifted apart.

In 1998 Rob Smith, Jr., who had been a member of the Suncoast Inkslingers decided to re-start the group. At the same time he began the Central Florida Inkslingers for artists where he lived in and around Orlando. The retrooped Suncoast group began and continues to meet in the Clearwater area. The majority of meetings was at a Joffrey’s coffee spot at Entrprise and McMullen-Booth Road. After Joffrey’s closed the group wandered until settling at a location Rob was involved in saving.

One of the many major historic wonders of Tampa Bay is the Belleview Biltmore Resort. Rob was involved with saving the structure from investors who wanted condos in it’s place. Rob figured there’s no better way to help save a place than to give it business, so the Inkslingers moved to the Biltmore in 2005.

The group continues to meet near the Palm Grill in the Biltmore every second Sunday at noon. E-mail Rob if you would like to join us sometime!