Mango Tango Art Gallery will unveil the All-Star Exhibition at an opening event from 5:30-8:30 p.m., Friday, April 29. The show will include stellar current and vintage works of 23 artists, including four who have died. Max Johnson died in 1999, having enjoyed two successful shows at Mango Tango of his oil-on-canvas paintings of both island life and life on the east coast. The gallery still has two of his valuable WW II paintings of Spain.
The year 2013 was a difficult year because the gallery lost both Kathy Carlson, recognized for her paintings of islanders, and gallery co-owner Smokey Pratt, who found time to create zany cartoons.
This year Mango Tango pays tribute to Adrienne Miller, who passed away on March 30. She was a gallery assistant for a decade and excelled in creating her own mythology in paintings in a variety of media. This show honors her creative and joyful spirit.
Two other gallery assistants, Andrea Anderson and Amanda Arguello, are featured in the show. Anderson, a graduate of Lyme Academy of Art in Connecticut, tackles landscape and figurative themes with finesse. She is currently setting up an art studio in Wales. Amanda Arguello had the benefit of studying under Jamaican Albert Chong at the University of Colorado. She presents encaustic wax paintings and phototransfer works encased in epoxy. Currently, she is an award- winning commercial interior designer, excelling in restaurant design.
Mercedese Bantz shines as a humorous artist, often including birds. Many of her works have been licensed to be reproduced on ceramic ware. She is also a great realistic painter.
The breadth of Don Dahlke’s creativity is included in the exhibition, showcasing some of his abstract works from his 2002 solo Mueseo de las Americas show in Puerto Rico, as well as his current black and white Labyrinth series, his stylized florals, and his popular window and door series.
Caroline Dupre enjoys the limelight as a colorful, primitive artist. However, the showstopper is the 91-year-old artist’s abstract rendition of the Parker Solar Voyage.
Lisa Etre taught art at Eudora Kean High School for 25 years while working as an artist at her own gallery, Pink Papaya, on St. John and at Mango Tango. The show includes her engaging seascapes.
Ieshia George is a local artist who has enjoyed numerous shows at the VI Council of the Arts, 81C and Mango Tango. She has studied the old masters. While her stylized figures give a nod to Picasso, each work is definitely an Ieshia George painting.
Rae Kehoe has been painting on St. Thomas for over 30 years. She excels in painting the beaches of St. John and St. Thomas in meticulous, almost photographic detail. Since many are in large format, she offers custom order giclee prints on canvas in the size the collector chooses, as well as many affordable matted prints of her work.
Heather Hodgeman joined the gallery six years ago and what an amazing addition she has been, captivating viewers with paintings that either exude her love of the sea or beguile the viewer with her imagination.
St. Johnian Kristen Maize presents winning oil-on-canvas paintings of landscapes and seascapes.
Anne Miller was one of the first watercolorists selected by the gallery. On view will be some of her watercolors from the early 90s.
Mel McCuddin has worked with the gallery for almost two decades and almost every painting presents the viewer with either a macabre or humorous animal or human in his figurative expressionist works.
South African David Milton works as a graphic designer, but when he does have time to paint, he is an abstract virtuoso, calling on music to inform his strokes on canvas.
Bryan Murphy will display works from this year as well earlier work from 2005. He has developed a signature impressionistic style that has garnered him many collectors. He often paints on location, creating dynamic small works of beaches or historic downtown.
Jess Rosenberg has explored many forms of media successfully, but ceramics put the mojo on her. How fortunate we are here on St. Thomas to be offered her exquisite, collectible ceramic sculpture and affordable tableware vessels that are both functional and works of art.
Kat Stevens paints works that either solemnly and deftly attest to the beauty of nature or playfully present her vision of the human condition.
Brenda Sylvia captivates viewers with both remarkable seascapes and figurative works. Based in Virginia now where she captures the surrounding landscape with the same energetic finesse she paints of the island’s seascapes.
W.B. Thompson presents his point of view in mixed media. Traditionally a recognizable Thompson painting was created from conte pencil, acrylic, and oil pastel sticks. His current works incorporate collage. The award-winning artist shares his work in San Antonio and Key West, where he also enjoys a formidable presence.
Two decades ago, South African Mandy Thody found a ready audience when she created figurative watercolors inspired by islanders and memories of her Zulu friends and neighbors. Then she mastered ceramic sculpture. Thody’s stellar display includes watercolors and ceramic sculpture. She is currently building an art studio in Spain.
Dana Wylder was also one of the gallery’s first watercolorists, mostly capturing historical buildings and her favorite beaches. Watercolor was the only type of painting she could create on the sailboat she and her husband designed, built, and sailed the world. When she left the boat, she created a large body of oil-on-canvas which pay homage to the sea. As she has been courageously fighting multiple sclerosis for 15 years, we are honored to showcase her earlier works.
Gallery owner Jane Coombes said, “I am devastated by the death of Adrienne. If she was here, she would be painting a few new great works; she would be hanging the show; she would be baking her tasty desserts; and she would be dyeing her hair a wild and glorious color. She is missed by the gallery’s artists and collectors.”
Island Forte Ensemble will play music in the parking lot where spirits and appetizers will be served.
The show continues for one month in the gallery and online. For more information, view www.mangotangoart.com or call 777-3060.
