Christa’s Art & Fashion Lights Up Company St.

M.A. Dworkin

St. Croix - When you are dealing with an artist the likes of Christa Ann Davis Molloy, who continues to produce outstanding works of art from one year to the next, you can expect nothing less from the annual street side extravaganzas she throws at her Art Gallery and Studio on Company Street. This year, Christa added her son Tariq to the mix who presented a red carpeted runway full of beautiful Crucian models wearing knockout swimwear and lounge outfits from his HAVITOWAH Apparel Collection. With DJ Jimmy pumping in his wild, off the charts, musical performance, and some great local food from Inez, it turned into a night that thrilled all who came for the show.  

Christa’s new works which include the fabulous Carnival Lady piece reminds her patrons once again what a master she is with Caribbean colors and the ability to make her subjects burst off the canvas and bring forth the joy and wonder of Virgin Islands life.

In past works such as Quadrille Dancers in Christiansted Market; Quadrille Girls in a Circle; and Moko Jumbies at the Waterfront, we view an artist who is so skilled with the use of complexity in color that she is easily able to display the brilliance and meaning of madras, and the manner in which it intermingles with everyday life and nature in the Virgin Islands.

Christa’s Moko Jumbies Parade; Moko Jumbies in Carnival; Red Moko in Flight; and Moko Jumbie Chilling on the Windmill, certainly brings across on canvas some of the best artistic representations of these colorful, stilt dancing icons who have become synonymous with the joy of life and culture in the Virgin Islands.  

The AgriFest’s choice to have her create past year’s Agriculture Fair Posters in 2016 and 2019, drives home the lasting recognition and admiration Christa has achieved in the local arts community. She is on that rare course of being someone who desires to Give much more than she Takes.

This year’s theme for Christa’s StreetFest  “The Water That Surrounds Us in the U.S Virgin Islands” was highlighted by Christa’s spectacular painting of a splashed gold sunset as it shimmered across the water toward a shoreline of broken rocks. If you’re from St. Croix, you know this is a picture that brings out the pure natural beauty of your home. You can feel the love. 

As the sun set down on Company Street and DJ Jimmy played on, you can just feel the vibe: This is what St. Croix is all about.