What the world needs now is lots of art

by Camille Saunders
Musser

There are many ways to say how powerful and impactful are the arts. Much has been written on the benefits derived from the arts, and how essential they are. The arts can affect health, education, the economy, improve communities and our lives. Yet we tend to ignore the arts to our peril.

At the Youlou Art Centre we are striving to build a strong, vibrant and creative arts community.

In these stressed days of Covid 19 the Centre is offering an escape. A little “something” to recharge the batteries and keep the spirit cheerful and strong.

The 3 + 3 show currently on display at the Youlou Art Centre, can offer you that little “something” to feed the soul.

Artwork from three painters and three photographers is being exhibited. The public is invited to come and view their work at the Youlou Art Centre.

The show opened in the middle of December 2020 in the midst of the Christmas rush and will continue until April/2021.

The public is encouraged to come and see the show, there is still time to take it in.

The six artists in the show are: Amanda Frederick, Marc Erdrich, Peter Providence, Glendon Holder, Kingsley Roberts and Cecile Comblen.

Two artists were interviewed for this article. Cecile Comblen and Kingsley Roberts shared their thoughts about their artwork.

Kingsley Roberts

The prize winning photographer, and owner of Photographic Elegance, Kingsley Roberts has been practising his craft for over 30 years, is known for photographing iconic sights and everyday life in St Vincent and the Grenadines. In this show he has five photographs.

Kingsley pays attention to the light, and texture in his photographs. He is known to rise early to take photos. He said these days he works with stock photographs. These are photographs he has taken in advance. He diligently goes around the island at specific times and takes photographs of iconic views, buildings and events. He takes several photos of the same view throughout the year. He does this to ensure he gets the right texture, and to note changes in the view.

He revisits the photographs and is able to make changes to the image. He is able to add colour and texturize the photos and produce a product with which he is happy.

He said by doing this he is also keeping a historical record of the day to day life activities preserving them for generations to come.

Cecile Comblen

Cecile Comblen who is Canadian has chosen St Vincent and the Grenadines as her second home; she has been living here on and off for 20 years.

She admits the light in SVG is very important to her. The colours are strong and brighter. She is captivated by the life and scenery around her.

Cecile has five paintings in the 3 + 3 show. All the paintings in the show were painted in SVG. In her acrylic paintings she tells a story within a Caribbean landscape. There is one watercolour which describes the serenity of island life.

Cecile is a trained artist. She studied education in Canada and furthered her studies by getting a degree in Fine Arts at the University of Ottawa, giving her a solid background in the arts. She has exhibited her work throughout Canada, Belgium, the UK, Mexico, Jamaica, and other Caribbean islands.

The Youlou Art Centre is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 to 5 pm.

It is located at Indian Bay. By using the Villa Lodge entrance, heading down the hill towards the sea and then taking a sharp left.

The number at the Youlou Art Centre is 457 4493