Galleria Dante: 15 Years of Art Perfection
 PVNN
December 29, 2010
In December, Galleria Dante celebrated 15 years since they transformed their successful Italian restaurant of 7½ years, to the gallery. It began as a semi-retirement from the long hours required to run a restaurant, to play with their hobby of collecting art. They never knew that their passion/hobby would grow into Vallarta’s largest gallery. This season, as part of the popular Southside Shuffle, which is held twice a month, they will highlight one or two artists each evening. Robert’s Puerto Nuevo, the only restaurant on our block, will be offering Free Samplers & Tamarindo Margaritas on the shuffle. See dates for featured artists and info on the Southside Shuffle below.
Also during the week, artists will often be found painting in the sculpture gardens. Oscar Solis will paint in the garden from 11 am – 2 pm, on December, 28th and 30th. You are welcome to come watch and interact with the artist. Consuelo will also be painting in the garden on Dec 29, part of her yellow wall paper series. Cherie Sibley is often painting in the garden, so you may also catch her this week.
More than 10 artists will be on hand to greet friends and clients at Galleria Dante on Dec 30th, from 6 to 10 pm. Among those present will be: Cherie Sibley, Janice Reuland, Yvan Genest, Juana Cortez, Oscar Solis, Consuelo, Timoteo. The two artists being highlighted that evening will be: Pipo Brockman & Dana O’Donnell.
Guillermo Brockmann, better known as Pipo, was born in Mexico City and raised in Guadalajara. He is the son of a Mexican architect and an American painter. He received his BFA from the Rhode Island School of design and his MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art. He lives in the Boca de Tomatlan with his son, several cats, at least five dogs, two horses, chickens, and a mule, at the edge of the river surrounded by lush vegetation. The pulse of this geography, and these living things are captured in his paintings and sculpture.
Pipo's paintings of dogs, animals, trees, and the human figure dance with color on the two dimensional surface. With with dabs and knives full of impasto color, brushstrokes and dribbles of loose paint he builds layer upon layer of information, developing and deleting, making bold choices and finally exposing his image. In the end we see surfaces with the same energy authenticity and freshness that his sculptures command. Dogs stretch themselves out across the canvases or look at you with their heads cocked as if reacting to your approach, monkey ear trees spread their abundant branches, lush, heavy with foliage, cocky roosters crow, and a human face speaks to you silently.
In Pipo's own words: “Creating a piece is half of its life, the other half lives in the eye of the beholder. People ask what inspires you, and I answer: My son inspires me. Jumping into the cool river inspires me, eating a fresh orange, watching the dawn break from the water, calling home or the importance of hanging with friends. Making a good painting inspires me, it is a flow of good energy. Painting is like fishing, you have to show up and put your line in the water. You can look for inspiration in many places but in the end, you have to put in the time in the studio. I used to look at paintings for inspiration, Then I started looking at the painters themselves and what was going on in their lives. Their painting was a reflection of everyday affairs, whether their lives had been that of a court painter, a bullfighter, a lover, a rich or a poor man, their paintings speak of their place in history, and their particular intimate interests. You begin to understand, it is not just about the painting, it is about a point of view, where you stand in time and how you see your world. What is going on in our lives has so much to say about where art comes from. It’s about paying attention and appreciating. I love Dylan and Hendrix, Bob Marley and Stevie Vaughn, and the Burning Spear. Fishing and surfing are pure, riding horses, and running my dogs are important to my painting, but the studio is where it has to come together, where it has to happen.”
Dana O’Donnell, United States sculptor, has been creating art for more than thirty years. She received a B.A. from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 1987. She has studied at the Loveland Academy of Fine Arts, the Denver Art Students League , the Marble Institute of Colorado's Marble /marble Symposiums, in Pietrasanta, Italy, at Studio Sem and at Global Stone Workshop, in Volterra, Italy. Dana’s sculptural work is primarily abstract figurative. Much like a Haiku, the simplicity of the lines and the clear understanding of the condensed composition evokes an emotional response from the viewer. Over the past few years, Dana has been invited to participate in international sculpture symposiums leaving her work in places around the world. She divides her time between Santa Monica California and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico where she was instrumental in organizing Puerto Vallarta’s International Sculpture Symposium in 2010.
"I began my sculpture education at the age if nine, when failing to find a ceramic class for children my mother enrolled me in an adult class. Most of the woman chose greenware projects from the racks of cups, platters, santas, chickens and teapots. After finishing a cookie jar for my grandmother, a set of chicken canisters for my mother and one set of "knight in shining armor" bookends, I asked for clay. My blue bear sitting on a chair won a ribbon in the studio show. My mother still has that bear. Frances was a wise woman who channelled my energy into creating. She opened the world to me. And for that I will be forever grateful."
Southside Shuffle Schedule: All events are 6 to 10pm
• Dec 10 – Jesse Reno – his works are still on display
• Dec 30 –Pipo Brockman (painter) & Dana O’Donnell (sculptor)
• January 14 – Cherie Sibley
• January 28 – Oscar Zamarripa (sculptor) & Israel Zzepda (painter)
• Feb 11 – Yvan Genest
• Feb 25 – Israel Zzepda (sculpture) & painter to be confirmed
• March 11- Alavaro Zardoni (sculpture) & Jean-Gabriel Lambert (painter)
(Other artists to confirm: Luis Valui, Oscar Capeche, Juana Cortez, Oscar Solis, Gabriel Colunga, Ignacio Guerrero, Edgar Martinez)
 Open Mon-Fri from 10 am-5 pm, Galeria Dante is located at Basilio Badillo #269 in Puerto Vallarta's Romantic Zone. For more information, call (322) 222-2477, or send an email to info(at)galleriadante.com. For more information, click HERE or visit GalleriaDante.com. |
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