Gene Pearson GP Rakuhead. – Contributed
RENOWNED JAMAICAN artists Cecil Cooper and Gene Pearson will celebrate their 60th birthdays with the opening of a joint show at Harmony Hall in Ocho Rios on Sunday, February 5, at 12:00 p.m.
The public is invited to meet these master artists and see their newest works. Opening remarks will be delivered
by Evan Williams, a knowledgeable art collector, architect and owner of
Red Bones Café.
Cooper and Pearson entered the Jamaica School of Art together and graduated in 1966. "The '60s was an era of optimism, and a fertile period for the arts in Jamaica," says Cooper.
"Our work shares a certain simpatico from that time period, like a New World conception of the Caribbean people. The figure has always been central to our art, and the approach is a hybrid of classical, African and Caribbean lines and forms," he explains.
Harmony Hall has been exhibiting Cooper's expressionist paintings and Pearson's ceramics since it opened in 1981. This will be the third joint show for Cooper and Pearson with Harmony Hall in Jamaica and Antigua.
"We've had such a long association with these two artists that we were thrilled to participate in their birthday celebration show," says Annabella Proudlock, one of Harmony Hall's founders.
"Their work goes so well together, especially when it comes to representations of the female form," explains Proudlock. "I love the colours, balance and movement in Cooper's paintings, and I love the serenity and sensuality in Pearson's work."
The pieces presented in the new show by both artists highlight recurring themes throughout their award-winning careers. Pearson will show his signature stylised ceramic heads and sculptures with continued experimentation in textures and glazes. Cooper will show paintings in mixed media focused on subjects that have long interested him, like the three graces, mother and child, the nude in motion, interpersonal relationships, musicians and the horse.
"My work is constantly changing," says Cooper, "it's fresher when I explore new territories. I was working in cool blues and reds, but now my colour palette is becoming deeper and more baroque with bronze and rust reflecting the golden amber light found on the north coast. Plus the paint surface is becoming crusty and dense. I like to fuse classical forms and cultural perspectives while maintaining a level of mystery and intrigue."
Cooper earned BFA and MFA degrees from the School of Visual Arts in New York. He joined the teaching staff at the Jamaica School of Art (now the Edna Manley College for the Visual and Performing Arts) in 1980, where he has headed the painting department since 1981. His work has been featured in three solo exhibitions at Harmony Hall, and in international galleries such as Savacou Gallery in New York City. He earned the Bronze Musgrave Medal in 1993. He paints from his studio in Jack's Hill, and also enjoys renown as Jamaica's leading tenor.
"I create art because I must; it's what I do," says Cooper. "I have a lot of gratitude that I have been able to spend my life doing what I'm passionate about."
Pearson has been a major force in the development of sculpture in Jamaica. He earned the Key W. Lippert Gold Medal for ceramics in 1965; the Hall of Fame Award for excellence in visual arts from the Caribbean Development for Arts and Culture Foundation in 2001; and the Jamaica Prime Ministers Medal of Appreciation for services to the visual arts in 2003. He previously taught at the Jamaica School of Art. He has had many solo shows at Harmony Hall in Jamaica and Antigua, as well as overseas. Pearson's work has been presented to visiting dignitaries such as President Bill Clinton and Nelson Mandela, and is collected by many celebrities. He maintains studios in Red Hills and Berkeley, California.
The art opening on Sunday, February 5 will also feature crafts in the garden. In addition, Toscanini's, one of Jamaica's top restaurants, located at Harmony Hall, will be serving lunch. Reservations are recommended (975-4785).
The show featuring new works by Cecil Cooper and Gene Pearson in celebration of their 60th birthdays will be exhibited at Harmony Hall through March 3rd. The gallery is open 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. For more information on the opening event, the show or the artists, contact Harmony Hall at 974-2870, or see the Web site at www.harmonyhall.com.
