Group exhibition bursts with color at Arts Bonita Visual Art Center

A group show called “Floracion” is on display at the Arts Bonita Visual Art Center on Old 41.

The exhibition features five accomplished local Latina artisans — Cecilia Valadez, Monika Boekelmann, Sonia Rosa, Julia De Rocha and Winnie Purple.

Arts Bonita Curator Danielle Branchaud describes the exhibition’s theme.

“For this exhibition, they all explored what it means to grow and to bloom, hence the name Floracion.”

The show includes 70 brightly-colored and vibrant paintings, sculptures and mixed media works. But it’s the feeling these artwork impart that makes this exhibition worth seeing.

“Take it from me and everybody who has seen the exhibition so far, it just leaves you feeling with an incredibly positive outlook,” Branchaud reports. “There’s something really remarkable about a show like this one that just resonates.”

“Floracion” is on display through September 5.

MORE INFORMATION:

• The ArtsBonita Visual Art Center is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
• Each of the remarkable artists exhibiting work in “Floracion” is known for creating highly-introspective work. Yet each has their own distinctive style and sources of inspiration. Through the use of various media, these artists have forged bodies of work that explore the deep connections of the soul – to nature, ourselves and to each other. Together these artists remind us how we learn, through the creative process, to grow, to bloom and not forget one’s roots.
• Cecilia Valadez is a contemporary Mexican-American visual artist. Her paintings focus on the emotional and visceral mystique of the female figure. Integrated textures and variable monochromatic tones with colors and metallic finishes in high relief highlight her compositions. The visual intensity and psychological drama she incorporates into her paintings reveal a timeless perspective. Her passionate creative outlines capture a unique artistic vision, but her compositions simultaneously explore the spontaneity and drama of the Spanish language. Valadez’s work has been included in major exhibitions at venues across Florida, New York and Mexico, including The Southwest Florida Museum of History, The Naples Depot Museum, Baker Artis Naples Museum, The Miami River Art Fair, The Miami International Miami Biennial, Florida Gulf Coast University, Hodges University, DAAS CO-OP Art Gallery, Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center and Bonita Art Center.
• Monika Bokelmann has been creating art for more than 25 years. Over that span, she has traveled the world. Her vibrant and uplifting series of artworks reflect her concomitant appreciation of the natural world and all of its beauty. Grounded and earthy in form, color and texture, some of Monika’s pieces give voice to her maternal Colombian roots. Others reflect Monika’s varied life experiences as well as her associated influences from nature and its creatures. In the aggregate, her oeuvre of work gives viewers a feeling of warmth and comfort, but also an unassuming connection to the earth and its beauty. Ten years ago, Monika and her brother, Klaus, opened a German restaurant in Naples. They named it The Black Forest-German Comfort Food. Some of her art is on display there.
• Sonia Rose’s artistic vision starts with “many trees of life in many cultures, using gemstone and organic materials woven together to create an altar to tell their story and explore the similarities in symbolism and spirituality.” Her skill set includes mosaic, lapidary arts, wire wrapping, painting and making herbal mixtures. In addition to working as a mixed media artist, she also works as a freelance model and performer with numerous galleries, colleges, art centers, fine artists, costume designers and fine art photographers. “My mother and father grew up across the street from each other in Arecibo,” Sonia divulges. “My family, like many, is very mixed, with pulls of African descent on my father’s side and Europe on my mother’s. I have always been immersed in different arts, culture and music in my life, and I bring that same love of these things into my crafts.”
• Julia De Rocha excels in various mediums. In addition to graphic design, illustration and painting, she authors children’s books. Julia’s artworks are characterized by vibrant colors and abstract floral patterns representing nature in diverse forms. In this regard, she calls her pieces “creative blooms” as they “represent how nature blooms and flourishes beautifully and organically. Her process involves experimenting with colors to create a sense of movement and energy within each piece. Julia’s family heritage has had a significant influence on her artistic vision. She spent her formative years in Uruguay, later settling in Florida. Both influences have affected her creative style. Julia became part of The Union Artist Studios in 2017. That association has provided her ample opportunities to explore and expand her creativity. Her work has been featured in Target, Kohl’s, Walmart, Macy’s, Home Goods, One Kings Lane, Urban Outfitters and more.
• Winnie Purple was born and raised in Guadalajara, Jalisco Mexico. She studied art at Artes Plasticas University of Guadalajara, music with maestro Eduardo Garciapena and dance at Escuela de Danzas Polinecias. Her embrace of these diverse disciplines has enabled her to express multiple points of view about life. In the visual arts, mixed media has always an important role, but acrylics and water colors are the media she likes most. While the whimsical, surreal world has long been her signature, her art also reflects her studies in Haute Couture and industrial pattern design. Musically, Winnie has played for the past 11 years at the Ritz Carlton Beach resort in Naples, as well as in jazz society concerts in Naples, Fort Myers and Port Charlotte and in numerous restaurants and clubs across Southwest Florida. Winnie is also a dance instructor at Enchanted Ballroom in Bonita Springs. She additionally has her own art business, Winnie Purple Designs, where she sells original jewelry, clothing and paintings.

To read more stories about the arts in Southwest Florida visit Tom Hall’s website: SWFL Art in the News.