Sunny Caribbee Art Gallery
January 24-February 14, 2001
Features Renowned

Caribbean Painter

KARL MERKLEIN

No Frames

KarlMerleinPaintingBrewersBay.jpg (36771 bytes)
"Where there's a will, there's a way"

This painting is inspired by Brewer's Bay, where an old wooden fishing boat sits, here to become the centerpiece, handcrafted like the painting, with tradition and care, both expressions of island folkways, telling tales of surf and sandy beaches, and like the fish taken from the sea, flopping and alive, capturing the sheer exhilaration of the Caribbean.

"Sunny Caribbee is pleased to announce a 3 week exhibit of original paintings by one of the Caribbean's most celebrated artists, Karl Merklein. The show will run from Wednesday, January 24th through Wednesday, February 14, 2001. This will be Karl Merklein's 4th show at The Sunny Caribbee Art Gallery located on 121 Main Street, Road Town, Tortola in the British Virgin Islands.

Karl Merklein's vibrant, colorful paintings are unique to the Caribbean. His style is recognized for its rhythm and emotion, not constrained by a rigid frame. His unconventional framing is a trademark of his style which allows the painting and patterns to transcend beyond the boundaries of his art. He paints with an electric movement and a subtle sense of humor. aClearGIF15h-15w.gif (829 bytes)

To essay:
The Caribbean Paintings of
Karl Merklein
.

KarlMerleinPaintingPoster.jpg (9110 bytes)

Karl has painted more than 75 original scenes of the British Virgin Islands. After his showing at Sunny Caribbee in February of 1996, Karl completed a dozen special commissions for local residents and companies. These commissions include a stylized painting of Brewer's Bay, now hanging in the office of a local Trust company and a 5 foot canvas with matching furniture for a local resident. Karl is without question, the most popular artist ever to exhibit at the Sunny Caribbee Art Gallery.

Karl, who spent much of his life in St. Kitts and Nevis, comes from an artistic family but never received any formal art training. He taught himself to paint at a very early age. His inspiration is a desire to chronicle the life, traditions and culture of the Caribbean. Anything and everything can appear in a Karl Merklein painting, from a ramshackled local building, the perfect guest house on a beach, a local lady hanging out her laundry, or a fisherman working on his boat. Whatever he creates, you can recognize it as pure Caribbean.

Sunny Caribbee Art Gallery welcomes the public to view the Karl Merklein collection from January 24 - February 14, 2001."

"A drive to West End and back"
KarlMerleinPaintingWestEndDrive.jpg (35610 bytes)

Narrow and crowded turns are captured in this painting, along with the cactus on sunny cliffs and the scenic hillocks called "The Towers" marching down the shore.