CaFA Fair Barbados 2016 - PARTICIPATING ARTISTS

Carl F. Anderson - Guyana

Carl Anderson received his early art education at the Burrowes School of the Arts in Guyana. He later immersed himself in the Latin American art milieu by living for 13 years in Venezuela. Known internationally for his bold geometric “Ribbon Series” as well as striking photo realistic paintings, Carl’s work has been exhibited widely in Europe, North and South America, including the Malta Biennale, Italy’s Grolla D’Oro and the Guyana National Art Gallery. Carl’s most recent series of works tackled the controversial subject of domestic violence.

 

Aziza – Antigua/Barbados

Aziza studied at the San Francisco Institute of Art, the University of California in Berkeley, and at Laney College in Oakland. A painter for over 30 years, Aziza’s exhibition credits include solo shows in conjunction with the US Information Service (USIS) in both Kabul, Afghanistan and Washington, DC. Aziza's paintings have also been shown at the US Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, the "Pro Arts" exhibit in Oakland, California, the "San Francisco Women Artists" shows in San Francisco, the Museum of Modern Art in Santo Domingo, and the National Museum of Antigua and Barbuda, as well as at numerous banks, clubs, studios and restaurants throughout the Caribbean.  She is a member of Pro Arts in Oakland, SF Women Artists, the Barbados Arts Council, and the Antigua Artists Society.

 

Diogenes Ballester – Puerto Rico

Diogenes Ballester, visual artist, educator, and writer holds an MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a BFA from the Catholic University of Puerto Rico. He has taught as Professor of Art at The Cooper Union in New York City, the State University of New York at New Paltz, the College of New Rochelle and The State University of New York at Albany. Mr. Ballester’s work explores oral history, memory, mythology, ritual, and cultural identity along a transnational spectrum. In recent exhibitions, he has appropriated cultural objects and historical artifacts together with painting, drawing, prints and new media as a way of accessing the past and re-interpreting the present in a trans-Caribbean dialogue.  Ballester has received numerous honors for his artistic work and has exhibited widely in the United States, Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. His work is in numerous private and public collections.

 

Tricia Bethel – Grenada

Tricia Bethel was born in Petite Martinique, the smallest of the tri- island state of Grenada in the Caribbean where she spent her early childhood. On graduating from university she instinctively found a white-collar job. However as Tricia grew older and realized there was nothing else she enjoyed doing as much as art, she began to take it seriously and spend more time developing technique, skills and composition. Coming from a small island has influenced her art positively, motivating her use of brilliant colours depicting Caribbean culture, history, people and lovely surroundings. Having spent six years studying for a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Diplomacy and Public Diplomacy in China, Tricia’s art sometimes portray a touch of Asian influence. Her work has been exhibited widely in Grenada and China; recently representing Grenada at the 2015 Beijing International Artist Biennial, Beijing, China. She enjoys using oils or acrylics on canvas. Naturally her paintings lean towards an impressionistic style partly due to an admiration of Van Gogh and Monet. Recently Tricia has been painting seascapes, landscapes and portraits, continuously working to elevate her craft.

 

Black Art Studios – Barbados - Featuring artists:

 

Kenneth “Black” Blackman

Kenneth Blackman’s early training as a carpenter is a natural precursor to his development as a sculptor.  During the 1980s, Black embarked on a journey in search of his identity.  He read books about his African heritage and took a closer look at the work of Barbadian artist.  The music of Bob Marley touched his soul and the work of Grafton Woodpecker (a fellow sculptor) inspired his hands to creativity. Black does not talk much about his technique, but he has stated that his subjects derive from early life experiences and the people around him.  He uses his work to comment on social issues and to make statements reflecting his cultural heritage.  He is a firm believer in peer group support and he believes that artist should present a united professional front. A true patriot and regionalist, Black is of the opinion that Barbadian and Caribbean art can hold their own in any part of the world.  He also believes that there is a Caribbean art style identifiable by its use of colour and light. This award-winning artist stands tall on the local scene.  That his work can be found in private collections all over the world attest to the growing recognition he enjoys, an honour he richly deserves.

 

Oneka Small

Barbadian artist and curator Oneka Small was born to a family of creatives. Throughout her childhood she drew, painted and constructed items for gifts and as a way to express her true self. Oneka studied both Art and Craft during high school years under the tutelage of Nick Whittle. In 1991 she gained a Barbados Exhibition scholarship with an A in art -once again being taught Nick Whittle. Oneka attended the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and while taking foundation courses in art she graduated with a Bachelors of Design in Environmental Planning before returning home to Barbados.  Oneka worked in the environment field professionally and continued her art on the side.  Art was however always in her heart so when the Curator of the Barbados Gallery of Art asked Oneka to work for them she left the environmental field and returned professionally to art at the administrative and curatorial level. Since then Oneka has traveled the Caribbean and touched the soils of Thailand, Nigeria, Spain, Zimbabwe, France, Netherland, Thailand, and China in her quest for cultural knowledge. In 2002 she completed a Masters in Museum and exhibition design at the Hull School of Architecture, returning to Barbados to build her business and home life with husband Kenneth “Black” Blackman and son Shaka. It was during the period 2011- 2013 that Oneka developed her own style of painting.  Heavily encouraged and influenced by Black and his belief in her.  In 2012 Oneka and Black represented Barbados at the 2012 Olympic Games-ARTs and Culture. Her piece was called ‘My Prayer’.  In 2013 Oneka received a Best in Show award for ‘I Give Thanks’ during the National Culture Foundation’s Crop Over exhibition.  Oneka has produced and sold numerous pieces during her life to date and her work can be found in private collections locally and internationally.

 

Patricia Brintle - Haiti

Self-taught artist Patricia Brintle was born in Haiti and immigrated to the United States in 1964.  Although she has made the U.S. her residence, her colorful style reflects her native land. Her works on the Holocaust are on permanent display at the Holocaust Center of Temple Judea in New York and are used as teaching tools for visitors.  One of her religious works, The First Mother, travelled with the Black Madonna Exhibit which made its debut at the famed National Museum of Catholic Art and History in New York and toured museums throughout the United States. One of her paintings hangs in the permanent collection of Albert Schweitzer Institute in Hamden, Connecticut, and her images have been published in both secular and religious periodicals.

 

Gharan Burton – Dominica

Gharan Burton is an academically trained artist who resides in the US most of the year but spends winter months in the Caribbean. Born and raised in Dominica, Gharan attended college in the US where his studies focused mostly on painting and sculpture. He enjoys painting the figure, still lives, landscapes and abstract experimental works. Vibrant colors inspired by his island upbringing, dominate Gharan's paintings.  He also employs various techniques of pigment application and layering in order to create texture in his work. A true renaissance man at heart, Gharan is also currently a landscaper, in the upstate NY region of Plattsburgh.  A strong connection to the land has also inspired Gharan to embark on a cocoa project, to grow cocoa on family land in order to someday start a chocolate business. Gharan's sculptures range from very small table top pieces and wall hangings to large scale outdoor works. Whether landscaping or planting fields of cocoa in Dominica, the artist’s eye and hand are ever present in Gharan's work.

 

Shadrach Burton - Dominica

Born October 1986, Shadrach Burton is a visual artist from Wotten Waven , Dominica. His older brother Gharan, along with his father David, are artists also, and this was a key factor in his art collection currently dating back to 1994. After being introduced to Earl Etienne and Ellingsworth Moses in the year 2000, he was participating in exhibitions at the age of 13 and has since stacked up over 50 exhibitions including 6 solo art shows. He recently graduated with a master’s degree in fine art after studying for 7 years in Hangzhou,China. Before going to pursue studies in China, in 2007, Shadrach majored in Biology and Physics and even taught high school biology for 3 years. He currently produces art using a style that is influenced by nature, music, pop culture, social commentary and his odd sense of humor.

 

Ras Ishi Butcher – Barbados

Ras Ishi Butcher emerged on the international art scene in 1992when he was selected winner of the Medal D’Orat the Caribbean and Latin American Biennale of Painting, held in Santo Domingo. In 1997, Ras Ishi completed post-graduate studies in fine art at the prestigious University of Superior Studies (ISA) in Havana, Cuba. His work has been published and discussed in several publications such as “Barbadian Art: What Kind of Mirror Image?” by Cummins, Thompson and Whittle, “Black Art and Culture in the 20^th Century” by Professor Richard Powell, and is represented in numerous public and private collections across the Americas, the Caribbean, and Europe.

 

Kizzy Carter - Grenada

Born in St. John’s, Grenada, West Indies, Kizzy Carter currently lives and works in New York City. She is an emerging artist, working primarily in ceramics. She employs bold use of colors, intricate design, patterns of negative space and sculpture in her work. Her work with drawings and paintings also uses bold colors and use of various materials and media including sand, newspaper with acrylic and pastels in an organic contemporary manner. Kizzy earned her undergraduate degree at Queens College, City University of NY, with a minor in Art History. She furthered her studies in ceramics under Audrey Cooper at the Potter’s Wheel in New York. Her work has begun to gain the notice of discerning collectors in the New York tri-state area.

 

Ras Bongo Congo I – Barbados

Since his conversion to the Rastafari faith in 1978, Ras Bongo Congo I has augmented his early training as a stonemason with a new found consciousness to  become one of the leading sculptors in Barbados today. 1992 saw Ras Bongo  collaborating with painter Ras Jahaziel Tafari for the ground- breaking exhibition “Let My People Go” at Queens Park Gallery in Bridgetown.  Ras Bongo Congo is a multiple Gold Award winner in Barbados’ National Independence Festival of Creative Arts (“N1FCA”) and his hardwood creations have been exhibited frequently in the United States and Europe.

 

Cher Antoinette Corbin – Barbados

This Barbadian daughter is a mother of two, a forensic scientist and is a multiple silver and bronze award winner at the National Independence Festival of Creative Arts (NIFCA). An Honors Graduate in Chemistry from UWI Cave Hill Campus, in 1989 Cher gained the position of being the first Forensic Scientist in Barbados having achieved her Masters in Forensic Science from Kings College, University of London. She has since had a long and rewarding career in the field and is presently the Director of the Forensic Sciences Centre, Office of the Attorney General. An accomplished visual artist and author, Cher’s works have been published in St. Somewhere Online Literary Journal, Blackberry:The Magazine, and in four anthologies – Bamboo Press –‘She Sex’, The National Cultural Foundation’s – ‘Winning Words’, “She Speaks – Woman’s Journal” and ‘Senseisha’ – An Anthology on the sensuality of the Barbadian Woman. In December 2013, Cher self-published an anthology of poetry called MY SOUL CRIES and in 2014 VIRTUALIS – The Love Story and VIRTUALIS – The Anthology. Her primary media for visual art is Watercolor and she has been exploring Pen/Ink & WC Wash. Her latest self published anthology “Architects of Destiny” was launched at CaFA Fair Barbados 2015.

 

Coronado Print Studio - representing Dominican Republic artists:

Pepe Coronado

Pepe Coronado was born and raised in the Dominican Republic, and currently resides in New York City. Coronado was master printer for Pyramid Atlantic in Silver Spring, Maryland; the Hand Print Workshop International in Alexandria, Virginia; and the Serie Print Project in Austin, Texas. He has been a visiting artist at Self Help Graphics in Los Angeles, and currently a resident teaching artist at the Hudson River Museum in New York. Coronado has taught printmaking at the Corcoran College of Art, Georgetown University, and at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore where he earned the Master of Fine Arts. Pepe’s work has been exhibited in numerous exhibitions in New York, Washington DC, Dominican Republic, Portugal, and Mexico; in both galleries and cultural institutions. Coronado’s work is in many collections including Smithsonian American Art Museum, CUNY Dominican studies Institute, The City College of NYC, El Museo el Barrio, the Rutgers Archives for Printmaking Studios, Georgetown University, Lauinger Memorial Library of Rare Books and Prints Collection, the Library of Congress, the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation,  the Federal  Board of Governors Art Collection, District of Columbia Government: Arts and Humanities Commission, El Paso Museum of Art and Mexic-Arte Museum.

 

Moses Ros-Suarez

Moses Ros‐Suárez is best known for his intense paintings and sculptures that transform common objects in his characteristically expressionist style. His large graphics of figures and objects explore themes such as AIDS awareness, the global economic crisis, and personal versus national identity and power. Ros--‐Suárez has had one--‐person exhibitions at museums in the United States and the Caribbean, including the Yeshiva University Museum, New York; the Paterson Museum, New Jersey; and the Instituto de Cultura y Arte in Santiago, Dominican Republic. The New York Department of Cultural Affairs and the Bronx Council for the Arts have awarded him commissions for public sculptures, and the Metropolitan Transit Authority for stained glass windows. A licensed architect in the state of New York, Ros-Suárez is a graduate of the Pratt Institute.

 

Rene Santos

René De Los Santos is a self-taught fine artist born in Santiago, Dominican Republic. His artistic career started in 1990. His art reflects a naïf and figurative style of painting, expressing a somewhat astral composition. His work has been exposed in many collective exhibits such as "Essence & Colors of Dominican Artists" in Providence, R.I., "Uptown Arts Stroll", "ADAVARTE II & I - The Visual Arts Festival of Washington Heights & Inwood”, "Transición, Imagenes y Colores," Centro Communal Tamboril, "Dominicans Breaking Through," Comisionado Dominicano de Cultura in the U.S.

 

 

Francks Francois Deceus - Haiti

Born in Haiti in 1966, Décéus and his family moved to Brooklyn, New York when he was nine years old. It wasn’t until he graduated from Long Island University with a degree in Sociology that he turned to making art as a career. Stylistically his work incorporates many of the influences and aesthetic forms of the 40’s and 50’s visual artists like William Johnson and Jacob Lawrence, and reverberates with some of the artistic strains of his native Haiti. His modernist style combines figurative, abstract and layered elements and relies heavily on a simplification of form and function. Décéus was profiled in a 1998 issue of the International Review of African American Art as “one of the leading young modern painters of his generation, whose work depicts a high degree of sensitivity to social issues and his culture”. He is currently featured in “100 New York Painters”, an extensive survey of significant New York painters and their widely diverse works. His work has been commissioned by the Brooklyn Academy of Music and Medgar Evers College of the City University of New York. His work is in the permanent collection of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and Xavier University and a legion of private collections.

 

Charles Dey – Jamaica

“As a child, I used to draw on open spaces: tiny shreds of paper, bedroom walls. I’d wake up, chasing stories all around me: the bustle of the busy open market; the tiny cloud of dust that left the road; the constant flow of people passing by me – the sunlight pouring in to greet the morning. My work is my reflection of these moments: life that I have witnessed over time. I thrive in peeling back the hidden layers, filling in life’s movement as it whispers. I get inspired searching for the root – those elements that seem to go unnoticed. This is my foundation as a painter and in my larger vision as an artist. Most of what I paint comes from traditions: days I spent exploring life in my birthplace in Accra, Ghana and my mother’s country in the enclaves of Montego Bay, Jamaica; the streets I walk down now in urban cities – people that I meet along the way.”

 

Minna Dunn – Barbados

Minna Dunn was born and raised on Long Island in a household with Barbadian roots.  Dunn’s affair with art started as a collector and after meeting   master artist Frank Frazier in 1992, she started a career as an art dealer.  Over the last eight years with extensive exposure to artists from across the globe and with the mentoring of noted Brazilian painter Ernani Silva, Dunn has been inspired to explore her creative side.  The outcome has been a body of art using acrylic paint and mixed media collage on paper. Women’s clothing, sisterhood and unity have been the themes often seen in her artwork.

 

Zoanne Evans – Barbados (for Kids in Action)

Zoanne Evans has been writing and illustrating her work from the age of seven.  Since the age of fourteen, Zoanne has won several local literary competitions, including first prize in three categories of the Irving Burgie Awards.  At age sixteen, she received an honorable mention at the Inaugural Frank Collymore Literary Endowment Awards, and later received the 2006 UNICEF Award at NIFCA. She currently teaches Technical Writing and Academic Writing at University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus. Her latest work The Kids in Action Coloring/Activity Book was created to occupy children during long church services. It also provides hours of learning fun both at home and in Sunday School classes. All proceeds from the sale of this book go to Kids in Action, a local charity which seeks to empower youth by teaching them the importance of being grounded in God's Word, staying in school and using their God given talents to be the best that they can be.

 

Earl Darius Etienne – Dominica

Born in Massacre, on the west coast of the island of Dominica and currently living in Mahaut, Earl received training at the Jamaica School of Art, now the Edna Manley School of Visual Arts. Etienne is known for his trademark technique called bouzaille or flambeau, a method of using a carbon flame to apply forms to canvas. Although he likes to say, he works primarily at "Self-Government," he has managed to extend himself into many areas in service to his fledgling nation and presently works as senior cultural officer, painter / coordinator of events / curator/ carnival costume designer / art graphic consultant/ set designer / founding member of associations related to preservation and cultural awareness of historical and architectural heritage.

 

Ras Ilix Heartman – Barbados

Ras Ilix Heartman, wood sculptor and farmer, was born in Barbados.  His first international exposure was at the Third Havana Biennial in Cuba which was followed by  the “In The Spirit Festival" at Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, Since then his work has been exhibited at numerous exhibitions in Barbados and in the U.S.  His sculpture Melchizedek was awarded "Best In Show" at the 1997 Black History Month Exhibition held at New York’s Hintersteiner Gallery in Washington Heights.  His 2012 one man show received critical acclaim at the Queen’s Park Gallery in Barbados.

 

Bernard Hoyes – Jamaica

Bernard Hoyes lives and works in Palm Springs, California. However, his career in art began at an early age in Kingston, Jamaica when he enrolled at  he Institute of Jamaica, Junior Art Center. At fifteen he moved to New York City to continue his academic and artistic endeavors. Classes at the Art Students League introduced him to the art scene in N.Y.C. He continued his studies at Vermont Academy, in Saxton River, VT and in 1974, he received a B.F.A. in Painting from California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland.  Hoyes is particularly known for a body of  work that recalls his Afro-Caribbean roots, specifically the rituals of African Spirituality and Christianity. This is a body of work that has earned him awards of excellence internationally. Hoyes has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions across the globe. He has created murals in the inner city of Los Angeles, CA, has curated exhibitions and served  on the board of  the Museum of African American Art in Los Angeles. His works have been featured in numerous television and film productions, and collected internationally.

 

Jean Patrick Icart-Pierre – Haiti

Icart-Pierre is a Haitian-born artist who established his residency in Brooklyn, N.Y., since emigrating to the U.S. in 1974. Mr. Icart-Pierre is an alumnus of The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, from which he earned a Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts. He also holds a Master's degree in arts education and an MFA from Brooklyn College. In 1987 he traveled to Kenya in East Africa and served as artist-in-residence at the Paa-Ya-Paa Arts Center. He was awarded the "Artist-in­ Marketplace" honor from The Bronx Museum, and 1994 he served as artist-in-residence at The Jamaica Arts Center in Queens, New York. The New York Times, New York Newsday, and even The Standard and The Nation in Kenya, have published reviews of the work of Jean Patrick Icart-Pierre. The Bronx Museum, the Jamaica Arts Center, Kenkeleba Gallery, the Skylight Gallery, and the Brooklyn Museum are among the establishments which have exhibited his paintings.

 

Robert Joyette – St. Vincent

Robert A. Joyette, fondly known as “Brooks”, was born in Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines. He began from a very tender age exploring cartoons and animation characters such as Batman and Robin, Spiderman, Superman, Wonder Boy and many more. It was always his dream and aspiration to become a professional artist. He set out on his journey in 1997 to enroll in a four year program at the only art school in the English speaking Caribbean at the time, Edna Manley College of Visual and Performing Arts, Jamaica.  While there he underwent rigorous courses such as 3D and 2D, and all the intros of the departments of Painting, Visual Communication, Graphics, Art Education, Ceramics, Photography, and all liberal arts courses.

He holds fond memoriesof his time at the Edna Manley College and considers it one of the major landmarks of his career. It offered the opportunity to refine his abilities and exhibit his work to an appreciative audience. Robert now strives to encourage young talents in honing their craft while continuing to develop his painting style and building a body of work.

 

 

 

Hedy Klineman – Barbados/USA

Born in Hamburg, Germany and raised in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Hedy Klineman graduated from Cooper Union, NYC, where she encountered the maximalist, full canvas Abstract Expressionism that has shaped her style. Hedy’s works have been exhibited at the Whitney, Rubin, Hood, Tibet House and Vizcaya Museums, among others, and she has enjoyed solos exhibitions at the Bridgewater Lustberg Gallery, Benrimon Contemporary, Dorothy Blau and Vered Modern, as well as internationally. Her work has been inspired in recent years by the ethereal figure of the Buddha further infused by the creative nourishment provided by her winter sojourns in Barbados. When the USA elected its first African American President in 2007-08, Hedy became fascinated with the spirituality of another place, Africa, and the masks of Gabon and the Ivory Coast. These common threads of spirituality combine the sublime and every-day, the personal and political, as well as bear a strong influence on the many enchanting phases of Hedy’s career.

 

David “Guru” McClean – Barbados

Guru holds a Masters Diploma in Fine Art from Scranton University. He climbed into the public consciousness in 2011 with his groundbreaking exhibition themed around local Barbadian character and folk hero King Dyal. This suite of paintings, sculpture, and installations was critically acclaimed, and one of his installations won The Central of Barbados Purchase award in that year’s Independence Arts Festival. His work is also part of the Barbados National Art Collection. His latest series of works celebrates Barbadians who became heroes of the global Diaspora struggle.

 

Joachim McMillan - Grenada

Joachim McMillan was born in Grenada, West Indies, and currently lives in Beaverton, Oregon, USA. He is a painter and creative entrepreneur who has created a line of wearable art under the brand Mozayic. His style of painting is modern, with use of the palette knife, full of expressive color. His work has been exhibited in his native Grenada, Canada and coast to coast across the USA. His collectors are worldwide.

 

Beatrice Mellinger – Martinique

Béatrice Lampla Mellinger, also known as Bela, her artist signature, was born on the French Caribbean island of Martinique. Art has always been an important part of Bela's life. She studied painting extensively, and continues to be an avid learner and educator. Bela’s paintings incorporate multicultural references from her Asian, African, and European ancestors, and from her birthplace, with its own multi-ethnic heritage. Bela has travelled extensively, lived in many countries across several continents and believes that her paintings convey her rich experience. “Painting is a universal language that enhances the awareness as well as the understanding of other cultures”, says Béatrice Lampla Mellinger.

 

Lisa Mona - Barbados

Lisa Mona was born in Barbados with a diverse cultural background which has fashioned her artwork in an eclectic way. Her body of work is influenced by the beauty of simplicity itself, nature’s colors and its organic shapes. She expresses herself through photography, jewelry design and abstract paintings. Her professional training was acquired at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale in Florida and Long Island University in Brooklyn, New York. She has instructed numerous classes in various art mediums and has presented her photography at several exhibits and galleries within the United States. Lisa Mona's artistic philosophy is that there is beauty in simplicity and we are surrounded by it daily. She believes that when people or things are in their natural environments true beauty shines its brightest. Her artistic goal is to document life's everyday occasions in a creative way. “Often people are looking for beauty elsewhere and its right before their eyes.” Through her photography Lisa Mona strives to show that people and places of the world hold a natural beauty no matter what their circumstances are. “Beauty can always be found when looked at it with the non-critical eyes and a new perspective.” Lisa Mona believes her images will educate all people that, “no matter how different they are…all life matters and is to be valued.”

 

Ademola Olugebefola – US Virgin Islands

Dr. Ademola  Olugebefola began his professional career as a bassist, playing with several small ensembles throughout the New York metropolitan area during the late 50s and early 60s. In the late 60’s he turned his creative energies to the visual arts and frequently incorporates musical ideas and theories in his extensive body of work. Over the past four decades, Olugebefola’s works have been included in hundreds of exhibitions at major American museums, universities and cultural institutions internationally. Born in the U.S. Virgin Islands, he  has lectured and participated in forums at universities, museums and cultural institutions in the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean. He is a highly respected cultural activist and renowned Harlem artist whose art and career papers are in the permanent collection of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Hatch Billops Archives, Howard University, and scores of other well-respected American institutions.

 

Sian Pampellonne – Barbados/Trinidad & Tobago

Sian Pampellonne is a Trinidad-born artist and a resident of Barbados. Coming from a family deeply connected to the process of creativity in a variety of disciplines, she studied art at the Barbados Community College gaining a further wealth of its' intricacies under the tutelage of her grandfather, Gordon Parkinson, whose body of work is well-known to collectors. Entering the world of Mass Communication, Sian now owns a very successful Advertising Studio, Sian In Design Inc. An avid art collector, she rekindled her love of painting a year ago, purely as an outlet for self-expression. Using Acrylics on canvas and mixed media, Sian is able to convey her feelings through a freedom of hand and brush that unleashes vibrant colours onto canvas extricating at the same time deep feelings from her subjects that leave the admirer delving into their own interpretation of the bold art she has produced - the main reason her pieces have found themselves in the homes of art collectors internationally in such a short space of time. An artist to watch, her creations show a fresh interpretation of painting while expressing a signature style.

 

Rosemary Parkinson - Barbados/Trinidad & Tobago

Rosemary Parkinson was born in Venezuela of Trinidadian parents - the late Gordon Parkinson (a revered artist) and 'Dickie' Parkinson. The author of Shake Dat Cocktail, Cocktails & Hors d'oeuvres, the highly acclaimed 460-page book Culinaria: The Caribbean that reached the December 5^th New York Times List Review in 1999, the award-winning Nyam Jamaica and Barbados Bu'n-Bu'n, Parkinson is a culinary contributor to several international magazines. An avid photographer and prolific visual artist, she uses acrylics and has exhibited in the Caribbean and Europe with one of her paintings having graced the billboards in New York's Time Square, one of the few selected over thousands of worldwide artists, her paintings in the hands of discerning collectors. "Painting is my relaxation time; this is when my mind leaves my body and finds itself on canvas. I am in love with art at all times...the rest is just about life."

 

Junior Parris – Barbados

Junior Parris lives and breathes art. Born in Barbados, he is resident in Paris, France, and Barbados.  In addition to being a professional visual artist, Parris also represents artists from the Diaspora who are based in France and exhibits their work in Barbados and beyond. Over the years he has perfected a romantic realism which renders his own paintings with an ethereal quality almost reminiscent of the old masters. His works have been exhibited in the Caribbean, Europe, and the USA.

 

Gail Pounder-Speede - Barbados

Gail Pounder Speede’s paintings, prints and installations have gained her increasing notice in her native Barbados, as well as abroad. Since graduating with her Bachelors in Fine Art Degree from the Barbados Community College she has completed post graduate studies at the University of Leicester, UK. Pounder-Speede’s work has been showcased in notable exhibitions in Barbados, The United States, England, France, Belgium and in Suriname as part of a Barbados contingent to CARIFESTA.  Her creations are expressive and idiosyncratic, and are further enhanced by her multimedia skills. Her artist statement reads in part, “my pieces relate to each other, forming an environmental installation: a soft passionate painful journey into the heart of a life. The art may exist on its own for it will have its own story, yet the pilgrimages create a scrap book of travels. The journey continues with each new horizon.”

 

Adoniah Rahsan – Jamaica

Adoniiah was born in New York and raised between NYC & Jamaica. He first became interested in photography about 15 years ago. He was fascinated with taking pictures of anything in nature. This is where Adoniiah realized that he had an eye for art. Adoniiah took photography seriously when he attended school at the International Center for photography to study the technical aspects of photography such as composition, camera operations, and developing. He also studied at the Stuyvesant adult program. His formal education includes 2 years of College at the Borough of Manhattan Community College majoring in Corporate Cable Communication. Here he studied camera operation, lighting, editing and directing. He also got similar training and certification at Bronxnet studios, a community television station. His work has been displayed in many exhibitions and festivals."This allows me to express myself through my work" he says. Currently he is working on opening his own gallery, workshop & studio.

 

Ras Akyem I Ramsay – Barbados

A graduate of Jamaica’s Edna Manley School of Art, Ras Akyem I is a veteran exhibitor throughout the Caribbean, Latin America, England, and the U.S.  In 1996 Ras Akyem's paintings won the Gold Medal at the Third Biennial of Caribbean and Latin American Painting, held in Santo Domingo, and was part of the collective submission by Barbadian artists which won the Country  a Gold Medal. During 1995-1997 Ras Akyem successfully completed postgraduate studies at Cuba’s prestigious art academy, the University of Superior Arts (ISA).  His work has been published and discussed in such publications as “Barbadian Art: What Kind of Mirror Image?” and “Caribbean Art”, by Veerle Poupeye. In 1998 he was awarded the Barbados Service Star in that year’s Barbados Independence Honors. Ras Akyem I is the recipient of the 2012 Caribbean Luminary of the Arts Award.

 

Steve Reid - Barbados

Steve Reid is a University of the West Indies trained agriculturist who has worked within the agricultural and financial services sectors for over two decades. Pottery making, however, has always appealed to his creative spirit and was brought to light in the early ’90s with displays at the Bridgetown Market and at the Barbados Crop Over Festival. His work often shows plant life and natural features of his environment, and embodies an ancient spirit in a unique, contemporary style.

 

Arlette St. Hill - Barbados

Arlette St. Hill was born in Barbados and is a graduate of the Barbados Community College, Erdiston Teacher’s College, The Jamaica School of Art, and the Teachers’ Technical Training Institute, Madras - India. Arlette has a degree in Art education, diploma in Curriculum Design and the Development of Instructional Materials and certificates in Multimedia Production and Educational Text Book Publishing. Her artwork explores a variety of mediums and techniques which include acrylics, oil pastel, markers, pen and ink, print making and collage. Arlette exhibits frequently in Barbados, and has also exhibited in Kingston, Jamaica; Boston, Washington, New York,  North Carolina and  Miami, USA; London, England and Paris,  France.

 

Marlon “Ilon” Skeete – Barbados

Marlon Skeete, or Ilon as he prefers to be known, is a wood sculptor who works with most Caribbean hardwoods. A self- taught artist, his aesthetic exudes a spirituality borne of his Rastafarian faith and technical brilliance and displays his talent as a builder and tradesman. Ilon has participated in exhibitions in his native Barbados as well as New York, USA. His work is held in several private collections in Barbados and abroad.

 

Afreekan Southwell – Antigua/USVI

Afreekan Southwell was born in Antigua. He moved to the US Virgin Islands in 1981. He is a self-taught artist whose creativity ranges from oil paintings and poetry to acting and music. He is a master wood carver and drummer. His wood carvings reflect his love for his African Heritage. He uses mahogany as his medium and with his hammer and chisel creates a transformation of this beautiful wood that is nothing less than spectacular.  Afreekan has recently added a new skill to his already long list of talents, wood turning; creating smaller objects that exhibit his extraordinary gift of communicating with the wood he is working with. Afreekan’s first solo exhibition in New York City, “Reflection of a Culture”, debuted in 2001 to positive critical reviews.

 

Amanda Trought – Barbados

“My interests lie in the use of art, texture and colour within the health, community and corporate setting. I have exhibited widely in the UK, both solo and group work.  More recently working on the use of sculpture, collage work, poetry and altered art.  As an Artist, I am keen to explore how art and creativity can be used in different settings, and how we use creative expression as a means of communication. I am very interested in colour and texture and use a variety of techniques and mediums in creating images.   I have worked extensively with the elderly with dementia and look at ways in which we can find ways for them to explore their creativity in a relaxed and un-judged environment.”

 

Alfred Weekes – Barbados

Alfred Weekes has been creating wire sculptures since the 1970s and his work has been exhibited widely throughout the Caribbean and North America. In 1993 Mr. Weekes was judged BEST IN SHOW at the 1993 Manchester Art Association show in Manchester, Connecticut. In August 1998, Mr. Weekes' first one-man exhibition, “In Person", consisting entirely of colorful relief sculptures, received critical acclaimatBrooklyn Moon Café in New York City. His technique has continued to evolve and his sculpture has become almost painterly in rendition. Mr. Weekes’ work is held in private collections throughout the Caribbean, Europe, and the U.S.

 

 

“Diaspora Dialogue III” – special exhibit of Global Diaspora Artists

Khuumba Ama - USA

Khuumba Ama was born in Savannah, Georgia, and spread her wings in Harlem, USA.  There she learned spiritual ways of expressing her energy through natural art forms. She is a full time multi-media artist of original and one-of-a-kind creations.  When her energy is not consumed into her crafts, she extends herself as a Teaching Artist and Mentor to assist children in self-esteem workshop, using arts & crafts as her tool to connect with them.  She recently designed a program to help seniors who are challenged with symptoms of Alzheimer and/or Dementia. Khuumba’s work has been sold and exhibited at galleries, libraries, hospitals, churches, fairs, museums, private gatherings and in the shops of Harlem, Brooklyn, Queens in New York; as well as, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, & Georgia - USA; Trinidad, Grenada, The US/British Virgin Islands,  Brazil and Africa.

 

Elsie Apacible - USA

Elsie Apacible was born in the Philippines and lives in Astoria, New York City. She has exhibited her paintings in galleries and institutions across New York City and as far away as Singapore. A free spirited person, Elsie believes there is no limit to learning new things. She believes in a passing energy from every element of life and is convinced that nature is the corridor to its own vital existence. She relives the recorded memories she gathered in her travels, and to see that joy manifested in her work. Her passion for colors, and vision for shapes and sizes give her the ability to explore - attributing her work to a certain perspective that makes it evident to her audience.

 

S. Ross Browne – USA

S. Ross Browne studied Communication Art and Design at Virginia Commonwealth University

and Photography at The Corcoran School of the Arts. He is also an alumnus of The Miller

School of Albemarle in Charlottesville, Virginia. He has taught art and design for inner city

and at risk youth for the Fresh Air Fund of N.Y.C, Weed and Seed, Project Ready and Art 180

of Richmond, VA. He was also an instructor for the Resident Associate Program at The

Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC. During his tenure as the Art Specialist for the VCU

Health System, Ross practiced art therapy for and taught art to his various patients with an

emphasis on pediatric hematology/oncology, infectious disease and brain injury patients. He is

also an illustrator and graphic designer with a long and varied list of clientele. Ross continues to

paint and write out of his studio in Richmond, Virginia. In a review of the exhibition Art Fusion in the Richmond Times Dispatch, Special Correspondent, CeCe Bullard wrote; "Browne, always

intense and direct, explores the many faces of the American experience in a variety of media,

each of which he uses effectively." S. Ross Browne is the recipient of numerous awards and

honors, and has been featured in various local and national media. His work has been acquired

by the internationally recognized Virginia Museum of Fine Art and is in the collection of

international, national and local institutions.

 

Myrah Brown Green - USA

Dr. Myrah Brown Green is an Art Historian, author, professional quilter maker, lecturer, arts consultant and independent curator.  Raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Dr. Myrah’s love for the arts began as a child while spending countless hours creating at the Community Art Center in the housing complex where she lived and frequent excursions to galleries, art museums, and other culturally rich institutions.  She moved to New York to attend Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. Dr. Myrah is a professional quilt maker who has been teaching textile arts for over thirty years and all levels of quilt making for more than two decades.  Her quilts are in a number of private collections including the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Museum in Washington, D.C and Michigan State University. M B Green Arts Curating is dedicated to documenting the legacy and re-invigorating the careers of under recognized elder master artists of color in New York City. Dr. Myrah has access to a team of professional curators, scholars, registrars, artists, photographers, film-makers, archivists and art handlers ready to focus on the artists. The highlight of her curatorial experiences to date has been the Otto Neals Retrospective 2015 exhibition featuring 284 pieces of the master artist’s work, exhibited in six galleries simultaneously, throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn, New York. Dr. Myrah has earned a PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus in Art History. She continues her academic research in The Presence of African Symbols in Modern Art that has expanded to the Presence of African Symbols in North American Quilts. Currently, Dr. Myrah is completing the book, Brooklyn on My Mind: Black Visual Artists from the WPA to the Present due to be released in 2016.

 

Sadikisha Collier – USA

Ms. Sadikisha Saundra Collier is a native New Yorker, born and raised in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn N.Y. Sadikisha is a multi-media artist, but is primarily known and recognized as a Master printmaker.   Her work ranges from prints, painting, collage, computer graphics, and stained glass.  She also expresses herself through video editing and fashion design. Sadikisha has a Master’s in Education from Cambridge College in Boston, Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Museum and Gallery management Certificate from California College of Arts and Crafts. Collier’s work is in the collection of the late Ed Bradley of 60 Minutes, The Honorable David Dinkins, The Honorable Councilman Al Vann, Whitney Houston, Carver Bank, Thelonious Monk Jr., Valerie Bell-Bey, and a host of others. Sadikisha has exhibited with such notable artists as Jacob Lawrence, Tom Feelings, Otto Neals, Bob Blackburn, Ernest Crichlow, Ann Tanksley, Ted Gunn, Vincent Smith, Varnette Honeywood and many others. President of the oldest African American art fair in NY, Fulton Art Fair 2011-2014 Her work has been sold at Sotheby’s auction house. Collier is a Producer at BCAT Cable network and her artwork has been featured on the hit show “New York Undercover.”

 

 

JW Ford – USA

J.W. Ford is an accomplished artist who has worked in watercolor, acrylic, charcoal, graphite and digital art. Most recently she has begun working in metal - embossing and painting on copper, brass and aluminum. She studied at the venerable Art Students League, School of Visual Arts, Fashion Institute of Technology and The Craft Students League, all in New York City. Ford’s artwork has been exhibited in notable galleries in New York City and Los Angeles, while her piece "Time Out" won a place in the prestigious Taos Watercolor Society Show at the Van Vechten Gallery in Taos, New Mexico. She was honored by the New York Urban League in their “Salute to African American Women Artists” and her work is in the collection of EBONY/JET Magazine and has been featured in national publications such as Decor Magazine and Art Business News. Ford’s early art was published by Icart Graphics of California and distributed throughout the United States and Europe. One of the prints "Natural Beauty" was part of the set on an episode of ABC network sitcom "Hangin' with Mr. Cooper".

 

Ernani Silva – Brazil

Ernani Silva, artist, curator, educator and mentor was born in the hills outside of Rio de Janeiro.  At four years of age he picked up the pencil, pen and natural fruit juices and applied them to paper, he has not stopped painting since.   He had his first gallery showing in 1969.  He also introduced painting as an alternative to violence for youth in the hills of Rio. Ernani is known for his freedom of expression and use of strong vibrant colors that move across the paper as if the figures were dancing or playing a musical instrument.  He speaks several different languages and is passionate about art and art history.  The language he speaks best is with his brush or with the paint applied directly from the tube to the canvas. In keeping with his commitment to his collectors, Ernani’s works are all originals on paper, wood or canvas.   In 2014 he celebrates forty-five years of exhibiting his original work in the United States.

 

Danny Simmons – USA

Danny Simmons, Jr., is an American abstract painter from Queens, NY, who coined his particular style of painting as “neo-African Abstract Expressionism.” His talent and passion for the arts reaches beyond the canvas; he is a published author, poet, painter and art philanthropist.    The New York Times, in reviewing one of his art exhibitions, stated that Simmons “injects freshness” into his abstracts, and that they are “meticulously rendered and decoratively impressive.” Today, his works appear in prominent locales around the globe, including: Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn Museum,  Chase Manhattan Bank, Deutsche Bank, Schomburg Center for Black Culture, The Smithsonian, United Nations, and, on an international scope has shown work in France, Amsterdam and Ghana. In 2015, he will serve as a scholarly consultant for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) in Washington, DC.

 

TAFA – Ghana

TAFA is an award-winning painter whose work is exhibited and collected internationally. His style is characterized by a richly vivid palette and heavily textured surface. He obtained a BFA degree from the College of Art, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana. He currently lives in Harlem, New York. TAFA was named 2010 Sport Artist of the Year by the American Sport Art Museum and Archives. TAFA’s paintings have been celebrated and exhibited in galleries, educational and cultural institutions in the US, Japan, Europe, and Africa. His work may be found in numerous permanent public and private collections, including the Superior Court, Washington, D.C, Barclays Bank, Sparrow Hospital, Michigan, Shell Co, Ghana’s National Museum, Carver Federal Bank and former New York City Mayor, David N. Dinkins, Bryant Gumbel and former US President Bill Clinton. “Myth, worship and ritual is what attracts me, the arena as a landscape or the athlete or player as portraiture is not what inspires me. Sport as a metaphor for life and faith fascinates me - our collective allegiance and dedication to the gods and deities of the game, the mass psychology and identification, almost prehistoric and primal. It is the mythic power of the stadium, the arena, which has become the new basilica and pyramid, synagogue and temple.” says TAFA. This myth and almost religious relevance is also captured in his paintings of marches and protestors.

 

Shenna Vaughn – USA

Shenna Vaughn’s intuitive abstract paintings tell subconscious narratives of the deep stories of the soul. Shenna’s use of warm colors sets the stage for the expression of the personal thoughts that all must confront. Shenna was born and raised in Queens, New York. She attended FIT and received her Bachelor’s degree from Hunter College. Her work has been included in national group exhibitions at Skylight Gallery (January 2014), Prizm Art Fair (December 2013), Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning (December 2013) Rush Arts Gallery (November 2013), The Baobab Cultural Center(August 2013), Art Prize (September 2013)  Gallery Guichard (August 2013) African American Museum of Dallas Texas (April, 2013), Jamaica Performing Arts Center (February 2013), Rush Arts Gallery (October 2012), The WAH Center (October 2012), Gallery Guichard (August & May 2012) and Miami Scope Art Basel (December 2011) as well as international group exhibitions at Agora Gallery (February 2011) and Caelum Gallery (July 2010). She has had solo shows at Jamaica Performing Arts Center (February 2014), Le Grand Dakar (January 2011) and Cape Liberty Gallery (July 2008).

 

Special Event - “Illusion: Streets Paved with Gold” – Poetry and Photos

 

Victor Richards – UK

Victor Richards is an Actor, Writer, Director and Spoken Word Artist. Born in London of Barbadian parents he has toured in the U.K. and overseas. His drama workshop for children is very unique and highly in demand.15 years ago he established V Jay Theatre Productions, a dynamic company offering a variety of services, based in the City of Leicester in England. Their work takes them all over the UK and has been taken to an international level! They write and produce one-man productions exploring issues such as identity, sense of belonging and communication – their services are also available for productions which are already underway but need finishing touches or another pair of eyes studying the finer detail of them. The company continues to diversify, evolving their performances into the field of spoken word and, with the help of a new website (http://vjaytheatre.net/), using forums to enable the post-performance discussions that take place to carry on beyond the day of the performance and around the world!