When the Walls Breathe: Dulk Brings a Dream of Florida to Life at The Factory
By Avery Anderson | The Arts Passport
The first thing Spanish artist Antonio Segura — known internationally as Dulk — did in Florida wasn’t paint. It was paddle.
On a break from the wall he’s transforming at The Factory St. Pete, Dulk joined the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation for a day on the Weeki Wachee River. The water was quiet, glassy, and full of life — a reminder of what he came here to capture.
“It’s very interesting when you can do this kind of thing — when you are painting a mural and then you can meet the nature by yourself,” he said. “I always take inspiration before arriving, but when you have this kind of opportunity, I really appreciate it.”
Dulk’s new mural — facing the Pinellas Trail at St. Pete Athletic, within The Factory campus — is a lush celebration of Florida’s biodiversity: a surreal blend of land and underwater wildlife. “It’s a composition with some of the most iconic wildlife from Florida,” he said. “You can find all of them running, like a union of them all together — the different morphologies traveling around.”
From Valencia to the Pinellas Trail
Dulk grew up in Valencia, Spain, where drawing animals was his first language. Today, his murals stretch across continents — from Spain to Latin America to the U.S. — carrying messages about conservation and connection.
His creative process starts long before the first brushstroke. “Usually it starts with a story,” he said. “I spend a lot of time researching the local ecosystem where I’m going to paint because I like to paint things that have relation with the place. For me that’s very important — if people can recognize what’s on the wall and see it in a different way.”
“I imagine a world where animals and landscapes blend in a poetic way — a balance between what is real and what could be,” he added. “That spark of imagination helps me build a bridge between fantasy and environmental awareness.”
A Florida Story
Before arriving in St. Pete, Dulk traveled to the Galápagos Islands for a collaboration with National Geographic — an experience he calls “life-changing.”
“It really reminds me why I paint these stories and why I work these themes,” he said. “I like to use my art to spread the message of conservation. It deepened my sense of responsibility as an artist.”
Since landing in Florida, he’s sought inspiration in the wild itself — paddling rivers, spotting birds, and swimming with manatees in Crystal River. “When you have these kinds of stories and then you are going to paint and tell people what’s in this place — and that we have to protect it — it’s very interesting to use art like this,” he said.
The result is a mural that feels alive — part surrealist dreamscape, part field journal. “I hope people feel a spark of curiosity,” he said. “Maybe they recognize an animal or a plant and want to learn more. But more than anything, I want them to feel a sense of connection — like they are part of that same ecosystem.”
Beyond Shine
While the timing overlaps with the annual SHINE Mural Festival, this project is its own collaboration. It was curated by Jenee Priebe of No Good Deeds Art and commissioned by The Factory St. Pete and St. Pete Athletic, with support from partners like the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation.
Priebe, who helped bring Dulk to St. Pete after years of scheduling near-misses, said it was worth the wait. “We’ve been wanting to get him here for many years,” she said. “His work really resonates with people here — not only because of the content, but because of that surreal element and how much we connect with surrealism in general.”
She also hopes this mural sparks a broader trend of private commissions beyond the festival.
“The festival happens one time a year,” Priebe said. “There are a lot of working artists, not only locally but around the world, who rely on commissions like this to sustain themselves. It’s important that we continue to do that all year round. We’ve established ourselves as a world-recognized mural destination — and we can keep that going if property owners keep supporting it.”
The Art of Connection
For Dulk, that support translates to freedom — and to stories that outlive the paint.
“As an artist it’s very important to have your wings and fly with the paint,” he said. “I think people are very excited. I feel it in the neighborhood.”
He’s right. Walk the Pinellas Trail in mid-November, and you’ll see his Florida — one where the sea and sky blur together, where birds, fish, and imagination share the same current.
If you want to hear from Dulk himself, he’ll host a free artist talk on Thursday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. at FloridaRAMA, followed by a reception at the Wild Space Gallery on The Factory campus.
And if you pause along the trail and look up at his mural — even for a moment — that’s exactly the connection he hoped to create.
If You Go
Dulk: Artist Talk + Reception
Thursday, Nov. 13 | 7 p.m.
FloridaRAMA, The Factory St. Pete
(2606 Fairfield Ave S., Building 7)
Followed by a reception at the Wild Space Gallery, hosted by the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation.
Free and open to the public.
Street Photography Workshop with Lance Rothstein
Nov. 3–5 | Morean Workshop Space
(2025 3rd Ave S., St. Petersburg)
Mural in Progress
Now through Nov. 16 at St. Pete Athletic within The Factory St. Pete
(680 28th Street S.) — viewable from the Pinellas Trail
Avery Anderson
Avery Anderson