Beginning June 3, Manitou Galleries in Santa Fe, New Mexico, will be presenting a two-artist show featuring the paintings of Alvin Gill-Tapia and the sculpture of John Maisano. The works, although vastly different in medium and style, evoke the contemporary side of the West with Gill-Tapia’s use of shimmering gold and silver leaf, and Maisano’s traditional wildlife subjects marked by modern design elements. John Maisano, Smitten, bronze, ed. of 40, 22 x 19 x 9”

“Alvin Gill-Tapia celebrates the architectural traditions of the Southwest emphasizing the distinctive shapes and shadows with color and metal leaf,” notes gallery director Cyndi Hall. “John Maisano’s designs of animals and figures are influenced by his appreciation of Art Nouveau and Art Deco, and he uses his brilliantly colored patinas to highlight the work. These two artists come together in a celebration of shape and color which will provide a chromatic fantasy for the viewer.”Alvin Gill-Tapia, Zuni, Moonlight View, acrylic and silver on canvas, 36 x 36”

The two artists have not shown together before, and both are looking forward to the possibilities of having their work complement each other. 

“I’ve only been at Manitou for about a year and it has already become one of my best galleries," says Maisano. "I absolutely love working with Cyndi and the entire staff; they’re absolutely amazing at telling my stories that go with my sculptures…[it’s] crucial for my work. I love the name Cyndi has come up with for the show, The Gilded West. Gilded is an interesting word I have never used to describe my work but it makes sense. My designs have areas of polished bronze in certain areas to bring life and light to the piece. Alvin uses gilded gold, silver and copper in his beautiful paintings to also bring life and light to his work. I think our works go well together not just for the gilded parts but the strength of line and form that we both use. I love facets and how light and shadow play, as well as how your eye follows the lines on the forms in both of our works. The pairing is wonderful; his work is loose and powerful, while mine is tighter and a bit cleaner with similar power in the forms.”John Maisano, Takes Two to Tangle, bronze, ed. of 60, 19½ x 7 x 15”

Alvin Gill-Tapia, Good Morning Taos, gold and copper leaf and acrylic on panel, 40 x 40”

New works include Gill-Tapia’s Zuni, Moonlight View and Good Morning Taos, both modernist views of adobe buildings, and Maisano’s Smitten, a bobcat bronze, and Takes Two to Tangle, showing a roadrunner and a snake intertwined together. 

“The bobcat was inspired by a very large ginger cat we adopted a couple years ago from a neighbor who could not take him when they moved,” says Maisano. “They named him Gronk and he’s huge! He has a bobcat-sized body with a personality to match. He’s become quite a celebrity on my Facebook page due to how photogenic he is. He loves crossing his paws and posing and is quite good at it. This is what I love about creating art…the everyday snapshots frozen in a moment of time.” —

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