Mitchener reveals his inner self

- Contributed

"Whose Dog Dat", one of the art works in an exhibition GEM-IN-I Vision by Everton Mitchener currently showing at the Gallery Pegasus. The exhibition continues for one more week.

Georgia Hemmings, Staff Reporter

THE Gem-In -I Vision exhibition by artist Everton Mitchener at Gallery Pegasus in Kingston is largely a revelation of his inner self, and his love for nature.

The 29 pieces on show comprise a mix of abstracts, landscapes, seascapes and scenes. But it is in the abstracts that his spirituality and interest in the universe is revealed.

Three Dimensional Light, Three Dimesional Vision and Four Dimensional Light are variations of a common theme about colour and what stimulate the eyes to appreciate it.

The small abstract, titled The Gem-In-I (from which the exhibition draws its name), is a canvas of yellow with a variety of tints.

The artist explained that the colour yellow is suggestive of "knowledge and mental activity, and this painting was designed to stimulate the higher mind."

Joseph's Coat is another interesting rendition of the colour theme (about knowledge and higher learning through colours), while Mr. Mars was inspired by the artist's thought about the "Red Planet".

Downtown view

The majority of the works, however, are highly executed, and detailed renditions of landscapes, and scenes. Most of the scenes are drawn from downtown environments - the Kingston Harbour, Port Royal - and seemingly reflect the artist's fascination with these areas.

So a ship anchored in the Kingston Harbour is realistically portrayed, as well as Corporate and Industrial Images, which looks across the Kingston Harbour from a vantage point in East Kingston.

The National Gallery is the focus of Gallery Talk, and market activities are depicted in Heywood Street Market.

But there are scenes from parts of St. Catherine, St. Ann, and upper St. Andrew.

Other interesting pieces are Crossing the Bridge (a composition depicting heavy rainfall), and Lunar City with its unusual blue and white treatment.

Still, despite the variety, the exhibition lacks some cohesiveness, and the artist tried to explain to The Sunday Gleaner the link between his spiritual "vision" of colours and its manifestation in actual landscapes and scenes.

According to him, "colours in the landscapes and scene around us have to be viewed from a scientific perspective, which involves looking at the their material properties (the metal and chemical elements). In the long run, viewers should get the understanding that everything is connected, and colours have a tremendous impact on our thoughts and lifestyle. Once we can recognise this, we can be at peace with ourselves and the world around us."

His realistic renditions of the landscape is part of an effort to preserve environment and culture, as he points out that "with changing times, the landscape will also change. And so the paintings will be there to remind us what it was like in that period. Each piece reflects a different mood, style and personality, and I think of them as collectors' gems."

For him personally, this vision about colours and their significance reinforces his belief that "colours is life and is a language that can be used to portray feelings, thoughts and emotions."

So he"ll continue working to depict the Gem-In-I Vision caught in his current exhibition. He has been painting professionallly for more than 17 years, and has exhibited in group and solo exhibitions.

The current show ends this Saturday.

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