February 2017 visual arts magazine barbados

Andrew Hewkin. An exhibition of watercolours from the island. 5th February–24th March 2017. Holders House St James Barbados.

This will be the sixth one-man exhibition that Andrew Hewkin has held in Barbados. Previous exhibitions have featured mainly oil paintings that are of, or have been influenced by, the West Indies and in particular Barbados, an island he has come to appreciate over the last forty years for its visual beauty, special natural light and diverse history.

Following his large exhibition at St Peter’s Bay in 2013/14 which comprised forty-five paintings from his collection, this show is an extensive display of his new watercolours for the first time. Andrew’s vibrant sketches reflect themes and subjects seen in his large oils that may be familiar to aficionados of his work and to many here on the island. ‘‘I have decided to show a collection of watercolours entitled ‘POSTCARDS FROM BARBADOS’. This work was born out of my earlier travels sailing throughout the Indonesian archipelago in 2011/12 when I produced a selection of watercolour sketches based around the concept of ‘the postcard’.

Postcards are a very old form of communication and were probably the first visual means that travellers had to portray the location they were visiting and share it with their loved ones back home – a forerunner to the social media of today – but a far more evocative and personal vehicle than the iPhone, Facebook or Instagram. The fact that the picture postcard travelled ‘itself’ to reach its distant location made it even more of an exciting prospect as a concept to me.

The intrepid journey by plane and liner over continents and oceans of the adventurers carefully chosen image, bearing the decorative beauty of exotic stamps and postmarks, could only have enhanced its long-awaited arrival. I found all these elements incredibly stimulating and inspiring, so I set out to emulate the expression behind this long-lost art form and project it to a higher plane – as ‘fine art‘. I wanted to record events that would otherwise fade away and to regenerate the thrill and passion for distant travel. I think my ‘postcard’ watercolours refresh the essence of the excitement one experiences by relaying thoughts in a form that is tangible, memorable and above all, appreciated for its uniqueness and aesthetic quality.’’

Andrew Hewkin. 2016.

There will be over 30 watercolours.

All images are originals and will not be reproduced in any other form.

Andrew Hewkin M.A., Holders House, Holders Hill, St James, Barbados.

Gallery: 432 6385/1823 Andrew (20 Jan–20 March): (246)-422-0204 Andrew Cell Phone +44 7961144179 andrewhewkin@hotmail.com www.andrewhewkin.com