Anthea McGibbon, Gleaner Writer 
Alexander Cooper assists Dorothy Sun (centre) and Yvena Rose in rekindling their passion for art. - Photo by Anthea McGibbon
The increasing inspiration among Jamaicans to express gives new reasons to celebrate our Independence. Among the inspired artists are three senior citizens.
Former classmates at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts (formerly Jamaica School of Art), Yvena Rose, 92, and Dorothy Sun, 65, sit for classes again under the tutelage of Alexander Cooper, in St. Andrew. On the other hand, 83-year-old Wildred James keeps his art career alive and goes beyond inspiring others with vibrant intuitive works.
For three months now, Alexander Cooper has been tutoring Rose and Sun, two former students of his during the 1970s. While Rose, a resident nurse, turned her skills to embroidering floral patterns, Sun, in the past 40 years since graduation, has neglected her art until three months ago when they both literally found their former teacher. Now they both are committed to the hobby which, for them, brings sheer pride in being able to represent their surroundings on paper.
They have so far been returned to the basics of art - understanding colour and form - and the subjects are mostly landscapes, seascapes, portraits, flowers and still-life compositions. The most interesting works of Rose are her subtle pastels of landscapes, while for Sun, a thrust of creative energy comes through in the vibrancy of colours she uses in illustrating from ackees to a wide-eyed Portia Simpson Miller. She particularly loves her self-portrait, while Rose's fascination with flowers is evident.
Women's painting
Although both women paint strictly to create gifts, an excited Rose further transforms selected paintings to postcards before giving them away. For Alexander Cooper, the weekly three-hour classes with his former students are simply therapeutic.
Born August 24 in 1924, the gift of painting keeps Wilfred Francis fascinated with life and inspired to create.
Francis, who says he has never been formally trained has never had an interest in attending any art class of any kind at any level. He claims he has been spiritually guided since his first illustration in 1966, and is from a family with only one artist - an uncle.
The first such inspiration came while he worked as a supervisor aboard a ship for Royal Mail Shipping Company. He noticed that the Chinese cleaners wrote on freshly laundered clothes with markers that were water resistant.
Creative instructions
Soon enough, a wharfinger tried to instruct him on what to do, and being the creative mind, he opted for independence to be true to himself, he rejected what he considered unreasonable by someone he assumed had ulterior motives.
He followed the spiritual beckoning to become an artist.
After 'jumping ship', he built boats and hired fishermen to fish and to sell for him, from his savings.
The enterprising artist, who says he has never looked back, claims he loses weight working non- stop on his painting, constantly engaging his mind throughout the night.
In his earlier days, he claims to have spent three months, day and night, on one painting. Very often, he says he worked during the nights after returning from work.
Today, at 83, needing no eyeglasses, his works are incredible in design, perspective, colour usage and the messages they bear through his own intuitive style.
His main tools have been marker felt-tip pens and paper or fabric, but he has also used limited oils.
Accordingly, his 'Seven Faces of Bob Marley' oil painting from his private collection is intense in the way he uses primary colours against a black background and the balanced proportions of the seven sides of the famed singer.
Francis' intuitive work is largely creative with distinction, enough to promote as one of Jamaica's unique brands of art styles, especially with his dominant use of colour, and detail in his various illustrative techniques.
In a number of works he applies vertical and horizontal lines, and perfected over the years the way they are evenly placed to dismiss distinction in strokes.
Successful pieces
Only where it was intended for the lines to be seen, particularly in his crosshatches, he has been successful as in 'Dragon and Eagle'.
In the very large 'Hunt', Francis re-enacts the early Arawak days.
A woman sits admiring her man who is about to mount his horse to go hunting. On his back is a spear, the woman herself sits armed with her spear.
For the most part, a good range of his experiences through reading, oral history or personal experience is related through his work. The themes are borne out of a range from biblical stories to representation of cultures like the Chinese.
His works range from abstractions from and of reality, to actual representations of reality, but all with innovation and uniqueness, except for the portraits such as of Bob Marley, and Queen Anne.
Among his fetching pieces are 'In depth' (abstract), 'Escape', 'Emperor and Empress'.
Francis hints at a preference to black and white when he says, "You have to know what to do to bring out the beauty in black and white works."
In a recent exhibition at Mutual Gallery, his works were practically sold off. Francis, who says his first painting was 'Creative Beast' done in 1967, ceased from showing his works yearsago after a noted politician tried to exploit him. He remembers showing in the Uptown, Downstairs Gallery, along East Street, where he entered 3/4 exhibitions and with 'Monstrosity in Space', he earned a bronze award in a National Festival Arts Competition held by the then JCDC.
Francis was born in Spanish Town, came to Kingston in 1949, where he lived in downtown Kingston at his current Andrews Lane residence since 1967. Beside him as been his wife, Veronica, now deceased, who bore him seven children, five of whom were boys.
None of his children has followed his lead in becoming artist. However, his talent has recurred in one daughter who has a knack for drawing, but his son who goes by the name 'Mankind', sings.
Anthea McGibbon, a graduate of the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, has more than 10 years' experience in the fields of journalism and the arts. Contact her at islandar tattack@yahoo.co.uk or anthea.mcgibbon@ gleaner jm.com.
