NEW YORK, NY.- The Garment District Alliance today unveiled the latest in its ongoing series of public art exhibits, featuring Firebird, an oil painting crafted by New York City-based artist Alix Ankele.

The first artist to display work in the Garment District’s street-level window on 28 West 38th Street, the G System space at the Wheeler Building, Ankele’s painting will be available to the public through June 9th. Firebird is part of the Garment District Space for Public Art Program, which showcases artists in unusual locations throughout the year, and has produced more than 175 installations, exhibits, and performances.

“The lively and dynamic spirit of the Garment District is clearly portrayed in Alix Ankele’s vibrant, colorful artwork,” said Barbara Blair Randall, president of the Garment District Alliance. “Firebird is an incredible, intriguing oil painting that will certainly captivate New Yorkers with its vivacious presence. We hope that by showcasing Ankele’s tremendously talented work through the Garment District Space for Public Art program, it will encourage all to visit the exhibit.”

Oil on canvas, the painting’s flame-like cape and flying embers symbolize a mythic being of mystical, magical powers associated with a hero on a quest. As a member of the National Association of Women Artists (NAWA), Firebird comes directly from Ankele’s recent solo show at the new NAWA Gallery.

Having practiced Tibetan and Zen meditation for 30 years, Ankele draws upon her experiences and paints with an open mind, working through a spontaneous and intuitive process. This combination of abstract expressionism, with her practice of Buddhist meditation, serves as inspiration for her work.

Ankele’s artistic career began in East Africa, where she resided with her husband and two children in 1974 and exhibited and sold painterly batiks at the Kenya Arts Society and the African Heritage Gallery in Nairobi, Kenya. Upon returning to the U.S. and moving to New York City in 1979, she took classes at Parsons, New School and the Art Students League, immersing herself in the city’s rich art scene. Born in Ely, Minnesota, Ankele grew up in Washington D.C. and earned a Bachelor of Arts from Denison University, as well as a Master of Social Work from Adelphi University School of Social Work.