Viv Logan's oil on linen, 'Ready For Bed'. - Photo by Anthea McGibbon

AFTER JUST one year of settling into their new home, the Jamaica Artist Guild members last week demonstrated their love for the wider Jamaican community. On January 7, their annual show was launched to assist in raising the $29 million needed by the Bellevue Hospital.

The Bellevue Hospital, which has been nurturing Jamaica's mental patients for 145 years, is now in dire need of equipment and other miscellaneous items. In addition, several areas, including laundry, lunchroom, staff quarters and security posts, are in need of renovation.

The Oakton House, in Half-Way Tree, is the showcase of the candid exhibition, where 35 artists voluntarily give of their best works in open support of improving the hospital.

Aside from the tardiness of document preparation, the exhibition is superbly mounted, allowing the 90 works equal space to breathe and show the mastery of their creators. Nothwithstanding that, the varying development in styles of the combined academics and intuitives is more than evident.

Exhibitors include Phyll Williams, Ewan McAnuff, Devon Harvey, Devon Garcia, Paul Blackwood, Cynanie Sawyers, Viv Logan, Sharon Fox-Mould, Sonia Richards, Betty Glanville, Damaris Mayne, Paul Smith, Maxine Gray, Lennox Coke, Viviene Burnett, Carolyn Graham, Edward Channer, Sebastion Elliot, Rafika Karuiki, Dr. Wayne Lawrence, Lois Lake-Sherwood, Patsy Mair, Stacy Ann Ikeako, Everton Mitchener, Samira Bowder, Myrth Hall-Butler, Alphanso Blake, Carol Watson, Marie Scully and Ray Jackson.

A story of Ja's beauty

The works, priced between $10,000 and $180,0775, collectively explore varying media and techniques. Meda include pastels, acrylics, woods, gouache. The placement of the pieces across two rooms and the entrance foyer enhances the strength of the show, which tells a continuous story of Jamaica's beauty. Most of the pieces highlight the island's flora, fauna, landscapes and waterscapes, with a few done on our preferred foods, moods and activities. Very few are done in abstract.

In the foyer are welcoming pieces — Beverley Jackson's energetic 'Sunburst' and intuitive Edward Campbell's oil pastel 'Nuptials II', among other pieces.

A revelation of the high spirits of the collective artists takes one into the interior. 'Birds of a feather', acrylic by Carol Watson, is dynamic and continues to express the guild's unity, already spoken of in the design of Devon Harvey's chalk pastel, 'I-Threes'. A strong intuitive artist, Dr. Wayne Lawrence, shows his fascination with white in the depiction of St. Andrew's mist engulfing 'Castleton Gardens'.

Viv Logan's'Ready for Bed' in the third room set the overall mood.

Her dynamic use of light and dark emphasising her already purely defined feminine strokes narrates a woman who dispels the day's cares to enjoy sweet, undisturbed dreams. The strong light over the bed in the immediate background seems to pull us into an area where the visions of a well-planned and successful future can be accessed.

Devon Harvey's sail-curved shapes to break up his chalk pastel illustrations made the works, especially 'After', all the more appealing. Of the four pieces on the show, his 'Classic Cello Player' was the weakest, falling short in attention to proportion detail, but overall his designs are strong, and complemented by good colour usage.

Phyll Williams' 'Idle Boats' and 'Seascape' by Alphonso Blake have fishermen's boats docked and ready for a drifter's tour. Differing in the application of brush strokes, both pieces prompt viewers to peaceful reflections beyond doubt. The choice of colours and 'scenic design' of 'Seascape', however, arouse concern that it is a river.

Alphonso Blake shows that he has more mastered styles to offer than his known developed cubism technique. His pieces are as dynamic in appeal as the displayed choices by Lennox Coke. Coke's acrylic, 'The Big Catch', is remarkable and all elements of the composition are exemplary in how they complement each other.

Illustrations of flowers

Sharon Fox-Mold shows from her usual illustrations of flowers, but the expected vibrancy was tamed in 'Phalaenopsis'. The orange orchid flower painted on black could have been more impacting, but its curvy edges and sufficient highlights were lacking. The passionately illustrated 'White Hibiscus & Saffron Finch' by Samira Bowden could have been enhanced by a brisker clean-up of colours.

Ewan McNuff's 'Journey' reveals a welcomed development of his expressionistic technique, but in 'Fire Starter' the technique was limited to the garment worn by the female depicted.

Graphic artist and photographer, Howard Moo Young, hints at a future successful exploration of pop art in his illustrations employing line drawings, pencil crayons and enhanced photography techniques.

Among the abstracts, Phyll Williams' vivid 'Life Changes, Blue I' and Edward Channer's 'Music and I' are highly expressive.

The only relief sculptures, 'Eat Jamaican' and 'Load Cart', are by Devon Garcia, and are as refined as the applied thought. The other three-dimensional pieces are 'Jewellery' by Paul Smith and ceramic pieces by art educator, Maxine Gray. The lack of the expected expert finish is compensated by the eye-catching designs.

Other pieces demanding attention were 'Blues' and 'Yellows' by Pinksque Green; 'Potted Flower' by Patsy Mair; 'Madonna' by Carl Dennis; 'Autumn Leaves' by Carol Watson; 'Old Woman' by Cynanie Sawyers; 'Story Time' by Ray Jackson, and 'Three Faces' by Owen Beckford.

Overall, the show offers a good variety to tease a collector's sensibilities, earning substantial contribution for the Bellevue till.

Anthea McGibbon, a graduate of the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts has over 10 years experience in the fields of visual arts and journalism. Write to islandartattack@yahoo.co.uk or anthea.mcgibbon@gleanerjm.com.