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The artist surrounded by his legacy … K. Patrick Byles in his haven Art that is alive, a hand-painted sign, sits on a wall surrounded by numerous prints and paintings that stretch in continuous motion from one wall to the other. K. Patrick Byles' home is a living legacy of this marketing and communications consultant and commercial artist's life. Walking into his studio space is stopping the clock back in time, when the clock ticked, analogue and cathode ray tube technology ruled the roost, and tweet was a sweet sound made by a bird rather than myriad of 140 characters. "Art is beyond creative expression," Byles says, sitting in his studio, surrounded by neatly laid stacks of artwork, which he meticulously converted from his original paintings to prints, coasters, trays, memorabilia and souvenirs. "It is a viable business proposition with tremendous potential to earn revenue both for the artists and contribute to the economy," he said. Byles, a ...

The man, his canvas and the subject immortalised - Webster Campbell paints The Chapel at the Mona campus of the University of the West indies. "I am as old as Jamaica," said Webster Campbell, sitting down under a tree in the grassy expanse of the University of the West Indies, dabbing colour from a palette and meticulously painting an arch on the canvas. For an artist who measures his age not by years, but by the number of sunshine days that his country has savoured as a free nation, Campbell is one of Jamaica's most prolific painters. He loves to be on the move, encapsulating the history, landscape, architecture, and relics of the island on his canvas - for him, the beauty of the art lies in places where time is standing still and life is al fresco. "I have always been inspired by old buildings and monuments," Campbell said. "I want to capture them in my paintings, because we never know if those buildings will be there tomorrow." He is co...

A social commentary - severance and divorce, paintings by Mortimer "When I was seven and go to church, I used to use the blank 'note' pages of the Bible to draw," Mortimer McPherson recalled. "The notes were drawings in my Bible." Perhaps a divine intervention that was encouraging this youngster's creativity to ooze from his pencils and send a message to the Almighty, Mortimer embarked on his artistic journey. There were some other key influences in his life, as he was growing up in St Catherine. "My mother was a dressmaker, and I was always observing her process of putting things together," he said, "and there was a painter and sculptor in the community, whose works also inspired me." But, he said, his mother was not too pleased when Mortimer decided to pursue arts as a career. "My mother couldn't come to terms with that decision, my older brothers went to the university and she wanted me to do that too," M...

Leandro Soto "Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add colour to my sunset sky," resonate these words of Rabindranath Tagore, India's national poet, and an artist in his own right, into the works of Leandro Soto, multidisciplinary visual/installation and performance artist. "I am deeply inspired by India and the work of Tagore," the artist says. "He combines the beauty of the verse with the knowledge." "I am traveller," Soto professes, his eyes gleaming from the round Gandhiesque bespectacled frame, recounting that his journeys have been a key and critical influence in his creative thought process. Growing up in Cienfuegos, a coastal city in south Cuba, Soto had his first stroke of inspiration when he was five. "I seem to be surrounded by spirits and energies, which used to guide me and I started painting," he recalled, sitting cross-legged, as cool breeze kissed the wind chime...

What do you get when you combine hollow construction blocks, plywood, car bonnets? A house and a car would be the answer in normal circumstances, but then, the final outcome of these materials is something out of the normal. The term ‘conversation piece’ takes a new dimension, with a splash of colour and the often poignant life stories highlighted in Jamaican street art comes to life at Anything with Nothing. “This exhibition is a dialogue,” said Charles Campbell, chief curator at the National Gallery of Jamaica, where the exhibition is being hosted. “The objective is to highlight and showcase the works of the street artists, looking not only at their work and talents, but the social and economic dynamics of the communities.” Street art in Jamaica is not the usual graffiti; they tell stories, circumstances and the challenges facing the artists. The challenge, in this case, was also bringing alfresco and self-determined expressions into a defined space. Works of 10 street art...

Mobile Suit Gundam “Whenever there were problems that could not be solved at work, we always said if Doraemon could come and fix them,” said Mieko Araki, cultural officer, Embassy of Japan, pointing to the caricature of the robotic cat from the future. Doraemon may never have come to Araki’s rescue, but the unequivocal faith and she and almost all Japanese have on the manga, (translated “impromptu sketches”), makes them more than cutie pies with cutie smiles and more profound than mere figurines of a plasticated pop culture. integral part of culture “These cartoons and characters are an integral part of Japanese culture,” Hiromoto Oyama, first secretary at the Embassy of Japan in Jamaica, who grew up eptomising the gigantic robot Manziger Z. “Through them,” Oyama continued, “we get reinforced key and core values and customs.” Oyama said that through manga, every Japanese learns the way of life, how to make friends and learn basic human instincts. Aspects of manga in ...

Engine 54, which was built in 1944 at the Kingston Railway terminus What is romance, one might ask ... the sheer joy and rush of adrenalin, or as Oscar Wilde said, the very essence of romance is uncertainty. For all of us it is that human to human connection and can cold steel make you skip a heartbeat? The Georgian architecture facade of Kingston railway terminus epitomizes its grandiose demeanor. The cool blue painted walls and the silence along the corridors, oblivious of the blaring traffic zipping zapping and zooming by, just stand still. Even the air encasing the railway terminal seems to be of a different era - replete with hustle and bustle at the ticket counters; the impeccably uniformed railway staff stamping the tickets;, maintenance staff; the passengers, some in their finery and others lugging their wares, catching a breath as they wait for the announcement of the departure of the next train; the aroma of food cooking and the clanking of the co...

A collage showcasing ArtUpDownTown, a collaboration between CARIMAC and Studio 174.  Think of downtown Kingston, and pictures of a sea of humanity traversing across alleys, vying for space in between handcarts, vendors on the pavements trying to outsell the other flash past. It might seem chaotic to many, but this is symbolic of vibrancy and, most important, life. This enigma, which unfolds like layers of mysteries being solved, has been captured by a group of youngsters, as they highlight ‘ArtUpDownTown’ For those familiar with political terminologies, Kingston can very well be defined as the proverbial north-south divide, the ‘sterile’ and the ‘unkempt’, ‘ArtUpDownTown’ is an attempt to converge those two distinct aspects of Jamaica’s capital city. Capturing downtown Kingston life on mix media, ArtUpDownTown highlights its sights, sounds and the vibrancy “Its aim is to empower more Jamaicans to tell their own stories through audio, video, and photography, whil...

"All the world's a stage ... ." The words echo from William Shakespeare's As You Like It. For the Ward Theatre, the stage is the world from which voices echoed, scenes were enacted, and emotions played out to a rousing audience. All that echoes now are sounds of silence, ricocheting from the dark and dim emptiness, and rays of sunlight that permeate the doors and dissipate into the opulent interiors. Charles James Ward built the present structure, its third avatar, in 1912, the theatre opened its doors on December 16 of the same year. Ward, who was the custos of Kingston, is the 'Nephew' in the rum manufacturing company J. Wray & Nephew, which provided the enabling funds. "The Ward Theatre is a magnificent structure, with history written deep into its fabric", said Doreen Thompson of the Ward Theatre Foundation. The Ward Theatre, over the decades, has had its share of anticlimaxes. Here once stood Kingston Theatre, built in 1775...

The men and women in the armed forces have always exuded awe, epitomised and oft romanticised. The click of the gleaming boots, the crisp creases of their uniform, the precise and well-coordinated movements all give a sense of pride and discipline. At the Up Park Camp headquarters of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), the fatigues and camouflage blend with the lush greenery, a well-manicured facade with two retired armoured personnel carriers and a pair of cannons adorn the entrance to Jamaican Military Museum and Library (JMML). The museum, housed in the Nissen Hut, similar structure to an aircraft hangar, encases and captures - like the Sun Tzu, Art of Warfare with equipment, uniforms, insignia and weapons - the history of the JDF over the years. "The exhibits," says Captain Staci-Marie Dehaney, force curator, JDF, "not only show the history, but the transition from the Tainos to the modernised and evolving force." An illustrated history book A walk...

We passed the hues of the last sunset of 2013 and its colours transcended to first dawn of 2014.  Arts & Education  continues on the path of artistic stimulation, constant discoveries and a creative journey. We would like to take this opportunity to showcase the editor's picks for the year, and to thank our readers for their continued support. Wish you all a blessed 2014. ❏ Intarsia - Painting with wood The atmosphere under the crisp Caribbean sunshine at Barbados Crop Over craft market was reminiscent of fun and frolic. Tucked away from the excitement, Mario Smith displayed the intarsia art he creates. Necessity is the mother of all invention, it is said, and Smith, who worked as a joiner - making doors, windows, and kitchen cupboards - had to stay home after his son was born. ❏ Art of Sushi - The edible Zen garden It's as austere as its land of origin, yet complex and intriguing, pressed, meticulously laid out, rolled and neatl...

Tashanya Traile - self taught artist “Art found me, it was in me and all I had to do was to let it flow,” said Tashanya Traile, a young, self-taught artist. Traile says she is an artist inspired by personal experiences and struggles. “I love to transfer these experiences to canvas,” declared the 27-year-old, who chose to hang up her crisp business attire and embrace art and its myriad of shades. Traile was living in New Jersey, and one day the world of possibilities opened in front of her when when she walked into Michaels (an art supply store). The transformation had seeded, she said, as Traile was as delighted as a kid in a candy store. “There was so much in the store. I was so excited!” Artist Undressed - Traile embraces art in its many hues But this journey began not on a colourful path, but was mired in shades of grey, with detractions, naysayers and dissuasion. Her decision to tread a path of self expression was met with more resistance than encouragement; gloom...