FINE artist Jonathan Guy-Gladding (JAG) is currently exhibiting his most recent collection of paintings at the Inner Gallery Building Bois d’Orange.
The exhibition started yesterday (Friday, 30th November) and will continue to the 21st December 2018 (Mondays to Fridays from 8.30 am to 4.30 pm).
— Jonathan Guy-Gladding (JAG)
All are invited to come and experience Saint Lucian realism where the subjects are simply “the warmth and light in this world”, as explained by Guy-Gladding (JAG’s) in his artist statement.
He says: “The last few years since my most recent exhibition have been gloomy times for the world and for me.
“Watching the evening news has become a heartbreaking experience — ISIS, Boko Haram, Syria, Yemen, Putin, Trump — and on a personal level, the loss of both my parents in a three-month period — have been a challenge to my sense of optimism.”
He further explains, “Tragedy is an unavoidable part of life for all of us, which is why I believe it is so important to look for and focus on the warmth and light in this world – the oases of kindness and love, beauty and inspiration that remind us that the world is still a wonderful place and that life is a gift.
“These gentle moments of beauty are the things that I try to paint, to record, celebrate, and share. They might be the sight of a schoolchild, full of innocence and enthusiasm, dressed in madras, perfectly combed and immaculately groomed, right down to the dusting of talcum powder – obvious manifestations of love and care from a mother or other caregiver.
“It might also be the dramatic grandeur of the Pitons, or the quiet serenity of a river sparkling in the sunlight and surrounded by the deep greens of the forest.
It could be the familiar scene of a couple of old-timers, sitting on a curb in front of an old wooden shop enjoying quiet conversation and the company of the other.
“It might be a group of fishermen, straining together to pull a fisherman’s boat on shore.
“Simple things occurring every day, ordinary but beautiful, each one an oasis in what often seems a harsh and ugly world.
“These oases are real and they make our lives rich.
“There are probably many more of them than we realize.
“We just have to keep our eyes open.”