Making of a mermaid, 'Beach Comb'
In early 2020, I was asked by local artist, Renee Foster, to show a work of art that expressed themes of folklore and folk art. I have always admired the work of the late Grenadian folk artist, Canute Caliste. I was lucky enough to view his work many times at the now closed gallery, The Art Upstairs in St. George's. Meg Conlon, the owner of the gallery, shared with me stories of Mr. Caliste. It is said that when he was a young boy in Carriacou, he saw a mermaid combing her hair down by the water. He had visions of flying around the islands and after this experience he began painting. I am inspired by the way his work portrays a flattened perspective and how he uses shapes and blocks of color. I decided to pay homage to his work by making a mermaid of my own. I exposed hair combs from my collection of found beach items in the composition. I used lentils, rice, rubber bands, ribbons and small sequins in her tail. The following photographs show my process.
