De Kite Boss
H
E HAS BEEN MAKING KITES FOR TWENTY YEARS. AT
THE AGE OF THIRTY THAT MAKES HIM A MASTER. Teisheira
Weekes learned how to make kites from his father, graduating
up the ranks from trash bone, cane pealing and coconut
branches to mastering untreated board and possessing over
a hundred designs in his catalog. They call him the Kite Boss.
On Instagram his moniker is Easter Kites. His gift to the art
form is his reinterpretation of traditional patterns and the
option for customers to customize their designs.
Kite flying is an Easter tradition and every year, Six Roads,
St. Philip welcomes his art. The origins of the tradition have
perhaps been lost but the activity itself lives on and Teisheira’s
designs are so captivating that folks have been known to
trek from St. Lucy, on the opposite end of the island, passing
numerous kite stalls along the way just to purchase one of his
designs.
As a youngster in his village, Teisheira was celebrated for
having the most outstanding designs. As a student at the
Princess Margaret Secondary School, he recalls winning a
kite making competition. Afterwards he was encouraged by
a perceptive teacher to try selling his kite. He took the advice,
made his first sale and started selling kites for $2.50 a piece.
Today the price point is different but the designs are still
captivating and his business is a bustling sidewalk set-up in
his hometown of Six Roads, St. Philip.
“When I think of kite season it does carry me back to when
I was five and I getting a first toy. That joy. I just can’t wait,”
Teisheira confesses.
“Inspiration comes from inside,” he adds, “I listen to what
people saying, ’cause everyone wants something different
and to get something different you have to sit down and
study long for the customer.”
After kite season Weekes takes a deserved three-month
break and then returns to production - his style defined by
brilliant colours and the unique application of curved designs
in his layouts.
“I just love it, you know what I mean. That is what makes
me so good at what I am doing. If you can find something that
you good at and you love, you can master it. I good at kite
making and I just keep to it all the time. Every year I just get
Words & Photography: Rachelle Gray
better and better and better.”
https://www.facebook.com/teisheira.weekes
[email protected]
SPECIAL FEATURE | BIM ROCK | 11