DURING the dry season, when the hills turn brown and pink and yellow poui leaves fall, nature reminds us how much we take Trinidad and Tobago's green hills, colourful flora – and even life – for granted.
On April 29, the 101 Art Gallery in Newtown provided its own gentle reminder of nature’s glory in an exhibition called The Blooming Art Show. The exhibition, scheduled to last through May 10, served as a fitting tribute to the gallery’s late owner, Mark Perreira, who was shot dead in his Blanchisseuse home on December 19, 2022.
[caption id="attachment_1154417" align="alignnone" width="768"] A painting by Randal Fulchan. -[/caption]
As a collection, most of the oil paintings here evoke the Caribbean's vivid colour and natural light. Few paintings in this exhibit feature people. Instead, the power in this art stems from the tone and mood constructed from light and how it falls on or wraps around flowers and trees.
Artists Tessa Alexander, Sarah Beckett, Bev Fitzwilliam Harries, Sarah Beckett, Karen de Verteuil, Greer Jones-Woodham, Randall Fulchan, Bunty O’Connor and Margaret Sheppard all have paintings or sculptures represented in this art show.
[caption id="attachment_1154416" align="alignnone" width="768"] Pieces by Bev Fitzwilliams Harries and Bunty O’Connor. -[/caption]
Paintings lining the gallery’s long narrow building on 84 Woodford Street create the feeling of walking down an outdoor path lined with startling flowers and trees. This is a place to ponder the beauty and meaning of nature and every artist’s unique style and treatment of light.
The images in Sarah Beckett’s art always gravitate towards the paintings’ edges. Dark, bold colours – ultramarine blue and rust – contrast with brilliant, white light penetrating the landscape.
[caption id="attachment_1154418" align="alignnone" width="768"] Flowers in a Vase, one of the pieces displayed at 101 Art Gallery, Newtown, Port of Spain. -[/caption]
Karen De Verteuil’s painting Tangled Garden features green and green-blue swinging pendulum plants drenched in warm, gentle light. Leaves spread like bird wings. The story here is the light wrapping around the plants or peeking through the plants to create tone and mood.
Four paintings of Macuna Bennettii, a red jade vine known as the New Guinea creeper, define Greer-Jones Woodham’s paintings. Pop-out panels in the centre of each painting create the illusion of three-dimensional images. The paintings, entitled Where Bois Canots Fall, feature heavy, red clusters of flowers hanging on trellises. Each painting creates a different perspective. The light filtering through the flowers and vines determines shades of reds and greens.
Many paintings of trees laden with flowers line the walkway of this gallery. Striking pink and yellow poui trees are especially popular subjects. Some paintings loom large, while miniature paintings call for closer scrutiny. Tiny butterflies or flowers hide in a corner of one of Sarah Beckett’s miniature paintings.
Randal Fulchan’s paintings defy convention. Pastel colou
