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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...

An anima tion student going through the motions of bringing an animated character to life. “We have the potential to become the next India,” says Dianne Wan, replete with animated gestures and packed with conviction. Wan, instructor of animation at Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication (CARIMAC) at the University of the West Indies (UWI) is not referring to Jamaica becoming the next ‘curry capital’ of the world, but the hub for animation. For Wan, the love affair with animation began early, and like every youngster and their fantasy world, she was glued to cartoons. “I used to watch Disney movie tapes over and over, till they jammed and could no longer be played,” she said. Growing up, Wan said, that love affair blossomed into a career path. “Animations are motion graphics,” said Wan, and like a creative thought process, they start with an ideation. A Stylus and animation pad - the new pencil and sketch pad for animators “First, the concept is drawn as thumb...

Replicas of Taino ceramic pieces from Cuba. Replicas of Taino ceramic pieces from Cuba. What would you call a space that houses more than 170 pieces of art? A gallery? A museum? Or an art aficionado's sprawling villa? The answer: none of the above. What if one said that these artefacts sit in a library? Visitors would rarely notice - as they lug their journals, laptops and reading material to study or sift through catalogues and books to research - that a library is more than a book bank. The Mona Library at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona campus, is the abode of pieces of art that are both steeped in history and a convergence of cultures from across the world. Sculpture by Unknown Artist sits in UWI Library "We have a wide collection of art in the library," informed Frances Salmon, head, West Indies and Special Collection. "This not only adds to the aesthetic appeal, but is, in a way, showcasing the works of art from different co...

Professor Du Juemin “It is a feeling that flows from deep inside,” says Professor Du Juemin, classical Chinese painter, calligrapher and a poet, as he held his hands out as if to absorb energy fields floating in the air. The spiritual energies guide Du Juemin, an exponent of the minimalist and the simplistic traditional Chinese painting, to capture life’s story in monochrome. Speaking in Mandarin, his thoughts were translated by Ying Ping Liang, lecturer of Chinese at Confucius Institute, University of the West Indies, Mona. “The use of monochrome is from the Buddhist ideology of minimalism and the fact that all colours evolve from black and white,” explained Du Juemin, who is visiting Jamaica as artist in residence at Confucius Institute. The neutrality in his works, he said, is a very noble style of painting and a formidable medium of expression. Du Juemin’s paintings are a confluence of visual and written thought process – a symphony of poetry with delicate brush stroke...

Published August 26, 2012 The Sunday Gleaner S itting in  a dimly lit cubicle, Nadia Roxburgh's fingers moved in clockwork rhythm on the console, her gaze fixed to the stage, where she disperses the light at the flick of a button. "The stage is the canvas and lighting console the palette," Roxburgh said with a smile. "Lighting up the stage is painting colours, only that we have light to fill the space." The lighting technician at the Philip Sherlock Centre for the Creative Arts at the University of the West Indies says that she needs a creative eye to create the right tone and mood on the set. "Otherwise, it will be bland." The confluence of lighted space on the stage reflects the mood of the show being performed and the lighting engineer has to, like an inspired painter swishing brushstrokes on canvas, create the right hue. Roxburgh's current project,  Mr and Mrs Blacke  - a story of a wealthy couple whose marriage is o...

Published July 29, 2012 The Sunday Gleaner He is India’s most famous citizen, his lessons on non-violence and civil disobedience inspired freedom and civil right movements across the world; Mohandas Gandhi, or Mahatma (saint) as he is called, is now immortalized at Inspiration Garden of the Faculty of Education and Humanities at the University of the West Indies, Mona campus . The bronze statue, gifted by the Government of India by the High Commissioner of India to Jamaica, Mohinder Grover, encapsulates Gandhi’s persona and simplicity. Sculpted by Indian sculptor Anil Sutar, the lifelike 6ft. 4 inches high statue has Gandhi in a brisk walk pose - clutching his tall walking stick, a shawl draped over his shoulders and a pocket watch dangling from the loin cloth. Sutar has, through his intricate detailing, to capture the mahatma’s simplicity, exuding the aura of the man himself. As the rays of the sun fall on the silhouette, Gandhi’s figurine manages to rad...

published: Sunday | August 3, 2008 Think of the entertainment industry and the picture of psychedelic lights, glittering stage performances and pumped up adrenaline flashes across. Many are lured by this very glitz and glamour and often perceive this industry is nothing but a cake walk that anyone to everyone can sashay on. But what meets the eye is just the tip of the wide gamut that this industry offers. "There is a popular perception to single out music sector in entertainment, which is not the case," said Kam-Au Amen, lecturer, Reggae Studies Unit, Institute of Caribbean Studies, University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona. On a crest The entertainment industry is riding on a high; specially as world economies are looking beyond shores for cutting edge in the entertainment and related services. According to a recent study by Prof Vanus James of Mona School of Business, the copyright sector, which covers the entertainment ind...