Experience imagery from the mind of local artist and musician Bria Ansara
From April 6-30, the work of Ansara will be featured in the Project Gallery at The Studios of Key West.
The exhibition, entitled “Psychedelic Gardens II” is an extension of Ansara’s pop up show from 2013, “Psychedelic Gardens,” which featured paintings on canvas of local flora in a day-glo palette. The event took place in the lush gardens of Martin’s restaurant on Duval Street, complete with a DJ and body paint artist. All under blacklight, of course.
The new incarnation of the original showing will feature ink drawings on paper, celebrating the beauty of Key West’s flora, fauna, and architecture.
Ansara draws her favorite subjects with pen, creating clean, undulating lines so sharp that they look digitally printed. She then adds color using alcohol based markers in neon, blacklight-reactive shades. The pieces will be displayed under normal gallery lighting, with black lights enhancing the bright, dreamy details.
Ansara will also have giclee prints available for purchase, to be sold alongside the originals. In conjunction with the exhibition will be the release and sale of “The Key West Coloring Book,” containing Ansara’s black and white offerings of her featured drawings. This book is perfect for adults and children, with single sided pages for the consumer to color at their minds’ delight, and tear out to display on their own.
Displayed at the exhibition will be Ansara’s opus, a large drawing entitled “Key West Eve.” It’s a tongue-in-cheek play on Eve in the Garden of Eden, with it’s subject being tempted by The Serpent, (iguana,) and holding The Forbidden Fruit, (mango.) Of course in true Key West fashion, Eve is sporting tassels and holding a conch shell.
Miss Ansara is best known as a musician, performing her one woman shows all over the island for over 13 years. Ansara began her music career in 2010, as the mysterious chanteuse, Dark N Stormy, performing with the fabulous Key West Burlesque troope. The exposure allowed Ansara to parlay her new found stage skills into a successful career as a solo musician.
Ansara is now known as one of Key West’s top vocalists, and has added live drumming and percussion to her sets, creating a unique experience for her audience. Follow Bria and her stage antics on social media at Bria Ansara Music on most platforms.
Ansara also has original material available on music streaming platforms. In 2016 she recorded an album with New England jazz/funk/lounge band, Groove Lounge. Her record, Groove Lounge X Bria Ansara, is an excellent auditory compliment to the Psychedelic Gardens exhibit.
The smooth, jazzy, downtempo house beats are reminiscent of Ansara’s glowing imagery and clean lines. Though music is what most associate with Ansara, she wanted to share her first passion with the community: the visual arts. Ansara graduated from Plymouth State University with a degree in art education. She majored in Printmaking, where she honed her skills in fine line drawing and mastered the art of intaglio printmaking.
Ansara still makes great use of her degree in teaching as the coordinator and lead teacher of Schools at the Studios, a program she developed four years ago with TSKW’s Jed Dodds. The program hosts students from May Sands Montessori school, where Ansara worked as the art teacher for years. Each month, grades 1-8 attend class at The Studios, where they view exhibits, meet the artists, and engage in question and answer sessions. After gaining valuable insight from the featured artists, the students create work of their own, inspired by what they learned. “Miss Bria” is excited to share her work in April with the students, and is also taking on more groups from the Basilica School.
Opening night of Psychedelic Gardens II will be on Thursday April 6, with a reception from 6-8:00. All exhibitions at TSKW will be opening that night, with plenty of fun and cocktails to be had at Hugh’s View, the fourth floor rooftop space overlooking the entire island. Ansara invites the community to attend the reception and enjoy all that The Studios has to offer, including three other exhibits by talented visual artists.
An after party will be held at a soon-to-be-revealed location, complete with full black light and house DJ. Neon, black light reactive clothing is encouraged!
Ansara can be reached at [email protected] for bookings, info on her work, and for more information about Schools at the Studios.
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