- Michael Robinson photos
From left, 'Consultation of the Pigs' by Wayne Rodney and 'Summer Vacations'
Michael Robinson, Gleaner Writer
IN THE days and minutes leading up to an exhibition, things can get overwhelming. There is framing to be done, guest lists to create and contact, sponsors to woo, mounting of works. Phone calls... press releases, invitations.
It can get downright hectic.
For many artists and small galleries, the nightmarish mayhem preceding a show is an all-too-familiar reality. For Jacquelyne Hussey-Pearson, curator of the Red Bones Gallery, it seems this scenario does not necessarily have to be an eventuality.
Less than 48 hours before the three-man exhibition featuring Wayne Rodney, Shirley Rodney and Hussey-Pearson, all seems calm. Both Rodneys are quietly spending the evening in and, for her part, Jacqui Hussey is tucked away for the night. Not to worry, these are all signs of a well-oiled machine.
The original idea, to showcase Wayne's work in a solo exhibit, was shelved when the painter suggested his mother take part in the exhibition as well. Semi-retired, and holding on to a longtime dream to seriously pursue art, Shirley couldn't resist. The show will be her first ever. Hussey-Pearson, who won her first art competition at age 8 in Scotland, says Shirley prodded her to include her own work and it became a three-man show.
HEAVY WORKLOAD
Although she admits to a heavy workload, the weight of the twin caps of curator and artist seems to be the least of Jacqui's concerns. The crucial hanging stage is about to begin. This is the part where Hussey-Pearson puts on her curator's cap and decides what to hang and where. The artists look buzzed. Their work lines the room walls like a skirting, as they congregate and move around the space, discussing technique, choice of work and pricing.
The hanging of the work is itself an art.
The curator will probably invest several hours today deciding how best to arrange the pictures on the gallery's walls. Colour, composition, style and size are all taken into consideration during hanging. Pieces need to co-exist. They must accentuate each other. The final placement must achieve visual harmony for the space as a whole. Furniture and even potted plants will probably be used to enhance the room's energy flow.
For the time being, however, Hussey-Pearson is wearing her artist's cap. One framed piece is set aside as she realises she is not quite finished working on it. She is busy moving around, unpacking, positioning and repositioning pictures. The eye of the artist is ever restless.
DILIGENT
Wayne, the youngest, has the most exhibition experience and has also been working toward this show for the last three years. He shies away from the word 'diligent', but his focus and discipline over this time have reflected a respect for art and a relationship with his personal muse that belie his twenty-something years.
He describes the work he's been doing for this show as a departure. "Previously," he recalls, "the works were more personal. They were about relationships." The current body of work is more social commentary, compelled as he is to weigh in on such topics as the marginalisation of women and the country's state of affairs. "For most people," he says, "there are more downs than ups."
The two women, while not new to the arena of formal exhibiting, are certainly no "old hands," jokes Hussey-Pearson. She has already exhibited in her native Scotland and has been curating in Jamaica for about half a decade.
Shirley Rodney's paintings earned her a bronze medal and a certificate of merit in the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission's National Art exhibition in 1976. This exhibition will serve as her reintroduction to the viewing public. To hear her tell it, you would think her son had to drag her into it.
MEDITATIVE AND THERAPEUTIC
For the better part of her career, Shirley put her family first, getting heavily involved in PTAs and even teaching Sunday School while holding down a full-time job in the media. Now that she has semi-retired, she finally has the time to devote to the creation of pictures, a practice she finds meditative and therapeutic. "I find it a good pacifier," she laughs.
Admittedly, Shirley used to think of art as a hobby. As a result, most of her work over the years has been given away. Her small pastels are reminiscent of impressionistic watercolours, emotive yet calming.
At the time of this writing, there is a little over 24 hours to go before the simply titled 'Art Exhibition' opens. By the time this paper goes to print, the opening will be 24 hours past. No more stomach butterflies, no more running around to get preparations in place, no more wondering what the turnout will be like. Vivian Logan's opening speech will have become part of history.
Guests will have come, seen and been inspired, hopefully leaving with expanded boundaries if not bigger art collections. The stream of traffic that ebbs and wanes over the course of an exhibition will have begun.
For the artists, however, the journey that is art continues.
