House of Dread

The following is the second in a two-part interview with artist Errol Brown. His works 'House of Dread', 'Lion on the Rock' and 'Untitled' are currently on view at the National Gallery of Jamaica. He discusses his work with Dr Jonothan Greenland, executive director of the National Gallery of Jamaica.

Jonothan Greenland: Where did you grow up?

Errol Brown : West Kingston. Denham Town, Jones Town, Jungle going up. But anyway, most of my time in captivity I get the time fi exercise pon my art work more seriously and dedicate my time in it. I sleep and dream about work. Work I get in my mind, I just wake up and put it out pon material. Me is a man where certain time certain things just come in to me. Everybody ask me what me doing, and come shake me up, you see when I realise is like I conk out but I never conk out, but it's that feeling - it's like that I iritically feel the vibes and these go down in so many works because when I do a piece of work it is a job when I do it - it not like I just do it for fun, I make young face, old face, middle-aged face, smiling face, a baby face, old lady face and from you see it you can recognise what type of face it is. Just like you have your books and pen I have my wood.

I notice there are a lot of faces in your work 'Untitled'. It is like a tree with faces. Can you tell us something more about that?

That piece name 'Natty-Natty.' That piece of wood is lignum vitae. When I was a little youth - you see that type of work several man look pon me and say: "Giant, I never see you do a bald head man."

You mean like me - without dreadlocks?

Yes. I do men like you if a man come and ask me to do it, but during my time is pure natty natty people like I just Rasta all over - is the type I like to do. But when man come see me whole day dem stay smoke herb and eat an reason and even help I wid my work - nothing in this word don't sweet me like when I do my artwork - I laugh with my artwork, eat with them, talk to them, I give them even herb to smoke, the inspiration I get from my artwork. There's no talk what can be like that inspiration - you have to go way down in the art to get that kind of vibes.

Have you been making art since you were released from jail?

Well, to be frank, see when I come out, I didn't have the vibe to deal with artwork. When I come out I really had to try and put hand to hand, toe to toe and ends to ends so I can have clothes to wear, food to eat, somewhere to go because straight up there's no family what sey: "Giant, I give you a start." No dread what sey: "I give you a start." Nuff brethren give me sweet talk but is just sweet talk I get - No one can take it from me - good over evil at all times. Me is a man now just get up, dust off myself, collect back some tool and try find a location and start perform some work again. What I learned in my mentality behind that bar, there is no man I supposed to come lead me pon a negative road or whatsoever. If I open the door I must know the reason why I want to open it. In prison now you have to be a serious man - in the institution you have to be a serious man. You see in my time doing my art work - carving in darkness you see in my cell the ventilation was like this: sometime light don't turn out when I want to carve and sculpt. I have to lie don on my belly and chest and stay sideways so and work and work just to get the light coming in from outside that I can see - sometime I drop asleep on my work with the tool in my hand - sometime the light just bun out and it can't fix back and we try all kind of things to fix it get little light but sometime it just overload so many man a work a do ting the main wire overload and is all dem things we go through. Sometime when you do get the light you have to hide and carve it.

Is a learn I learn off of them ting: Art work is a journey.

You see I did this piece of work, it name 'Free in Spirit'. I did that piece of work in 1991 in the general penitentiary and I go in an exhibit in dere with it. The first thing them do them don't put my name on the work, them don't put where it come from and who do it. One day I get a visit and dem sey dem see it in de paper and from they see it they know is my work and in two days time, another man come and say the same thing and I feel good - but when the exhibit over and dem thing there - the warden don't come back and say: "Giant, everything go well". and thank me and ting. Dem don't come and say anything. Dem neither pay me nor give me back my work or things. See when I come a street now - I go to The Gleaner and check it out and go to the Internet and check it out - what I want to know is what happened to my piece of work - I would really like to know what is the position. Dem never learn me no skill. I never give dem no problem or worries - what me driving at now I want some good argument from the authorities towards my work and what happen to my work.

It sounds like you have a good case. Could you tell us about your work 'Lion on the Rock'?

Let me tell you how I get to do this piece of work. One day a brethren was walking along inside where I was and check me - im have some board and cut it off and I asked him what he was going to do with it and he said nothing - he didn't see anything to do with it so I asked him for it. I took it - just a piece of lignum vitae and I have it and clean it up and I see a piece of rock and when I see the rock, some lion I see on it - that is the only thing I see pon it - a big lion father lion, mother lion, star cub, a family of lion just balling out sey them want to come out of the rock dem dere. I just tek them out and put them mek them stay up on the rock. When he come see it him look pon me and ask me if it's the same piece of wood. He looked so confused but from I see it I see lion in the jungle balling out.

I can see why you are called 'Giant', you must be about 6ft 5inches. But do you have a special relationship with lions because there is something very lionlike about you?

Yes - from you look on me you can see that I am a lion - a King Lion, at all times, in all ways in the tradition of lion.

What advice would you have for young artists?

To keep them in hard work - give them the feeling of vibes and happiness and joy to find themselves in their art work. Growing up as a youth in this time, you don't have a straight talent - there must be one thing you can do - find one skill. I have more than one skill but I specialize in art work - I love art. Anywhere I go - I feel to create art - there's a lot of artwork I see in the sky. I see artwork through shadows, I see artwork through imagination, I see artwork in happiness and sadness - I see art and I know art.

When I look at your art work - I'm not sure I see either happiness or sadness. I think I see spiritual objects.

That is what you see - sometime you look on my artwork you can see pain, like trauma, feeling pain, look on my artwork you can feel happiness, you see joy and love, you look on my artwork you can see worry, frustration, and you look on my work you can see love and light in my work that's the way I see artwork.

So in the same object you can see all these different things?

I do not deal with dead art I deal with live art because I isolate myself, lock down and for years and months just eat, cook, sleep - everything in one place with my artwork - like living in a workshop so every turn I turn it's piece of artwork me looking at.

Is there a big difference between the artwork you produced in jail and the artwork you produced when you came out?

You see the work I produced in captivity them come from work, blood, sweat, tears, sufferation, starvation. Me and my art work is like two persons - we talk to one another we eat we drink we do everything me question them a so me live in a mi artwork that mean sey them sey wha a gwan - me never get confused from another piece of work - if I do a piece of work and it a puzzle me - what me to do here so - I just get up and take a walk and the answer comes to me. A so artwork stay. When I tek it up is like a brand new piece of work. Artwork it don't force anything on me.

How long were you in jail, if you don't mind me asking?

23 years.

Do you think you would have survived that long if you hadn't been an artist?

Well, what I go through is the Almighty provide me to survive - there's nothing else I could learn from. Al that time I do my artwork, I beat out with a sharp file, sharp nail and beat it out and sharpen it and carve it - so every spare corner use up. The Father know why he create this talent in me so I can utilise it and I don't have anyone help me - I like to do my work all by myself. My work is an original and will always be an original.

- Intuitives III is on view at the National Gallery of Jamaica through November 4.