10232020 WEEKEND

Friday, October 23, 2020

Weekend

photography interview art gardening history crafts puzzles animals MURAL WELCOME FOR CHILDREN Pages 08 + 09

Faces in the frame Artist June Collie opens new gallery

pg 16

02 | The Tribune | Weekend

photography

A Rose-Coloured Lens Wake up Bahamas

B

eauty is all around us in the Bahamas, on land and in the sea. But many of us are too busy with everyday life to pause and really see and enjoy the astonishing sights that surround us. Veteran photographer ROLAND ROSE captures both the ordinary and extraordinary and puts it in frame for us so we can see our environment in a new light.

Wake up, Bahamas.

The sun rises in the east over our Bahamaland. It’s time to wake up. The money moguls are going to drill for oil. They say they have millions of dollars of insurance?

How will that help an oil-covered Bahamas?

The BP oil spill covered an area the size of our 700 islands.

Friday, October 23, 2020

The Tribune | Weekend | 03

Friday, October 23, 2020

Weekend

My Perfect Bahamian Weekend in Lockdown

Inside

Racquel Horton Grooming Specialist

2 Photography

Roland Rose captures the beauty of The Bahamas

Q. What will you be binge watching this weekend?

“If I am to binge watch, my favourite is cartoons. I particularly love to watch South Park. Kyle, Kenny, Stan and Eric always give me a good chuckle.”

4-5 Interview

Dr Selima Campbell-Hauber speaks to Cara Hunt

6 Puzzles

Q. What’s on your weekend lockdown menu?

“I love salty sausage with some cheese and crackers.

That reminds me of my high school days at Government High. I also make crab salad, chicken souse and I recently got into making my own Chinese food. I must have some wine and I make a pretty tasty switch.”

7 Crafts

Crochet talent becomes business venture

7 Entertainment

Search for a child star begins

8-9 Art

Q. What activities will you be doing to pass the lockdown time?

“Yoga is a must. I usually go across to the Yoga on Paradise Island, but have been doing it from home lately. I’m also addicted to doing word search puzzles that helps to exercise my mind.”

Murals to welcome returning children

10 Crafts

Cake toppers prove a hit

11 Gardening

Labels and timing

12-13 Literary Lives

The countries and loves of a modernist writer

14 History

Forgotten Facts visits Southwest Bay

15 Animals

The five freedoms

16 Art

A path to mindfulness

THIS WEEKEND IN HISTORY Friday, October 23 • In 1983, 241 US service members, most of them Marines, were killed in a suicide truck-bombing at Beirut International Airport in Lebanon; a near-simultaneous attack on French forces killed 58 paratroopers.

• In 1915, tens of thousands of women paraded up Fifth Avenue in New York City, demanding the right to vote.

• In 2009, President Barack Obama declared the swine flu outbreak a national emergency, giving his health chief the power to let hospitals move emergency rooms offsite to speed treatment and protect non-infected patients.

• In 2014, officials announced that an emergency room doctor who’d recently returned to New York City after treating Ebola patients in West Africa tested positive for the virus, becoming the first case in the city and the fourth in the nation. (Dr Craig Spencer later recovered.)

Birthdays: Soccer great Pele is 80.

Movie director Ang Lee is 66. Country singer Dwight Yoakam is 64. Movie director Sam Raimi is 61. Parodist “Weird Al” Yankovic is 61. CNN medical reporter Dr Sanjay Gupta is 51. Actor Ryan Reynolds is 44. TV personality Meghan McCain (“The View”) is 36. Actor Emilia Clarke is 34.

Saturday, October 24 • In 1972, Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson, who’d broken Major League Baseball’s modern-era color barrier in 1947, died in Stamford, Connecticut, at age 53.

07

Q. If you had to be quarantined with a celebrity, who would it be and why?

“Oh wow, I love Buju Banton. He is my celebrity crush and I also wouldn’t mind spending time with Donald Trump just to see his true colors. People act differently after being in quarantine/lockdown after a while.”

Q. If you could spend the weekend anywhere not affected by COVID-19, where would it be?

“Tajikstan would be an interesting place. I would dress in Islamic clothing and enjoy their native dishes.”

• In 1861, the first transcontinental telegraph message was sent by Chief Justice Stephen J Field of California from San Francisco to President Abraham Lincoln in Washington, DC, over a line built by the Western Union Telegraph Co. • In 1945, the United Nations officially came into existence as its charter took effect.

• In 2005, civil rights icon Rosa Parks died in Detroit at age 92.

Birthdays: Rock musician Bill Wyman is 84. Actor Kevin Kline is 73. R&B singer-rapper-actor Drake is 34.

Sunday, October 25 • In 1910, “America the Beautiful,” with words by Katharine Lee Bates and music by Samuel A Ward, was first published.

• In 1854, the “Charge of the Light Brigade” took place during the

Crimean War as an English brigade of more than 600 men charged the Russian army, suffering heavy losses.

• In 1962, American author John Steinbeck was named winner of the Nobel Prize in literature.

• In 1999, golfer Payne Stewart and five others were killed when their Learjet flew uncontrolled for four hours before crashing in South Dakota; Stewart was 42.

• In 2014, the World Health Organization said more than 10,000 people had been infected with Ebola and that nearly half of them had died as the outbreak continued to spread. Jack Bruce, 71, the bassist and lead vocalist of the 1960s power trio Cream, died in London.

Birthdays: Basketball Hall of Famer Bob Knight is 80. Actress Nancy Cartwright (TV: “The Simpsons”) is 63. Pop singer Katy Perry is 36. Singer Ciara is 35. Basketball Hall of

04 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, October 23, 2020

interview

Dr Selima Campbell-Hauber With COVID-19 affecting the world, many people have taken to gardening as an alternative food source. Ahead of them in that field is Dr Selima Campbell-Hauer, who went from school straight into the field. She talks to CARA HUNT about her journey, and on how the changing world is changing our view on producing food.

T

he seeds for Dr Selima CampbellHauber’s career as an agriculturist were planted years ago as a high school senior during career week.

A few decades later, as the owner of From Field to Fork Community Farm Ltd, she is helping to increase the county’s food sustainability and hopes to motivate a new generation to enter the industry.

“It really started six months before I graduated high school from Kingsway Academy,” she told Tribune Weekend.

“We had a careers week and the Minister of Education (at that time Dr Bernard Nottage) gave a speech encouraging students to go into the field of agriculture. The thing that really stood out to me from that speech was when he mentioned just how much money the country spent on importing food.

That really was the impetus for me to want to have a career in argiculture.

Selima first attended the then College of The Bahamas where she minored in biology and majored in agriculture, before completing her bachelor degree in agriculture at Tuskegee University in Alabama. She then went on to receive her Master’s at the University of Florida.

“After my Master’s, I took a break and worked for a few years, I was working at a Botanical Garden in Florida, but after a while I was unhappy with the commodity nature of that where the focus was primarily on making profits and so I decided that I would go back to school and earn my Phd in horticulture, which I got at the University of Georgia.

“By that time, I was really ready to focus more on researching because research propels the change needed to change global problems,” she explained.

It was also time to come back home.

“I came home in 2007 with no idea what I would be doing or where I would be working. I really didn’t have any prospects. But then I went to tour Lucayan Tropical and asked the general manager Tim Hauber for advice. He had a small community farm on the grounds of the New Providence Community Centre which he didn’t have the time time to run and so I started running the garden.

“Tim eventually became my husband, and so that ended up working really well. I got a job and and a husband.”

“We are nowhere near self-sufficiency, but there is a lot more room for farmers.”

The community garden eventually grew into Field to Fork Community Farm which eventually was relocated from the BCC site to a much larger plot of land.

The farm focuses on grown produce using sustainable and innovative productions that protect the environment and consumer health and has had a large customer base. In addition to selling

to the public, they have also been able to provide locally-grown produce to restaurant and hotels.

And while there is still a long way to go, she is happy that more and more people are interested in eating organically grown produce and in purchasing those items locally.

“You can tell just by going to the Gladstone Farmer’s Market, a few years ago, you would see

The Tribune | Weekend | 04

Friday, October 23, 2020

mostly cottage industry vendors, you know people selling things like jam and jellies, and maybe six farmers but now there are a lot more farmers there selling produce.”

There is nothing but growth for the industry, however.

“We are nowhere near self-sufficiency, but there is a lot more room for farmers. In the 1920s a century ago, we exported thousands of pounds of produce such as pineapples and tomatoes, citrus, but we are nowhere near that now, we have fewer farmers and the average age of farmers is around 65.

“The other thing is that our diet is heavily based on produce that is not locally grown here for example peas and rice - we can grow the peas, but we can’t grow rice here, or potato, we eat lots of potato salad and we can’t really grow and process potatoes here. And even with some of the crops we can grow, because of our climate they are often seasonal and if we were to be completely self sufficient there would have to be a big shift in our diets.”

The current state of world events may help lead to a shift.

With COVID affecting every aspect of life, Selima has also reiterated the call for people to try their hand at backyard farming and to increase crop production in the country.

“You can see when you go into the food store, that often times you just may not be able to find the items that you want.

As producing countries battle COVID and having workers quarantine, they will have less crops available to ship overseas and some suppliers here will have less money to bring in certain items and so being able to go into your back garden or purchasing local as much as you can is so valuable.

Just as she was encouraged to enter the profession all those years ago, Selima also wants to encourage. A new generation of students to enter the field “I think what a lot of people don’t understand and appreciate is that agriculture is a wide field that can be highly specialised.

It is more than just planting.

It is an applied science which involves biology when it comes to things like medicinal plants, veterinary science when it comes to the care of livestock, chemistry as it relates to the composition of soil and improving it for crop production, food science that would help determine how to preserve and improve the quality of foods and many other areas which would definitely improve the industry here in The Bahamas if more persons entered the field.”

lost first and weakest member (4) 28 Way to believe it’s lacking popular acceptance (6,4)

06 | The Tribune | Weekend

Best described as a number crossword, the task in Kakuro is to fill all of the empty squares, using numbers 1 to 9, so the sum of each horizontal block equals the number to its left, and the sum of each vertical block equals the number on its top. No number may be used in the same block more than once. The difficulty level of the Conceptis Kakuro increases from Monday to Sunday.

3 4 1 5 8 9 6 2 7

oYA twl rDu

● The Target uses words in the main body of Chambers 21st Century Dictionary (1999 edition)

TODAY’S TARGET Good 13; very good 20; excellent 26 (or more). Solution on Monday

Yesterday’s call 0907 181 2585 for today’s target solution Sudoku Answer *Calls cost 80p per minute plus your telephone company’s network access charge.

BATTLESHIPS Across 1 Amazed by a dishonest arrangement (10) 6 Polishes grates (4) 10 Right - or in the French wrong (5) 11 Out to make one uneasy? (3,2,4) 12 City that could become an US icon (8) 13 Nominally involved in a court case (5) 15 I call round on pressing business (7) 17 The head cleaner (7) 19 No gentleman loses his life on the golf course (7) 21 I will be bound to feature a lot in his conversation (7) 22 Record score (5) 24 Insect that is dissected gives precise details (8) 27 Not impressed (9) 28 Fish around in wet conditions (5) 29 A great sea power (4) 30 The hour is near at hand for its owner (10)

1

2

3

4

Down 1 Bill joins me at the summit (4) 2 Customarily it’s no walkover for the bride (9) 3 Only order northern fabric (5) 4 Evil ruler foundering (7) 5 Nurse in bizarre sex case holds out (7) 7 Vessel designed to sink itself and others (1-4) 8 They go on fast; just on water (10) 9 Cat’s coat in far from smooth condition (8) 14 Give the players the wrong time? (10) 16 Hibernian leads a machine operator a lively dance (5,3) 18 Bill is brought to heel by what things cost (5,4) 20 The Spanish man at the centre is a politician (7) 21 Doesn’t make a message plain (7) 23 Largely drank up a store of supplies (5) 25 Make pottery of potential worth (5) 26 Legend ever in my thoughts (4)

5

6

7

8

9 10

11

12

13

14 15

16

17

19

22

20

23

24

18

21

25 26

27

29

28

30

Yesterday’s Easy Solution Across: 1 Pilgrim, 5 Prone, 8 Out of hand, 9 Tea, 10 Go by, 12 Prospect, 14 Spoils, 15 Canary, 17 Overseas, 18 Seal, 21 Ape, 22 In support, 24 Hefty, 25 Monitor.

Down: 1 Prong, 2 Lot, 3 Rift, 4 Meagre, 5 Pedestal, 6 On the wane, 7 Exactly, 11 By oneself, 13 Classify, 14 Stomach, 16 Hansom, 19 Later, 20 Span, 23 Opt.

Yesterday’s Cryptic Solution Across: 1 Let drop, 5 Incur, 8 Transport, 9 Neb, 10 Pack, 12 Round off, 14 Daniel, 15 Medals, 17 Skipping, 18 Stun, 21 Apt, 22 Redbreast, 24 Ruddy, 25 Secrete.

Down: 1 Lit up, 2 Tea, 3 Rash, 4 Proton, 5 Intended, 6 Consonant, 7 Rebuffs, 11 Convicted, 13 Hen party, 14 Despair, 16 Anodes, 19 Nitre, 20 Eric, 23 Awe.

EASY PUZZLE

Across 1 Sanguine (10) 6 And furthermore (4) 10 Loaded (5) 11 Chance meeting (9) 12 Constraint (8) 13 Small spot (5) 15 Posy (7) 17 Tomb inscription (7) 19 Out of control (7) 21 Comply with the rules (7) 22 Add together (3,2) 24 New York theatreland (8) 27 Sudden bright idea (9) 28 To block (5) 29 Resound (4) 30 Have under surveillance (4,4,2)

Down 1 Except that (4) 2 In a long-winded way (9) 3 Comparatively unimportant (5) 4 Name expressly (7) 5 Enrage (7) 7 Unit of capacity (5) 8 Have the intended effect (6,4) 9 Throw doubt on (8) 14 Offered for discussion (2,3,5) 16 Riveting (8) 18 Irregular (9) 20 Include (7) 21 Detailed view (5-2) 23 Rubbish (5) 25 Russian country house (5) 26 Unproductive (4)

FIND where the fleet of ships shown is hidden in the grid. The numbers to the right of and below the grid indicate how many of the squares in that row are filled in with ships or parts of ships. The ships do not touch each other, even diagonally. Some squares have been filled in to start you off.

Solution on Monday 1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9 10

A

2

B

3

C

2

D

2

E

1

F

2

G

2

H

1

I

4

J

1 3

2

0

3

1

7 6 3 4 1 8 2 9 5

2 9 8 6 5 7 1 3 4

5 1 4 9 2 3 8 7 6

5 6 3 2 8 4 1 7 5 9

6 1 8 9 3 7 5 4 6 2

3 2 8 4 1 7 9 4 3 2 8 7 9 5 4 3 6 7 4 5 9 6 2 1 8 5 7 5 7 6 1 3 4 8 2 1 9 2 1 6 3 5 2 4 9 5 7 2 9 6 8 6 4 8 9 1 7 3 3 8 5 4 7 9 2 1 9 1 6 3 8 5 8 2 3 7 6 4 1

8 9 6 7 3 2 1 4 5

1 3 7 9 4 5 6 2 8

K Y B A L L A W

2 4 5 8 1 6 3 7 9

3

3

E M E D A P J C

A D M U S S O P

H S I W H W D E

U M M B K E F K

E R O A B E V J

L B N M X L U W

R G L P D P E D

Friday, October 23, 2020

SMALL CroSSWorD

HOW many words of four letters or more can you make from the letters shown here? in making a word, each letter may be used once only. Each must contain the centre letter and there must be at least one nine-letter word. no plurals or verb forms ending in “s”.

CRYPTIC PUZZLE

9 2 6 7 3 4 5 8 1

A I W U T O K R

O V N R P T O B

J N L T N O A X

A J H A V R L T

A T L U K O A W

THE ALPHABEATER

TARGET Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so the each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Conceptis Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday

8 5 7 1 6 2 9 4 3

0

4

1 x Battleship

3 x Destroyer

2 x cruiser

4 x submarine

1

Across: 1 Synthetic, 7 Xanadu, 9 Falkirk, 10 Ergo, 12 Raw,

ALPHAbeATer cAn you crack Alphabeater?THe Each grid 13 Marbles, 14 Eel,the 15 Spin, Extra lett 17 Student, 19 Teresa, a letter – or black black squares: 11, 20, 22, 23 number represents square. 1, 3, 7, 9,0907 18 20 Marshland. Down: 1 Safe seat, 28,the 31, alphabet 32, 35, 38.

As in Alphapuzzle, every letter of (Deduct three 2 Year, 3 Nil, 4 Hairbrush, 5 Enrols, Across: Penny, Dreadful, Tuba, Strea each extra clue is6 Ideas, used.8But you have to complete the grid too!

Unwanted, 11 Orates, Fated, Ouzo, Quaking, Tutu, Vexes, 13 Medea, 16 In on, 18 Eva. use the given letters and black squares Defrosts, below Gaze, Niceties, Worth. full so Down: Font, Dunk, Extra,0907 Nub, Enquir the grid to start. the grid is ‘rotationally 18 Backs, Writ, Them, Rejig, Idealogue, A TArgeT symmetrical’ – in other words, it Eject, looksPlod, theOhms. *Calls cost 80p p your telephon eXTrADiTe same if you turn the page upside down. aerie aide aired arid attire attired CroSS DoubT network acc Solution on Monday dearie diet dieter dire dirt edit eider exit exited EXTRADITE idea irate A 8 iterated iterate 31 30 raid9ride rite 6 radix taxi B taxied tide tied tier tiered tirade tire tired titre trait triad tried

Across: PLACE

31 17Down:17KICKS

20

6

15

SuMMiT uP

C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

39

14

28

35

24

1 7632 3189 and

16

4

38

27

11

35

10

13

33

28

11

25

35

6

13

40

2

27

3

40

27

22

1

34

39

4

17

37

19

8

10

37

28

4

26

2

25

35

5

35

34

35

19

22

31

11

10

28

27

34 33 2 30Yesterday’s

40

38

8

23

16

32

6

Kakuro 34 21 8 18 35 Answer

27

34

6

6

6

39

13

33

12

36

19

10

19

8

24

23

16

36

17

24

27

3

35

5

6

39

35

34

32

6

23

10

36

14

1

40

11

9

4

31

37

12

11

16

11

30

23

24

38

39

20

31

23

15

17

6

27

27

12

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30 31

M

P

■

11

12

■ 32 ■

13

14

15

16

17

33

34 35

36

37

D

● Alternatively, for six Extra Letter clues to your mobil text DXBEAT to 84901. Texts cost £1 plus your usual opera

KEIJO 3

2 1 1

1

3

3

2

2

4

2

4

4

1

3

4

Place th the gr four numbe differe appear and

Solu Mo

The Tribune | Weekend | 07

Friday, October 23, 2020

crafts

Search for a star

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net

Making her own business future

By CARA HUNT | Tribune Features Writer | cbrennen@tribunemedia.net

I

t was a request by her daughter that prompted Martha Saunders to start her new business venture, Hooked by Mj. “She asked me if I would crochet her a swimsuit,” Martha told Tribune Weekend.

“Growing up, I loved crocheting. I would make doilies and chair covers just little things like that.

Once COVID-19 happened this year, I had a lot of time on my hand and was bored so I decided let me pick up my crochet needle. At first, I started making some doilies and things for my mother because her house got damaged in Hurricane Dorian and she is redoing it.

“So my daughter told me since I was crocheting, I should just make her a swimsuit.”

Martha says she was hesitant because she had never made a garment before.

“But my daughter thinks that I can do anything and she just wouldn’t take no for an answer, so I did my research and figured out how to do it and it turned out so good, my daughter said ‘Mommy you need to sell these’.”

Thus Hooked by Mj came to life.

Marta started making more swimsuits, matching wraps and shorts and tops to sell.

Her business is still fairly young, but she says that given the current economic state of Grand Bahama, it is really beneficial to have an additional stream of income.

“Things have been really bad in Grand Bahama especially since the hurricane. Things have been really rough, but it is so important to just not be discouraged. I have also been trying my hand at gardening and planting a nursery. I grew up on the island (In Abaco) before I moved to Grand Bahama and we grew up ‘hard’. There was also something that we were doing and now that we have all this time to fill, I have to find ways to stay busy.”

In addition to the pre-made items she has available to sell, Martha is also available to create custom creations for her clients.

Additionally, she says that she will be working on a line of colder weather items as the holidays approach.

It will include items such as hats, scarves and throws.

ALL aspiring child stars are being asked to get clad in their most colorful attire, put on their biggest smile and display their most vibrant act in an audition tape for Goombay Kids season two.

Goombay Kids is the Bahamas’s first ever children’s TV show that is showing the world The Bahamas from a fun, wholesome and cultural perspective by Bahamian kids that airs on OurTv. In the first season, children learned about literacy, the importance of family, the arts, the fundamentals of cooking, gardening, and about our unique Bahamian culture. Hosted by ten-year-old Mara McCartney, the cast hails from all over The Bahamas.

Now an open call is being made to those kids who do not ordinarily have a chance to act in a television show.

Show producers Stephanie Nihon, Amanda Ferguson and director Bernard Farquharson have created this opportunity for kids all around the nation.

For the auditions, a one-minute video clip is needed with the child saying their name, age, the island they, live, why they would be good for Goombay Kids and showing a talent of them singing, dancing or playing a musical instrument.

Ms Nihon said opportunities exists for kids to be developed at a much greater level.

“Goombay Kids is a wonderful way to learn experience on set. Our director, Bernard Farquharson, is a seasoned acting coach and is great with kids. And the producer Amanda Ferguson and creator and I are mothers themselves and always ensure that the kids feel welcome and are having fun on set and do not work too long of hours.

“This role would already be a start an acting resume of work so that’s a great way in itself to start,” she said.

The show has been a great door opening experience for cast member Javien Rankine, from Rock Sound, Eleuthera, who got an incredible opportunity from his involvement with Choice Model Management with filming a popular Netflix show.

More details regarding Javien’s opportunity will be shared later.

“That is all we can say now,” she said.

Ms Nihon believes as opportunities for film and TV grow locally, those interested in acting will have more opportunities to act internationally.

“The TV and film industry is growing every day in The Bahamas with amazing up and coming creatives making exciting new pilots, shows and films. If interested in getting into acting there is the Kids Actors Club at CMM Agency cmmagency.com that is specifically for onscreen acting and gives many audition opportunities to kids. Many of their trained actors are in Goombay Kids Season one and have gone on to get international agents and book and get callbacks for lead roles in film, TV and commercials,” she said.

Goombay Kids has been well received since it launched early September.

With great viewership and nice feedback. The network and we are excited and anticipating season two. With interesting and fun new topics and more islands to discover, season two is set to be a lot of fun,” she said.

For more information, contact stephanie@lfdproductions.com.

10 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, October 23, 2020

crafts

Top that!

T

By ALESHA CADET | Tribune Features Writer | acadet@tribunemedia.net

HE COLOURFUL world of art and craft has always been something Geneé Burns has enjoyed for many years - but only as a hobby.

She spent most of her adult years drawing and painting, where her focus was usually colorful mixed mediums and mixtures of realism and abstract art. The hobby slowly but surely turned into a mission more serious as she began crafting cake toppers in the year 2017 while living in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

“A few of my friends were celebrating birthdays and I decided to make custom toppers for them by hand using Styrofoam, glue, glitter and kabob sticks. I was pretty impressed with the way they turned out and at the time I had no idea there was actually a market out there for ‘customised cake toppers’. It was an idea I explored and fell in love with. I love the entire process of being able to turn an idea into something that is tangible and visual. I look at the finished project and think to myself, “Wow, I actually did that,” said Ms Burns.

Her “Top That” cake topper business grew exponentially since it was launched in Turks in November 2018, and since that time, Ms Burns said she has received so much support from islanders.

She believes Top That would not have been as successful as it was without the client relationships she was able to build during that time.

“Since returning to The Bahamas in 2019, I have been growing at a steady pace that I am pretty content with at the moment.

Thanks to word of mouth and social media I have been able to market my products to reach many people through The Bahamas and I have no doubt Top That will continue to grow as long as I keep creating my high quality and unique pieces,” said Ms Burns.

The entrepreneur said being an artist during the lockdown and quarantine periods were pretty difficult for her. She found herself with a creative block but she worked hard at forcing herself out of it.

“I think the field of art is filled with inspiration and vision.

Artists can have the same perspective on a particular topic but portray them in endless ways. Art has taught me to be more open minded and that there are no real mistakes. Whatever art form someone chooses, it can be a form of mental therapy for them. In the midst of creating one can get lost and just be present in that moment. It’s like the problems or issues from that day or week can just fade away into the back of the mind. I have taken on two initiatives while in lockdown. I have began making, what are called, shaker toppers as well as 3D boxed letters.

“Shaker toppers are essentially cake toppers you can shake.

When I first saw one on Instagram, I thought it was a remarkable idea and a fun keepsake that can be shared on social media, especially in slow-motion mode. The centre of the cake topper is transparent and hollow. In this hollow area I add glitter, beads and confetti of any color of the customer’s choosing. Once all the pieces are glued together, the topper can be hand shaken to move around all the pieces inside. I thought that 3D letters would be an awesome addition to my cake toppers. Customers would be able to order a customised cake topper as well as 3D initials or a name that could act as decorative pieces to stand upright on a table. These are still a work in progress, but I am very excited to launch these soon,” said Ms Burns.

GENEÉ Burns

When it comes to the feedback, Ms Burns said many people often say her cake toppers look heavier than they actually are, and they are amazed by the level of detail put into them.

Thankfully, she said, the business has not yet received any negative feedback to date.

“I make sure my customers are happy with their design before I proceed with making the cake topper itself. I think everyone can use some form of good cheer especially during these unprecedented and strange times. My cake toppers really are just ‘cake accessories’, as I like to put it. It’s not a necessity, but one of those things you can treat yourself or a loved one to and makes a celebration just a little bit more personal and thoughtful. I generally enjoy seeing other’s happy, so being able to contribute someone else’s happiness is priceless for me,” said Ms Burns.

She again reiterated that being a creative during this time can be a challenge. And she truly admires persons who are able to keep focused.

“I believe many of us did struggle on some level. Our day to day lives shifted dramatically and that has huge influence on our mental and as a result our creative process. What I do think is important, is for us to be kind to ourselves when we aren’t feeling our best creatively. I needed time to adjust but what helped me get out of a funk was brain-dumping ideas and goals on that I wanted to achieve after the lockdown. This helped to spark more ideas which in-turn lead to me sketching new designs and creating new samples,” said Ms Burns.

The Tribune | Weekend | 11

Friday, October 23, 2020

gardening

Labels & timing

I

touched on signal words last week and mentioned their importance when selecting insecticides for home use. I also mentioned the importance of reading the label before each use as sometimes we forget, and under application or over application of a pesticide can have detrimental effects.

Once the label has been read, one of the most important things to consider is what stage a pest is in. The cycle differs from pest to pest. Typically, it is circular between egg, larva, pupa, and adult.

Usually plant pests will form wings at some point, and then they spread with much greater efficiency. Some pesticides only affect certain stages of certain pests. With many pesticides, its overall protective effect varies with insect species and life stage. When a pesticide “doesn’t work”, not only does the amount used have to be considered, but also the timing, as to the lifecycle stage of the target plant pest(s).

Primarily, I do any pesticide applications with initial consideration to bees and beneficial insects, which cancels out much of the day from late morning until early evening when bees are most active.

When a pest issue is left too long before treatment, often all lifecycle stages can be found. This is a prime reason as to why secondary, and often tertiary treatments are recommended, as many pesticides are effective against only certain stages of the pest lifecycle. Photos always help when seeking advice, otherwise it turns into guesswork much of the time. Do not guess. If questions remain, please seek advice from a professional pesticide applicator or from a knowledgeable

gardener, sales agent, agricultural professional, and so on.

It is easy to imagine why a kill all becomes the easiest path to take for many home gardeners.

There is a lot to consider, and there is a lot of option on the market. Gardening can seem costly, with all the controls that are needed to remedy infestations, and it does not have to be so.

Prevention is far less time consuming, regarding time, effort, materials, and costs. Prevention becomes impossible if one key action is neglected, that action being “scouting” for pests in the garden. When walking around the garden to check pots, water plants, pick flowers or tend the greens, look underneath leaves, check leaf axils, flower buds, stems, and leaves for any sign of pests, everyday! When one is noticed, likely there are more. Treatment is most effective on time and the pocketbook when the pest issue is caught early.

Rain. Rain brings the gastropods out to party.

Slugs and snails are on the move and they are calling all their friends and family to join them. They are interested in not only tender greens, but they can also feast on decaying leaves, there is a double edge to this. I keep some snails around for the Limpkin birds (we have a couple that make our property their home) and to help to compost dead leaves. This for me, makes control that much more difficult as we found out through a customer that we sent a box full of snails to, you can imagine the plants were not nice and fluffy and full when they got to the island. That was only made possible through delays in applying snail bait to a particular crop, so we send clean plants to replace them, but it shouldn’t have happened in the first place

as pest control is a primary component to dealing in plants. I did not thoroughly scout one weekend, and that is all it took for the army of snails and slugs to march through during that window of time, and they went to town. That issue has since been taken care of, but it reminded me that vigilance is essential to managing pests of all sorts.

Rain. Rain brings the gastropods. Get that snail bait out and spread it wide and far around any plants that you hope to protect, especially if you live near any “bush” that is not maintained.

I swear that snails and slugs spawn and spread through raindrops. They do not, of course, but without a keen eye on the garden, and without correct timing and application rates, the workload will increase, and the pests will seem to be everywhere before you know it.

Doesn’t all this sound familiar, prevention, covering certain areas to provide a boundary around the important plants? We do share a high percentage of DNA with plants… lessons from the garden, keep your eyes open for “bugs”, not all “bugs” are bad, some are good, and some “bugs” grow wings, when they do, it’s not always a bad thing, some plants are made to handle a few aphids or whitefly, some are not. We have the tools and the control, and if the timing is right, it all becomes simple. Prevention is always more efficient than playing catch up. The snails and slugs are on the march, and labels are printed to be read. Plant seeds. As always, I wish you happy gardening!

12 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, October 23, 2020

literary lives

Katherine Mansfield Sir Christopher Ondaatje writes about the chaotic life of the New Zealand modernist writer of short stories and poetry who settled in England and died in France.

to make an honest woman of her at the Register Office. She wore mourning to the ceremony and spent her wedding night with Ida. The marriage was never consummated.”

John Sutherland Lives of the Novelists (2011) On getting news of these misdeeds, her mother arrived in London and immediately sent her daughter to a German Spa, Bad Wörishofen, where she miscarried. Mrs Beauchamp then, learning about Mansfield’s lesbian involvements, disinherited her daughter, who created her first collection of stories, In a German Pension (1911), summarising her experiences. Back in London she published more than twelve articles in Alfred Richard Orage’s left wing magazine The New Age and became a friend and lover of Beatrice Hastings who lived with Orage.

“Make it a rule never to regret and never to look back. Regret is an appalling waste of energy, you can’t build on it – it’s only good for wallowing in.”

Katherine Mansfield

“How hard it is to escape from places. However carefully one goes they hold you – you leave little bits of yourself fluttering on the fences – like rags and shreds of your very life.”

Katherine Mansfield Katherine Mansfield was born Katherine Mansfield Beauchamp in 1888 into a prominent family in Thorndon, Wellington, New Zealand.

Her grandfather, Arthur Beauchamp, represented the Picton electorate in Parliament, and her father, Harold Beauchamp, became chairman of the Bank of New Zealand and was knighted in 1923. Mansfield had two elder sisters, a younger sister and a younger brother. For health reasons, which were to plague Mansfield for the rest of her life, the family moved to the country suburb of Karori, where she spent the happiest days of her childhood.

They returned to Wellington in 1898 and, even though she was only ten years old, she was writing and getting published in the High School Reporter and the Wellington Girls’ High School magazine.

Her first formally published article “His Little Friend” appeared in New Zealand Graphic and Ladies Journal in 1900. She took cello lessons and became an accomplished cellist.

Mansfield moved to London with her sisters and attended Queen’s College, taking more cello lessons thinking she would play professionally. She continued writing and became the editor of the college newspaper. She also met fellow student Ida Baker and they became lifelong friends. Mansfield referred to her as “her wife”. They travelled to Europe – mainly Belgium and Germany, and then returned to New Zealand after finishing her London schooling. There she concentrated on writing her short stories. She had a gift, and had several published in the Native Companion

(1888-1923)

including her first professionally paid story. She now determined only to be a writer.

Growing tired of insular provincial New Zealand she headed back to London two years later, her father generously giving her an allowance of £100 a year for the rest of her life. She never returned – mainly because of her eventual battle with tuberculosis.

“I am a poor – obscure – just eighteen – with a rapacious appetitite for everything and principles as light as my purse.”

Katherine Mansfield Mansfield had male lovers but had two samesex relationships in New Zealand – the first with Maata Mahupuku, a wealthy young Mori woman who she met at school in Wellington, and the second with Edith Kathleen Bendall from 1901 to 1908.

Arriving back in London in 1908, Mansfield fell quickly into a Bohemian way of life.

“She left the colony in July 1908 never to return, other than in her stories. In London, Ida Baker was again her anchor. She needed one. Her life, over the next ten years, was tempestuous. She fell in love with an expatriate New Zealand musician, Arnold Trowell. He did not love her, and she got herself pregnant by his twin brother Garnet. He would not marry her so she persuaded her music teacher George Bowden (many years her senior)

Mansfield sent one of her stories in 1910 to John Middleton Murry – the editor of Rhythm, a new avant garde magazine. He rejected the piece and requested something darker. She responded with a story of murder and mental illness titled “The Woman at the Store”. Not surprisingly Mansfield and Murry began an on-again off-again relationship that culminated in their marriage in 1918.

The publisher of Rhythm, Charles Granville, absconded to Europe leaving Murry responsible for the magazine’s debts. Mansfield stupidly pledged her father’s allowance towards the magazine but it was discontinued, being reorganised as The Blue Review in 1913 and folding after three issues.

“I must say, I hate money. But it’s the lack of it I hate most.”

Katherine Mansfield Mansfield had developed the habit of enticing her editors to be her lovers. Alfred Richard Orage was the first, and now John Middleton Murry.

She also slept with a Pole, Floryan Sobieniowski, who infected her with gonorrhoea. Murry too was riddled with gonorrhoea when they met. Murry, a working class Oxford undergraduate, gave up Oxford for Mansfield, leading to a relationship of tempestuous instability. Mansfield’s consumption caused them increased concern. They were very much part of the modern literary set in London and, because of her ill health, were persuaded to rent a cottage in 1913 near their friend Gilbert Cannan in Buckinghamshire, and for a while lived with DH Lawrence and Frieda von Lichthofen in their utopian commune in Cornwall.

The Tribune | Weekend | 13

Friday, October 23, 2020

Murry and Mansfield had an open union and the couple moved to Paris in 1914 in the hope that the change in setting would be good for her health and make writing easier for them. Murry was recalled to London in 1914 to declare bankruptcy. Mansfield had a brief affair with French writer Francis Carco in 1914 and her visit to him in 1915 is retold in her story “An Indiscreet Journey”.

In 1917, Mansfield and Murry separated. Ida Baker, whom she continued to call her “wife”, moved into her apartment. It was during these years that she entered her most prolific period of writing, including the stories “Mr Reginald Peacock’s Day” and “A Dill Pickle”. Virginia Woolf and her husband Leonard, who had recently set up the Hogarth Press, approached her for a story and she gave them “Prelude” – the story of a New Zealand family moving house.

“Risk! Risk anything! Care no more for the opinions of others, for those voices. Do the hardest thing on earth for you. Act for yourself. Face the truth.

Katherine Mansfield Mansfield and Murry married in 1918 in a London Register office. But now her consumption was galloping. She had been diagnosed the year before with pulminary tuberculosis, and the rest of her life was a mad chase for sun and a cure. She rejected the idea of a sanatorium, saying that it would hinder her writing. She moved to a halfdeserted, cold hotel in Bandol, France, where she was depressed but continued to produce stories, including “Je ne parle pas Francais”. “Bliss” the story that lent its name to her second collection of stories in 1920 was also published in 1918. Her health continued to deteriorate.

“I adore life. What do all the fools matter and all the stupidity. They do matter but somehow for me they cannot touch the body of life. Life is marvellous. I want to be deeply rooted in it – to live – to expand – to breathe in it – to rejoice – to share it. To give and to be asked for Love.”

Katherine Mansfield In March 1919, Murry became editor of The Athenaeum, a magazine for which Mansfield wrote more than a hundred book reviews. She and Ida Baker stayed in a villa in San Remo, Italy, during the winter of 1918-1919. Their close relationship came under strain after she wrote to Murry to express her feelings of depression. He stayed over Christmas, but her life with Murry became increasingly distant after 1918. She wrote “The Man Without a Temperament” about an ill wife and her long-suffering husband. Mansfield followed her first collection of short stories “Bliss” with another collection “The Garden Party and Other Stories” published in 1922. It established her as one of the major writers of her time.

“By health I mean the power to live a full, adult, living breathing life in close contact with what I love – the earth and the wonders thereof – the sea – the sun, all that we mean when we speak

KATHERINE Mansfield with her husband John Middleton Murry

of the external world. I want to enter into it, to be part of it, to live in it, to learn from it, to lose all that is superficial and acquired in me and to become a conscious, direct human being. I want, by understanding myself, to understand others.”

Katherine Mansfield In May 1921, Mansfield and her friend Ida Baker travelled to Switzerland to investigate and possibly be treated by the Swiss bacteriologist Henri Spahlinge. Murry joined her and they rented a chalet in the Montana region until January 1922. Baker rented separate accommodation.

It was a highly productive period of Mansfield’s life as she did not think she had much time left.

“At the Bay”, “The Doll’s House”, “The Garden Party”, and “A Cup of Tea” were written in Switzerland.

“There are always these moments in life when the limits of suffering are reached and we become heroes and heroines.”

Katherine Mansfield Katherine Mansfield spent the last years and months of her life looking for unorthodox cures for her tuberculosis. In February 1922, she went to Paris to have controversial X-ray treatment from the Russian physician Ivan Manoukhin – an unpleasant and expensive treatment that caused severe side effects without improving her condition. From June 4 to August 16, she and Murry returned to Switzerland, living in a hotel in Randogne. Mansfield completed her last short story “The Canary” on 7 July 1922. They then went back to London for six weeks before Mansfield, with Ida Baker, moved to Fontainebleu, France, on October 16, 1922. There Mansfield lived at Georges Gurdjieff’s Institute for the Harmonious

Development of Man where she was put under the care of Olgivanna Lazovitch Hinzenburg (who later married the architect Frank Lloyd Wright).

She was a guest rather than a pupil and did not take part in the rigorous routine of the Institute, although she did try to put some of Gurdjieff’s teachings into her writing. She also kept in touch with Alfred Richard Orage – her mentor and editor of New Age. “Could we change our attitude, we should not only see life differently, but life itself would come to be different.”

Katherine Mansfield Mansfied suffered a fatal pulmonary haemorrhage early in January 1923 after running up a flight of stairs. She died on January 9 and was buried at Cimetière d’Avon, Avon, near Fontainebleu. She was a prolific writer in the last years of her life, and much of her work remained unpublished. John Middleton Murry took on the responsibility of editing and publishing two additional volumes of her stories: The Dove’s Nest (1923), and Something Childish (1924). He also published The Aloe, a longer version of her short story “Prelude”, and Novels and Novelists – a collection of her letters and journals.

• Sir Christopher Ondaatje is the author of The Last Colonial. The author acknowledges that he has quoted liberally from Wikipedia; from Cherry A. Wall, Professor of History, Rutgers University; from letters to Carl van Vechten from Nora Holt; from The Harlem Renaissance: A Historical Dictionary for the Era (1984) by Bruce Kellner; and from Remember Me to Harlem: The Letters of Langston Hughes and Carl Van Vechten (2001)

by Emily Bernard.

14 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, October 23, 2020

history

Southwest Bay Forgotten facts | Paul C Aranha

M

y favourite outings, before my father died, were to Johnny Hill and Southwest Bay, where my family owned properties. Johnny Hill was my father’s favourite place, probably in the entire world. Johnny Hill is on the Carmichael Road, which continues as far as Carmichael Village.

After that, the road becomes the Adelaide Road, as far as the turnoff into Adelaide Village, where the name changes to Southwest Bay Road – always pronounced ‘Souwest Bay’.

I loved Johnny Hill, but my first choice was what we called Santa Maria, 100 feet of beachfront property, at least two miles past the road into Adelaide Settlement. Of course, Albany did not exist, and the Souwest Bay Road went right through what is now Albany. There used to be a kennel, somewhere in the middle of Albany, where England’s finest purebred greyhounds had been brought, to protect them from Hitler’s Luftwaffe.

Kenneth Rodgers and AF Adderley owned the neighbouring lots, to the east. Those lots have been absorbed into Albany, but Santa Maria is right outside the Albany boundary wall. Today, it has a dock, I suspect that the driveway must still be lined by a profusion of the cocoplum bushes that delighted my heart. My sisters and I spent countless hours picking coco plums, of every colour, eating while we picked.

Or we went into the sea and dug holes in the beach, to make sandcastles.

At the end of the day, if Daddy turned right, we took the shorter way home, but I loved to see him turn left, to drive around the western tip of the island.

About a half mile west of Santa Maria were the ruins of the Edwards Plantation, but I can’t remember anybody’s living there. Another quarter mile brought us to the old Southwest Bay dock. Those

were the only structures between Santa Maria and Clifton Pier, about a mile away.

In 1951, a monument was erected in memory of five American airman, who lost their lives in an airplane crash. and Geoffrey Brown Red Woodburn led the rescue/recovery team We would drive onto Clifton Pier, to stare down into the only deep water of New Providence island. Because, unlike Nassau Harbour, the water at Clifton was deep enough for oceangoing tankers so, in the 1960s, Esso moved their bulk-storage plant from Hog Island to Clifton. Each, and every, other structure, now at Clifton, was built after that. From Blue Hill Road, where the Carmichael Road began, all the way to Clifton there were few signs of human occupation (except Carmichael Village). One might drive the entire distance, without encountering another vehicle. Pedestrians, too, were a rarity. If we happened upon a pedestrian, he/ she would move to the side of the road and stand at attention, until the car disappeared around the next curve. I noticed this in Kenya, too.

A few hundred yards beyond the pier, there was a convenient place to pull over and explore. It was exciting to stand at the top and look down into the sea, about 50 feet below us. It was more exciting to clamber down the steps of Jane Gayle’s Cave, to see the cave where Dr. Ernest Williamson shot several scenes of the world’s first underwater movie ‘Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea’. The steps were cut in 1916 and named after the star of the movie.

We were never allowed to go all the way to the bottom, but it was a treat to look into the actual cave and see sunlight streaming in, through a sea level opening. Later, the roof of this cave collapsed into the sea, so Jane Gayle’s Cave is no longer a cave and there is plenty enough light to navigate the very worn steps, to reach sea level. Please note that, whatever a tour guide might tell you, neither pirates nor slaves walked these steps. The steps did not exist in those days.

Continuing our way home, we drove past the ruins of the Whylly Plantation, now known as the Clifton Heritage Site. Daddy often stopped to talk to the people living in the old slave huts, which were still occupied in the 1950s.

The road continued through what is now the Lyford Cay gated community, but there were no buildings to be seen. We did, however, pass a fresh water well, marking the entrance into Lyford Cay. In those days, a beach house could be bought for about $10,000.

The next sign of civilisation was Old Fort. The entrance could be seen, but not the building. The first buildings we saw were at Gambier. I don’t remember ever having stopped at Gambier, but sometimes we stopped at nearby Orange Hill, to visit Mr. Guy Baxter. Then, we might stop at The Caves and dodge the many bats that live there.

From the Caves to Delaporte Village, there were no houses. Civilisation seemed to start around today’s Westridge Shopping Centre. It was a time when the average Bahamian never ventured as far as Clifton and I grew to realise how fortunate we Aranha children had been.

The Tribune | Weekend | 15

Friday, October 23, 2020

animals

Animals and the five freedoms

By KIM ARANHA Animal Matters

T

he pandemic continues to flourish in The Bahamas - each island adding to their already alarming numbers as we, in Nassau, sit shaking our heads and wondering what the answer is and if there is an end in sight.

We monitor with care what they are up to in the United States because we know that whatever occurs over there effects us tremendously - the ‘No Maskers’ put the fear of God in to me, here and there.

I am a fervent believer that masks are of extreme importance to protect each other and they even assist protecting ourselves – care for your fellow man.

The sad by-product of this pandemic is the plight of all the animals in this country - in the past six days the Bahamas Humane Society has received over 40 surrendered puppies. That number clearly does not include the adult dogs that may or may not accompany those pups.

There is also a fair amount of cats and kittens but nothing like the canine surrenders that we receive – we thank goodness that they are indeed surrendered and not left to fend for themselves and to starve and suffer.

There is such an easy solution to this problem and nobody wants to hear it and nobody wants to put it in action!

We must have massive spay and neuter clinics through out all the islands, not just one but several years running and then we would see a marked decline of unwanted stray dogs (and cats). It can be done, we did it once with Operation Potcake, and we could do it again. However it requires two things: 1) money 2) determination. The former is harder to come by: it will cost but the end product is that there would no longer be strays begging for scraps to try to survive, tourists would prefer our image as an “animal kind” country…

Although the cry is out there, few people step up and say “lets go, lets get this done”.

We have a huge cultural problem in The Bahamas when it comes to

animals and the attitudes towards them. The perception people have here as to what an animal’s life should be like is totally off the charts.

All animals are entitled to the five freedoms as laid out by animal advocates and followed by humane societies the world over.

The five freedoms are as follow: • Freedom from hunger and thirst OPERATION Potcake carrying out a by ready access to fresh water and spay and neuter event previously. diet to maintain health and vigor.

This must be specific to the animal.

• Freedom to express normal For example, puppies, adult dogs, behavior by providing sufficient pregnant cats, and senior cats all need different types of food provided space, proper facilities, and company of the animal’s own kind. Animals on different schedules. need to be able to interact with — or • Freedom from discomfort by avoid — others of their own kind as providing an appropriate envidesired. ronment including shelter and a • Freedom from fear and distress comfortable resting area. This means by ensuring conditions and treatyou should provide soft bedding ment, which avoid mental suffering. and an area with appropriate temThe mental health of an animal perature, noise levels, and access to is just as important as its physical natural light. health — as psychological stress • Freedom from pain, injury, or can quickly transition into physical disease by prevention or rapid diagillness. nosis and treatment. This includes vaccinating animals, monitoring These guidelines are simple to animals, physical health, treating any injuries and providing appropriate understand and easy enough to medications. follow but we do not appear capable

of ensuring that animals are treated as they should be and this frequently makes other countries think less of us.

Tying dogs out on chains for hours is unacceptable, not providing shelter is unacceptable and not giving your animal fresh water and food is not acceptable either.

Why would people want to deny their companion animals their basic rights?

I have written about this before and do so again because we loose sight of what is taking place, of what the Bahamas Humane Society fights against daily, COVID or not the BHS has to be there to comfort, save and home these poor unloved and neglected animals.

We fight against all odds. In America and Canada and Europe, adoptions are up. People are going to shelters to adopt a friend to keep them company during these darkest of days… not here, people are turning then in, they don’t want them any more… Those that do it for economic reasons we are able to assist with our food bank.

It is a difficult time, made more so by people who allow their animals to breed indiscriminately and do not care for them but bring them to us to resolve their problem.

Spay and neuter is the final word to that.

pet of the week

VIBES AND MOVADO

home, maybe go for a walk or two.

When the beaches open, you can show us the thrill of the sand! We’ll be great companions during lockdown and beyond. Please do come in and adopt us today! You can also call 323-5138 for more information.

We look forward to seeing you very very soon!”

By THE BAHAMAS HUMANE SOCIETY

“P

lease, won’t you come in and adopt us? We’re Vibes and Movado, and we’re waiting ever so patiently at the Bahamas Humane Society for you to come in and fall in love with us. We’d love it if you took us both home, but if you must, you can just take one. We’re about eight months old and we’re eager to meet you and your family, and get to know your

PHOTO of Vobes and Movado by Shelley Hardman.

• BHS Raffle tickets are now available! Grand prize is $10,000 worth of groceries from Super Value, and the other prizes are amazingly useful coupons, too!

Tickets are $5 each or a book of 21 for $100. Pick yours up today at the BHS or at Fox Hill Nursery.

16 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, October 23, 2020

art

Virtual path to mindfulness

By JEFFARAH GIBSON | Tribune Features Writer | jgibson@tribunemedia.net

A

LTHOUGH she is unable to celebrate the opening of her new gallery physically, artist June Collie has still found a way to engage art lovers with the virtual launch of her solo exhibition “Mindfulness”.

Sixty 2 Sixty, the newest gallery on the block, is on Bay Street. It was officially launched last week, but due to local restrictions June decided to create a 3D virtual tour that visitors can walk around using their computer, cell phone, or virtual reality headset.

The gallery’s current virtual exhibition is called “Mindfulness”. It is new mixed media artwork by June.

The exhibit speaks about the practice of being fully aware and focused on thoughts and feelings without getting carried away by it, she said.

“It’s you calmly paying attention to your thoughts and feelings and letting go of things you can’t control or realizing you don’t have the answers to everything. I believe when we reach this level of mindfulness, you are empowered.

“When a person decides to be mindful, it does mean the problem is gone. Still, it gives us time to approach our experience with warmth and kindness to ourselves and others,” she told Tribune Weekend.

Mindfulness is something June said has been keeping her grounded, especially going through a pandemic.

“I have had to practice mindfulness through this pandemic, and it has helped me reduce my stress, gain insight and awareness. And part of my mindfulness practice was painting these paintings.

“My hope is that audience will see these paintings and have a moment of mediation where they can experience their own senses without any judgment.”

The gallery’s name is inspired by the dates of birth of her parents.

“They have supported my entire journey into the arts,” she said.

Some of the gallery’s activities are art exhibits with representing emerging and established artists top on the list of things to do.

The gallery will also host panel discussions, artist talks, art classes for kids and adults, and a summer art programme for kids who are seriously interested in art. And hopefully, in the future, start an artist residency program.

June is a multimedia artist renowned for her unapologetically sensual female figures. finds bold colors and patterns in her work; pairing images of the body with landscape or textiles to create sumptuous compositions.

A graduate of the College of The Bahamas, Collie received her associates degree under the tutelage of John Cox and Sue Bennett Williams.

In 2010, the artist exhibited her work for the first time in the Colour of Harmony at the College of

The Bahamas, where she showed drawings of skeletons from a micro point of view. The human figure continues to be central to her art practice.

In 2011, Collie exhibited four videos in a solo show titled Situations at New Providence Art & Antiques, Nassau. The videos follow four children on their daily journey, describing an intimate portrait of the figure in the landscape. In 2015, she completed a challenging commission for Baha Mar, covering 38 wooden stools with paintings of the female figure in her characteristic style.

June’s also supports her art career by working as a commercial photographer.

For more information, visit sixty2sixtyartgallery.com.