Directions to colorful chaos
December 12, 2008 San Miguel de Allende

Art & Whimsy Holiday Sale
Anado McLauchlin & Patrice Wynne
Sat–Sun, Dec 13–14, 11am–5pm
Casa de las Ranas
La Cieneguita

It’s worth a trip to Anado McLauchlin’s casa just to see the blindingly bright mosaic-covered walls, the bottle-glass fences, Gaudi-inspired towers, bas-reliefs of Guadalupe and various saints and sinners, the inlaid stone patios and bent-twig arches dotted around the grounds, the winding paths leading down to the jewel-like studio with its domed tile roof and glass-bottle snakes, its interior walls paved with mirrors and shells.

Try on Patrice Wynne’s flouncy new fashionista apron style or her Frida kimono. These patterns, featuring Mexican iconography and traditional motifs, are all designed by her in collaboration with her seamstresses. All are made from high-thread-count fabric, printed in Japan and sewn by San Miguel women and their daughters. Her ever-expanding line has grown to include kimonos, men’s shirts and ties, shower curtains, fabric-covered buttons, crocheted jewelry and handbags.

Directions

La Cieneguita is 10 minutes from Centro. Take Canal all the way down to the stoplight at the Libramiento (Pemex station on left). Continue straight, past the Immigration office to the end, into the dirt parking lot at the railroad station.

Bear left, then right across the railroad tracks, then immediately right again onto the asphalt road. Follow the road past three curves, and then a straightaway into La Cieneguita. At the five-kilometer sign (which is also the end of the paved road), turn right. The Church will be straight ahead. Make a dogleg right at the Church, and then an immediate left (the Church will now be on your left). Casa de las Ranas is the vividly colorful, tile-festooned house on your left. Please park on the road, not in the Balneario parking lot.

Dogs and cats and quilts
By Janet Avery 

San Miguel Quilters exhibit/sale
Fri, Dec 12, 5–8pm
Bordello Gallery
Casa de la Turca B&B
Organos 19

The first-ever exhibit and sale by San Miguel Quilters is December 12; the show will hang for one week. The group made and donated a quilt to the San Miguel Sociedad Protectora de Animales (SPA) as part of their fundraising efforts to find loving homes for dogs and cats.

SPA is selling raffle tickets for the wall hanging for 50 pesos. The Quilters have a few tickets to sell, and Spa will sell raffle tickets opening night. The lucky winner will be announced at the exhibit/sale. For raffle tickets, call Janet Avery at 154-9079.

Calendar girls 2009

Las Duenas photo exposition
Sat, Dec 13, 7pm 
El Market Bistro
Hernández Macías 95

A Sight for Sore Eyes Productions with Skip Williams presents the grand inauguration of Las Duenas photo exposition and 2009 calendar presentation. See San Miguel’s female entrepreneurs in their glory for a good cause.

Light-drenched landscapes

Art Opening
Andres Gurumeta Menendez
Fri, Dec 19, 7–9pm
Exclusives San Miguel
Zacateros 9

Andres Gurumeta Mendez was born in Veracruz. His father, a Spanish architect, recognized Gurumeta’s artistic talent early and had him tutored by art professors of Mexico City’s famous San Carlos Institute.

Living in Saõ Paulo, Brazil, exposed Gurumeta to new techniques and composition ideas. His graphic design studies at the Gestalt Center in Veracruz added a new dimension to his art. Nevertheless, the greatest influence in his artistic evolution is his extensive travel and the admiration of all things beautiful.

On his canvases, the flavor of Mexico is apparent in light-drenched landscapes, balconies and bright regional costumes. His still lifes display rich, distinctive color and texture. Working mainly with oil on canvas, he also employs selected materials to create mixed-media pieces.

Gurumeta is a Signature Member of the Canadian Federation of Artists and has exhibited extensively. His work is held in private and corporate collections in Europe, New Zealand and many countries of the Western Hemisphere.

Club Intrawest commissioned Gurumeta to do paintings for their locations in Palm Desert, CA; Blue Mountain, Ontario; Zihuatanejo, Mexico; and their headquarters in Vancouver, BC. In October 2005, he completed a mural, with two fellow artists, at the Pleasant Community Center in Vancouver.

Gurumeta maintains studios in San Miguel, Zihuatanejo and Vancouver. Galleries in the three cities exhibit his work.

From the other side looking in

Retrospective & book signing
Marion Perlet
Thu, Dec 20, 6–8pm
Mural room
Instituto Allende
Ancha de San Antonio 20

A retrospective of work by long-time San Miguel artist Marion Perlet and book signing will be held at Instituto Allende next week. Perlet’s paintings range from naive representations of great charm and simplicity to visceral symbolist works that tap the deeper eastern religion and the mysterious nature of the creative process.

Whether her canvases are small and delicate or large and powerful, they are marked by a richness of color and a subtlety of texture which vibrates. Perlet shows a collection of 35 pieces.

Peacefully watching destruction
By Ana Quiroz

Art Exhibit
Killing Time
Daniela Edburg
Nov 29–Jan 2009
Kunsthaus Miami
3312 North Miami Avenue

“Killing Time” is a new series of photographs by Daniela Edburg that form a melancholic criticism of the devastation of the wars around the world.

Fictitious realities and social archetypes are taken to extremes and shaped with sarcasm. Using the icon of the bomb and the metaphor of time, the scenes have a tranquil setting where the characters seem peaceful while watching the constant destruction. With the aura of superficiality as a backdrop, the Edburg’s constructed photography proposes an ironic and apocalyptic drama.

Some of her recent work presents children who in their naïve games contemplate the destruction of the planet; other images use the idea of knitting and weaving as a permanent way of killing and losing time. Edburg received a 2007 grant for young creators in Mexico and in 2006 won honorable mention at “Young Artists National Contest” and was selected at Photography Biennial and Prize SIVAC.

She was chosen as among the best Mexican photographers for shows in China, Brazil and Argentina. Her work is exhibited and collected in Spain, Russia, Germany, Portugal and the US.

Kunsthaus Miami is affiliated with San Miguel’s Kunsthaus at Santa Fe 22.

Magenta welcomes Victoria and Lisa
By Rebecca Peterson

The Magenta gallery collective adds cast silver jewelry and multilayered abstract constructions to its still relatively new location at Mesones 57. The spacious, light-filled locale invites the viewer to linger over the rich colors of Victoria Lynn Pierce’s mixed-media paintings and Lisa Simms’ fanciful bangles and charms.

Victoria Lynn Pierce rejoins Magenta after a hiatus recovering from a broken ankle. She spent a lot of time painting in the interim and has added clayboard drawings to her repertoire. She could do them while propping up her foot! She tints the intricately detailed drawings with vivid inks. Her latest works, Pierce explains, “are built layer upon layer using acrylic paint, collage materials and found objects and most of all my spirit. I am always looking for new ways to bring texture, depth and feelings into my mixed-media work.” 

Pierce worked for years as a photojournalist in Massachusetts and compiled an enormous collection of slides and images. She has now transferred this skill to her mixed-media work. Little scenes of San Miguel appear here and there, especially in the small “squares” which often contain found objects embedded in encaustic wax.

As a signature member of the International Society of Acrylic Painters, Pierce was the first-place winner in the Sixth International Open Exhibition held in Santa Fe, NM in August, 2002.

The “wearable sculpture” jewelry of Lisa Simms joins the Magenta collection. This “limited edition” charramusco-bling series include new charms such as lilies, dragons and dragonflies in addition to angels, fish and birds, as well as hammered chains in all lengths and sizes, from necklaces to bracelets.

Simms moved to San Miguel 14 years ago to learn sculpture and spent much time studying in the studio of Rita Torlen. This sculptural influence can be seen in her jewelry. Simms says, “I think of myself as an artist rather than a jeweler. I just happen to work in precious metal and use the human body as a pedestal.” She works in the lost-wax technique, carving the original pieces in wax which is then cast in metal. She has been making jewelry for 13 years and studied jewelry under Peter Hetchman, and Billy King in San Miguel.

Simms’ degree is in fine art with an emphasis in photography. She also has studied mask-making in Italy and made masks and headdresses for Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Simms teaches papier-mâché workshops in San Miguel and has taken her teaching to Vietnam, where she worked with the humanitarian project Dannan Perry Landmine Awareness Center in Dong Ha making puppets and masks with children who are survivors of landmines.

The sculptures in papier-mâché and in jewelry meld into a whole vision: “Many of my pieces tell the stories of my inspiration of life in San Miguel and my travels. There is almost always a story to tell.”

Magenta is on the corner of Relox at Mesones 57B. Hours are 11am–6pm, Sundays 10:30am–3pm and closed Tuesdays. 





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