Mélange Travel & Lifestyle Magazine APRIL 2019 | Page 674

life of Vincent Van Gogh played
by and starring Kirk Douglas. In
the film, Van Gogh would often
mention the importance of
drawing as the foundation for
expressions in art, thus I drew
as often as I could. That lead
me to the appreciation of artist
like Elizabeth Catlett and John
Biggers.
About the message he
communicates in his art
My need to express who I am is
in relationship to myself, family,
community and the world. I
frequently use jazz themes
and icons because jazz and the
blues are very much reflective
of my environment, but more
importantly because music as
a whole has a complementary
relationship with the visual
arts. Improvisational aspects
of jazz allow great freedom
to the musician. And even
within the context of a free-
flowing improvisational
solo there is structure. The
improvisational solo has its
own unique language, its own
vocabulary and grammar. Yet
the improvisational solo remains
significantly connected to the
band, its music and its sound.
No two solos are ever the same.
It is within this context lies the
aesthetic pulse of my works. In
my work I strive for the same
emotional, expressive and literal
qualities that are found in jazz or
the blues. It is this aspect of my
work that gives it its voice and
connects me to the work.
About what art means to
him Everything!
About artist’s block vs
distractions Distractions are a
bigger issue. Some distractions
are necessary and some are due
to my inability to say no. For
example, my biggest distraction
right now is getting my home/
studio repaired. After the most
recent hurricanes, the island
took a tremendous amount
of damage. We fared better
than a lot of St. Croix residents,
meaning we kept our roof.
However, my studio which
was not attached to the house
received major damages as well
as certain parts of the house.
Even so throughout this whole
ordeal I have manage to find
time to capture experiences
with my iPhone and to draw.
About his strategies to
overcome distractions An
awareness of my goals as an
artist. I’m not going to hit a
home run every time I bat, not
every painting is going to be a
masterpiece. As the taxi driver
responded to the musician when
asked “How do I get to Carnegie
Hall?”, the Driver said “Practice” I
will always keep on painting in
spite of any obstacles in front of
me.
About his creative process
My technique involves a variety
of paint mediums as well as
chalks, pastels and oil sticks.
I like the concept of merging
painting with drawing and
enjoy mark making. The use of
colorful free lines and marks
are key visual elements in my
work which provides avenues
for expressionistic mix media
paintings.


About his wife, Yemaya,
also an artist In describing
my Yemaya, I would call her an
Alchemist on numerous levels,
both emotionally and artistically.
First and foremost, she is always
supportive and encouraging.
Like many artists, I can be
moody, emotionally sensitive
and express thoughts that
many people just don’t get or
understand, but she has always