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Barra de Navidad Paintings and Still Lifes at Morpho Gallery: 1/28 – 2/15/2011

by Leon Sarantos in New Exhibit
     

BARRA DE NAVIDAD

    I have often combined my love of travel with painting, but few places are as beautiful and hospitable as Barra de Navidad.  Barra is a coastal village on the western shore of Mexico where the small local population mingles with tourists and artists.  I fled the Chicago cold and stayed in Barra for a month one winter, where I rented a cottage right on the beach.  Every morning I would have fresh mangos for breakfast while looking out at my beachfront garden, which inspired my painting Bougainvillea Garden in Mexico.

 

    Sun-drenched local scenes abound, like the fishing boats returning with the morning catch.  Local women wading in the sea was the subject of another of my paintings,
Woman Wading in Barra de Navidad.
 

  

 
 
    The vibrant tropical colors inspired my abstract painting, Mexican Roadtrip.
 

 

  

STILL LIFE PAINTINGS

    The first two paintings of Barra will be on display at Morpho Gallery in Chicago, along with two of my still life paintings, including Three Potted Geraniums.  Although a radiator topped with potted geraniums is a far cry from the warmth of Barra De Navidad, it was a cozy spot in my Chicago apartment.
 

 

 
  
 
    In Still Life With Mannequin Hand, I explored the use of geometric shapes with heavy black outlines in a semi-abstract manner.

  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

    

PRINTS ARE ALSO AVAILABLE

    Giclee fine art prints of all paintings are also available on request and take about a month to process.

MORPHO GALLERY

    My Barra de Navidad and still life paintings will be displayed at the 5th Annual Emerging Artist Winter Exhibits at Morpho Gallery at 5216 North Damen Avenue in Chicago.  The opening reception is on Friday, January 28th, from 6-10 PM, and the exhibit lasts until February 15th.  Hope to see you there.  The link to Morpho Gallery follows.
 

    Morpho Gallery, owned by David Leigh, opened on Chicago’s North side in 2004.  A recent blog in Chicago Art Magazine describes it well.

Morpho Gallery, A Tale of a Gallery and a Garden

BARRA DE NAVIDAD

    For artists who are looking for a wonderful winter retreat, Barra de Navidad now has a Facebook page with lots of information and pictures.

 

  

 

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