Kingsley bags are functional art

Art Opening
Lisa Kingsley 
Fri, Jan 30, 5–9pm
Agua de Coco 
Sollano 31

Kingsley Handbags is a “down-to-earth luxury” collection of exotic and Italian leather handbags and accessories created by designer Lisa Kingsley.

Sold exclusively at trunk shows from Vail to London, these gorgeous handbags are the first Mexican-made purses to achieve luxury status. Kingsley designs the bags in Tulum, and they are produced in León by leather artisans who hand-cut, sew and assemble each bag. The collection was launched just last year and already has devoted celebrity fans, including Gwyneth Paltrow and Madonna.

Kingsley was recently invited to be among the 2009 “Vogue 100” inspiring women, and her handbags have been featured in Vogue, Elle, In Style, Time Style & Design, Marie Claire, WWD, Q and Lucky.

This year, Kingsley is also set to host a television pilot that combines her philosophy of travel and socially conscious fashion. Kingsley Handbags contributes to wildlife organizations and works with family-run maquilas. The artist believes that “true luxury is the richness of experience.” 

Sanmiguelenses can meet Kingsley and snap up a bag from her cult collection at a gathering on January 30. Bags will also be available for purchase January 27–30 in her shop. For more information, see www.kingsleyhandbags.com.

Corral inaugurates new exhibit space in Aurora
By Erika Corral

New Gallery Opening
Santiago Corral
Fri, Jan 23, 6:30pm 
Santiago Corral exhibit space 
Fábrica La Aurora
Calzada de la Aurora

Located to the right off the main entrance of the Fábrica La Aurora, across from the Divino Bar, is a beautiful corridor with old tile floors that invites a pleasant, sun-dappled stroll past stone arches. A set of sofas invite a moment of tranquility in a soothing and comforting environment. Along the hallway hang exquisite representational oil paintings of beautiful landscapes and still lifes of food. All of this and more lead to Santiago Corral’s new exhibition space at Fábrica La Aurora.

Corral is a prestigious young Mexican artist with extensive national and international credentials. Originally from Mexico City, he has lived in San Miguel for the past nine years and has exhibited at the Kunsthaus, Indigo and Le Noir art galleries.

Some of us remember Corral’s earlier work, the “suitcase” and object series. His work portrays an exquisite use of lighting and a dynamic perspective of fine realism. He has been compared to artists such as contemporary Spanish painter Antonio López García, German artist Gerhard Richter, British painter Lucian Freud and American painter Edward Hopper.

Some of Corral’s past exhibits and awards include invitations to the prestigious Rufino Tamayo biennial in Mexico City, where he participated at the XIII and XIV exhibits and placed as a semifinalist from among 1,000 artists showing 1,500 works. He has also exhibited at the Diego Rivera Museum in Guanajuato, the Biennial of Colima, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chihuahua, the Contemporary Art Museum in Oaxaca (MOCA) and the Museum of the City of Querétaro, among others. Currently, Corral is exhibiting at the Caldwell Snyder Galleries in San Francisco, California and at the prestigious Campton Gallery in New York City.

This year Corral opens his own gallery with a variety of artwork, including large- and small-format oil paintings, etchings, prints and pastels. The work ranges from landscapes and still lifes to human figures. The purpose of this space is to exhibit his work on a permanent basis while inviting other artists, sculptors and photographers to exhibit in the gallery. The space also offers a quiet and relaxing lounge for anybody who would like to be surrounded by art and a soothing environment.

A cocktail reception will celebrate the inauguration of this new exhibit space. 

Women of the World

Art Exhibit
Sallie Latch
Café de la Luz
Calzada de la Luz 45 

Café de la Luz, opened by the Global Justice Center, serves down-home soul food. The early Saturday hours allow you to dine before leaving for the Global Justice Center’s weekly campo trips.

Manager Joe Gill showcases local artists. “Women of the World” by Sallie Latch include images inspired by her travels. “My Children are Hungry” was motivated by her trips to the campo, deeply moved by the struggling women she saw. Another, “War without End,” comes from her direct contact with victims of Agent Orange. This painting is used by the Vietnam Agent Orange Relief and Responsibility Campaign, working to bring justice to Agent Orange victims. 

Last week, Latch learned that internationally known linguist, political scientist and social critic Noam Chomsky chose one of her works, “Collateral Damage,” for his office. The originals hang at the Café’s gallery until January 31. Restaurant/gallery hours are Mon–Fri, 9am–3pm and Sat 8am–3pm.

Cubist re-visions exhibit helps library’s kids programs
By José Luis Arias

Art Exhibit
José Luis Ramírez
Jan 16–Feb 8
Lloyd Fondos de Inversión 
San Francisco 33

The artistic expressions that one appreciates in the atmosphere of San Miguel de Allende have a particular flavor to them; they are a blend of artistic ability, contemporary concepts that highlight the style of the artists, and altruistic intent, creating within this fusion a splendid circle of fraternity, growth, spiritualism and aesthetics.

Actinver-Lloyd, the Biblioteca Pública and Arias Art Gallery have the pleasure of jointly presenting an exhibition of the work of artist José Luis Ramírez as a fundraiser for educational programs at the Biblioteca. The artist will donate 40 percent of all sales to this cause.

Ramírez’s work is based on a reinterpretation of the cubist style. He has been influenced by the works of Mexican artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. His well-composed, vibrantly colored work reveals the importance of tradition in his everyday life.

For more information, contact Arias Art Gallery at 154-9005 or email studio_arias@hotmail.com. 

Three serious women at the Arroyo Gallery
By Beverly Russell

Art Opening
Three Serious Women
Fri, Jan 30, 5–7pm
Reception
Sun, Feb 1, 3–5pm
Arroyo Gallery
Rinconada de la Aldea 27

On January 30, Arroyo Gallery owner Suzy Taylor celebrates the inauguration of her new gallery with a show of her latest oil paintings. She shares her space (you will find it down a delightful, almost-secret passage in the Barrio de la Aldea) with two artist friends, Paticia Mahan and Chris Weathers.

The ensemble forms the show’s catchy title, “Three Serious Women.” “There is no competition between us,” Taylor explains, “because we each do very different work.” 

The creative trio met at the weekly Women’s Night Out at Romano’s Restaurant on Hernández Macías. “The conversation is always lively on Tuesday evenings,” said Mahan, “and we found we had a lot in common.” Added Weathers, “We have very different backgrounds, but we are all serious about our work.”

Suzy Taylor is a former New York magazine editor and photo stylist. She is also a talented interior designer who creates elegant, innovative furniture and accessories. These skills have served her well in her painting career. With several exhibitions in Connecticut behind her, at this first show of her work in San Miguel spectators will have an opportunity to see her powerful floral compositions, painted in oils with a misty, ethereal sensuality. Lilies, bougainvillea and other luscious blooms line the walls of one of the three rooms in her spacious gallery. “My inspiration is the effect of light on color,” she explains. “My challenge is to create the glow of the sun on, behind or through my subject.” The gallery is furnished with her sleek, modern couches, chairs, desks, tables and lamps, which can be custom-ordered by clients.

Chris Weathers is a Rocky Mountain artist from Colorado who taught art in grade school and developed her unique artwork using pulped paper during the annual school holidays. The material is sometimes embedded with ceramic shards, inlaid with the forms of leaves and plants or other found materials.

“Rock formations, ancient artifacts, fossils, eroding Mexican walls, the rich colors and textures of the earth are all sources of inspiration,” she says, explaining her method in the third-floor studio of her house on Jaime Nuño where she now lives with her husband, Terry. Following the decoration and patterning process, the three-dimensional paper form is painted with glowing, earthen colors. Well-known to collectors in Denver and Colorado Springs, Weather’s work is shown each summer in local galleries. 

Cosmopolitan Patricia Mahan, born in Lebanon, had a former life in Spain as a flamenco dancer. Since moving to San Miguel with her husband, bodywork specialist Dan Matarazzo, Mahan turned to sculpture, finding her inspiration in metal, wood, clay and other found debris. She collects throwaways and recycles them into delightfully appealing small objects with a fantasy quality. Art critics praise the validity of searching for new meaning in mundane, familiar materials. “Like nests, these works claim stuff that has passed its useful life and renew it into something of greater order, a kind of totemic magic,” commented Cate McQuaid of the Boston Globe. 

Since her first show just over a year ago, Mahan has sold pieces to collectors in San Miguel and the US. “My pieces both amuse and intrigue,” she remarks. They will be shown on pedestals in the gallery space.

All three women are very serious and businesslike when it comes to selling their work: “We believe it must be affordable.”

The small world of Don Alfredo Velázquez

Miniatures Workshop
Alfredo Velázquez 
Mon–Fri, Feb 2–6, 9:30am–12:30pm
Instituto Allende
Ancha de San Antonio 20
US$190

When viewing the miniatures of Alfredo Velázquez, the extent of his creativity is clearly evident. Velázquez transfers memories, experiences and childhood impressions to his miniature world. It is a small place with big horizons. The magic and technical skill of Velázquez’s work nudges the imagination and makes us feel either too big to fit into the miniature or too small to fit in his cosmos.

Mexico’s tradition of miniature art has allowed popular artists, especially in the nineteenth century, to reveal beauty, precision, irony and sense of fusion. Velázquez small works encompass everything from original landscapes, pilgrimages and Christmas celebrations to creations inspired by indigenous cultures.

The miniaturist will conduct a five-day workshop beginning February 2. For further information visit Instituto Allende or call 152-0226.