Gallery of Caribbean Art, Speightstown
Coral Be
rnadine
ee-A-Tow Catherine Forter Ch
t i a r Poroft the Artists
ey Trac
iams
Will
Catherine Forter Chee-A-Tow, born in Bordeaux with dual citizenship of France and Barbados is an autodidactic artist with a strong interest in Caribbean literature and history. Educated at the Universities of Bordeaux, Salamanca and Oxford, her work is much sought after and collected locally and internationally. Strong colours, bold lines and contrasts characterize her work, which is mostly in acrylic. Neville ‘Oluyemi’ Legall states that “Today man is enslaved. Shackled by the pressure of survival and belonging in a materialistic society. Constant hustle and chaos precludes seeing; this many people fail to observe and experience treasures of nature”. When he paints he is not concerned about current trends. His methods are set and simple–he paints the things he likes, however he wants to. Art for him is an expression of
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liberty. Past president of the Barbados Arts Council, Neville has been painting full time since 1984 to great acclaim, exhibiting around the world, teaching, judging and producing beautiful vibrant Barbadian art. Heidi Berger has led a peripatetic life in Canada and Europe, consistently returning to the family home in Barbados since 1976. She works with acrylics, collage and encaustic. Palimpsest, half erased or covered layers, allows the past to be visible in the present. Incorporating collage and words gives them a different context, a different life in a cohesive whole. Heidi has exhibited in many solo and group exhibitions and her awardwinning paintings are found in private and corporate collections all over the world. She teaches art in Barbados and Canada. This year Barbadian watercolourist, Coral Bernadine, celebrates 50 years as a professional artist, at the same
time that Barbados celebrates 50 years as an independent nation. Her many contributions to art in Barbados include painting the emancipation mural in the West Wing of Parliament, the design of the national dress of Barbados and tutoring art in the Rehabilitation Programme at H.M. Prisons. Her exhibition, ‘Power and the Glory’ Barbados Day in November 2015 was a precursor for an exhibition in 2016 in honour of the 50th year of Barbados’ independence. Tracey Williams is a Barbadian who pursued her lifelong ambition of being an artist, developing and refining her philosophy and skills in acryllic and oils under the tutilage of Standley Greaves and Alison Chapman Andrews. She followed her dreams and opened a retail store called the The Art Hub Barbados which sells art supplies and materials. She also teaches and conducts workshops, becoming a Golden Art Educator in 2015. Tracey’s work centres on flowers and landscapes with bold colours and sexual overtones. Janice Elizabeth Stewart, Liz, is known in the art world by her signature ‘Baiti’. A Barbadian artist with strong influences from her Lokono Arawak Indian grandmother from Guyana, she was awarded the Carmichael Prize for the Best New Emerging Artist in 2011. Art lovers describe her work as different and vibrant in colour, which is reflective of the Caribbean. Her art is sold both locally and internationally.