Grace generously promised again to donate a percentage of sales, this time to Children’s home Casa Cuna in Aruba. Recently, Corina Linssen, Director of the home, accepted a generous check from the artist in presence of Astrid Muller. Casa Cuna surprised the artist Grace Ashruf with a beautiful thank you painting, created with colorfull prints of the little hands and feet of all the children residing in Casa Cuna. In 2009 Grace donated in the same way part of her proceeds to Kinderhuis Imeldahof. One of her art collectors added an extra amount to the donation, Just like in 2009,

Casa Cuna Progreso Foundation is a children’s home society and was founded on April the 4^th 1957. (The foundation has an important place within the Aruban Community)

Children between 0-8 years old, residing in Aruba and that are subject to the inclusion criteria of Casa Cuna Progreso are cared for and supervised. The assistance that Casa Cuna Progreso offers focuses merely on children who are in a difficult parenting situation. With difficult parenting situation is meant that there could be a crisis situation in the family, educational or emotional neglect, abuse, behavioral or emotional problems.

Contact information Artiest Grace Ashruf:

Grace Ashruf

rahusen@setarnet.aw

Cel phone: 5042614

Home: 5865877

Contact information Casa Cuna:

Corina Linssen

Directeur

Email : casacuna@setarnet.aw

Tel:  00297-5857177

Fax: 00297- 5853010

Gabriela is showing a great collection of necklaces and rings, earrings, key chains and book markers, all original designs, featuring colorful glass beads. The necklaces can be worn different ways, and the rings, strung on aluminum wire, are guaranteed to maintain their luster.

Born in Argentina, Gabriela moved to Aruba 8 years ago. Ever since she remembers, she has always explored her inner artist, traveling different artistic avenues such as painting, writing, decorating, and recycling. Art lives inside me, she explains, striving to break loose and express itself.

Gabriela found her favorite medium in early 2003, making her first vitrage with Murano Glass. She immediately became hooked. Glass is the perfect channel, she enthuses, it expands the boundaries of light and color, and working at the torch, feels like painting with fire, every movement brings surprises, allowing the expression of personal style, color mixing, and the use of different tools to create most amazing results. The Beauty of the Bead as a form of Art lies in the fact that where the artist’s creative process ends, the Jewelry comes to life, lending sophistication and elegance to the wearer, long into eternity.

About the technique: Lampworking is a type of glasswork that uses a gas fueled torch to melt rods and tubes of clear and colored glass. Lampworking delivers the highest quality glass which is much less breakable. The unique beads are made with precision and care. We hope you find them as exciting as we do!

Finding the perfect piece: Becoming the owner of a piece of Art made in Aruba, immediately attaches sentimental value to the purchase. Your one-of-a-kind piece can also be ordered in different colors and styles, befitting your individual look.

True to its credo which is Adorn Thyself, the Caribbean Queen store boasts a great selection of jewelry, bags, totes and clutches, hats, hair ornaments and accessories, belts, animal print umbrellas, headbands, and the latest, cute fascinators, those classy, lacy and feathery head coverings, perfect for Carnival.

Visit the store at the Palm Beach Plaza Mall, and enjoy the unusual décor and unique merchandise. The store is fund-raising for three local art foundations via its repair of the world, Tikkun Olam program, designating a percentage of every purchase to The Aruba International Arts Foundation, AIAF, supporting local artists, or the Pancake Gallery, offering summer art courses to youths, or Ateliers’ 89, an art school and studio for adults.

Caribbean Queen offers gift-certificates in all denominations, which can never expire!

Visit soon and Adorn Thyself.

Gabriela found her favorite medium in early 2003, making her first vitrage with Murano Glass. She immediately became hooked. Glass is the perfect channel, she enthuses, it expands the boundaries of light and color, and working at the torch, feels like painting with fire, every movement brings surprises, allowing the expression of personal style, color mixing, and the use of different tools to create most amazing results. The Beauty of the Bead as a form of Art lies in the fact that where the artist’s creative process ends, the Jewelry comes to life, lending sophistication and elegance to the wearer, long into eternity.

About the technique:

Lampworking is a type of glasswork that uses a gas fueled torch to melt rods and tubes of clear and colored glass. Lampworking delivers the highest quality glass which is much less breakable. The unique beads are made with precision and care. We hope you find them as exciting as we do!

Finding the perfect piece:

Becoming the owner of a piece of Art made in Aruba, immediately attaches sentimental value to the purchase. Your one-of-a-kind piece can also be ordered in different colors and styles, befitting your individual look.

Carina’s collection will be in place until the end of January, as a different local artist will be featured in the store in February.

Jodi Tobman, Managing Director of the Salamander Group reports that a genuine local Caribbean Queen will be honored each month. That Caribbean Queen, a local artisan who lives and creates here, will be invited to exhibit her art at the store. Carina was the first-ever Caribbean Queen, and she introduced Upcycled Design, bags, belts and jewelry made from discarded rubber inner-tubes.

Carina was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and has been living and working on Aruba since the Millennium. An enthusiastic innovator, her creative fires flared into an environmentally-conscious mindset when she conceived her new line, where she give a second lease on life to inner tubes of discarded cars’ tires, by recycling them into accessories. With this shift, Carina wants to show that responsibility, fun and trendiness can come together

Carina acquired her first artistic skills at the age of 5 under the tutelage of her mother. Since that time, she has continuously explored her passion for art exploring a variety of mediums. She created jewelry designs with semi precious stones, sculptures in papier-mâché, colorful wooden mirrors and layered different mixed techniques on canvas, just to name a few. Happily married to Fernando, with whom she raises a gorgeous daughter, Carina is committed to the continued exploration of all aspects of her colorful personality which so far included being a Mom, a Wife, a Friend, an Artist-Designer, a Psychologist, a Sales Executive and an Entrepreneur. One thing is clear with Carina: she is blessed by numerous talents and she enjoys expressive herself through all of them.

Visit Caribbean Queen at the Palm Beach Plaza Mall and get acquainted with Carina’s work.

The theme Abath chose reflects the resort’s most-famous asset, and relates to the beach and the ocean. Abath dreamed up a giant coral-colony, which rises behind the front desk, its intricate lacework of polyps made of stainless steel, glowing with recessed lighting and reflecting additional light from the lobby.

The artwork was first introduced to the board of directors by General Manager Joe Najjar, who has been commitment to the promotion of artistic expression on the island for a long time.

The lobby of La Cabana Beach Resort & Racquet Club always hosts interesting group exhibitions of local artists and while the exhibitions are transient, the coral colony is permanent.

The beautiful art piece was designed in Aruba and executed in the Netherland where a sophisticated laser cutter followed the design of high relief, cut-outs, and delicate texture, to perfection.

Abath is known for his sculpture work in ceramics, gold, silver, glass, bronze, wood, and stainless steel, both miniatures and monumental works. He is a prolific artist and the creator of the Monolith in the garden besides the Central Bank of Aruba, also the creator of an upcoming major sculpture at the Reina Beatrix Airport. He participated in several international exhibitions and has represented Aruba on the Biennale of Sao Paolo, Brazil, and Havana, Cuba. In his work, historical and organic aspects are fused with the mystic and mythical. A trained art teacher by profession, he taught in the local high school for 30 years. In recent years his strong interest in glass, bronze and ceramic led to additional studies and work periods in Europe and in the USA.

Pictured here the Coral Colony – by definition, a giant underwater hotel for marine life — decorating the lobby of one of Aruba’s most-loved hotels.

The resort reached an agreement with the MANA foundation to host 4  group exhibitions this year, themed around four ancient astrological elements, namely water, air, fire, and earth, beginning with Water also symbolized by the beautiful, blue living-statue blowing bubbles in the lobby. The second exhibition, inaugurated last night revolved around FIRE.

Among artist showing in the current show, spread over the lobby two floors:  Charito Chaves, Timothy Croes, Frank Croes, Sherry Douglass,  Edmond Tujeehut, Elvis Tromp, Mo Mohammed, Nigel Mathew, Belinda De veer  & Michelle Wever, the curator, Maria Theresa Martinez’ daughter!

Pictured here resort executive and artists mingle for a festive art opening.

The four-diamond rated restaurant at the Radisson Aruba Resort Casino & Spa was recently refreshed and with the completion of the renovation new artwork was picked by Aruban-born photographer Annemiek Van Vliet, known for her exceptional nature images. Four gorgeous sunsets adorn the main wall, while a collage of charming birds, lizards, goats and donkeys grace the entrance and the hostess desk.

The photography was very well received by restaurant patrons who have been commenting on the beauty of Aruba depicted through Annemiek’s camera lens.  Annemiek’s work has been published in magazines and books and has appeared in a number of expositions, including her own solo exhibition at the Starwood Art Gallery, Westin Resort & Casino Aruba in January 2011.

For the month of December, the first-ever Caribbean Queen is Carina Molina with Upcycled Design, bags, belts and jewelry made from discarded rubber inner-tubes. Carina was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and has been living and working on Aruba since the Millennium. An enthusiastic innovator, her creative fires flared into an environmentally-conscious mindset when she conceived her new line, where she give a second lease on life to inner tubes of discarded cars’ tires, by recycling them into accessories.

The collection includes handbags, belts and jewelry with an understated black beginning, and a trendy wearable end-product, stacked with creative add-ons. With this shift, Carina wants to show that responsibility, fun and trendiness can come together

Carina acquired her first artistic skills at the age of 5 under the tutelage of her mother. Since that time, she has continuously explored her passion for art exploring a variety of mediums. She created jewelry designs with semi precious stones, sculptures in papier-mâché, colorful wooden mirrors and layered different mixed techniques on canvas, just to name a few. Happily married to Fernando, with whom she raises a gorgeous daughter, Carina is committed to the continued exploration of all aspects of her colorful personality which so far included being a Mom, a Wife, a Friend, an Artist-Designer, a Psychologist, a Sales Executive and an Entrepreneur. One thing is clear with Carina: she is blessed by numerous talents and she enjoys expressive herself through all of them.

Visit Caribbean Queen at the Palm Beach Plaza Mall and get acquainted with Carina’s work.

Both artists have exhibited before as solo painters and in a group, they even shared a previous art exhibition at Cas Di Cultura, a few years ago.

Inspired by the sun and the moon for color and content respectively, the artists share a common denominator. They are both bold and joyful colorists, expressionists who deliver feelings through layers of paint and the tension created between them, presenting the world from their own individual and subjective perspective, often distorting reality in favor of the emotional effect of color and movement.

Aruba looks lovely through Jeanne’s eyes, as the artist is clearly inspired by her island, its magnificent landscapes and abundant sunshine, flora and fauna. Harold is more of an abstract painter, who enjoys investigating the relationships between colors, away from the figurative world.

The exhibition, evocative of moods or ideas, is open to the public in the lobby of the Westin.

The resort reached an agreement with the MANA foundation to host 4  group exhibitions this year, themed around four ancient astrological elements, namely water, air, fire, and earth, beginning with Water also symbolized by the beautiful, blue living-statue blowing bubbles in the lobby.

Among artist showing in the current show, spread over the lobby two floors:  Charito Chaves, Timothy Croes, Frank Croes, Sherry Douglass,  Laureen Eman,  Dwayne Heronimo, Edmond Tujeehut, Elvis Tromp, Adolfo Valbuena, Belinda De Veer, Alonso De Windt & Michelle Wever.