May 7, 2007 — Mango Tango Art Gallery will honor the tradition of Mother’s Day on Friday from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. by showcasing the creations of a mother-daughter artist team, Mandy Thody and Merryn MacDonald.
The duo has been exhibiting there for about four years, according to a news release from the gallery. The mother, Thody, has earned an annual show each year and has participated in virtually every group show hosted by the gallery. She excels in both ceramic sculpture and watercolor. Her daughter, MacDonald, began showing her work in group shows when was only 11 years old. With her mom as a mentor, she tackled painting in watercolor and acrylic. She also mastered ceramics.
Thody has lived aboard a sailboat for two decades, with MacDonald born 14 years ago. When they sailed into the Virgin Islands they were artisans. Together they painted small silk paintings of flora and fauna of the islands. Some they sewed into eyeglass cases and delicate purses. Now they have grown into two of the top artists working in the Caribbean.
They lived in St. John for a few years, where they built a studio on nearby land. Bajo el Sol displays the work of Thody, while MacDonald is a featured artist at Michael Banzhaf Gallery. Design Works in Christiansted showcases the duo's work.
Recently they have left the boat to live on land in St. Croix, where they are restoring historic ruins, the news release said. In lush vegetation near the rain forest, they have commandeered one of the old buildings for their large art studio. And it is in their new studio that they created the ceramics for this show.
Thody grew up in the Zulu Land of South Africa. She uses that experience to create moving Afrocentric sculpture. Her keen understanding of the human body helps her sculpt the faces that she remembers as well as the faces of islanders. In addition, she always offers a suite of mythical creatures.
MacDonald volunteers to work in animal shelters wherever she lives. She loves domesticated animals as well as birds and animals of the wild. The teen sculpts those animals and birds with realism. The new studio allows her to work in larger scale. She adds sows and piglets to her suite of animals in this show.
Meet the artists, while viewing their table-top and wall-hanging ceramics. The champagne reception gives gallery goers a chance to talk to artists about their new directions and a chance to listen to the interpretive blues and rock & roll of 2 Blue Shoes.
The show continues for one month. For more information, call 777-3060.
