Lucien Downes Ushers in the Spring Equinox Show

M.A. Dworkin

Ah yes, Spring is here and all things new and exciting take center stage. And what could be more exciting than The Spring Equinox Art Show, curated by the Master Artist himself, Lucien Downes, that opened recently at CMCArts in Frederiksted. 

If you are looking for a way to pep up your life with new and exciting images from a bevy of ultra-talented artists then this exhibition is just the ticket. It has it all, from fantastic floral displays brought to life on canvas, to exotic portraits that will knock you for a loop, to sunsets and sailboats gliding across the blue, blue waters.

The inimitable Jane Aiken, brings us the plants and flowers of spring: Green with Envy, Ladies of the Evening, and White Bird of Paradise, acrylic, all so fresh and alive we can almost smell their delicious scents wafting through the Second Floor Gallery.

Gene Rotter’s Serendipity, acrylic, is beautifully presented as a springtime flower, its warm colors invite you to look closer at the petals, deeper into their hidden charms. Is a woman’s face hiding out in the cluster? Gene doesn’t see it, or won’t tell, but do you?

Nora Unicoi Stewart’s: Spring Sea Chicken, Nautical Plumes, and Budding Aqua Bird, acrylic on canvas, wake you up and ruffle your feathers. Are they really underwater? What are they stewing about? What mysteries of the deep are hidden in their thoughts?    

Angelina Springer’s Fall Back and Wait, scares the lights out of you. A tiny portrait of a face that could not be of this planet. Those glowing eyes, that greenish complexion, that worry look as if this world is ending and the next is up for grabs.

In contrast, Eliana Schuster-Brown’s Atabey (The Creator of Goddess), mixed media, offers all the hope that the beauty of our world is secure and forever. The Goddess wading through the clear waters, the full moon illuminating her brilliance. Yes, life is good. And it will always be so.

Lyn Voytershark’s: Island Emerging, and Mahogany Tree at Sunset, Photo Edit in Giclee to Canvas, are the images of planetary life arising; and the beauty of an ancient tree that still exists in our world. Her colors and vision are so primordial they could have been born within days after the creation.

Brenda L. Cotto’s: Doors to a New Season, and Where the Breeze Plays, acrylic on canvas, ushers in the springtime with a burst of easy life on the islands and the dream that “this is where I want to wind up, this is paradise.”

But of course it is the iconic Lucien Downes who batters out the human call for rebirth and revival. In Mr. Downes wrenching portraits: In His Masculine, and In Her Feminine, mixed media, all of life, its pain, its glory, pours out of these two figures as they gaze upwards, looking for renewal of spirit, searching for meaning, dragging their past with them, yet cautiously seeking their way into the unknowns of the future.      

Perhaps the show stopper is seventeen-year old, Central High School student, Jaliyah Gunnell’s Power of Black Angels, acrylic on canvas. This startling image, the poster for the exhibition, is a throwback to Noir posters and the existential realism of the 1930s and 40s. Ms. Gunnell’s wonderful painting delivers a christening wand to Springtime on St. Croix 2025. This remarkable life-size figure of a woman in all her fluidness, inspired by poses of Goddesses in Greek mythology, transports us into another era where all seemed so simple and sublime, but still it hides a smoky vault of secrets and excesses.

Spring was certainly in the air on the delightfully light menu of chef Barb’s Bites. The Pasta Primavera was cold and tasty, the Egg Salad Croissants and Veggie Pinwheels were perfect for any picnic in the park. And those Thai Meatballs were oh so scrumptious. But it was that Lemon Cake with lemon drizzle that left you wanting more of that sweet, sweet springtime feeling.

The music was a jolt of lightness also, with Kevin Williams Jr. playing an exquisite steel pan and Irene Ali’s lovely voice lifting all the spirits with”You make Me Feel Brand New.”

“It’s an immersive experience that is the epitome of spring,” Lucien Downes told the St. Croix Times. “The freedom. The awakening. A lot of people see it as a spiritual cleansing. Self love. Self fulfillment.”

And so Spring has Sprung with all its glorious colors, warm feelings and wonderful scents. It no doubt captured the hearts and minds of all the patrons who filled the open and airy CMCArts gallery space. It brought the hope and joy of new plantings, of new beginnings. The Exhibition did what it was supposed to do, point us all towards a bright and fulfilling future.

The Spring Equinox Show at CMCArts, 10 Strand Street in Frederiksted closes on May 24, 2025.