I was born in New Amsterdam, Guyana. While working for many years in New York, I began collecting art. The journey into this realm began with ‘music’ that goes back to childhood days in Guyana when I pursued music. One art form - music - led to another art form - art. Presently, I am writing a novelette, “Living with the Masters.” It is a story that takes place in the world of art and reflects the interaction between me and the artwork I have encountered. Having shared the passion of collecting ... and pulled in friends/acquaintances into the arena, it now behooves me to share the experience with others. The offering takes place as in a dream. The paintings and I have been living in overcrowded rooms for many years - dissension was bound to occur sooner or later. Image to image, the paintings fight, they jostle, they joke and narrate the stories themselves. Every aspect of collecting is explored.

St. Louis Blaise, Haiti - La Sirene - Picture above

The Sirene of St. Louis Blaise spoke: “I need more room. I feel strangled in this position. I can barely move my tail. This is no way to live! I must expand my territory.”

Confined in a stream amidst flora, foliage and a swan, jealousy was playing a part in her belligerence. She envisioned a flood bigger than that of Noah’s around her. Her partner, Goddess - La Sirene, executed by the renowned master Rigaud Benoit, stood atop two sharks in the wide open space at sea, and surrounded by miles and miles of water. She possessed the ability to move around easily, and the option of swimming back to Africa as certain Loas from André Pierre’s brush managed to do in 1804 at the end of the Haitian Revolution….Erzulie, the Goddess of love/beauty/passion about whom many myths exist, came from the sea..

Paintings from Africa, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Trinidad and USA participate. The Novelette should be finished within a year +

Portrait picture - Courtesy of Artist Carl Hazlewood