Jan. 26, 2006 – Mango Tango invites the public to a group exhibition on January 27 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Each of the ten participants presents creations on paper. On view are collage, etching, and photography. The paper paintings are made with watercolor, oil, acrylic, pen and ink, and colored pencils. Some of the finished works are etchings, collage, assemblage, and monoprints. The photos are printed with archival paper and inks. Three artists join the gallery for the first time in a major exhibition.
Mercedese Bantz
Mercedese Bantz is a frequent visitor to St. John, where she teaches art lessons. The Californian currently works in acrylic on paper in playful paintings that give birds comedic human characteristics and attitude. Her still life works of fruit are far from tranquil. Energetic would be a better description.
John Chinnery
St. Thomas artist John Chinnery, originally from the British Virgins, regales the viewer with delicate details of the small beauties of life–flowers cascading down an old wall, a boat sitting in the vast sea, or a sole sea grape leaf changing colors. His works are meticulously rendered in colored pencil.
Tony Monsanto
Dutch Tony Monsanto of Curacao, combines old world charm and contemporary issues in dramatic collage. The power of most Monsanto of his works emanates from his underlying pen and ink drawing. He is an internationally acclaimed artist whose work has been included in biennials in Havana and Santo Domingo. He is currently working on paintings for the upcoming biennial in Mexico City.
Two watercolorists deserve special recognition, because they began working with the gallery 16 years ago, giving the gallery exclusivity in St. Thomas. Gallery co-owner Jane Coombes notes that "Dana Wylder and Anne Miller help put Mango Tango on the map."
Dana Wylder
Wylder has a solo show every two years at the gallery. An accomplished oil-on-canvas painter, she has spent the last four years celebrating the ocean. Her new paintings will please collectors because she has revisited the old buildings of St. Thomas and presents them in watercolor.
Anne Miller
Health issues have prevented Miller from having a solo show for a few years, but she was eager to participate in a group show. She offers detailed images of markets, fishing villages, and homes of the Caribbean. Central to a Miller painting are people in daily activities.
Lise Etre
Virgin Island artist Lisa Etre shares with viewers three monoprints which she created in Santa Fe, New Mexico this past summer, as well as ones made in St. John when she returned. Gallery co-owner Smokey Pratt observes, "Etre continues to evolve dramatically. Each summer she chooses a new location to give her new direction. Her monoprints are a testimony to her winning, risk-taking approach to art."
Maria Henle
St. Croix's Maria Henle began her artistic journey as a print maker. She is well known for her etchings. She will present a few of them, as well as oil on gessoed paper paintings. Henle deftly concentrates of the beauty of nature, especially dramatic sunrises and sunsets on the sea. Her works carry the viewer to a meditative state.
Roger Parent
Roger Parent divides his time between St. Thomas and Sarasota, Fla. Time in Sarasota allows him to take courses at Ringling School of Art. His recent studies in collage helped him create some stunning constructions that involve watercolor on paper, with the juxtaposition of colored paper cutouts.
Two artists join the gallery for a second group exhibition.
Edward Sternberg
Photographer Edward Sternberg focuses on urban reflections and raw, candid shots of his island surroundings. His strength is sense of composition.
Eric Pedersen
Eric Pedersen excels as a collage artist. The center of a Pedersen assemblage is a great understanding of drawing. Congratulations to Pedersen for his recently attained Mid-Atlantic Art Foundation residency to Virginia Center for the Creative Arts.
Meet the artists at the champagne reception. Enjoy the music of 2 Blue Shoes, with gallery co-owner Smokey Pratt providing vocals, harmonica and flute, and John Brittain playing hot guitar for their own bluesy originals and interpretations of Dylan, Waits, Newman, and Cohen.
The show continues for one month, CLICK HERE to learn more about the gallery.
Free shuttle to Red Hook at 8:20 pm.
