Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - Gabriel Colunga, Oscar Solis and Juana Cortez will open the 2011-2012 art season at Galleria Dante on Friday, November 11, from 6 to 10 pm. These three self-taught artists from Guadalajara cover a great diversity of themes in a variety of mediums.

Gabriel Colunga – was inspired one day in his brother’s studio to try his hand at art. His first creations were of cats. They were so well received that he put the playful aside and decided to create pieces that told a story. Many are based on his personal relationships with women. He allows people to draw on their own personal experiences when explaining his sculptures, but many of the works have deep meaning for him. His creations are partly abstract, partly stylized realism and always contemporary. When initiating a new work he explores dozens of possibilities considering his deepest feelings for a subject before forming a concrete design.

Oscar Solis' - paintings reflects his need to communicate his emotions in a simple and fascinating way. Someone asked him, "Why do you paint?" He answered, "I drew the same things as any other child, sometimes more, maybe because my father gave me a sketch book when I was six or seven years old. There was only one thing that I was sure about at eight years old and that was, that I wanted to paint. Today, for me, painting, is an activity of life, but it is also a job and a language where everything is silent. In realism there exists something far more evident, a dialogue, a communication of multiple ineffable relations - That is something small, but of the greatest importance that exists in what we to do day to day." This Spring, Oscar won first prize at the Calgary Stampede for a painting of horses.

Juana Cortez - an artist in her own right, but also wife of Oscar Solis. They really never go anywhere without each other. Their styles are different, but complement one another. "In 1992, what started as a hobby took form in a more redefined skill. I started as a simple apprentice under my husband’s tutelage. My love for art led me to resign as a chemist and placed me where I belonged; in front of a canvas," she says. Juana is best known for her detail work of textiles, which amazingly look three-dimensional. Juan is very proud of her Purepecha roots and honors her culture through her paintings of her country women.

Southside Shuffle Openings at Galleria Dante
All events 6 to 10 pm

November 11 - Gabriel Colunga, Oscar Solis & Juana Cortez
November 25 – Leticia Schmidt, David Zepeda & Dana O’Donnell
December 16 – Ute Hagen, Linda Kauffmann & Javier Zepeda
December 30 – Jesse Reno & Miguel angel del Campo
January 13 - Boback & Edgar Martinez
January 27 - Guillermo Brockmann & Nino Magana
February 10 - Cherie Sibley & Ignacio Guerrero
February 24 – Yvan Genest, Alvaro Zardoni & Jean-Gabriel Lambert
March 9 – Luis Valui
March 23 – Oscar Capeche & Jorge Costes

For those of you unaware of the Southside Shuffle, it is a street party of sorts, held two Fridays a month, from November through March. We offer cocktails, live music, and invite you to "Shuffle" between the 11 participating businesses in the area.

Andante Art Openings
All events 6 to 10 pm

November 25 – Israel Zzepda
December 30 - Oscar Zamarripa
January 27 – Israel ZZepda
February 24 - Guillermo Gomez

The name "Andante" refers to us moving forward with three museum quality artists from Jalisco who are always evolving. Galleria Dante will change the show room every two weeks, holding it’s openings the same nights as the Southside Shuffle. At all our openings the exhibiting artists will be present with new sculptures or paintings.

Open Mon-Fri from 10 am-5 pm, Galleria 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.