Jan. 27, 2005 – Mango Tango Art Gallery presents the work of 10 artists in the fourth annual Mixed Palette Exhibition on Friday, Jan. 28, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Eight of the show's artists will be on hand during the champagne reception where guests will also enjoy a live performance by 2 Blue Shoes, featuring vocalist Smokey Pratt on flute and harmonica and John Brittain on guitar.
The show celebrates works by Jackie Buckley, Lee Frichette, Erik Pedersen, and Edward Sternberg, who live and work in St. Thomas. St. John is home to Merryn MacDonald and Patty Tacquard. Shari Erickson paints in North Carolina; Anne Garney in Kansas City, Mo.; Mel McCuddin in Washington state, and Richard Shaffett in Sarasota, Fla.
Galley co-owner Smokey Pratt explained that the exhibition is "not a theme-based show. On the contrary, it is a show celebrating diversity in composition, process, and medium, he said. Each of the 100 works of art shows the artist's reality."
Jackie Buckley portrays island life on canvas with a lyrical intensity. Her paintings center on folklore and daily events. Shari Erickson also celebrates life in the West Indies with oil on canvas. Erickson's signature juxtaposition of primary colors captures the clarity of Caribbean light.
Anne Garney paints with luminous colors in hopes of stirring feelings of positive energy and optimism in the viewer. Her oil-on-canvas works are often landscapes with beautiful buildings set amidst and against nature. Most were painted on location.
Lee Frichette concentrates on well-molded, clear-cut forms that are based on draftsmanship. He excels in painting the female face and figure in oil on canvas. His intimate collection of works on view is a retrospective of his paintings from the 1990's.
Young Merryn MacDonald takes time to quietly look at the birds and animals here in the tropics. She carefully sketches and then either paints with acrylic on canvas or sculpts her favorites.
Both Mel McCuddin and Erik Pedersen create art that speaks to the human condition. McCuddin produces wildly expressive figurative oil-on-canvas paintings in two steps. First, he drips paint and brushes paint on his canvas. Secondly, he wipes and rubs the canvas with rags, brushes, and his bare hands to create each finished painting. Pedersen offers the viewer a collection called "Pages," all executed on identical pages of a sketch book. He explores the possibilities of mixed media with an emphasis on assemblage, while conveying the theme of trust and betrayal.
Richard Shaffett paints acrylic on hardboard to celebrate the beauty of the sea. His nautical paintings display a meticulous attention to detail that has garnered Shaffett the attention of sailing enthusiasts.
Edward Sternberg photographs images with a refreshing perspective. He strives to present interesting compositions and viewpoints. His candid shots of people seize and portray their essence. His urban reflections are full of visual and narrative riddles.
Patty Tacquard delights in painting female swimmers in oil on canvas. Her superb balance of light and shade is central to each of her works.
The show will continue for one month. For more information call 777-3060.