Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - Galeria Contempo warmly invites you to meet Cathy Chalvignac this Friday, December 28th at an opening reception of her most recent works to be held from 6 pm to 10 pm.

"I had always loved art, but after art school in Paris, I was disgusted and never wanted to paint again. It was years later, only after I arrived in Mexico, that I felt like I wanted to paint once more. Thank God I am here!" - Cathy Chalvignac

Once in a great while one discovers something that not only spurs their imagination to greater heights, but also opens a floodgate to treasured memories and feelings.

Recently, when gallery owner Rodolfo Choperena introduced me to the remarkably soulful paintings of Cathy Chalvignac, I was instantly transported back to my days of travel in Africa, South America - wherever I had met fascinating indigenous peoples.

Celebrating the magnificence and inter-connectedness of all, the life force of her subjects is so intensely mesmerizing that they seem to step off the canvas, inviting you to experience the miracle of life through their eyes.

One can almost hear the tinkling of their symbolic traditional jewelry, revel in the texture of their intricately woven garments, and feel the gentle wind that ruffles their hair. And their moods are contagious! A trio of nomadic women going about their chores exuding contented camaraderie and a mother carrying her child's excitement about the day ahead.

A Parisian by birth and a Mexican resident by choice for 25 years now, she spent her formative years in Canada, where she developed a heart connection to Native American Indians. "Their culture, traditions, and powerful ancient messages felt suddenly familiar to me, as if I had known about them, inside my soul, for a very long time."

After art school she became passionate about photography, which she put to very good use during several years of extensive travel.

"These trips were a huge revelation for me, from seeing and meeting the locals to observing their cultures, their humility, and the beauty and light within."

With nothing rigid about her art or the way she thinks, it's no small wonder that it would ultimately be a vibrantly colorful country like Mexico that best resonated with her soul. To this day she maintains a fascination with the Mayan culture. Painting the ethnic groups she has fallen in love with as authentically as she can, she tries "to capture their inner silence, their humility, and wisdom."

This is one art exhibition I do not intend to miss.