Time with the pencil, pen or brush can be joyful, quiet, contemplative, euphoric, healing, and refreshing. The patient process of painting brings a sense of calm contentment and wellbeing. It’s a movement that exists in the stillness. For almost ten years, I’ve been collecting and painting what I call ‘kalinago canoes.’ My paternal grandmother was a First Nation woman – a Kalinago, from Barbados, with origins in Grenada and Dominica, a descendent of a Kalinago Queen.
At the time, large canvas from the art supply store was ridiculously expensive. Remembering that the Most High supplies all our need and we can choose to start where we are with what we have, working towards what we desire, I took a deep breath and a walk outside, and found gifts tucked away under trees all around.
Finding gifts under trees, and using them as natural canvas for home-decor art is one of my favourite ways to work with colour.
As a girl, reading, writing, singing, dancing, and drawing helped to lower the volume and lessen the tension in the house. These activities provided a quiet space where I could be productive and experience peace. It was as if an entirely different environment was formed; one where thoughts had room to breathe, and the little girl in me had freedom of expression.
Its Joy Within 