London for a gig (part 1)
Vegetarian lunch at Nostimo A Day & A Night in London I found NOSTIMO Greek Restaurant in Russell Sq—in that old Brutalist building I love so much (The Brunswick Centre)—anyway, ordered the veggie platter—which comes with chips. I forget that Britons love chips more than any side. The platter came with a gorgeous fresh salad, tahini, made-to-order pita, hot and crisp, and what looked like 2 generous slices of grilled polenta. When I cut the first of these medallions open, it spilt out fresh cooked peas and carrot, still a bit firm. What a…
New Orleans 2: Jaguar Tattoo
Over the past two or three years, I completely cyber-stalked a henna artist in NOLA, the daughter of a friend from MD who now lives in Singapore. Swan of 504 Henna has been creating beautiful works of art in plant-based pigments for years, and her neck henna tats have had me enthralled. I once promised myself that if ever in New Orleans, I’d find her and get her to create something beautiful for me. Having never met her, or knowing where to find her this was to be a big task. But, serendipitously, I find myself in the French Quarter of NOLA.…
New Orleans 1: First Time
I planned this trip a few weeks ago, when I learned that my favorite uncle was heading out on the cruise of a lifetime—to see the ancient ruins of the Aztec, Inca, and Maya civilizations. While I couldn’t take the equivalent time from work (new job), I was able to book a few days off, in order to meet my uncle and cousin on their way back. So here I am in New Orleans, for the first time, sat poolside at the Best Western in the French Quarter. I have never been to New Orleans before, but did spend some time in Baton Rouge as a teen—back when I…
Challenge: A Week of Self-Portraits
My favorite person in the whole of England, Gardener Purple Wellies , challenged me to complete an activity with her, for a week. We were both tasked with making a drawing of ourselves, at the same time each day, and then writing a single word that sums up our experience of the day. She made me wait for a full week before we could do show and tell of all pieces. We’ll exchange our pics on Sunday…but there’s no rule that said I can’t blog about it. My Saturday sketch is Schl ä fzimer (bedroom), with me sleeping into the morning Monday was sh…
An artist statement...
It has been over 2 decades since I penned my first/last artist statement. But the time is at hand. I love the idea of truth and sharing my truth. This is it, in about 500 words: Born in the eastern Caribbean leeward island nation of Antigua and Barbuda, I was predicted to become a doctor or engineer by my dad. Having moved to the US to finish primary school, I found that alongside an affinity for programming, maths, and literature, I possessed a passion for drawing. Eight-year-old Simone exclaimed “I shall be an artist” in response to learnin…
El Anatsui at October Gallery
London 2024 El Anatsui, artist, inspiration. Solemn Crown at Dawn, 1989 Exhibition at October Gallery. Wires wrapped, bottle caps pressed, light, depth, movement, negative space, reflection, transparency. He signs each piece with his initials hidden somewhere. I found 1! the artist's signature on a 1" square of hammered metal This artwork makes me feel like a fraud, and I am moved to tears to see the large fluid fabrics made from metal. Another feeling inspires greater experimentation--I will explore this. There are older works…
Art-a-Day While in the UK
The creative process while traveling is something like this. I often pause at a restaurant or cafe, order a pint and a plate, then mentally scroll through my day... did any event stick out, or did anything in particular cross my mind during my travels, Or perhaps something amusingly memorable happen to me...or when in doubt, what looks good from my travel photos! A year or two ago I started a practice of creating one artwork per day while traveling. It's significantly more than I can manage while at home, HA! Here are the pieces I created …
Recent Painting & Accomplishment
I snapped a few photos of myself while watching the first England match of the 2023 Women's World Cup, at 4am, on my laptop, at the farm. This was my favorite one of the series. I challenged myself to relinquish control and succeeded. Rather than rely on small brushes, short strokes, and meticulous control over the medium, I slathered on acrylic paint with larger brushes, finger tips, and pencil butts to daub on acrylic paint. This was a meditative practice, and I am brimming with pride at the result!
Recent Painting & Inspiration...
To try something new, that is. I started this painting at the farm a few weeks back and spent many a happy hour with a fine bristle brush, gently daubing short horizontal strokes in acrylics to build light, texture, and a bit of depth on the flat surface. This piece started with a photograph of a couple guys in sport shirts. First, I sketched out the scene in graphite, then decided that it should be rendered in a series of colored bands; primary colors. As it unfolded I realized that it looked a bit rainbow-flaggy, and opted for a metallic cop…
Summer Holiday: Back at the Farm
At Northland Sheep Dairy The original plan was to head to Bethany Beach for the annual family reunion and body surfing competition. So hubby and all of his brothers, sisters, in-laws, nieces, nephews, aunts and uncles headed to a strip of Delaware to reconnect and unwind. I hear they had a great time...for while everyone was sunning and sanding at the beach, I was home alone taking a unit test followed by the final exam for Speech & Voice Science (I passed) . Not to miss another family tradition, I headed to Northland Sheep Dairy , a fe…
Summer Holidays 3: Art in Antigua
When on vacation I disconnect completely from life in America. I shut off the television and read only local news, and I actively engage with my art materials. In Antigua last week, I pulled out my favorite pencil case--gifted to me earlier this year--my favorite colored pencils, and my favorite watercolors. Between walking, swimming, eating, drinking, and getting Covid (for a few days), I made art to help me to process my experience of being home for the first time since 2019. Study in seagull: have I ever discussed the joy of observing sea…
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