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…
On Socials