Local artist receives Knighthood in Malta

Local artist and entrepreneur, Calvert Jones has been knighted under the ancient and prestigious lineage of the Knights of Malta (KMFAP).

The conferment of knighthood on Jones took place in Valletta, Malta, on Saturday October, 5, 2024.

This knighthood is based on such values as strong leadership, humanitarian efforts, and a dedication to charity and youth empowerment.

Jones, originally from Cedars, Biabou and a past student of the St Vincent Grammar School (SVGS) is known for his “Tropical Realism” paintings and his thinking outside the box initiatives.

Last year, he released his “Tropical Realism” mobile application, an app, designed by local national scholar, Alan Gooding, and described by Jones as “A New Era in Caribbean Art”, and “a landmark collaboration that provides a platform that showcases the vibrant culture and art of the Caribbean through an innovative lens”.

Also last year, the artist teamed up with Professor, Dr Désha Osborne (a Daiches-Manning Fellow) and said he will soon reveal a painting of Paramount Chief, Joseph Chatoyer which depicts the actual truth of how the nation’s lone national hero died.

Jones, a local creative, said in a recent interview that his painting will show a 90 per cent accuracy of exactly how Chatoyer died. The Vincentian creative is also linked to Elizabeth Sloane, a business development and deal origination firm with operations in the Caribbean and West Africa that aims to assist persons with Business Development Services, specifically as it relates to Intellectual Property (IP) syndication. In 2015 Jones’ Stir Media Group Inc., through a collaboration with the Carnival Development Corporation (CDC), and its Facebook page created a way for local artistes to better promote their music on the social media site, Facebook. The idea acted as an interface library for pre-existing links for either songs or music videos on Instagram, Vine or YouTube channels. Jones, a self-taught visual artist, is known for gifting his art pieces to well-known individuals. In November, 2016 he gave Prince Harry a painting of himself (Prince Harry); and in 2023, Jamaican superstar Andrae “Popcaan” Sutherland, received a piece from Jones depicting the dancehall artiste and Sutherland’s mother “Miss Rhona”.

Jones is also known for his kindness. In 2018, the hospital in Bequia received four brand new nebulizers, thanks to the generosity of the artist, hotelier Quirin “King King” Schaedle of the Old Fort Hotel, and Real Grenadines and Carimedix.

Three of the nebulizers were bought with the proceeds of an art exhibition held in April, 2018. The exhibition was organised by Jones and Schaedle who decided that a portion of the proceeds from the art sales would be donated to the Bequia hospital. Jones is known locally, regionally and internationally, and always encourages other local creatives to work on developing their business so that they can move into regional and international spaces.

Jones’s professional career spans photography, videography, graphic design, interior design, and fine art. He also serves as a Director of Invest SVG. He is the son of Sandra and the late Sidney Jones, and growing up in the rural village of Cedars meant that in his school days, he had a 40-minute daily commute to capital, Kingstown.

He said that these trips cemented, in his mind, the imagery necessary to stimulate his creative potential and he sold his first piece of artwork at the age of 12. For a few years Calvert navigated traditional careers, but threw in the towel in May 2010. It was a bold, risky move leaving his last full-time, lucrative position as the Regional Operations Manager for telecoms company, Karib Cable, and having to change island residences with solid, secure compensation.

After giving up his job, he became immediately involved in branding. This expanded his understanding of colour psychology, and the way colours affect and convey moods. This gave birth to Tropical Realism. This Art Style can be described as a synergy of Impressionism, Realism, Cubism and Pop Art and is nostalgically traditional Caribbean, consisting of captivating landscapes, cultural activities, fauna, and flora. This Art he describes as “Nostalgically Caribbean” as it embodies the essence of our Tropical Paradise, the vibe, passion, colours and lifestyle we enjoy. Jones is passionate about charitable, environmental, health, food security and social justice issues. He hopes to use his art and canvas to influence society culturally, educationally, and bring together aspects of hospitality, lifestyle, food and drink and conservation. He also hopes to show other creatives how the industry can really make a difference, and says people can expect documentary series and feature films as expansions from his artwork. Jones said recently that his most prized piece is “The Last Colonial Meal”, a contemporary adaption of Leonardo Da Vinci’s, ‘The Last Supper’. It is presented in a colourful rendition of past and present advocates in the struggle against a plethora of socio-economic issues and injustices in the quest for inalienable rights and freedoms across Western Society.

The Last Colonial Meal”, shows a conversation on resistance between Elijah Muhammed, Bob Marley, Jean-Jaques Dessaline, Marcus Garvey, King Court Takey (Prince Klaas), Harriet Tubman, Joseph Chatoyer, Simon Bolivar, Dr Eric Williams, Paul Bogle and Louis Farrakhan.