“Jazz at Divi Links Aruba” is the title of the new cd by Ivan Jansen Quartet, which was launched during the introduction of the lunch menu at Windows on Aruba located at The Links at Divi Village Resort & Golf Club.
The cd is a collection of old time guests’ favorites. Besides serving patrons during the evening hours, Windows on Aruba will also be open for lunch from noon to 3.00 pm and will soon introduce Sunday Brunch as well.

The Structure is the name of the new art exhibition presented by the Foundation Insight for the Arts Aruba. It is a collective exhibition of local artists primarily devoted to abstract and avant garde work presented to the public on October 4th at 7.30pm to 11.00pm at Paradera Park # 215 and will be on display until the 10 of November. The gallery is open Monday through Friday from 09.00 am to 6.00 pm and private tours for groups can be arranged on weekends by calling 568 9168.

September is Cultural Month at the National Library of Aruba. This year the National Library together with the Pedagogical Institute of Aruba (IPA) honors Colombian author and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Gabo), with the opening exposition “Homage to Gabriel Garcia Marquez”, starting on Monday September 3 at 7:30pm at the library. This will mark a month long celebration of the author’s life, work and greatest achievements. For more information please contact the National Library at (297) 582-1580 or visit www.bibliotecanacional.aw

The Access Art Gallery is celebrating its fifth anniversary with the opening of a new collection titled: “The Naked Truth”. A total of 17 artists and the work of curator Renwick Heronimo were unveiled during the opening at the upper level gallery on August 30th and will be on display until October 11th. “The Naked Truth” is an extremely diverse collection encompassing anything from a contemporary depiction of the human form to the artist revealing the inside them, or what they feel are truths about society. Access Art Gallery is open Monday trough Saturday from 10:00am until 8:00pm located in Oranjestad’s main street Caya Betico Croes. For more information please contact Access Art at (297) 588-7837 or (297) 588-7379.

“When it comes to structure, it is a challenge to try to pull the image out of the painting and the three dimensions,” is the thoughts expressed by artist Aura Wilming about her work, “Ode to Matissem” one of the few sculptures in the collection now showing at the Insight Art Gallery in Paradera.

The new exposition, titled “The Structure,” opened on Thursday, October 4, and will continue for two months. Insight Art Gallery, which is primarily devoted to abstract and Avant Garde work, has, for them a rather unusual piece by Edmund Tujeehut, whose still life is extremely structured in technique and composition. His piece could be considered a departure from the rest of the collection.

Departures and innovation is a thread that is prevalent from a number of the artists, who are known on the island for particular types of work. Elvis Lopez, known previously for his realistic style, has become enamored of abstract, and with each successful show becomes more so in his work. Gwendy Sneek, aside from two paintings contributed a very interesting sculpture, a first for her, and its sardonic humor and comment on materialism is amusing.

In particular, well known island artist Miriam d’Lisle has completely departed from her usual techniques and experimented with some very interesting mediums she recently discovered that has completely captured her imagination. Incorporating textured materials such as paper mache, and a process of combining beeswax with a special resin in a process called encausting, she has definitely explored new directions with her work, and broken some barriers. Miriam reports she is very excited about the work she is producing, the textures and colors the medium allows, and experimenting with new concepts.

The minimal work of Rob ten Haar exemplifies structure, while the whimsical piece of Nelson Gonzalez is very entertaining. Each of the artists has brought a unique vision to the topic, while presenting a great diversity of thought, interpretation, and execution of the concept of “structure.” Additionally on display during this exposition are abstracts by noted Venezuelan artist Juan Henriquez.

Now on display at the Insight Art Gallery along with those mentioned above are the works of gallery curator Alida Martinez, Stan Kuiperi, Marisol Canizalez, Mo Mohamed, Tuesday Irwin, and Carol Taylor.

The gallery is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m., and private tours for groups can be arranged on the weekends by calling 568-9168.

Art-Infused Aruba Offers Unique Painting Workshops That Welcome Visitors to Explore Creative Side

Looking for the inner Picasso? If so, find it this November as Aruba invites visitors to try their hands at painting a masterpiece in paradise. Renowned Aruban painter, Gustave Nouel, is launching a series of workshops that will highlight the island’s rich culture and artistic environment. The painting classes will invite tourists to trade tubes of sunscreen for tubes of paint and discover inspiration in Aruba’s clear blue waters, iconic divi-divi trees and warm tropical sun. Art aficionados and paintbrush novices alike will get the opportunity to explore their creative side with a pristine tropical island as their canvases backdrop.

Nouel is a noted artist and author who penned the successful 2006, “Inspired by Aruba.” He will work with artists to explore the secrets of mixing colors harmoniously, teach the basic techniques of painting with acrylics and how to lay the groundwork for creating beautiful works of art. As if painting in Aruba isn’t reason enough to take advantage of these unique workshops, art also boasts medical benefits sure to interest the health conscience. Scientists have also long heralded the effect colors have on mood and attitude, and through these classes, vacationers can lower blood pressure with a cool blue, relieve anxiety with a vibrant green or even stimulate energy with a bold orange.

Full-day and half-day workshops are offered November 6-8, 13-15, and 20-22 at the Tamarijn Aruba All-Inclusive Resort, Amsterdam Manor Beach Resort and Hyatt Regency Resort & Casino. Prices, based per person, are$99 for a full-day workshop and $66 for a half-day, and include all painting materials.

These workshops are offered in partnership with Gustave Nouel, Multi Media, and the Aruba Tourism Authority.

For more information on Nouel’s painting workshops, please contact Jonnie at Multi Media at 011.297.573.9039 or e-mail jonnie@multimedia.aw - The first ten registered participants for each date will receive a complimentary Aruba gift.

For more information about Gustave Nouel and his 2006 book, “Inspired by Aruba,” please visit www.gustavenouel.com

Artist Nancy Hernandez is scheduled to open a solo exhibition at the Renaissance Marketplace on October 5th, 2007. You might recall that she lived here with Dutch-born dive instructor husband, Ernst, before leaving to Argentina. While successfully growing roots there, in the remote region of Mendoza, she still misses her island immensely, she reports. And thus she comes back every year to update her local fans on her artistic progress and to show off her latest dazzling canvases.

In the past few years, Nancy had successful solo exhibitions at the Wyndham, now the Westin Aruba Resort; she also showed at the Renaissance Marketplace, on two separate occasions. Her past themes, scenes from Aruba below and above water, scenes from Argentina's wine country, and her Invisible Kids, were all well represented in the body of her work shown on Aruba. Her paintings are very colorful, and fuse abstract and expressionistic treatments of well-known and much loved subjects such as dolphins, dessert landscapes, quaint colonial architecture, birds, flowers, grape vines and Aruba’s California lighthouse.

In Argentina, the full-time artist is also a grape-grower by profession. Her country estate, her finca, makes its own wine, which is highly rated, a natural product without any preservative. The Argentinean economy is recovered, Nancy says and many Americans and Europeans have discovered that Southern part of the world which reminds many travelers of Europe. Nancy is inviting her friends to visit the exhibition, after October 5th, and taste some of her Argentinean wine.

Her friend Carina Molina, a budding local Aruban artist will also have three canvases on display at the exhibition, as a special guest-artist.

“One monkey don’t stop no show, unless you got a one monkey show.”

The Oranjestad Kunsthuis Foundation through its art Gallery is pleased to present a selection of art works from a distinguished artist from New York: Sir Shadow.

Sir Shadow is a unique Twenty-First Century artist whose style is both exciting and fascinating in its content. His ability to express love, music, poetry and to create art through the manipulation of one line, creating shapes and forms that dance, sing and swing with the Jazz music that it depicts is sheer genius. He says he’s from the Universe and indeed his art is indicative of his spatial experience.

An inspired man, Sir Shadow enjoys beautiful people who stands up against all odds for what they have chosen and accepted to do, for art and love. “I call my writing and art work FLOWETRY, which is the art of positive thinking in action. This is my contribution towards live and my immorality. This gives me the right to live my moments in peace and harmony.” Sir Shadow says his purpose is to help others grow and glow. As he learns to become more positive and peaceful he passes on his wisdom. His honest, sincere approach gives him purpose and honor. A lover of children, real people, dogs, cats, history, nature, simple walks, deep talks, laughter and all the taken for granted amenities that life offers his future, Sir Shadow’s plan is to bring joy to the world and the young through his own personal greatness as he sets an example for others to give and touch the hearts and souls of others. “I believe we are all trees and art is the fruit of our positive deeds that bring about inner peace which is the foundation of a positive human being.” Sir Shadow.

“Life is full of broken moments of joy it’s up to you to put the pieces together again.”

The exhibition will be on view at the Oranjestad Kunsthuis Gallery, Zoutmanstraat 7, between the City Hall and the Governor’s office. August 10 – September 10 and at the Cas di Cultura on August 18 -20 during the Caribbean Sea Jazz Festival with life performance of Sir Shadow. For more information about this exhibition, please contact Gilbert Senchi at 563-4574 or gilbertsenchi@yahoo.com or visit our web site at www.oranjestadkunsthuis.org

Thanks to the team of The Westin Aruba Resort, headed by mr. Rob Smith, Franz Sydow, Ramiro and Rona Coster, Aruba is home again to an international and prestigious event, Aruba Wine, Food & Art Festival. Especially the art community is very grateful for the remarkable commitment showed by the team of The Westin during the years to promote the local art movement. This year was no exception; Oranjestad Kunsthuis art foundation and a group of prominent artists living and working on Aruba were invited to present a collective art exhibition in the Ballroom of The Westin Resort. The art exhibition was curated by renowned Aruban artist Gilbert Senchi who also organized the auction which was conducted by local celebrities Fernando Mansur and Maria Silva.

During the gala dinner keen art collectors were presented with selected art pieces. The auction opened with a work of Stan Kuiperi matched by a successful bidding by Martin Molina of the Pelican Nest.

William von Ramshorst of ISA securities effectively added an Eliza Lejeuz piece to his collection. At one point the works of Joseph Miklojcik were heavily disputed by patrons of the arts; Clelia Douglas and Melisa Cavan against the table of Aruba Trading Co. Finally, Mrs. Douglas and Mrs. Cavan of the Radisson Spa won the bidding. The highlight of the auction was a beautiful piece by top German artist Carl Rohrig with a controversial bidding by Martin Molina and Shirley Barrow of the Aqua Grill. The dispute was settled behind closed doors at the Casablanca Casino for an undisclosed sum and surrounded by tragedy. Inside information has it that after hanging the art work in their beautiful estate at Tierra del Sol the Barrows, coming back from an afternoon golf, found the piece on the floor “luckily” slightly damaged by the broken glass. It might have to be flown to Germany for restoration yet no confirmation on the insurance policy.

The first work sold at the opening of the exhibition was a local fauna photograph by Roselie Klein to the Sauthoff’s of NY. Other art collectors were Herdy ten Loohuis of Windows on Aruba at the Divi Links and Tina Causey-Escobedo of the prestigious Island Temptation.

Oranjestad Kunsthuis and its talented team is a non profit foundation that offers professional support for; research and experimental studies in the arts, promotions, opportunities and a space in historic downtown to exhibit predominantly artists living and working on Aruba. Its main focus is of contributing to the development and promotion of Aruba’s contemporary art movement. Through this it strives to achieve the enrichment observers and guests with Aruba’s diverse artistic proposals. The foundation is currently working with more than 100 artists and carries more than 300 works of art. It also works with ateliers of reknowned international artists such as: Elvis Lopez, Alida Martinez, Gilbert Senchi, Osaira Muyale, Belinda de Veer, Glenda Heyliger, Eliza Lejuez, Rayan Oduber, Gustave Nouel, Ciro Abath, Stan Kuiperi, Winston Davis, Mo Mohamed, and Anthony Croes, also artists Tep van den Heuvel, Irene Peterson, Heleen Bongers and Mick Miller among others.

The foundation and gallery are located in historic and cultural downtown, between the Museum of National History at Fort Zoutman and City Hall, across the Governor’s office. With its involvement the foundation is also contributing to the revival of historical downtown. It is certainly “a superb meeting place for the arts.” You can also visit their web site at www.oranjestadkunsthuis.org for extensive information on the latest art news and art events on the island.

Exhibition By Multiple Artists

Percy Irausquin Collection

After the special “Inspired by Aruba” painting workshops from Nouel at the Hyatt Regency Aruba February 8th , workshops of the famous Aruban painter artist Gustave Nouel will start again in November 2007.

The next workshops will take place at the Numismatic Museum, Hyatt Regency Aruba, Amsterdam Manor and Tamarijn Resorts, supported by the ATA. (see poster):

The workshops will be from 10 to 12 AM and from 3 to 5 PM

Price: US$ 66,- for theoretical part in the morning or practical part in the afternoon.
Price: US$ 99,- for both, theoretical and practical part.

For more information and/or inscriptions: Jonnie Tilma at Multi Media Internacional tel 583-9039 between 9:00 AM till 1:00 PM

Reservations in advance will be required considering the limited place available

The workshops will be about Nouel’s painting book titled: “Inspired by Aruba” that was recently published in English by Multi Media International.
Intention is to also publish this original painting book in Papiamento, Spanish and Dutch if there is enough interest and support for this.

Van Dorp/De Wit will organize some special workshops especially for tourists and local participants. Also sponsors like De Palm Tours, Thrifty car rental, Yrausquin & Sons and tireless professionals like those of Multi Media International, helped to make these art projects possible.