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Beverly Valdez’ work is strongly influenced by her Caribbean heritage. Born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, Beverly’s Caribbean background has had a profound impact on her life and her art. An alumna of Bishop Anstey High School, Beverly moved to the United States to study art at Howard University in Washington, D.C. There, she received a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts, graduating summa cum laude and a Master’s of Fine Arts degree. In recent years, Beverly studied under professional artists Beverly Ryan, Marsha Staiger, and Joyce McCarten.
Beverly began her career as a graphic designer, and for more than 25 years Beverly worked as a Graphic Design Manager and Creative Director in the design and communications field. In 2018 Beverly began painting as a full-time artist.
The color, energy, and vibrancy of Trinidad’s Carnival have been a constant source of stimulus for Beverly’s work. Her greatest inspiration, however, is derived from her love of the Caribbean, with its rich culture, dramatic coastlines, and colonial architecture. Her work reflects the pulsating energy and color that define Caribbean culture, geography, and landscape. Beverly works in acrylics, watercolor, and mixed media on paper, canvas, and wood.
Beverly had a successful first solo show at Horizon’s Art Gallery 2018. She followed that up with an exhibit at the Embassy of Trinidad and Tobago in Washington DC and participated in the Caribbean and Hispanic exhibition, ‘Caliente’, with artists from several Latin American and Caribbean countries in Maryland. Beverly also exhibited her work in several varied local group shows in the United States. Her paintings are to be found in collections in the USA and the Caribbean.
The best thing that ever happened to Jonathan Gladding was being sent to the Caribbean. He had been living in New York City, working as a computer artist for Sesame Street while trying to squeeze in his own art on the weekends and evenings.
Feeling the need to expand his horizons, Jonathan applied to be a volunteer in the Peace Corps and had the great fortune of being sent to the island of St. Lucia in July of 1999.
Serving as a woodwork instructor in the southern coastal village of Laborie, Jonathan found an unending supply of rich subject matter in the faces and postures of the school children and the people going about their daily lives. The pride in heritage and Kweyol culture combined with a sense of community and responsibility toward one another deeply impressed Jonathan and gave direction to his work.
Although Jonathan had been painting for years in a cubist style, he felt that realism was best suited to communicate the feelings and ideas that he wanted to share.
Jonathan has exhibited annually since 2001 in both individual and joint exhibitions. In January 2003, Jonathan was chosen as Artist of the Month by The Artist’s Magazine, the worlds leading magazine for serious active artists with a circulation of over 200,000.
In November 2005 he was awarded the Windsor Award and Newton Award of Excellence from the Best of America 2005 National Association of Oil and acrylic Painters Society Bolivar, Missouri. And, in 2005, was awarded first place at the New England Exhibition Cape Cod Art Association Barnstable, Massachusetts.
I was actually born in Point Fortin, where my father worked for Shell Oil Company. We then moved to Rio Claro, before settling in Port of Spain; so I guess I still like the quietness of my childhood surroundings. Both my parents were artistic; everyone in the family seemed to be- uncles, cousins, so it was just a way of life for us… art and music, as natural as breathing.
I went to Holy Name Convent, then started working at Corbin Advertising, training in the art department. I soon after got married, had four children, moved to Canada, and then Puerto Rico, before returning to Trinidad; I painted very little over that time. Once back in Trinidad, however, I began getting involved in a variety of artistic endeavors- stage makeup for operas at Queen’s Hall, designing, building and painting set designs for a dance company’s stage shows. I painted portraits, designed costumes, fabric painted on clothing, body painted; I even painted a mural on a wall for a children’s daycare.
When my youngest child was about to enter secondary school I started a job in a picture framing business. I was so passionate, that five years later I became a partner in a new company, Horizons Framing and Decor, and then Horizons Art Gallery.
Over the years I’ve participated in several short-term courses with artists such as Roberta Stoddart, Isiah Boodhoo, and George Scribner, learning and benefiting from them all. My greatest appreciation, however, has to be for my dear friend Harry Bryden, who has always been supportive and encouraging. I paint with him sometimes, and hope to do so more often.
To say who my influences are would be too difficult, as I see and am affected by so much art. I love Boscoe Holder and Frida Khalo’s work, and would love to be able to paint like Boodhoo! Horizons will be twenty years old in 2016, and now that I have officially retired, much more of my time will be dedicated to painting.
As a child, Karen spent every spare moment drawing, painting, making paper dolls and designing clothing for them. She has always exhibited a natural affinity for art. A self taught artist, Karen exhibited her first works at the Women in Art Exhibition in 2000. She has since continued on strongly, becoming well known for her bright fauna and flora and her local scenery that is ever present in this joint show.
This year Karen produced a wide range of acrylic paintings of varying subject matter. With scenes such as lush, green forests, colourful dancers, serene beaches and bright lilies on the water’s surface, Karen has expertly captured the beauty she sees in her environment.
With eighteen Carnival-inspired solo exhibitions to his credit including acclaimed shows in South Florida and London, it is easy to understand why the media and critics call Brian Wong Won the Carnival artist.
The Trinidadian artist has been making mas for a decade, probably the only painter in the region to make the depiction of Carnival his raison d’etre.
Since his first solo show Pandemonium in 1996, where the painting titles were written in French as a tribute to Carnival’s ancestry, the artist has allowed the melee that is Trinidad Carnival to direct his gouache-on-paper creations.
But what do you expect from a man who grew up a stone’s throw away from the bacchanal, in a suburb called Woodbrook, where many mas camps call home and where the madness starts on Carnival Monday and Tuesday. Masqueraders usually assemble in one of Woodbrook’s beautiful squares before storming the capital and dingolaying through the city streets. Over three decades of mas have passed in front of him, from Minshall’s Paradise Lost to Lil Hart’s Anthony & Cleopatra.
Wong Won’s Carnival experience began at an early age with a Midnight Robber on Phillip Street one Carnival Monday in 1974. Carnival throughout the years would influence and colour his visual palette with the black of Jab Molassies, the rich red velvets of Gownmen and the pure whites of Fancy Sailors. Growing up surrounded by the intricate gingerbread architecture of suburban Woodbrook only sweetened the mix.
Although Wong Won has lived in Miami, Florida for the last 18 years, his work maintains its Trinidadian flavour, with themes and subjects that are diverse as the culture that bore him. The paintings are vibrant and detailed, with colours that run the gamut of the spectrum.
Though representational in nature, the work takes on a different perspective with regards to visual and aesthetic elements. Colour, indeed, plays an integral part of the picture, but so does the compositional treatment in the construction of the work.
In the paintings there seems to be no definite delineation of foreground and middle ground, but rather a combination of eschewed perspective that flows with the spectral sounds of pan and calypso. His paintings possess a spirit of their own, enthralling the viewer in a world known or unknown. Through the tapestry of details, a story or journey of discovery may unfold, offering up more to what is just apparent. When you view his work you can visually experience all the sounds and energy of Carnival leering out for your attention.
“My paintings try to compress everything—every detail, every emotion, the energy, and the atmospheres-everything into one. They take the viewer back into the carnival atmosphere; making him lost, enraptured and entangled in the intricate sea of form, line and colour,” the artist says. If you played mas the sensory voyage is even more heart felt and complete.
He works primarily in gouache, a water-based medium that has its origins as far back as the Italian Renaissance. A slightly flat and chalky medium, it proves amenable to his style and nature of painting. It gives him the clear, flat and precise colours that he seeks. He terms his work at times as “ reality in an animated existence”. They do not seek to be realist interpretations of events at all, but in fact have a far different purpose.
Wong Won’s work is part of several corporate collections, such as CLICO, BPTT, AT&T, Scotia Bank, Pfizer Pharmaceutical, the Government of Trinidad & Tobago and the National Museum of Trinidad & Tobago. His work has also been featured in BWIA Caribbean Beat Magazine, MACO Magazine, Upscale Magazine, Caribbean Travel & Life and the Latin American Bureau publications.
Ryan Williams is a young and dynamic artist.
He is has portrayed himself as a talented self-taught artist specializing in and commercial and fine art. As a gifted artist he media includes oil, pastels, watercolors, acrylic, charcoal, pen and ink and digital pixels, with subjects ranging from, seascapes, still life and imaginative.
Ryan’s work is displayed in some of the major galleries and banks in Trinidad. One of his masterpieces, a large mural entitled, ‘Broadway’ can be viewed at level 2 RBTT Bank Independence Square Port–of–Spain, On Location Galleries, West Mall, WYMM Art, Art Creators Galleries and Fast Colour Imaging, to name a few.
His work has also appeared in books ‘Great Estates in Trinidad’ and ‘Western Isles of Trinidad’ by Fr. Anthony de Verteuil and ‘Talk dat Talk’ and ‘Trini Talk’ by Miguel Brown.
Noel “Vau” Vaucrosson was born in 1932. He became an architect, having gained his Master’s Degree in 1967 from McGill University, Canada. He also studied painting and design for three years at L’Ecole des Beaux Arts in Montreal.
Vau started painting while still a student at Queen’s Royal College. He first exhibited with the Trinidad Art Society in 1955.
From 1971-1974 he was president of the Trinidad Art Society.
His paintings have been shown locally in mixed shows and in one-man exhibitions in Trinidad as well as in Canada. He is represented in the National Collection of Trinidad and Tobago and in private collections in the Caribbean, Canada, United States of America, England and Australia.
His works have been shown in the Trinidad and Tobago display at previous Sao Paulo Exhibitions and in the O.AS. Exhibition in Washington in 1972 and in other official exhibitions. Vaucrosson was a painter whose work ranges from realistic to the semi-abstract in style. The medium he favoured was water-colours. His main themes are based on Trinidad landscapes, street scenes and buildings.
Noel Vaucrosson was the winner of the Hummingbird Gold Medal in 1993 (Trinidad and Tobago).
Vaucrosson’s delicate brush work and translucent washes are treasures. He was able to capture the burnished heat on a galvanised roof at midday with one svelte stroke. Vaucrosson was a former President of the Trinidad Art Society and the Horticultural Society.
Art books and an exposure to Art through artist friend Carol Soo Lum influenced the teenaged years of Anne Louise Tam. While she had no formal training then, she would dabble in art, painting “au plein air” on painting outings with now renowned artist Carol Soo Lum. Training would come later when she would attend classes from Sheila Edwards and also attend many Art workshops including some by renowned artists including Jackie Hinkson, and Carlisle Harris.
Theatre opened a door to support her creativity and artistic flair, and for some time took precedence as she directed many award winning plays for the Secondary Schools Drama Festival. She also received acclaim and Cacique Awards for her performances in many plays including the recent multiple award winning “Three Women”.
Influenced by the European Impressionist painters including Monet, Manet and Cezanne, whose works she studied in galleries she visited in Italy, France, Spain and England, Anne Louise paints with the Impressionistic “broken-colour” technique with short broken brush strokes, which leads to the blurring of outlines, so the form seems to be partly dissolved.
Martin Superville, born 26th November 1966, recognized his apt for drawing at age eight. At age thirteen, he decided to pursue the subject of art, and applied to continue the field for GCE whilst attending St. Georges College in Barataria, Trinidad. From Hence, Martin has continued to build his repertoire by getting involved in silk Screen, Signs, Costume Design, Stage Sets, Package Design and Store Design.
Self-taught Martin Superville began painting professionally since 1988, his medium of choice is oils, but is well versed in charcoal, pencil, ink, watercolour and airbrushing. Martin’s paintings include a wide variety of commissioned portraits, Cricket scenes, Sensational Steelband and aggressive Trinbago women.
Fernanda Steele was born and grew up in Italy, lived in London (England) for ten years and in Jamaica for thirty-eight years. She now resides with her husband, Russell Dunbar, in Grenada of which country she has become a citizen.
Her formal education led her toward Literature and she holds a Ph.D in Latin American Literature from the University of the West Indies, Jamaica, where she taught for a few years. She has also participated in a number of Conferences and has published a number of papers on Caribbean authors including Edgar Mittelhozer, Earl Lovelace, Derek Walcott, Tony McNeill, Wilson Harris, Pedro Mir. She has translated Derek Walcott’s Dream on Monkey Mountain into Italian which was published in Milan by Adelphi.
From about the year 2000, however, she turned the focus of her attention towards the visual arts exploring the possibilities of the computer as the medium on which to execute her work. Her work comprises painting as well as artistic photography.
She has held several solo exhibitions in Jamaica and Grenada and has participated in many group shows both in these countries and in Hawaii. Her most recent solo exhibition was held in July 2013 at the Mexican Embassy in St. Lucia.
Her work has been featured on some of the most prestigious Galleries of the net, and has been collected by prestigious institutions such as The University of the West Indies, Jamaica, and by business enterprises such as Hubbards, Grenada. It has also been widely collected by private individuals in Jamaica, Canada, England, the U.S.A, Ireland, France, Italy and Grenada.
The current exhibition represents a selection of works using fractal geometry as a matrix to go into further explorations of her vision.
Fernanda is particularly preoccupied with the concept of Time. This she conceives as fluidity , a continuous motion towards something different, a process which is invisible, except at the moment when one clicks the camera or a different colour or line on the computer. At that point, and only for a split second, one becomes aware of the changes that have taken place in whatever one was considering, be it an object or a colour or an emotion. The computer, with its speed, has made Fernanda particularly aware of the metamorphosis brought about by time, hence she finds it the perfect medium on which to execute her work and she has been exploring its innumerable possibilities since the year 2000.
Fernanda generally does her own printing using archival inks on archival paper, thus guaranteeing the quality of the work. The title of her exhibition is The Brilliance of Labour – Iconographic Explorations and will feature guest speaker, Earl Lovelace.
Tonia St. Cyr is an extremely talented and renowned collage artist born in Manchester, England, but raised in Trinidad and Tobago. Her work is unique and bright, holding hidden details among her hills littered with charming houses and creative silhouettes.
In addition to her talent, Tonia possesses a strong academic foundation having attended Holy Name Convent in Port of Spain and garnering a Diploma in Art & Design from Middlesex University in 1987. In addition to these she also possesses a B.A. Hons Degree in Textile Design from the prestigious Central St. Martin’s School of Art and Design in London.
Tonia has spent the last five years in fashion academia enhancing her fashion eye which is evident in her latest collection of collages in many aspects. Although her usual collection of jaunty, colourful and charming characters persists, her work has evolved, capturing a stronger sense of movement and a more eloquent silhouette.
She has also expanded on her choice of materials; using bolder and more challenging papers sourced from Japan and Italy to showcase her mastery at placing patterns together in a fresh and invigorating way. Her collection for 2013 is largely inspired by the Sapeurs of the Congo and illustrators such as Rene Gruau and Antonio Lopez among many others. She currently lectures in Textile design and Surface Treatments at the University of Trinidad and Tobago’s Caribbean Academy of Fashion and Design.
Born 1954 in the Caribbean landscape, a natural, self- taught artist, Carol Soo Lum experimented with a variety of media, and finally chose to work exclusively in oil on canvas. In the sixties, painting for pleasure, she often pondered the purpose of art beyond its visual aesthetic.
By the late seventies Carol was raising a family, and to support her artistic endeavours, she was employed in the field of Information Technology. Consequently, this experience has subtly been influencing and informing the direction of her art.
Further development and maturity in her art career also came with later training and studies at Dundas Valley School of the Arts and at Mc Master University in Hamilton, Ontario.
Based in Toronto, Ontario, she did a considerable part of her work in studio but also painted on location, wherever she happened to be intransit. Carol is often on the go as international travel is integral to her ongoing development as an artist.
Carol thrives on cultural exchanges, intrigued by cultural nuances and differences in language and thinking. It is not surprising, then, that her compositions and designs are dictated by her views of life, chance meetings, ordinary people, simple things.
Interacting with real people in the global village, her artwork is imbued with an international flavour, permeated with subliminal suggestions.
“My work is based almost exclusively on the human figure. I empathize easily with people and am very sensitive to their moods. The human body conveys an enormous range of emotions, which is reflected in the smallest gesture. My studies are from live models, and at times, from memory.”
Hilma Smith Barnes, was born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1945. She studied Art at the Jamaica School of Art, specializing in Painting. Six months aftrer graduating from Art School, she married a Trinidadian and moved to Trinidad in January 1968.
Trinidad and Tobago’s rich cultural heritage and the interesting mixture of races found here, have influenced much of her work.
Her preferred media are acrylics, pastels, pencil and mixed media.
Shalini Seereeram turned her attention to painting after her initial training in graphic design and having won the President’s medal for her jewelry creations.
Developing her unique style using unorthodox materials, Shalini’s art soon became a favorite with local collectors who make it a must to attend her exhibitions. She is also highly sought after as an illustrator for magazines and children’s books, particularly children’s educational text books.
In the artist’s words, she states, “ Since the start of my career in 1999, I have been creating vibrant, undulating portraits of people, particularly the female form. My style of drawing is informed by continuous line, intricate patterns, dramatic contrast of colour and sweeping visual narrative of geometric shapes.”
Trevor Rostant, now deceased, spent forty-three years of his life as a staid banker with the Barclays Group and retired in 1979. Ten years before this event however he had decided he would embark upon a second career in the art world. The decision to do so was not an unprompted one, but a return to an early love affair with painting, voice training, the stage and a passion for literature.
Rostant was a self-taught artist whose love for the arts began as a very young student at St. Mary’s College, where he illustrated posters for the College’s annual events, its Shakespeare productions, in which he also acted, and was also a member of the school choir.
At the beginning of World War II he acted and sang in major roles in Operettas produced by the Southern Music Society and subsequently joined the Royal Air Force, returning to Trinidad in 1947. He continued for some years with his concert and stage work until his banking career became more demanding of his time. Throughout his career he never gave up his love for art and music, and on his numerous visits to Europe constantly attended art galleries as well as classical concerts.
Ten years before retiring, Rostant began to take his art seriously and prepare himself for his future painting career. In the process he acquired a library of art educational books and also attended several art workshops in the US and Canada. As a land and seascape artist he paints on location as his inspiration comes from close contact with nature, which, he says, cannot be gained by working in a studio.
Growing up from humble beginnings in Trinidad and Tobago, Glenn was influenced by renowned artist, Carlisle Chang, with whom he worked and developed his skills in the areas of painting, mural, costume and stage designs.
A desire to pursue a professional career in painting led him to being awarded a scholarship to study art at Pratt University NY and Art Students League NY.
He returned to Trinidad in the late 1970’s and spent years teaching art at high school level. Glenn exhibited his works at various galleries and two of his paintings are in the permanent collection of the National Museum of Trinidad and Tobago. He received honours and awards, namely winner of the Trinidad and Tobago leg of the Caribbean art competition and first runner up in the finals held in Barbados. One of his paintings tiled “Jana Gana Mana”; mixed media was featured in the International Review of African American Art, Vol 8, #3, 1989.
Currently Glenn has his studio in Montclair NJ and holds a B.F.A. in studio art from Montclair State University. Art enthusiast visited his studio during the annual Montclair Studio Tour featuring the works of Montclair artists. Over the years he exhibited at Medgar Evers College NY, The Trinidad and Tobago mission in NY, Iandor Gallery Newark NJ and other locations, the most recent being The Caribbean Latin Fine Art by the sea, South Street Seaport NY.
Glenn continues to work diligently exploring and creating mixed media pieces consisting of found objects, textural surfaces, a harmony of colours and forms representative of his Caribbean heritage. He believes that all living entities are incarnates of a universal feminine principle, called nature, which ignite cosmic overtones of pride, dignity and spiritual affinities.
“ From diffuse experiences of life, the clear utterance of Art draws a passionate response.
Being conscious of the fact that Art does this in the mind of its maker and then in the mind of its public, my motive as an introverted painter is to evoke ones participation.
My paintings recall vague memories from our lives ever wondering and things we pass by, comprising images, actions, energy etc within an incompatible framework, embracing a simple idea.
Since it has been frequently noticed that colours and tones available to the painter cannot equal the variety we meet in nature, my aim from the very start is to create images essentially different, and also a flat depth that goes beyond.”
Barbara Rawlins was born in England. Her interest in painting goes back to childhood where she watched her father-a keen amateur-at work. However, reading Betty Edwards book “Drawing on the Right side of the Brain” further triggered her interest. Attending the UWI Summer Schools over 4 years further enhanced this.
Together with three friends “Four Points of View” was formed and exhibitions were held in 2001 and 2003, she has also exhibited with Women in Art, Women who Paint and the Trinidad Art Society.
She favors acrylics as a medium and specializes in landscapes and seascapes.
Sumintra Ramkissoon was born on the 20th May 1971. She grew up in a humble home amongst eleven children. She attended the Clarke Rochard Government School, the Siparia Junior Secondary School and the Barrachpore Senior Comprehensive. It was here she pursued the subject of Art. Because of her original love for it she obtained a distinction in the subject.
However, she was unable to pursue a career in Art because of various reasons. After several years of marriage Art was the furthest thing from her mind. Her husband, Kumar, surprised her one-day by purchasing materials for her to paint once again. He knew her favorite medium was acrylic and she loved to do nature scenes.
Her work was kept private for a couple of years but was later encouraged by prominent persons to show pieces publicly. She got a great response. Her work began to be sold almost immediately. Since then her work has been featured in various galleries in Trinidad. She has also been commissioned to paint selective pieces. Her work is sold reasonable and can be easily afforded.
Steve Rabathaly was born on 28th March 1948 at Princes Town. He attended Princes Town Presbyterian School and Tagore Centenary School. He grew up in a family of artists who got their training from Louis Pompey Rabathaly (grandfather) who migrated from Martinique to Trinidad.
Steve began drawing and painting in primary school and continued in College under the guidance of Bramadhara Battacharya, Teacher, Artist, Scholar, Musician and Dramatist.
He held his first one man exhibition in 1977 at the Town Hall in San Fernando. He also exhibited jointly with Kenwin Crichlow, Boscoe Holder and Ken Roopchand in the early 70’s. After about thirty years inaction, Steve has begun to paint again with renewed enthusiasm.
Maureen Ottier began her career at the Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture in her native Trinidad, as a scientific illustrator. She is an award winning artist who has participated in numerous joint and mixed exhibitions. An enduring love for nature and the outdoors keeps her actively involved with the Trinidad Field Naturalist` Club, which affords her opportunities for working in remote and unspoiled areas of her country. Maureen lives far up one of the many lovely valleys of Northwestern Trinidad, surrounded by the garden of fruit trees, plants and birds which inspire much of her work.
Maureen`s work can be seen at all major galleries in Trinidad. Her most recent exhibition was held at Art Creators Gallery in 1999. She is currently preparing a new collection for showing in October 2002.
A versatile artist, she is equally at home in a variety of media. She has been muralist, art teacher, owner of an art supply company and gallery, and does commissioned work.
Examples of her work are to be found in “Insect Life in the Tropics” T.W.Kirkpatrick; Children`s Folklore Murals at the Port of Spain General Hospital; corporate and private collections in Trinidad & Tobago; and private collections in Canada, USA, Switzerland, Japan and other islands of the Caribbean
Kenderson Noray has loved to draw since an early age. Growing up in the subdued hills of Paramin, Kenderson was heavily influenced by the laid back nature of the people and the vibrant colours of his environment. At eighteen he entered a few village competitions, in which he won all, one of which was judged by Lisa O’Connor and Cynthia Ellis who recommended him to an artist in Arima named Sheila Edwards.
Sheila tutored Kenderson for three years in advanced painting and drawing courses. Edwards further recommended that Noray pursue his love for art at the University of the West Indies. Below is his statement for his collection of oils for 2016 –
“This recent body of work is a melting pot of different ideas and techniques I would have picked up along the way through my ongoing journey as a practicing artist – whether it be cubism, abstract expressionism, Impressionism, and so forth.
They all play an integral part in my work in some shape or form. For the most part the work has taken on a more naturalistic outcome with the presence of lush landscapes, mainly from my home town of Paramin, and blue seascapes from Mayaro and Maracas with the human form weaving it’s way throughout the series, depicting everyday life.
These are executed with the intent to break the subject matter down as a whole, as simple as I can get it and still have it be honest and at the same time interesting to look at.”
Jason Nedd was born in 1972 on the island of Tobago, and started drawing at an early age. He continued with his passion for drawing at the Roxborough Composite School where the Tobago Art Committee awarded him with recognition for outstanding achievement in Art.
While a teenager, Jason painted on fabrics but over the years he has been painting consistently in oil on canvas and linen. Further reading, studying, experimenting and hard work, has lead him to expand his knowledge and skill as an artist. Jason continues as he has been doing over the years, exhibiting and participating in exhibitions in Trinidad and Tobago.
He lives at Lanse-Fourmi, a village in Tobago, where he continues to pursue aggressively his enthusiasm for drawing and painting.
As can be expected from Nedd, emphasis is placed on dramatic contrast between the light and shadows of his subjects, and the vibrancy of his colour palette is ever-present in this collection, from the serene landscapes to the lively figures.
Ramon Navarro was born in Port of Spain Trinidad, in 1945, one of five children, to a Trinidadian father and a Venezuelan mother.
From as early an age as fourteen, he began selling drawings and paintings, his primary subjects being figurative, folk and landscape which have remained so to this day. His artistic ability soon led to the more lucrative work of advertising which Ramon explored over the next twenty years developing other art related interests along the way.
Ramon began painting seriously in oils on canvas. He joined the Trinidad Art Society and submitted a painting titled “Boys Pitching Marbles” to the Independence exhibition. It was accepted by the critical panel of M.P. Alladin, Sybil Atteck and Carlisle Chang, and was displayed with such artists work as Alfred Cadallo, Dermott Louison and Willie Chen. His horizons were broadened when he journeyed to Paris, his dream Mecca of Art. He spent day after day at the Louvre studying the great masters whose work continue to inspire him.
Ramon further traveled to New York for a six-month period, studying the works of the great American artists and sharing in discussions with many young painters. Although he examined abstraction and other approaches he could not relate and remained true to his original expression.
Though Ramon Navarro has had a career in art, spanning some four decades, he has rarely exhibited his paintings.
Born in 1953, 18th May in Woodbrook, Port-of –Spain, Trinidad. His father was of Italian heritage; his mother was of English/German heritage.
In 1975 he won an Art Scholarship from the Asa Wright Nature Centre in Arima. The artist had three weeks of training with wildlife artist and Ornithologist, Don Richard Eckelberry. With Eckelberry, birds were caught in mist-nets, studied and painted then released at the end of the day.
After the seminar, Mosca worked for his first one-man-exhibit. In 1976 he held his first exhibition.
Since then Mosca has had over 20 one-man-shows in Trinidad. In May 1993 he exhibited in Argentina, Buenos Aires.
The artist says: “To be free from all impositions, all conditionings, all beliefs, all ideologies: only then can one experience one’s innocence, one’s purity, one’s divinity, one’s freedom.”
Cynthia McLean is a self taught painter, copper sculptor, copper jeweler and fabric designer. She holds a diploma in interior decorating.
Having always this passion for art, she attended extra mural classes from the late M.P. Alladin, The Art Society (San Fernando) and Vera Baney.
Her one-person exhibition in 1984 held at Art Creators Gallery consisted of sculptured designs executed in copper. For many years, she successfully produced works of the highest caliber in this medium.
These works have been marketed internationally and locally. Some can be seen in churches and in the National Museum of Trinidad and Tobago.
After stretching this medium as far as possible even to the pint of assembling the three metals copper, brass and aluminum onto painted canvas. She has now taken to her paints and brush.
Cynthia’s previous works have been three-dimensional in copper, brass and aluminum. Her recent works in oil and acrylic are a combination of her sculptural ability, along with an emphasis on relationship of color, and changes of color in light.
She captures the ‘joi de vivre’ of the Caribbean and its people, bringing alive their surroundings- from the awesome rainforest to the sweet rhythm of the steel pan, the energy and passion of the people, from ‘Pulling Seine’ to ‘A Wash Day’.
Her work captures the spiritual beauty of the Caribbean and its people.
Over the years, Neil’s artwork has appeared at leading galleries throughout Trinidad, and in 1998 his book of paintings and writings was released, entitled ‘Nature’s Light’. With a career as a professional artist spanning more than 30 years, Neil Massy has cemented his reputation as one of the most beloved and sought-after nature artists in Trinidad.
Born into an artistic family, Massy had his first exhibition with his father and brother in 1977 at Scotia Bank. Since then Massy has held over 25 one-man exhibitions at leading art galleries in Trinidad, and in 1998 he published a book of his paintings and writings titled “Nature’s Light”.
Although a highly proficient portrait artist, Neil has found his true passion painting birds and scenery. A deeply spiritual person, he paints what he loves and allows that to translate to his work.
In the artist’s own words:
“All in all I see art as a symbolic expression or an attempt to express the radiance of the divine shining through form into the world. My hope is that in some small way I have been able to convey this through the medium of paint and the love that is instilled in each and every piece of work.”
Neil’s exhibition will be dedicated to his beloved, late sister, Gail.
Glen Martin was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and is currently a resident of New York City. His early education locally consisted of all aspects of commercial art including drawing and lettering.
With support from his professors and peers, Glen received a full scholarship to attend the prestigious Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, N.Y where he earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts, majoring in Illustration and Painting.
The artist’s use of various media includes ceramics, printmaking, etching and linocut though he is primarily known for his beautifully rendered landscapes and figurative paintings in both oils and acrylics. His canvases glow with vibrancy, his impressionistic style evoking a romanticism and warmth which the viewer is immediately drawn to. He is a favorite of many a collector.
A quiet humanitarian, Glen has been known to donate to many charitable causes here in Trinidad as well as in various other countries. His art has also been purchased internationally and shows in various prestigious galleries in the United States.
Marianne S. Hosein
“If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.” – Buddha
With this realization in mind and the desire to share these experiences with others, Marianne has spent the last 5 years exploring our natural wonders with her beloved camera. Trinidadian by birth but Italian at heart, according to some, she loves capturing scenes with the golden tones of evening light. Her photos have been published in the United Nations Environmental Programme in Latin America and the Caribbean Newsletter (July-August, 2013) and Discover Trinidad and Tobago 2014. Marianne’s work is also available locally at the San Antonio Green Market, Santa Cruz and Hotel Normandie, St. Ann’s.
Giancarlo Lalsingh
Born in Trinidad, Giancarlo has been combining his love of nature and the outdoors with photography for over 10 years. He regularly contributes to local publications including Discover T&T, and has taken part in exhibitions in North America and the UK. His images have been featured by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, ARKive and the United States Environmental Protection Agency, where he was an official selection for their ‘Documerica: State of the Environment’ travelling exhibit. He currently resides in Tobago where he volunteers and donates his photographic services to SOS Tobago, an organization dedicated to the conservation of sea turtles.
Born and educated in Trinidad and Tobago, Earl’s natural talent and creativity was recognized and nurtured as a youth at Roxborough Composite School. Although the majority of his technique has been self-taught, he has benefited from international training and independent study with International Correspondence School.
Earl Art™ has been featured in several exhibitions in the Caribbean and Europe. He has received awards from the Tobago Art Committee, and was featured in the 2003 CLICO Calendar. Most recently, Earl’s work was displayed at the request of the Ambassador of Trinidad and Tobago in the United States, at the Organization of American States in Washington D.C.
Earl was also a part of an exhibition of Caribbean artists in Washington D.C., at the Zanzec Bar on the waterfront. Artists like David Boothman, Wilcox Morris and many others participated. Earl’s work can also be found at The CLICO Ltd. Website.
Much of Earl’s work is inspired from the simple pleasures of life. He works in oil, watercolour, pen and ink. His work has grown over the years, and has been commissioned by Bridget Annisette-George, Angela Cook, Andrew Cummings, Ossie Moore, and others. He looks forward to progressing and improving his already impressive talent. Earl is still lives in the lovely village of L’anse Fourmi Tobago where he has created a place of his own.
Shastri Maharaj was born on the 24th of January, 1953. He was educated at Naparima College, San Fernando and later gained his teacher’s diploma at the Valsayn Teacher’s College. In 1982 he entered the University of Manitoba, School of Art, majoring in painting and received his BFA in 1985. He obtained his Master of Education (MEd) from The University of the West Indies, St Augustine, 1990.
The volume of his artworks reflects a cross section of themes, which are presented in different artistic mannerisms. The subject matter for his paintings comes from experiences. Some statements become personal – a visual response to the death of his father; a visit to the “puja”. Others are emotional and revel in sexual, domestic and romantic involvement. The rest of his works make statements about the society – traffic, squatting, war, etc., and yet others invite a very spontaneous approach to paint.
His exhibitions deal with his exploration in the language of paint. Most of his canvases do no look similar. The visual content changes from painting to painting. Art works cover traditionalism (figurative), to contemporary (post modernism) images.
There are always people represented on his canvases. These people are either portrayed in a very representational or formal way to a crude, simple unpretentious (almost primitive) or elementary manner. The paint goes from heavy build up – “impasto” – to almost transparent, brushless washes. The colours are optimistic. His approach to the canvas changes as the form within the work develops. Each canvas is a great surprise and greeted with great curiosity by him. Shastri says, “Initially, I have only a vague idea of my intention. When I have resolved a canvas, I feel damn good!”
Maharaj teaches art at the Valsayn Teachers College as a teacher educator in visual arts. He lives in Montrose, Chaguanas with his wife and family.
Born in Sutherland England in 1938, Bobo moved to the Caribbean as a young teenager first to Jamaica and later to Trinidad and Tobago where he settled, married his wife Dina and raised three children.
Bob Mackie: lived in the Southern Caribbean (the place he still calls “home”) for over forty years, migrating to Redondo Beach, California in the mid 90’s. The Caribbean influence is still very apparent in his work.
Bob has always maintained a separate professional career in Product Management, working in various manufacturing industries including: textiles, footwear, printing and plastics. Presently he is a designer/artist for the Tile Guild, Los Angeles.
An accomplished multi-media artist, Bob has held one-man exhibitions for the past twenty years in Trinidad and Tobago. Perhaps best know for his metal sculpturing he has exhibited pieces throughout the Caribbean and London.
Bob also works in watercolor, acrylic, oil painting, paper collage and cold enameling (cloisonné).
Lynch, a self taught artist was encouraged in his art by the eminent Trinidad and Tobago artist M.P. Alladin. His work is often concerned with aspects of Trinidad and Tobago life and culture. The artist has exhibited in the USA, Canada and England. He lives and works in Trinidad.
Dermot Louison was born into a middle class family in Woodbrook in 1933. Dermot later spent his early childhood days in Cascade and St Ann’s, Port of Spain. He received his primary school education at the St Ann’s R.C. School and completed his secondary education at the Tranquility Government School.
Louison developed a strong interest in art at an early age, largely self taught, though with a brief attendance at an art school in London, England, during the early 1950’s at which time he traveled the European continent extensively. He developed into a professional artist after his return to Trinidad in 1959. Since then he has held many successful exhibitions both locally and within the Caribbean region.
Louison has grown into a household name, admired and appreciated by many who harbour a love and fascination for scenic Trinidad and Tobago and lost or dying cultural & historical habits of the community during and after the B.W.I. period.
The islands’s role as an American military base which, coupled with industrial development, paved the way to drastic changes in cultural pattern and attitudes: these are among the most sought after themes in his work. Others are folklore traditions of which the Tourist Board of Trinidad & Tobago printed a series of postage stamps.
Louison can be described as a man of highly individual and difficult character who shuns publicity and prefers to spend his time hiking and fishing in various secluded parts of the island. His works are greatly admired by art enthusiasts and adorn the walls of private homes of established reputation as well as business institutions and banks, international and local alike.
Sarah began to develop her artistic talent at an early age. She attended Holy Name Convent between 1979 and 1986, where her love of art was allowed to blossom under the expert tutelage of the late Pat Akien in forms 1-5 and Yvonne Spencer in 6th form. In 1987 she was accepted to Howard University’s Bachelor of Fine Arts program and graduated (Summa cum Laude) in 1991 with a degree in painting.
After taking time off to start a family, Sarah went back to teach art at her Alma Mater from 1994-1997. While there, she began painting again and was pleased to submit to several joint exhibitions between 1995 and 1999.
A two-woman show held in October 2000 at Horizon’s Art Gallery was her first major exhibition in Trinidad and Tobago. Utilizing mostly watercolours she explored such themes as Carnival and Hosay as well as celebrating the beauty of our natural environment within a semi-abstract vein.
Today she is privileged to incorporate both family and dear friends in a show that was seven years in the making “Diverse Synergies”
Expressions in Watercolours
Cheryl du Coudray Jorgensen has been hosting art shows in Trinidad and Barbados for the past fifteen years. Throughout her career, she has experimented with myriad media and techniques as an artist; however, Cheryl ultimately favours watercolour as her preferred form of “Expression”.
Since Cheryl’s creative process begins with her camera, she returns home to Trinidad at least once a year to capture images and locales that stir memories to inspire her personal vision. “I like to crop, change, as well as integrate material from many photographs to tailor an image that appeals to me. I have a tendency to reflect shapes rather then a specific subject.” Cheryl is quite literally an “artist” in her depiction of mixed cultures and points of view.
Despite her lack of formal training, Cheryl has proven herself to be a significant figure in the Caribbean and South Florida art scene. After more than a decade as a reputable- and often requested- teacher in her current home on the west coast of Florida, she holds fast to her choice of paints, brushes, and paper. Though she has been recently acknowledged and rewarded for her work in “yupo”, Cheryl’s one true passion will always be in her signature watercolour pieces. Her collection remains faithful to the spontaneity and flow of this medium. The bold depiction of value
and contrast is fundamental and inescapable in her work.
Cheryl’s favorite scenes will forever be those that are always near and dear to her heart: the unique landscape and people of her homeland. Since few places in the world are as colorful as the island of Trinidad, she relishes the opportunity to push color to the extreme.
“I hope that my audience enjoys the show as much as I have the reminiscing I did while painting for this exhibition. They cannot but feel the warmth and smiles that flow into the depictions of my true past…”
Cheryl S. Jorgensen is a signature member of both the Florida Watercolour Society and the Florida Suncoast Watercolour Society. She is also a proud member of the Art Society of Trinidad and Tobago.
Tracey Johnson is a self-taught natural talent; she was encouraged at an early age by a family of creative geniuses to study art history abroad. But her technique, and style are inspired and enhanced by her children, family and friends. This is Tracey third exhibition; she works in oils, from photographs that she has taken herself aiming to create peaceful and tranquil paintings that capture the admirer’s attention.
“If you can look at my work and get lost in it, my work as an artist is complete”
Boscoe Holder was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad ” very early in the 1920s”. He painted from the age of 5 and was an accomplished pianist at a very early age as well, playing for the wealthy French Creole, Chinese and Portuguese at their functions by the time he was 9 years old. In his late teens he formed his own dance company.
In his dance he used traditional Afro-Caribbean interpretations: shango, bongo and bélé.He frequently used his dancers as models for his paintings.
He visited New York and Martinique in the 1940s and was exposed to experiences promoting his black consciousness, which he used in his various art forms.
In 1950 Boscoe Holder moved to London, England, where he danced and performed on the piano at all the well-known theatres and clubs. By that time he was married to Sheila Clarke who was his lead dancer in his own dance company and also became his favourite model for his painting.
At the end of the 1960s he returned to his native land where he established himself soon as one of the top painters, not only in Trinidad and Tobago, but throughout the Caribbean. Boscoe Holder has exhibited frequently in most of the Caribbean islands and his paintings can be found in many collections around the world.
Boscoe Holder died at the age of 87 on April 21, 2007.
Jackie Hinkson grew up in the town of Port of Spain, Trinidad, living with his family in a gabled wooden colonial house with the characteristic roof, portico, wooden jalousies and decorative fretwork, so representative of dwellings built at the turn of the century.
Because his father was a Travelling Officer with the colonial government, Hinkson enjoyed extensive exposure to Trinidad’s rural and coastal landscape and architecture, particularly plantation architecture. During his teenage years he struck up a friendship with a fellow schoolmate. With Peter Minshall Jackie worked and discussed art extensively.
In 1961, with Minshall, Pat Bishop, Alice Greenhall and Arthur Webb, Hinkson was one of the Five Young Artists whose work premiered at the old Woodbrook Market on French Street in Port of Spain, then the headquarters of the Trinidad Art Society.
Through this exhibition another significant artistic link was formed, this time with art critic Derek Walcott, later to be Nobel Laureate for Literature. Walcott’s criticisms, encouragement and friendship, which began in Hinkson’s early teenage years, continues to the present. Their work was featured in October 1998 at the State University of New York at Albany, USA.
Leaving Trinidad in 1963, along with Minshall, Hinkson embarked on a one-year scholarship at the Academie Julien inParis. A year later he proceeded on an art scholarship toCanada (BA Fine Arts) and a Dip. Ed. He admired and was influenced there by Abstract Impressionists, Pop Artists and minimal Artists. He also developed a strong interest in sculpture. Five years later, when the North American influence was beginning to have a decisive effect, Hinkson returned toTrinidad.
He was immediately and forcibly struck by the light and rhythms of his native region. He launched himself into plein-air watercolour painting, exploring the medium almost exclusively for the next two and a half decades – working, travelling and exhibiting throughout the Caribbean from Trinidad to Jamaica. During those decades he also worked in conte crayons, and produced numerous ink sketches.
It is his work during this period which is generally regarded as “Hinkson” and to which many observers draw parallels to the significance of the early watercolourist who recorded Trinidad¹’ landscape in the 19th Century – Jean-Michel Cazabon.
A significant body of Hinkson’s work in conte crayons was produced during 1982-1985 when he was commissioned by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago to produce One Hundred pieces of work showing the “disappearing architecture” of the country. Some of these works are in the collection of the National Museum and Art Gallery, Port of Spain.
From the mid-1990s Hinkson resumed working in oils and his later exhibitions included a number of large canvases.
Simultaneously he worked on figurative wood sculptures in cedar, samaan, mango and a variety of tropical woods – his interest rekindled by the German sculptress Luise Kimme residing in Tobago. An exhibition of these wood sculptures was held in 1999.
Visits to Europe at that time added another dimension to the themes of his watercolours, and he produced several sketches and paintings while in Florence, London, Paris.
In recent years Hinkson has been working closely with Barbadian born artist Ian “Sundiata” Stewart. The two share a common interest in water colour, sculpture and oils.
Hinkson’s interest in other artists work continues with particular interest in the work of watercolourists John Sell Cotman, William Turner and especially Winslow Homer. Homer’s Bahamas watercolours have had a strong influence on Hinkson. Piero della Francesca, Goya, Chardin, Edward Hopper and Homer are some of the artists whose work he particularly admires.
Over the past 20 years Hinkson has expanded his repertoire of subjects and his range of media. In addition to the numerous (some 75) sketch pads that he has filled with sketches and visual notes on people, places and events, he has produced ” in which he has depicted events from the life of Christ in a contemporary Trinidadian context. These works exhibited in 2002 2003 and have received wide national acclaim.
In 2002 the Unit Trust Corporation sponsored a retrospective of Hinkson’s work covering some 40 years. It included exhibitions of drawings and sculpture, watercolours, oils and murals (including the Life of Christ series). This retrospective was the impetus for a book published in December 2003 on Hinkson’s drawings, “Drawing for Days” 40 years of Drawings by Jackie Hinkson. In April 2006 a book, portfolio and DVD were published.
Hinkson continues to draw extensively and to paint plein-air watercolours and oils. He has begun a new series of figurative wood sculptures and is currently working on a 8 1/2 foot by 100 foot mural entitled “Masquerade” in which certain aspects of Trinidad society are portrayed through the metaphor of Carnival. This work reflects an increasing tendency in Hinkson’s work towards social commentary.
Even when I was a child I found myself appreciating every form of art, it could have been trees swaying in the breeze or just an old broken down chair, and I have found that these artistic endeavours have followed me through to today.
At the age of 13, I studied art under Mrs. Freda Artman a well established artist in Trinidad. For the next 6 years, I learned the basics of drawing and painting and became familiar with styles of vivid colouration and ways to explore the world around me; and was influenced by some of Trinidad’s renowned artists, such as Jackie Hinkson, Cazabon, Sundiata and Boscoe Holder.
In May 1998 I received a degree in Physical Therapy from Lynn University (Boca Raton), and currently I am pursuing a degree in Psychology. Needless to say art has been my primary interest.
My work has been a combination of personal experiences, techniques of modern manner, primitivism and simplified drawings with flattered effects and bold colours which are very visual and stunning.
Painting gives me a purpose to create, which is an unending challenge.
Carlos Guzmán was born in Havana in 1970. His artistic inclination surfaced early, leading to his admission to the Paulita Concepcion Elementary School of Visual Arts. At 15 he continued his artistic development at the San Alejandro Academy of Visual Arts, graduating in 1989. Guzmán now holds the title Professor of Fine Art, teaching at every academic level, even offering courses in wardrobe design for stage design students.
In addition to being heavily involved in his local art scene, exhibiting, donating work, and creating beautiful murals, Carlos has taken part in numerous solo and group exhibitions at prestigious galleries around the world. Places he has exhibited include Costa Rica, Panama, Brazil, Mexico, Spain, Florida and Portugal.
Guzmán’s original painting style and technical mastery have made him an icon of modern Cuban art. Through his artwork Guzmán creates imaginary universes, which he narrates with the element of surprise and the flow of dreams. Unique characters and juxtaposed environments abound, all giving voice to the artist’s vision.
Vishni Gopwani was born in India in 1958 and came to reside in Barbados in 1974. Vishni, an art lover for her whole life, only just started painting in the year 2000. Her rich cultural background in design and dance, and her love of and interest in people, add tremendous vibrancy to her paintings. Her first exhibition in 2005 was highly received by the media and she has featured in various television broadcasts since then.
Leo Glasgow, now deceased, was born in Trinidad on 31st January 1926. Until he went to school, he lived with his grandparents. He attended Richmond Street Boys School while living at the time with his mother in Argyle Street, East Dry River.
Leaving school he lived with an aunt in St. James. About this time his interest in designing and painting carnival costumes began, in particular, fireman jerseys and tee shirts. This helped to start his career in painting. He believes that Carnival has shaped a sense of colour and movement in his paintings and the Baptist and Shango ceremonies he attended with his aunt have made him more aware of Trinidadian life and increased his powers of observation.
In the 1950’s Glasgow won a scholarship to train as a Photo Litho Artist at one of Trinidad’s leading newspapers. From there he moved to advertising, first as a Senior Commercial Artist and then as an Art Director. In 1957, Glasgow received the third prize in a painting competition sponsored by Texaco Trinidad Inc.
In 1967, Leo Glasgow won the Trinidad Art Society Award for the two finest works on show. Also in that year, he was chosen by researchers at Teachers’ College, Columbia University to participate in the use of Art Education in drug rehabilitation programs. An exhibition in New York in 1969 brought him international recognition, leading to a reputation as one of the premiere contemporary painters of the day, and solidifying his position in the art community today.
In 1975 he was presented with the ‘Outstanding Instructor’ trophy for Art Therapy and Teaching from the Addiction Research and Treatment Corporation, where he was employed as an Art Therapist. He also exhibited at the Trinidad Holiday Inn that year. The next few years were spent creating special commissions for public and private spaces, culminating in 1979 with assignments as Art Consultant with the Board of Education in New York.
In 1987 he participated in a group exhibition at the Trinidad Hilton. From then until his solo exhibition in 1990 at Art Creators in Trinidad, he experimented with technique and form to expand his expression through art. He spent 1991 – 92 conducting workshops for individuals and groups in the U.S. His ‘Caribbean Visions’ exhibition showed at the Kirby Gallery in Barbados in 1998, and he spent the balance of that year offering private viewings to individuals and groups at various studios in Trinidad. Since 1999 Glasgow has exhibited regularly at Horizons Art Gallery in Trinidad.
Glasgow’s corporate clients include Angostura, Hilton International, Royal Bank, Bermudez, Texaco and Clico, among many others. He has exhibited work in Trinidad, Dakar, Sao Paulo, Canada, the United States, Barbados and Mexico.
“The definition of art is anything that makes you feel or think,
it’s the reproduction of the mind”.
Leo Glasgow, 2008
Elizabeth Louise Gardner, better known as Liz Gardner, has been working as a freelance artist and graphic designer for the last 30 years. Liz studied at Ontario Fanshawe College for three years and earned a degree, with a major in Painting and a Minor in Graphic Design. She is also experienced in screening/printing techniques.
Gardner designed 45,000 fabric patterns for Queensway Fabrics, which were sold throughout the Caribbean. She also produced a large quantity of graphic designs for BWIA, TSTT & PowerGen (Trinidad), Fu-Tech Designs (New York), Style (Martinique), Red Stripe (Jamaica) and Jeanmarie (Barbados) as well as many other local boutiques and businesses. She produced black and white illustrations for McMillan Publishers, England, to be used in CXC workbooks.
Gardner re-designed interiors for the Queen’s Park Oval and Coblentz Inn and for three private residences.Gardner has produced 5 one-woman exhibitions with 40-45 paintings each at Horizons Art Gallery and at another leading gallery in the Port of Spain area.
As owner and manager of Plantation Clothing Company, she was responsible for graphic designs on t-shirts, women’s apparel and other forms of print media such as postcards, logos etc. During this time she worked on several productions at Queen’s Hall. Gardner was also involved in stage production at the Little Carib Theatre with Beryl McBurnie and with Lennox and Cookie Raphael in Belmont.
At Star Productions – a video production company, she produced documentaries for UNICEF. This entailed travelling throughout the Caribbean islands which broadened her horizons and gave her much of the inspiration for her work. Starr productions was the only company to have an all-female film crew that produced a documentary “Sisters of the Sun” for the Women’s Summit in Nairobi in 1986.Gardner enjoys teaching students and was employed as Art Teacher at Holy Name Convent, Port of Spain for two years. Gardner was the Artistic Director in Stage design, make up and costume with Holy Name Convent and Queen’s Royal College when their choirs toured London with Geraldine O’Connor and Michael Steele. She also taught Art and English Literature at St. Anthony’s College for 3 years.
Private collectors of Gardner’s work include a High Court Judge, Government Ministers and other officials and overseas collectors reside throughout Europe, North America, South Africa, South America and the Caribbean.
The Trinidad and Tobago Government selected one of Gardner’s paintings as a gift from Trinidad to President Bill Clinton at the Summit of the Americas in Miami in 1996.
Sandra Dopson has been painting professionally for the past twenty years. In high school she received a Distinction in O’Levels, and has never looked back.
Sandra is a self-taught artist. She is best known for her nostalgic scenes of old houses, coconut trees, bamboo and country roads.Her style changes with her mood from variations of pointillism to impressionism. She is particularly interested in light and shadows in her work.
Sandra has been in several group exhibitions.
Rex Dixon was born in 1939 in London, England. After teaching in the painting department of the New University of Ulster in Belfast, Northern Ireland for several years, he came to Jamaica in 1985 to teach at the Edna Manley College for the Visual and Performing Arts.
He has held numerous one person exhibitions in Kingston and abroad and his paintings are in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Jamaica and in other private collections. He was one of the painters representing Jamaica in the Biennial of Painting from the Caribbean and Central America in Santo Domingo in 1995 and 1997.
He gave up his teaching position after teaching full time for twelve years in Jamaica, to take up full time painting in 1997. Since then he has travelled extensively with his wife Professor Patricia Mohammed, not only in the Caribbean but also to The Netherlands, Spain, Canada, Namibia and Japan experiences which have continued to feed back into his paintings. His studio is located in Maracas Valley, St. Joseph, Trinidad and Tobago to which he has moved since 2001
He has exhibited each year in either Trinidad or other Caribbean or internationally.
Local artist Clayton De Freitas was raised in Belmont among gingerbread houses, which played their part in sparking his passion for art. This passion has been a constant element in his life, persisting despite his deteriorated vision in one eye and near blindness in the other. Clayton carries out social work with drug rehab programmes and 12 step groups in various prisons here in Trinidad. He also carries out art therapy and anger management courses in the prisons. Currently, he is assistant secretary of the Trinidad and Tobago Art Society.
Clayton has delved into painting with acrylics, water colours, fabric paints and created drawings in pen and ink. He has touched the hearts of many with his watercolours of old homes and nature scenes through his exhibitions in Trinidad and in the Antilles. His work has found homes in places such as Montreal, Toronto, England, Egypt, Holland, the Netherlands Antilles, England, Barbados and the United States. Clayton has been involved with the curatorship of several art shows in Trinidad including, by request of the Archbishop of Port of Spain, a charity auction of works of fine art in aid of the restoration of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.
His advice? “Always see the beauty that surrounds you …..it’s there for us all to capture, in a look, a glance and even on paper, or canvas “
Anil’s art was recognized during his early childhood days and he has continued to develop his craft over the years. As a youngster he always had a love and passion for the natural environment, depicting his inspirations from the country sides of Barrackpore where he was raised, to the more remote and rural sanctuaries of his country. Hence his paintings mirror his heart-felt representation of nature’s glory in river scenes, seascapes, swamps and still life beauty of Trinidad and Tobago.
Initially his medium of choice was acrylic as he sees it as a very forgiving medium, however as the years went by he has mastered the art of capturing his style in oils.
Anil wants his paintings to be loved and appreciated for what they portray: the majesty and wonder of nature.
Colin Bootman was born in Trinidad where he spent the first seven years of his life. During this time, he was inspired by the island’s rich and diverse culture. Soon after moving to the United States, Mr. Bootman embraced art as a measure of escape from the pressures of adjusting to a new environment at an early age.
Mr. Bootman began formal training at LaGuardia High School of the Arts, which served to deepen his appreciation for other disciplines, and solidified his own passion for the visual arts. In college, Mr. Bootman studied photography, writing, and illustration, honing his skills under the tutelage of professional artists. Mr. Bootman was encouraged to pursue children’s book art, as it allowed him the freedom to express himself through various media. Ultimately, the instructors at the School of Visual Arts prepared Mr. Bootman for the challenges of working as a professional illustrator.
Mr. Bootman’s first book, Young Frederick Douglass, was published in 1994 and received starred reviews. He has since illustrated many children’s books, textbooks, periodicals, and book covers. Mr. Bootman is the recipient of the Coretta Scott King Honor 2004, the Schneider Family Book Award 2006, the Ashley Bryan Lifetime Achievement Honor 2006, and several others. His books have won such awards as The Teachers’ Choice Award, The Comstock Award, The Storytelling World Award, The Golden Kite Honor, and many others. Mr. Bootman’s first written and illustrated book (Fish For The Grand Lady), debuted late 2006. In addition to illustrating Mr. Bootman enjoys teaching and presenting to students.
Mr. Bootman credits the lively rhythms and vibrant palette of Trinidad with leaving an indelible mark on his creative expression. He continues to grow as an artist as he welcomes the challenges that each new project invites. As Mr. Bootman’s work serves to inspire future artists, he hopes to encourage young minds to embrace and follow their passions.
Adelle Bernadette is a self-taught artist who is not afraid to venture into new territory. Not only is she an inspired painter, she is also a highly skilled craftswoman and a stickler for quality, often preferring to mix her own paints by hand, than use manufactured paint. Although it takes more time, she feels the quality shines through. “There is more purity, control and freedom when I’m working with created paints,” she says.
Prior to painting, Adelle worked as a wood carver and sculptor commissioned by the Lakota First Nations’ elders and spiritual community to create ceremonial healing pieces. Following a life-altering event in 2002, she turned to painting as part of her healing journey. The result was the highly intuitive and spiritually infused paintings she has come to be known for. Each painting carries a distinctive emotional and ethereal quality that she attributes to her deep connection to life and her purpose. Her unusual ability to connect to the spiritual nature and life force of her subject matter attracts viewers into the essence of her work.
“My Shamanic studies taught me the significance of applying energetic imprints into my paintings. There is a spark within that unites us like the threads of a beautiful tapestry that have has been woven over eons of time. My greatest inspiration is the divine presence I see in all things.”
Adelle finds that by traveling to different countries and participating in other cultures she is able to gain new insight into the human experience and incorporate her vision into her art. “Cultures rich with history have so much to teach us. The people’s strength of spirit, openness of heart and unwavering appreciation for life deeply moves and inspires me. The grace and generosity they exude has caused me to rethink and live my life quite differently.”
Adelle not only receives inspiration from the places she visits, but feels passionately about giving back. In 2010 she traveled to Haiti following the devastating earthquake to assist as a trauma relief worker. While there, she sought out promising local artists who had lost everything and brought their artwork back to Canada to sell in her art exhibition. This simple gesture provided the means for a Haitian artist to support their family with dignity. “It takes very little to make a significant difference in people’s lives. After returning from Haiti, I sent a few art supplies with instructions to a family of Haitian artists and now they’re making their own paints.”
Adelle’s commitment to exploring the interconnection of the inner and outer worlds leaves the viewer mesmerized and almost breathless at the beauty, spirit and emotional range she is able to capture on canvas. The depth of her vision is reflected by her growing internationalreputation as her paintings continue to be acquired by private collectors worldwide.
Artist-Poet
beckstt@gmail.com Website : sarahbeckett.net
Beckett trained in France and England and began her life as an artist in Trinidad in 1969. She has exhibited extensively across Europe, the Far East, the USA and the Caribbean. She has been writing poetry for many years which she links with the paintings and in 2012 her work was published in Maco Magazine (Trinidad) and was chosen as Poem of the Week for The Poetry Kit, UK.
In 2011 she directed a multi-arts event, ‘Mango Vert’, a Trinidad Quartet Productions Gala Night at the Little Carib Theatre.
At the National Academy for Performing Arts ,2011 and 2013, in collaboration with the UTT String Quartet, she exhibited large charcoal drawings of The Passion; a visual expression of Haydn’s Seven Last Words of Our Saviour.
She donated one of her Kairos series to the Trinidad Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception Restoration Fund.
During 2008 – 2011 her work was displayed on the walls of The Trinidad Oval Cricket Ground and The Hyatt Hotel Waterfront as part of The People’s Canvas..
In 2005 she founded, and was Creative Director for seven years for Trinidad Quartet Productions (a non-profit organization dedicated to Educative Creative Outreach initiatives, and the promotion of Trinidad & Tobago’s culture internationally.)
Film
Beckett has directed two Educative Documentary films; ‘Alabaster Moon’, which was premiered at the Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival 2008, and ‘Like an Angel’s Wing’ 2007.
Creative Outreach
She has worked with The Cotton Tree Foundation, donating work, taking exhibitions into the community and initiating and teaching Educative Creative Outreach programmes. In 2006 she designed a Creative Outreach Teaching programme for The Cotton Tree Foundation which won the Soca BPtt 2006 Award.
From 2001 – 2005 Beckett and John Vanneste, classical pianist, formed a creative alliance Polyphony. They produced seven collaborative events, which were presented in Trinidad, Amsterdam, Guyana and London.
During 1994 – 1995 Beckett, in collaboration with Theatre PKF she ran ‘The Engine Room’ , providing a forum for creative events staged at Beckett’s studio in London, featuring The Death of the Maiden, The Poems of Lorca & Spanish Classical Guitar, and Rapso Poems by Grenadian Poet, Malik de Coteau.
She has taught Fine Art at The University of the West Indies, is a the Trinidad & Tobago Art Society and is on the faculty of The Foundation for Human Development.
Between 1988 – 1990 she was sponsored by the German DG (Asia) Bank to exhibit, paint and conduct workshops in Singapore and Malaysia.
From 1984 – 1988 she worked as Senior Arts Liaison Officer with the Ethnic Minorities Unit of the GLC, London, where she was responsible for exhibitions and events promoting Caribbean artists in London, culminating in an exhibition at the South Bank.
In the early eighties she was deeply involved with the St. Mary of the Angels church in Notting Hill Gate London where she designed and produced children’s Carnival Bands for the church for the Notting Hill Gate Carnival in London.
Tessa’s objective is to create art that spiritually and emotionally highlights our interconnection with the world. She works with an assortment of media exploring the different textures and tones therein. She has had numerous exhibitions from 1997 to present day.
With a background in fabric design, her work utilizes the many facets of producing texture by layering different types of paper, decorative elements and diverse gel mediums onto work surfaces before applying colour. This results in her work appearing almost three dimensional and very rich in tones while at the same time working spontaneously to create a watery dreamlike feeling.
Tessa is the coordinator of the Children’s Art Education Program at CCA7 and gives workshops at various primary schools, encouraging the children to tap into their own creative abilities. She is married to a Social Worker Gregory Sloan-Seale. They have three daughters.
Joanna was born in Trinidad in 1957 and has been painting ever since she can remember. She learned to love the arts from an early age from her parents: John Humphrey, an architect and politician, and Helen, a costume designer, whose home was a hub of artistic and political activity.
After attending Bishop’s High school in Trinidad, Joanna was formally trained at the Laguna Beach School of Art in California. Upon returning to Trinidad she was awarded a scholarship by the Field Naturalists’ Society to attend a Painting From Nature course under renowned bird illustrator, Arthur Singer at the Asa Wright Nature Centre in the heart of the rainforest.
She works in many different media including oils, watercolours and ceramics. Well known for her paintings of the rainforest, the island’s dramatic coastlines and its colonial buildings, she has also designed costumes for Carnival bands including Poison and Rosalind Gabriel. Many people will also remember her unique ceramic tile art created by Jada.
Her art has been exhibited internationally as part of the Trinidad & Tobago Through The Eyes Of The Artist tour. Collectors in America and Europe have acquired many of her paintings – including one which hangs in the Vatican.
Joanna’s artistic influences include the 19th century painter Michel Jean Cazabon. Her greatest inspiration, however, is derived from her love of nature, old architecture and the vibrant energies of light and colour.
Although born in Trinidad in 1972, Kyawana Shaw-Abraham has lived in Tobago for the last twenty five years. She is the quintessential ‘Trinbagonian’, embracing the challenges, opportunities and experiences offered by the diverse traditions, beliefs and ethnicity our twin island state.
Self-taught, she is not inclined toward any particular style and is known primarily for her large floral oil portraits which burst with vibrancy and expression. Many, particularly persons who have migrated from Trinidad and Tobago, have also come to enjoy and collect her pieces depicting children coloured with nuances of our rich culture. “I have been painting for almost thirteen years. It has been a sporadic vocation whilst raising my family, but one that has proven to be valuable to my self-development….the support of my family and friends cannot be underestimated.”
“Stephanie Johnson, the curator of The Pac, provided me with the first opportunity to display my work publicly, that was in 1999.” Kyawana has since exhibited at the Horizons Gallery, Mucurapo, in the group exhibition entitled “Caribbean Light and Rhythm”, staged her solo exhibition at the Art Creators gallery in the year 2006 and has shown her work at Horizons and The Art Gallery in Tobago.
A Simple Life
“Life is an empty canvas……. we have to paint it every moment of our Life” – Osho
As the title of the exhibition suggests, this collection of art work depict the daily rituals, the chores, the leisure time and even the spiritual relationships with God; encompassing a reflection of the culture and community of simple island people.
These paintings give us glimpses of a simple time, a humble life and its simple pleasures. The artists and their associated work hint that life, regardless of its minimalism, should not only be lived but celebrated!
Prabhu’s paintings are a combination of expressionism and surrealism, transferred to the canvas in a “haiku” like style in such a manner as to leave the viewer pondering upon the imagery.
Parma, on the other hand, favours the expressionist style and his work profoundly reflects the natural environment….. the serenity, the quietude and the nostalgia of a simple life.
Some of the paintings are self-explanatory; however the following are brief descriptions of some of the pieces. One sees the social aspects of a simple life depicted in “The River Lime II”, “Spirit of the Moment”, “Mela” and “Old Friends”.
The nostalgic aspect depicted in the paintings “Bull and Cart” and “Chief” transpires from an era gone by. The idea of looking forward to food and rest after a hard day’s work are depicted in the pieces titled “Homeward Bound”, “Just Chillin’ ” and “Going Home”. Examples of the community and social bonding aspects are visible in “Market Day” and “Aunty’s Visit”.
Above all, the acknowledgment of a higher presence and deep connection to a spiritual being are illustrated in “Devotions” and “Ancestral Guide”.
