New Printable Coloring Page: Midnight Robber

The Midnight Robber is one of the more popular and well loved characters portrayed in the traditional mas of Trinidad and Tobago. A typical Midnight Robber costume consists of a wide brimmed, tassled hat, a cape and accessories such as weapons and/ or a coffin. The Midnight Robber always makes use of a shrill whistle to command the attention of his audience or other Robersons nearby. He performs a drastic and rhythmic speech, often about his ancestry mixed with other themes of history, religion and mythology. At the end of his speech, Midnight Robber will often ask for money.

For more information about this character you can visit https://www.traditionalmas.com/project/midnight-robber/

“Local Legends” 2016 Calendars Now Available

For those of you not in Trinbago, 2016 Calendars are now available online——> here. These babies will make their Trini debut at BITS and Pieces, November 7th, 2015 at Movietowne. These are great gift ideas for the Christmas Season.

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Recent Creations

Recently created Artwork

The Creation of Evilyn

Evilyn was a prop I created for Zombie Island, an interactive scare house that took place at the Decibel Entertainment Expo 2015 (www.decibelexpo.com). Evilyn was made with mainly recycled materials: Papier-mâché, chicken wire, masking tape, kite paper, old phone book pages, cardboard rolls, etc. She took quite a beating as she was punched out of the way after descending onto the terrified, unsuspecting patrons.  She survived unscathed and sits in my studio waiting for her next opportunity to terrify someone. Here are some Work in Progress pics of my first zombie creation 😎.

It all started with the hand…..

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A Work in Patience: Oil Portraiture

In 2012 I started using oil paints. I quickly fell in love with this medium. Those feelings started to wane once I began oil portraiture.

In this age of instant gratification, water colours and acrylics have enabled me to finish a portrait within a week or two. However, oils have taken three months, six months, even a year to complete depending on size and the number of people in the portrait. The adjustment to this pace was quite frustrating but I’ve learnt a few things as I’ve gotten into the groove.

I’ve learnt to take the time to really see the subject and find my style. I’ve learnt to explore different solutions to a problem I may encounter without worrying about the paint drying too quickly. I’ve discovered how long I can focus on a painting before my mind wanders to what I can paint on that blank canvas that I just bought. I’ve learnt that, with the right lighting, I’m better at oil portraiture at night, when life is quiet and the music is loud. I also love my sleep so I’ve learnt to manage my time more efficiently.

Sometimes it all falls into place but sometimes I have to make it work. Being an artist and balancing family life is,  in itself, a “Work in Progress” and oil portraiture is a lesson in patience.

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Self Portrait- My first oil portrait

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A more recent oil portrait

The Creation of Bob

There was once a large, stretched canvas that I was almost sure was cursed as nothing I painted on it seemed to work. I painted a semi abstract nude in blue. That didn’t work. Covered it with white paint.

A few months later, I decided to do a knife painting of an old familiar favorite, Boissiere House, otherwise known in Trinidad as The Gingerbread House. That didn’t work either. Covered it with white paint.

A few months after that, I decided to “try ah ting” and do a knife painting of Bob Marley. It worked 🙂

Here’s some work in progress pictures of Bob.

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Bob Marley, Acrylic knife painting on stretched canvas.