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Articles
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| A 'SUITE' life for artists |
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CHRISTMAS IS long gone, but gift-giving is still in the air. At the Hilton Kingston hotel, artists now have a chance to exhibit and explore their talent in the hotel's foyer and, accordingly, only a minimal percentage sum is extracted.
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Public relations consultant, Lisa Hanna, says the two-fold arrangement is beneficial to Jamaica's children while representing the management's contribution to the art community.
Guest relations manager, Crystal Morales, and coordinator Shawn Williams, further explains that only10 per cent of proceeds is taken and solely for children's charities, for example, rebuilding basic schools.
Added plus
As an added plus, artists on occasion are given an opportunity to show their work and meet new clients directly at the manager's cocktail party held twice monthly.
Such is the 'suite' life for artists, preferably Jamaicans, and artist Lennox Coke has had the first grab from the bag for 2007. No stranger to collectors, and a 1994 graduate of the Edna Manley College, Lennox Coke's current show is titled 'Celebrating Ten Years'.
This third solo exhibition for Coke reveals a marked development in the life and work of the artist within the past 10 years. The works are Coke's compilation of multiple styles exploring from textures to lines.
Overcoming obstacles himself, including the deaths of three close relatives in three consecutive years, Coke liberates others with his art as he seeks to dismiss the weight of sadness. Additionally, he is one artist who shows appreciation for life, goodwill and support. He still freely gives pieces of his art to some of his models especially in the marketplaces.
Unique freshness
The exhibited pieces, mostly from his personal collection, are done with a unique freshness as Coke understands too well the importance of colour, line, form and shadows. The colours, which are mixed directly on the canvas, exuberate with life, emanating with high spirits and confidence, in their purposeful reflection of nature's colours. Coke also explores texture.
Coke's personal philosophy is 'Life is the greatest teacher, and to be successful one must be a good student'. As such, he studies well the culture, lifestyle and people of Jamaica - the main subjects of his paintings.
Drawn to the vibrance and continued drama at the market, Coke offers at least four market scene variations, and, in Pineapple Blend and Grandma B, he also highlights the fresh tropical fruits yielded by the Jamaican soil.
In a few of the pieces, Coke features personalities from the fishing villages and it is in Fisherman and Seascape that we see his detailed commitment to his more renowned style.
In these two, Coke reminisces on the significance of fishing villages that he says gave birth and nurtured some of today's leading lawyers and doctors. He is mindful, however, of the beginnings of the villages as far back as the days of trading and bartering.
The artist, who started out pursuing a career in engineering, and with an early fascination for drawing cartoon characters and comics, offers humour in some of the pieces. Perhaps his almost-technical illustrations such as of the glistening water and the fisherman's clothes in Fisherman is due to his short internship with an engineer.
Along with Seascape, the artist, who does not like graphic art, seems to be influenced somewhat in his keen attention and exact representation of detail in Market Gossip.
The strokes of his brush are applied with less ease in pieces such as Lunchtime and Likkle Miss offering a new style. In Likkle Miss, a little girl puts on her mom's shoes. In Lunchtime, a boy comfortably eats his porridge in a corner. Both pieces bring us back to the innocence of our youth. In an uncanny way however, Family, too, returns us as adults to this innocence. This time however, it is a rebirth of innocence, as in our adult years we often revisit and recede into this innocent state simply because we have forgiven evils done to us, protracting our minds for a hopeful future. In Family, the artist metaphorically uses a chicken's family -- a rooster, a hen and two chicks - to bear this innocence in hoping for a bright future, supported by the support of family out.
Unbroken and Memories hold much sentiment connecting the artist to his deceased dad and sisters. The Draped cloth over the chair' his father sat in after returning from church represents a daily covenant. Both works testify though of his strength.
The environmental piece, Rain Forest focuses on the environment, expressing concern on the pollution and possible degradation of Jamaica's land and worldwide forestry. His colours are rich as if capturing for the last time the nourishment and life offered to the sustenance of humankind.
In the triptych, Yard Vibes, Coke adds dimension to his work. Three pieces depicting common activities of Jamaica's women in their backyard are combined to form a continuum of activities. Still, One Love People is a better collage of varied activities, from sports to revivalism and carnival.
In Sacrament, Coke connects with the African roots when he depicts a red-cloaked Rastafarian seeking to purge himself in his quest for wisdom.
With the stroke of his brush, Coke, seasons the works to satisfy even an unforgiving palette. Coke is discreet in character, but his collective work is dynamic, and hardly anyone who visits the exhibition will be comfortable to leave empty handed.
The pieces are well mounted, properly executed and seem suited for the walls of the lobby, as they are all placed strategically for impact.
The greatest challenge was preparing for the show, as initially he wanted to focus on Black History Month celebrations. As Coke continues to appreciate life, he lives by his motto that 'he's too legit to quit'.
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Posted on Mar 06, 2007 20:09pm by admin
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