Christina Bertsos has been awarded the Creative Pinellas Professional Artist Grant.  Each year, Creative Pinellas recognizes up to 10 Pinellas County artists who have excelled in their artistic practice through its professional artist grant program. Each selected artist receives a $5,000 grant and they’re encouraged to decide how to best use this award for their benefit and growth as an artist.

Through this grant program, Creative Pinellas wants to support and build meaningful relationships among outstanding creative artists in the county. Its hope is that the grants funding provides a strong foundation for nurturing the creative community and elevating Pinellas County as an arts and cultural destination.

Bertsos began her self-taught journey in 2012 at the Dunedin Fine Art Center in Dunedin, Florida then moved to the Sculpture Studio of Clearwater that she has since called her second home. A passion for the artisan’s practice and love for the medium grew quickly as she began creating monumental size work and exhibiting within 5 years. “My muse is the stone” Bertsos notes, allowing the stone to guide her as she direct carves.