Mango Tango Art Gallery opens Unleashing Creativity on Saturday, March 28, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., featuring the work of six artists: Mercedese Bantz, Steve Counselman, Don Dahlke, Vickie Lawrence, Brian Murphy, and Ariel Rosenthal. The theme-free exhibition invites viewers to make their own connections through contrasting styles and techniques.
Mercedese Bantz brings humor and whimsy to the show. Her work has been licensed for dinnerware, clothing, pet products, and gift items. She presents playful birds rendered in acrylic on canvas and paper.
Steve Counselman, who made a celebrated debut at Gallery 81c, works in ceramics to create sculptural pipes depicting sea life, land critters, totems, mythological creatures, and the human form — in both decorative and functional art.
Don Dahlke has been represented by the gallery since 1990 and has earned an avid following for his oil-on-canvas architectural paintings. For this show, he offers an intimate selection of pencil drawings framing vistas through windows and doors — showcasing his signature shadowing — along with one nautical watercolor.
Vickie Lawrence, a mixed-media watercolorist, makes her gallery debut with a colorful body of work paying homage to local beaches and sea life.
Brian Murphy has been the gallery’s star plein air artist for over two decades. Less concerned with painting objects than with capturing the light that falls on them, he presents a striking grouping of oil-on-canvas works that dance with light and shadow across beaches, boat yards, and fruit markets.
Ariel Rosenthal, who grew up under the artistic guidance of her mother, Frances Wilgen, launches her own premiere with charming, joyful primitive acrylic-on-canvas paintings of island life.
The gallery’s walls and shelves will be filled with work from the full exhibition. Guests are invited to dance to DJ Neko Crush while enjoying appetizers and drinks in the parking lot.
Unleashing Creativity runs for one month. For more information, visit mangotangoart.com or call 340-777-3060.
