ARCHIVES
Archives I thought was an excellent way to share with my viewer and collector alike, work that I did some years ago but nevertheless offers some connection with my past work, and subsequent development to the present
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Solo Show at the HERE & NOW Gallery Toronto
Paintings from the My Obsession Series -1995
The "My Obsession" Series was inspired by the beauty I have always admired in the male form, even at its most vulnerable, the nude.
Taking a cue from my previous paintings on dance themes, I worked to achieve the dynamics I find so appealing. I wanted the figurative elements of the series to appear more abstract, seem plastic, and the movement from one form to another to be fluid.
In the end, the synthesis of form, movement, and color, became my obsessive conveyors of the kind of beauty, of which I am so fond thus my chosen theme My Obsession.
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The Spheres and Things Series
The "Sphere and things series " was executed on small canvases.
It was my first serious attempt to move away from painting without an underlying structure or preliminary sketch, and towards what seemed to me like the total abandon of abstraction.
This series represents for me the possibility of a different approach to my work.
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The Olympic Runner
The Olympic Runner the chosen subject of this commission, depicts the runner in full stride.
The flags at her feet signifying the competition with other athletes, to the right just above the flags, the five interlocking circles- the official Olympic symbol of the five major geographical continents of the world.
To the left I super imposed a pair of track boots to represent the larger than life corporate sponsorship and endorsements attached to sporting events and to the top, the celebratory flags of the supporting spectators in the stadium can be seen.
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Cityscapes
Catapulted -or so it seemed- from a rather serene sheltered, and somewhat insular environment of a gated, residential community of a sugar estate managerial staff compound in Guyana, to this fast paced , modern city of Toronto, was initially overwhelming, rather like a trip in the future.
People moving rather swiftly against a backdrop of tall towers of steel and glass, to and from subway trains, up and down escalators, into and through huge shopping centres. Intimate sidewalk cafes below awnings of older buildings, all seemed to fit into this futuristic "jigsaw" rather harmoniously. The movement inherent in this modern, constantly changing environment served as inspiration and dominant theme of the painting "Cityscapes".
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Musical Notes
Musical Notes influenced by my study of Western music and classical piano.
I wanted to celebrate and highlight the importance of the unassuming musical note to the longevity of this beloved art form.
Represented here by the subtle staff lines angled through the main composition towards the top, and musical notes to the bottom right followed by those to the top and a string instrument -the suggestion of the first instruments- to the left.
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The Anancy Dancer Series
Taking a cue from the painting "The Dancer" the sketch for Anancy Dancers #1 was conceptualized in Guyana, a prequel to #2. Although both paintings were executed in Toronto when I first moved here, they are nevertheless still imbued with the spirit of the Afro-Caribbean rhythms I first observed in the visiting dance troupes of the Caribbean region
The title given to both paintings is derived from the Caribbean folklore of oral story telling and the development of the main character of Anancy the spider series of stories. In these stories the characters can take on many forms, and at times appear to be part animal, part human. In this instance the spider takes pride of place observed in the lines of dancers visual movement in Anancy Dancers #2.
To convey the idea of the wings of the stage, coupled with the origin of the dancers and music being Afro-Cuban, I used guitars and bongo drums on layered planes to the right. At the top is a suggestion of stage lights projecting onto the dancers.
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The Dancer
Motivated by the idea that I wanted to represent a dancer - a woman in this instance - and a dance form that identified strongly with Afro-Caribbean roots ( a trend of themes observed quite readily in a post colonial Guyana) I began the painting "The Dancer"
I wanted to convey the same energy and form that I found so fascinating in the choreography of the local and visiting dance troupes of Jamaica and Cuba.
I hinted at the musical fusion that evolved into the "Afro-Cuban rhythms" that accompanied the Cuban concert dancer, with its strong Spanish folk influences by depicting guitars both in the forefront left and background, and used the addition of bongo drums seen bottom right and receding into the background to further unite the idea of ethnic fusion.
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Goblets in Orbit
Goblets in Orbit represents an important milestone in my development as an artist and is my first composite abstraction.
Inspired by the shape of a Guyanese indigenous Amerindian terracotta water goblet/pot,this painting marries the shape and the "cubist aesthetic of faceted planes organized in shallow space".
Unlike the authentic cubist painting, a monochromatic palette was of no interest to me since I always gravitate towards color.
