Photo by Michael Robinson
Blaze and Amaze

Michael Robinson, Gleaner Writer

Core Insight is a group of artists formed more than a year ago with a view to presenting art in a variety of genres and formats. John Campbell, Audrey Lynch, Khalil Deane, Christopher Claire and Chandis comprise the group, which has had three exhibitions since its inception, with plans for two more afoot.

Their most recent showing was at Bolivar Gallery during the recently concluded art festival, Kingston On The Edge. While the ongoing exhibit contained mostly paintings, the launch featured a presentation which also involved improv dance stylings by Jamal Wakeling, and the spoken word, courtesy of Chandis.

John Campbell says the work produced by Core Insight is "not for decorative purposes". Instead, he says, the output is "inspired by reality and the artist's experience of it". One thing the artists involved share is that they are all constantly and consistently creating art.

Campbell, who has described his own style as fantastic realism, has been out of art school for more than a decade now, and still exudes a passion for getting up every day to hit the canvases in his mountainside studio. His thoughts on creativity, Jamaican art, marriage and Coca-Cola paint a picture of a regular guy with an uncommon perspective.

What kind of movies do you like?

I like things I can think about. I want to come back from a movie going, 'Wow, that was something!' There are movies that make you feel a lot, but I prefer a movie that makes you think.

If you were stuck on a deserted island with 18 canvases and one colour, what colour would you want it to be?

Blue.

Coke or Pepsi?

Coke, it's great to cook with. Yeah, really. A can of Coca-Cola is great to roast chicken.

How can art save Jamaica?

Art can teach us how to solve our problems by thinking outside of the box. Creative problem solving, that's how art can save Jamaica.

What do you think about the idea of schools incorporating art in the curriculum from nursery school right through to the tertiary level?

Those schools will have students who are much more rounded, much more developed and truly a part of the world. They will give the world something and not just say, "Hey, I'm here to see what I can get. They'll be able to leave something behind, something of value."

What's your least favourite fashion trend from the '80s?

The Gumby (hairstyle)! The Gumby made us all look stupid.

What was the least popular one you followed? The kind of thing where, if you saw a photo right now, you'd burn it?

Those Steve Urkel big glasses. Urkel was in the '90s, but I had them in the '80s. When I look back on them, they were Urkelish. Those things were like windscreens on my face. All I needed was windshield wipers and an engine.

Suppose you could leave the world with a question or an answer?

'Who are you?''

What has been your personal relationship with that question?

At times it changes and at times it's consistent. The consistent part is that I'm John, the artist. That's how I define myself. The other part is that I'm a husband, I'm a son, and I'm a friend. But with these other things, sometimes there's conflict. There are times when something goes awry and I might wish I wasn't, or wish I was something else. But one thing that never changes is: I am John, the artist.

Have you ever had a pet?

Yeah. I've had dogs and cats, but cats are my favourite. Lilu was the last cat I ever had. That was in Portland.

Do you ever really have a cat as a pet, or do they have you?

(Laughs) They have you. You have a dog, but the cat has you. You are on the cat's schedule.

How do you feel about marriage?

I don't think they told us exactly what it was. Nobody ever sat us down and said, 'This is it'. You have to be in it to really see it. From outside, your perceptions vary. You can't come to marriage with any preconceived ideas or notions about what love is and how marriage is supposed to work. You have to be able to evolve and adjust each moment, and that's a very huge step. It's perhaps the biggest step you have to make.

Are there any young artists out there that get you going creatively?

I concentrate more on my own evolution, irrespective of what is happening around me. There was this kid in Boston, a few years ago, who did canvases of the construction of a new port, involving construction equipment and stuff like that. He used drips of paint to create the images. It was beautiful - all this colour - and it was just drips. The paint wasn't manipulated by brushes the way I was painting at the time. Because of that, I started working with paint rollers. It's a technique I can't fully control.

Oils or acrylics?

Once upon a time I would have sworn by oils. But now I like acrylics, because of the roller technique I developed. And I love chalk pastels. That, combined with acrylics, watercolour and drawing ink - all of that one canvas - I love it. I love it!

Let's say there's a 16-year-old getting ready to leave high school and he/she doesn't want to do anything else but art. What do you have to say to them?

Go to an art school. Learn as much as you possibly can. Find an agent or an 'in' to the market. Wilfully go out there and look for that 'in'. It was never a consideration for me when I left art school. The business of art is not taught in the art school, you have to go and educate yourself about the business of art.

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