"Thank goodness it's Friday" should have special meaning for the next few months to folks who enjoy and appreciate local and regional art.
Beginning on the evening of Friday, Dec. 22, and for all of the Fridays to come in "season," the public is invited to drop by The Color of Joy in Red Hook for "wine, cheese, art, gifts, music, conversation, relaxation, shopping and free gift wrapping," in the words of owner Corinne Van Rensselaer.
The Friday open house hours for the art gallery/gift shop/boutique in the American Yacht Harbor complex are 5:30 to 8 p.m.
The gallery is currently featuring Van Rensselaer's own new series of bold geometric watercolor prints, along with photographic art by B. Greg Miller, teapots and other ceramic pieces by Cybill, Caribbean dinnerware by Siddhia Hutchinson, and "art to wear" by local designer Sloop Jones.
A St. Thomas resident since 1982, Van Rensselaer is known for her island images and floral vignettes. She is a self-taught watercolorist with a palette that ranges from strong, vibrant colors to soft pastel hues. In her work, both abstract and representational, she seeks to convey "a feeling of joy, lightness and tranquility."
She says she is equally comfortable as an artist "capturing the fragile beauty of the hibiscus flower" or "evoking the mysterious world of the coral reef."
Founded by Van Rensselaer 10 years ago in Tillett Gardens, The Color of Joy was relocated to American Yacht Harbor in 1996 and expanded to include a frame shop in 1997. The owner's work and that of other artists represented in the gallery may also be seen online at www.thecolorof joy.com
Born and reared in England, Van Rensselaer studied architecture in London, but in 1978 she exchanged her drawing board and draughting tools for sails and lines aboard a charter yacht – first in the Mediterranean, then in the Caribbean. She lived with her husband, Rik, and their children, Skye and William, aboard their sailboat, Flute, until 1996.
Van Rensselaer has had several solo shows and is the only artist to have participated in every Caribbean Colour exhibition since the first in 1988, taking second prize for watercolor in 1996. She won the Best in Fine Art award at the Arts Alive fair in 1995. Her watercolor map of the Virgin Islands is sold in shops throughout the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. As much a businesswoman as an artist, she is a past president of Rotary East on St. Thomas.
Regular store hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 2 to 6 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, call 340-775-4020 or e-mail to [email protected]