by Nelson A. King in New York

While his artistry is well renowned in his native land and the region, it is yet to make any forays on the international scene.

So when pre-eminent Vincentian artist Dinks Johnson received an invitation from Ellsworth John, St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ ambassador to the United States and the Organization of American States (OAS), to display his work in the United States for the very first time during last month’s independence celebrations, he just could not refuse the offer.{{more}}

Johnson’s unique oil-on-canvas paintings were not only on display for a week in Washington, D.C. to rave reviews, but they also received similar acclaim in New York, where art aficionados marveled and relished in the ingenuity of one of St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ unsung heroes.

Johnson’s inimitable exhibits were on display in late October at the St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ Mission to the United Nations and at “Art Off The Main” – a major art showcase in lower Manhattan, involving major artists from around the world.

“Art Off The Main” was coordinated by Sarecou Gallery, whose curator is Jamaican Loris Crawford.

Dr. Gloria Mark Gordon, a Trinidadian educator who is executive director of the Brooklyn-based Arts Caribbean, said that it was necessary that Johnson receive broader exposure.

“When we have artists of Dinks Johnson’s ilk, it’s almost criminal to leave them out,” Gordon told a reception at the St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ Mission to the U.N.

“We’re here,” Gordon said, alluding to New York, considered the epicenter of the art world. “This is where it happens. Sometimes, what it [artist] needs is some encouragement.”

Dr. Gordon – who, with Montserratian-born Laurine Fenton, a former Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) High Commissioner to Canada, helped to engineer Johnson’s exhibits in New York – said that she was highly pleased with Johnson’s participation in “Art Off The Main”.