Puerto Vallartas, Mexico - On Friday, November 25 from 6-10 pm, during this week's South Side Shuffle, a cocktail reception will open two special art exhibits at Basilio Badillo #269. "AnDante" welcomes Guadalajara artist Israel Zzepda, and an exhibit by Leticia Schmidt, Dana O’Donnell, David Zepeda opens at Galleria Dante.

Israel Zzepda – one of three artists from Guadalajara who have united to form “Andante” (Arte Nuestro Dante). Oscar Zamarripa, Guillermo Gomez, and Israel Zzepda have collectively exhibited in Vallarta for more than 78 years.

Israel, born in 1971, has been painting and drawing for more than 35 years and has recently expanded his artistic energy to include sculpture (paper mache, bronze & cast aluminum.) He has also painted more than 1000 meters of murals in both public and private places in Cancun, Uruapan, Michoacán and Jalisco. And in addition to this, he completed 6 murals in Sardinia, Italy this past summer 2011.

Zzepda's art penetrates into the religious, spiritual, sexual and existential realms, reflecting over the truth and questioning established thinking. He is not afraid to express himself. "The artist is a reflection of daily life. I want to be a chronicle of my time," says Zzepda who seeks to be honest and reflect his own unique style in all of his work.

Leticia Schmidt, Dana O’Donnell, David Zepeda Exhibit Opens at Galleria Dante
Friday, November 25, 6-10 pm

Leticia Schmidt – born in Guadalajara, in 1965. She began her professional training in Graphic Design and participated in various Fine Art workshops. A professor encouraged Leticia to pursue her dreams to become an abstract artist. Leticia describes her paintings as "harmonic compositions that communicate feelings of well-being, within one’s self and their surroundings." She also describes her work as a paradox.

At first glance her work appears to be chaotic: color, shape, & texture placed arbitrarily, but in fact these elements are placed on the canvas carefully and with discretion so the end result is harmonious. Leticia’s acrylic series is inspired by her travels to ancient cities in the Mediterranean and Africa. Her works, created with encaustic wax take her love of texture and her color palette to a new level. She is equally comfortable working in both mediums and flows freely between the two.

Dana O’Donnell – who received her B.A. from the University in Boulder, Co., works in stone to create sculptures that ignite the imagination. Her style is considered abstract figurative with sweeping lines and curves that are sensual and inviting.

In the past several years, Dana has traveled abroad to create work in symposiums with other international sculptors. In Scotland, her sculpture, Awakening, was installed on the grounds of Castle Kelburn near Glasgow, Scotland. In Russia, her piece, Mother Earth, is placed in a sculpture park.

This summer Dana participated in a symposium in Coreno, Italy near Naples, where her figure Exaltation has been placed in a city park. In 2010, Dana was one of the organizers of Puerto Vallarta's International Sculpture Symposium that was held on the Malecón. Her work, Embody, is in the permanent collection at the Peter Gray Museum on the Campus of the UDG in Vallarta.

David Zepeda – born August 1979 in Guadalajara, he began his studies, formal drawing and painting under the direction of Professor Israel Zzepda in 1995. David has been exhibiting, in individual and group showing since 2002.

His passion for drawing, began at the age of 5. Plagued by health issues most of his life, his mentor helped him overcome his frustrations by channeling his ability and potential as a painter. He has found a balance in his life through tae kwon do which has given him the health and mental clarity that has contributed greatly, and been the perfect complement to his art projects.

"I love both painting in general and its diverse manifestations as well as the other fine arts, sculpture, film, theater, poetry, literature and music, trying to keep in constant contact with each," he says. David also has a love of the romance languages, especially Italian. "vivo per lei," a beautiful language that enriches him artistically and is presented, in part, directly and indirectly together with the painting, equally beautiful, the rich and engaging romance languages.

Two Galleries, one location: Basilio Badillo 269 & 269A. For more information, visit GalleriaDante.com.

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.

Click HERE to learn more about Galleria Dante.