ArtTraveler inaugurates Cerezo's Bar & Cafe's new art gallery

John Barrett's: "Song of the Descending Day" at Cerezo's Bar & Cafe

In a move to diversify its menu and ambience, Canillas de Albaida's Cerezo's Bar & Cafe has created an art gallery for local artists to show and sell their work.

And to enhance its ambiente.

The visually energized eatery that features Spanish and international fare, including a generous traditional British breakfast guaranteed to clog your arteries, decided to add the gallery after its owner Paco Cerezo, as part of his multi-layered business, gave me a taxi drive to collect my previously ailing car from the world's best auto mechanics in Salares.

For weeks I had admired the huge blank space of muted yellow wall as you enter Cerezo's dining room, same colour as before but only fresh. Paco took down about 10 totally faded, cheaply framed A4 posters of Andalusian villages, something that came with buying plastic plants to adorn his tables. That's our next project.

There was something alluring about the huge sunny expanse of wall. And I knew in my heart of hears that the dyptch I bought from John Barrett during his August 2009 "Lorca: A Dream of Life" exhibition in nearby Competa would fit perfectly in this space.  I didn't want to sell it but simply make a long-term goodwill loan, which I discussed with Paco during our 15-minute ride through the mountains to Salares.

Even at zero price point, Paco's a hard sell. He's old school, conservative. Art is for the Prado, not my restaurant. Years ago, the tale is told, local artists approached Paco to show their art. Paco declined. But after he saw my photo of John's "Song of a Descending Day," he urged me to bring them down. (I had thought I might find a place in my salon for the two panels but mismeasured, which is a hard-wired fault of mine.)

John Barrett's "Dream of Life" paintings at Cerezo[s Bar - Cafe - Gallery in Canillas de Albaida.

After Paco hung the dyptch, he pointed to four other spaces on another wall, asking for four more paintings. John and I obliged and thus was the inauspicious beginning of Cerezo's Bar - Cafe - Gallery with me as defacto volunteer curator, whose job it is to rotate exhibitions among local artists every 6 weeks or so and help promote our local artists and artisans.

A week ago, we took down Barrett's Lorca works and hung four by Canillas artist Kate Morris. She appears in my next post along with her work. She draws and paints animals and claims telephatic powers, especially with cats. It's all in the eyes, she says.

Rock on and practice peace.Also, check out ArtTraveler's videos: http://bit.ly/h1vruw

Stefan, the ArtTraveler(TM)