2020 to say the least has been a strange year. It will be infamous for forcing me to reflect on my life and where it was going, as opposed to how I planned it to go. As an Illustrator I had planned to do many things, such as participating in markets and making those face to face connections, but suddenly the world was cut off. I retreated to the safety of my small home to be nearer to my family, where I knew I could be most at peace. (The mental effects of a pandemic was something I felt immediately).
After months in seclusion, it was starting to feel safe again. No new cases were being reported and the positives of a small Caribbean life were felt. I began to reflect on my life again and form a new plan for my practice. What could I do? and the answer was workshops!
During my residency in Taiwan I held two workshops teaching monoprinting to the local communtiy. This was aimed at helping to introduce art to persons of all ages and technical background. I saw how valuable and encouraging it was that art became more accessible. ( language barrier need not apply!)
I always felt there was a stigma of art being just a hobby back home and the oppurtunities to explore it even more limiting. The art community has grown from how I knew it and I am happy to see more and more development in the arts but I still felt there is a lack of accessiblity.
So that is why I created the ‘Let’s Draw!’ workshops. An invitation to anyone with an unnutured interest in art to find a starting point in their journey. Drawing is the most basic skill of an artist but also the most valuable. Drawing is how we learn, research and experiment, it is the most versatile and supportive medium. As a person who loves drawing landscapes I decided to make the workshops as outdoor location-based, which is also safer choice in these times. Using the world as your inspiration and learning through observation, I believe is a great way to begin.
After a fairly successful launch of the first workshop at the beginning of August (Which was delayed but luckily not cancelled by a tropical storm). I used that feedback to organise another to be held at the end of August. It is my hope that this will grow into a series.
Workshop Poster #2