Simiya

Jonathan Guy-Gladding was one of the first Caribbean artists to have a website and in the early days of Simiya when there were only a hand full of featured links, Jonathan’s works would be displayed every few days. The use of vivid color in life settings the Caribbean is slowly losing and the exploration of new themes from the region was both nostalgically comforting and inspiring.

A recent email exchange turned into an interview, here is what he had to say.

Simiya: When did you get your first inspiration to become an artist?

JAG: From when I was a small child I loved to draw, but I didn’t really see it as a career. It was in high school that I decided I wanted to be a painter. I used to watch those PBS programs like the Joy of Painting which made painting look really fun and interesting. I assumed I’d have to do something else to make a living, like teach. It was during my second and final year as a Peace Corps volunteer that I decided I try to be a full time artist. I think if I was still at my full time job as a computer artist in new york I’d have been too cautious to give up a steady paycheck and health benefits and be a full time artist but knowing that my Peace Corps service was coming to an end and I’d be out of a job anyway made it easier to take the plunge.

Simiya: Are there any interesting stories from this early part of your career? How can aspiring artists use these in developing their work?

JAG: I had pretty low expectations when I embarked on my career as a painter. I had my first show in August of 2001 in St. Lucia which went really well and I was encouraged by that. Then a month later 9/11 happened and the economy took a turn, along with tourism in the caribbean, and the gallery I worked with closed up. But I kept painting and also learned about making prints, which became my bread and butter. I had a Jamaican friend back in New York who liked art and organized little print exhibitions at her home and invited other West Indian friends who appreciated my work and bought my prints. Those little sales added up and helped out a lot. Starting my art career at a bad time for the economy and slowing growing little by little, year by year was a great way to do it. It made me thrifty and practical, and helped me appreciate opportunities and ideas that might otherwise have gone overlooked. I loved what I was doing and making some money at it seemed like a bonus. I think if you do something you love and have talent in, that love will show in your work, and there will always be people who will pay you for that. There’s a saying, do what you love and the money will follow. I think there’s a lot of truth in that.

Simiya: You have experimented with Cubism and now work with more realism. In what ways has your style changed over the years and why?

JAG: In art school there is a big emphasis on style and self expression, too much of an emphasis if you ask me. So when I was in college I felt like I had to take up a style, and cubism appealed to me aesthetically. Eventually I stopped painting because I didn’t have any subject matter that interested me much. When I came to St. Lucia I had a lot of free time so I started painting again. My first question was what style should I paint in? Finally I just decided that what I saw around me had so much beauty just as it was that the best thing I could do was paint it in such a way that it looked as close to reality as possible.

Simiya: You were living in New York and now are based in St. Lucia. What made you visit the Caribbean for the first time and what made you stay?

JAG: I had a great job as a computer artist at Sesame Street in New York, but after five years I was thinking about broadening my horizons and although I liked my job I didn’t to spend the rest of my life doing it. I wanted an important life experience where I could contribute and also grow from the challenges it presented, so I joined the Peace Corps and was sent to St. Lucia. I think it was the character of life in Laborie, the village I was assigned to, that made me want to stay. I’d never felt so involved and so much a part of a community as in Laborie. I’ve received so much support from the people there, not to mention a steady supply of inspiration and subject matter.

Simiya: What provides your inspiration for your work now? How do you go about seeking it?

JAG: I’d say it’s the people, especially the children, inspire me. That youthful energy, hightened activity and freshness of spirit are really engaging. And I think childhood and all that goes with it is something everyone can relate to and be nostalgic about. Being in a small village where I’m often involved with projects at the schools allow me to get a lot of material for paintings. I’m lucky to have more volunteers to be in paintings than I have time to paint!

Simiya: What areas would you like to explore next?

JAG: Lately I’ve been thinking about painting more murals. I’ve done a few outdoor murals in the village but I think I’d like to do some indoor mural projects, both public and private.

Simiya: Are there other Caribbean artists you admire? What should visitors to their websites look for in their work that makes the difference?

JAG: I think my favourite Caribbean artist is the Trinidadian painter Boscoe Holder, who passed away a few years ago. I loved the way he painted people, particularly woman. There’s a wonderful directness and freshness to his brushstrokes and his figures still achieve a pictorial likeness, and a great sense of design to his compositions.

Simiya: You clearly have a love for St. Lucia. Are there other islands in the Caribbean that you like to visit and why?

JAG: It’s mostly the smaller islands that I’m familiar with, but I’ve always wanted to visit Jamaica which I’d read about since I was a teenager, and Cuba seems like a fascinating place with its unique history and development, old buildings, etc. And there are a few small islands that I haven’t seen but have heard a lot about, like Tobago, to name one.

Simiya: What are the three most moving pieces that you have done and why?

JAG: That’s a tough one. I’m not sure if I can call one of my own paintings “moving”. That’s probably someone else’s call. But if I had to choose three of my best I think I’d have to choose at least a couple of my paintings with schoolchildren. One would be Standpipe. That’s one of those iconic Caribbean images. I think many can remember hot days and going to a standpipe to quench their thirst. Water is always a great subject, and there is a nice play of sunlight in the picture too. Another would be Madras 2. That’s a class picture with the children dressed in their traditional costume. The madras fabrics are a challenge to paint but they symbolize the culture and are a treat for anyone who loves colour. There are about twenty individuals in the painting and each little figure tells a story. The third would be Pon Lepotek. That’s the name of a section of the village and what you see in the painting is a typical late afternoon scene in many Caribbean villages. People sitting outside chatting, plaiting hair, carrying water, children at play. The lighting is great that time of day and I loved the way it filtered through the trees and onto the houses and people. It’s an ordinary scene but a beautiful one.

Simiya: How has the internet changed your work and that of other artists in the Caribbean?

JAG: The internet and technology in general has been great for artists. In the case of the internet, it’s now easy for someone in virtually any part of the world to view my paintings or any other artist’s work who has a website or paintings at a gallery that has a website. This exposure can lead to more sales, which is always a good thing but it’s also a great opportunity for an artist to get positive feedback. We often work in isolation and don’t always get to share our work with many or any people in person. But we need to feel that feedback sometimes, that gratifying feeling when we realise that something we made connects with someone else. It’s so rewarding to hear that somebody likes what you did and tells you so. The internet makes this more possible and commonplace than ever. It also helps build a sense of community among artists. I don’t think we’ve even begun to take full advantage its potential in that respect. Simiya is a great step in that direction and we’re lucky to have a place where we can look at different work from artists all over the Caribbean. Thanks for that!

Simiya: Opportunities to know more about the thoughts of Caribbean artists are rare. Jonathan, thanks for taking the time to respond and we wish you all the best  for the future.

The de Young museum in San Francisco is presenting a special exhibition of art from the Musée d’Orsay in Paris called the Birth of Impressionism. There are nearly 100 works by renowned artists living in France during the latter half of the 19th century.
Prior to the industrial revolution the Church and royalty were the primary buyers of European art. Most works explored religious, Romano-Greek classics or statist political themes. With increased technological advances, income levels increased and there was new demand for art from a new class of patrons.

In my opinion, this resulted in smaller works with less detailed brush strokes that were quicker to paint. They also focused on bright daily scenes that would also appeal to their new clientele.

The exhibition shows the transition from realism to impressionism in a way no book can reproduce. This is because you can view the art up close and see each brush stroke first hand.

The Floor Scrapers - Gustave Caillebotte

Of all the works that I saw, Les raboteurs de parquet (The Floor Scrapers) by Gustave Caillebotte struck me the most. It is a scene of three shirtless workers stripping varnish from the floor of Caillebotte’s apartment. At the time it was considered shocking, as it depicted the working conditions of the urban proletariat versus the more common and familiar depictions of  rural peasants. The social commentary directed towards the upper classes starkly reminded them that many of their luxuries they enjoyed were the result of hours of exhausting labor.

The first thing that struck me was that the men in the painting were not obviously immigrants nor ethnic minorities. In comparison, a large portion of US construction work is currently done primarily by Latinos. When I was growing up in the Caribbean, receiving a temporary work permit to pick fruit in the USA was a blessing.

We often forget that economic migration from the developing to the industrialized world didn’t begin in earnest until the end of the World War II when Europe enticed laborers from their colonies to rebuild its economy. The United States’ society has been continuously refreshed by  immigration and it’s post war growth was built on the contributions of yet another wave of external labor. Les raboteurs de parquet reflects a time when this wasn’t the contentious issue in employment markets as it is today.

There are other things I liked about Caillebotte’s rendition. Two of the men are clearly engaged in conversation. A bottle of wine nearby and the long shadows hint that the work was being done in the afternoon. The man on the far right seems to prepare the the floor by removing strips of varnish. His coworker then works on the spaces in between. The reflection of light on the floor is almost photo-realistic versus impressionistic. In fact the composition is very similar to that of a picture taken by a photographer standing above the men, limiting the amount of background sunlight to the top corner to prevent the need for a fill flash to lighten the silhouetted figures in the foreground. The powder blue walls in the background are dainty, bright and luxurious while those who work to maintain the apartment are dark and almost featureless. In this sense it reminded me of the murals of Diego Rivera depicting the plight of the worker. The use of color is muted in comparison. It is not a glamorized or inspirational depiction of what it presents.

There are many other evocative works on display. I recommend the exhibition to anyone with an interest in European art from this period who lives in or plans to visit the San Francisco Bay Area during the summer of 2010. It will be a worthwhile visit.

I will be volunteering with the St. Bernard Project in New Orleans, Louisiana to help their efforts to rebuild the city after hurricane Katrina.

It is a noble cause led by Zack Rosenberg who speaks here about the challenges and rewards of the work they do.

Should you ever forget, the impact of the hurricane on the region was great and created great suffering during the storm.

Though the St Bernard Project aims to rebuild the homes and lives destroyed in 2005, there is still a lot of work to be done.

Your presence, time, effort and donations will help to make this once vibrant city breathe a sigh of relief.