Years ago, St. Croix Artist Maria Henle brought the idea of a joint art opening event to fruition when she decided to schedule the Art Thursdays with other local artists and shops. Maria said she wanted an event that would promote Christiansted galleries and give the community a chance to view, appreciate, and support local artist.  She recognized that the restaurants would benefit as well, with art lovers coming in to town to “make a night of it.”  Maria Henle was well known on St. Croix for her etchings and large oil paintings of scenic landscapes, realistically executed with wonderful detail and color.  Maria passed away in February 2007, but her gallery is still a landmark for the St. Croix art world, and her sister and brother, Tina and Martin Henle, keep the doors open, and show a variety of work, including Maria’s.

“It makes it a bit more appealing and convenient when the gallery down the street is open and featuring an art show you didn’t want to miss, along with the other art venues in town,” says Therese Trudeau, Maufe Gallery owner and artist.  “The galleries and jewelry studios all have the same objective, to get people into Christiansted town in the evening, to stroll and view a variety of artists’ work.  We are not some huge city that has major competition and large scale openings, we are artists, supporting and working within a small town, we all know each other, and if we can combine the opening event that means your audience comes though my space and mine through yours, they might even see something a little different and exciting.”

There are a surprising number of artists and jewelers on St. Croix, all with varying styles, and with the Art Thursday event many get to show work and gain interest from the community. The variety of art shown spans from paintings in oil, watercolor and acrylic, to jewelry, photography, sculpture, fine carpentry, fabric arts and furniture.

Stroll the charming streets of Christiansted and enjoy light refreshments providied by the gallery owners while enjoying the art on display and for sale. Bring home a slice of St. Croix with an orginal work, a token to remind you of the island. Stop into one of Christiansted’s fine restaurants for an elegant dinner, or enjoy the sunset on the boardwalk at one of the open-air bars and restaurants with gorgeous views of the harbor.

The Art Thursday venues involved are: Danica Art Gallery, The Goldworker, ib Designs, Maria Henle Studio, Crucian Gold, D&D Studio, Maufe Gallery, Design Works, Watch Your Step Gallery and Yellow House Gallery. For dates and more information, please check our calendar or the Art Thursday page.

GoTo: Describe the experience of filming a reality show– the challenges, the living situation, the relationships with other contestants. Was there anything completely unexpected?

Alex: I think that I went into it knowing that it will all be unexpected. So I kind of my opened up myself to the experience. The one thing that really surprised me was that I got along with so many of the other contestants. Having a camera follow you around 24/7 was interesting but in a way exciting, but made it hard to design outside of my normal environment. The challenges were incredibly difficult. They actually are a lot harder than they look on TV.

GoTo: When did you realize that design was your passion?

Alex: After I left corporate America, I spent a year working odd jobs and trying to figure out what I really wanted to do. So I looked back in my childhood to see what I was interested in. I spent most of my time growing up drawing houses, redesigning rooms and watching design shows. At that time I didn’t think of it as a career, but it was evident that it has always been a passion of mine.

GoTo: Your style is so urban and modern—how does St. Croix fit into your aesthetic? What Caribbean influences do you incorporate into your design?

Alex: All of my designs usually bring in some form of natural accent or texture. Being from St. Croix, I always have to incorporate nature into my designs. Many times my island background comes through in my choice of color and accents. But the biggest contribution of my hometown is definitely the organic flow of my designs. Even my modern geometric elements tend to be asymmetrical or random. Having nature as my inspiration has left me with the desire to have things unique, unexpected and less structured.

GoTo: Were there any early supporters of your design dream that have been important to your development?

Alex: My parents have been my biggest support system. My father realized early that I didn’t need toys, just art supplies. Trips to the art store became a weekly event and both my parents always celebrated my creativity. They even let me draw up the plans for our first home renovation at a very young age. They gave me liberties with my room to constantly keep redesigning it. But the most important thing they gave me were options. They never told me that I couldn’t do something. Whatever I said  I wanted to do, wanted to be, they told me it was possible. This was essential for my growth as an artist and I am eternally grateful.

GoTo: What is one essential interior design tip for island homeowners?

Alex: In the islands you need to let your surroundings be your inspiration. Bring the outdoors in! Use nature to select your color palette and don’t distract from the view, which is your natural art, by over-cluttering. Incorporate work from local artisans and play with texture. I think the most important rule is to break the rules of traditional design. What you see in stateside homes doesn’t usually translate well in the islands.

GoTo: What do you miss most about St. Croix?

Alex: I miss the lifestyle. There is a connection that you have with your home that nowhere else can replace. And when it’s a place like St. Croix with natural beauty everywhere, it’s hard not to miss. I miss having family around me and culture. St. Croix is a unique place that is laid back and easy. people are very straight forward and genuine and the atmosphere is one of freedom that can not be duplicated.

GoTo: What’s your favorite island activity while you’re visiting home? Favorite food? Favorite beach?

Alex: When I come home I love going nighttime kayaking with Caribbean Adventure Tours. I have to stop by Brady’s on Queen Street to get me a fried chicken plate. Beaches change every year on St. Croix. The last time I was there I was surprised by how beautiful Salt River (Columbus Landing) beach was. That is my new favorite beach.

GoTo: What’s next after Design Star?

Alex: There is so much that I want to do! I have been working with development companies in Washington DC to renovate houses in neglected inner city neighborhoods. I am really enjoying this and plan on changing neighborhood thru my design. I am back to mentoring kinds more often and using my platform to encourage kids to pursue their passion, especially in the arts. I will continue designing houses for clients that break rules and inspire. I am also looking to get more involved in designing restaurants and public spaces. I am planning to enroll in graduate school to get my Masters in Architecture next year. My goal is to develop a new, more efficient architectural design for island homes. I want to utilize the abundant sun, wind and views to maximize how we live in the Caribbean.

Thank you Alex! Good luck!

Be sure to check out Design Star on HGTV on Sunday nights at 10 pm to check out Alex in action! And definitely be sure to vote for him on the Design Star website, and help Alex get his own show! You can vote up to 10 times a day, so get to clicking and supporting one of St. Croix’s own!

Event organizer and one of the founders of 100 Percent for Haiti, Mandy Thody just spent a month in Haiti, volunteering and traveling to different villages.  In Camp Bois Pin, she witnessed how just a small amount of money can provide food and supplies for the malnourished people who are displaced from their homes and recovering from injuries. The support from 100 Percent for Haiti will help these people to get back on their feet; providing much-needed nutrition and care, and then helping to establish them on their own with small businesses and sustainable work-for-pay ventures in the future. Read more about Mandy’s experience and how she plans to help the Haitian people here: http://www.100percent4haiti.org/appeal/.

Haiti Community Support, run by Bruce and Mathilde Wilson of St. Croix’s Mount Victory Camp, is one of the beneficiaries of this event, and are doing such important work on the ground in Haiti since days after the earthquake, and continue to do so. I was honored to be able to attend their fundraising event a few months ago, and witness the amazing work Mathilde and her team are doing, providing immediate medical care, food, and shelter for the people of Haiti.  Your dollars will go directly to those who need it most, and just a small donation can save a life, provide a meal, or put a roof over someone’s head. The other organizations supported by this event are International Child Care, providing latrine and sanitation programs, and Fonkoze, a micolending banking system that provides empowering means of support to those who need it.

Walsh Metal Works Gallery will be the place to be tomorrow night, for a night of fabulous art that supports a great cause. Admission is $10, and you just might be able to acquire a fantastic original piece for your home, and feel good about your support of those who so desperately need our help right now.

‘Portraits of Paradise” is available at Undercover Books at Gallows Bay on St. Croix.

The Summer Outdoor concert series is a wonderful family friendly event and has become a favorite summertime activity for locals and visitors.

In July the bebe, hubby and I attended the first concert of the summer and had a great time. We met up with 6 friends, packed a few bottles of wine, appetizers and chairs and enjoyed an evening under the stars listening to Papa Susso  play Traditional West African Music. The concert was intimate enough so you could see the stage and performers, but families could still enjoy the show and kids were able to run around and dance to the music.

It was a great excuse to get out of the house on a Saturday night and listen to live music. The bebe loved the sound of the drums and we enjoyed hearing Papa Susso’s stories that accompanied his songs. Couples sat in lawn chairs sipping wine, groups gathered and shared the local food that was for sale and I even picked up a trinket from the museum store. If you attend the concert make sure you allow time to browse the museum store, which is full of locally made products, books and St. Croix souvenirs.  Stop in and support St. Croix’s local artists; it is never too early to start thinking about Christmas shopping.

The grounds at Whim open at 6:00 pm and music begins promptly at 7:30 pm. General admission tickets are $15, $5 for children under 12 and VIP tickets for under the tent are $30. The Landmarks Society will have Latin/African food available for purchase in the historic cookhouse and of course, there will be a cash bar serving Cruzan Rum and other cold drinks.

We are looking forward to hearing the smooth sounds of  Jon-Oliver Knight and Bobby Wilmore on the 12th. Hopefully the temperatures will stay cool and there will be a great turn out for the final concert. Hope to see you there!

LaVaughn is no shrinking violet, she virtually smuggled herself into and out of Cuba to study over the course of several years, she returned with an Operatic husband, and a fervor and commitment to produce.  She writes, draws, cuts and films.  One of her strongest pieces from her current show was a cut away book.  Beautiful and clean in its sparse text and all white medium, she used images and copy from local real estate magazines.  Paring down to just the silhouettes and choice words she reveals the distance between what is touted as the dream of paradise and the forgotten but felt history of our island.  Each page reveals a new vista, and emotion, and because it is a cut away, each page adds to the layer of complexity, or reveals a new layer of commentary.  It is powerful. 
The topics of colonialism, the sugar trade, racial disparities and other significant elements in our shared history is likely to, well, make a lot of people squirm.  We are reminded daily of the lasting architectural grandeur of our island’s many sugar mills, the topic of retribution crops up from grassroots groups, and we all have our internal dialogue about what differences exist among us.   I’m not one to ignite your senses with the powerful similarity between the silhouettes of cane field workers and individuals with arms raised in warfare, that’s LaVaughn’s job.  I only suggest that you see the show.  
Appointments made for Hideaway by LaVaughn Belle can be made by calling Tomas Lanner: 340-514-6664 or emailing director@salt-gallery.com.

So come to the next Art Thursday in Christiansted from 5-9pm on March 5th or check our Events Calendar for all the Art Thursday dates.

Maybe things kill you, maybe they make you stronger, but what do they do to a marriage?  Two days before my husband and my first collaborative painting show, I wondered to myself if I would kill him, die myself or if would we wake up the day after the opening looking like an Iron Man and Woman: stronger, leaner, happy. 

It was an optimistic time when I agreed to colloborate with my husband, painter and photographer Tomas Lanner, months prior.  I mean, we’ve collaborated on many things, children, house, style of car, closet space, but this time it was drastic.  Maybe it was that we had just returned from almost a month away in Sweden where we were virally chased by a bug that translates into English as the “Swedish Throwing Up Sickness.”  Maybe it was the house guests that would come to live with us, shower near us, and hang their underwear on our furniture for the days and weeks surrounding the show.  Maybe it was our daughter’s Pink Eye, my husband’s staf infection and my strep throat complete with loss of voice AND loss of hearing.  Maybe it was none of this and just the fact that we’re married.   

We agreed to disagree on time frames.  I planned ahead, carefully griding out my side of the painting, setting dates that seemed realistic and reachable.  My husband, who now I know “prefers to work until 3am” the few days before a show, didn’t.  In the end, it didn’t matter because we were far behind by a deadline that had moved up a week and compounded by all the other ongoing issues.  We painted 5 hours every night after work.  We painted through the weekends, we got our 3 year old to pitch in, not the best idea, but we were desperate.  We spilled, we argued, we didn’t laugh.  Two nights before the ‘end’ I rasped to Tomas, “I’m never doing this again.  Ever.”  Tears, antiboitics and alcohol pulled us through to the opening. 

The show opened on a lovely evening.  The gallery was a scene, and though I couldn’t do much talking, or hearing, I waited for art goers to comment on our work.  The paint was barely drying and my heart and potentially my marriage had been tied to these pieces.  Did people love it?  Hate it?  One high schooler early in the evening said one painting was “weird.”  Upon further questioning, (why was I questioning a high schooler further?) she reiterated her first thought: Weird.  It went on from there.  Most viewers didn’t say much.  Said hello to those they knew, ate the pineapple and moved on. 

That night in bed next to my husband I asked him: And for what?  What did we do and why? I really don’t remember his response, or if he even gave one.  We vowed to do nothing for two weeks.  So far so good:  The course of antiboitics just ended.  The house has been sanitized (remember Pink Eye and various infections), the guests leave tomorrow, and I heard myself saying last night, before I slapped myself, “Tomas, we should do another show next year.”