Gordon Solomon opens his new exhibition at Watler House, Pedro Castle, on Thursday, 16 February.
The exhibition is part of the Visual Arts Society‘s Featured Artist Series and is entitled Paths.
While the 16 paintings beautifully depict the many physical journeys the Caymanian artist has taken, Weekender is told by the society, the title could also be an apt description of the artist’s career.
“Indeed, although Solomon has had no formal training, his natural talent has allowed him to experiment with many different techniques, and hence, traverse numerous paths both literally and figuratively,” says Nisha Bismillah.
“In Paths, the paintings incorporate a number of techniques Solomon has employed over the years. Starting with a palette of oils of every colour he intends to use, Solomon then blends them together with a palette knife on his canvas, achieving a balance of both light and dark patches.”
Layers of paint are then applied and once dried, white paint is applied over areas where specific detail is needed. A final application of sand is incorporated to further enhance a textural aspect.
“The 16 paintings are a time of joyous reflection,” says Gordon. “They are like a journey of where I’ve been and indicative of who I am. There are no bumps on this road, but rather a happy time, where I have found peace, whether on vacation or on some of my favourite walks in Cayman.”
Colourful backdrops
In fact, the numerous canvases depict scenes of children happily playing, with colourful backdrops of Georgetown, North Church Street, South Sound and Newlands. A notable example is Path to Play, a painting set in the Secret Gardens development. Using a palette of delicate pastel colours, two children are seen playing – a young boy on a bicycle and a girl on a scooter. Similarly, Path to Mary Street depicts more children at play, a vibrant chicken and a detailed background of buildings in Georgetown, where Solomon grew up. n both paintings, a real sense of easy, happy living is evoked. Colours are gentle, brushstrokes effortless. Other canvasses include the serene and idyllic scenes of Little Cayman and the Brac, as well as textured re-imaginings of Jamaican mountains (Path to Strawberry Hills) as well as sweeping Cuban landscapes (Path to Cuba).
Though most of the works on display are small in comparison to Gordon’s previous larger canvasses, says Nisha, they are nonetheless rich in detail and technique, and seduce the viewer into wanting to travel similar, peaceful paths. The exhibition of such familiar Cayman surroundings, however, reminds us we need not go very far to get there.
The opening night for the VAS “Featured Artist” exhibition of “Paths” is Thursday 16 February, 6pm-8pm. Weekend times are: Friday 17 from 9am-3pm; Saturday 18 from noon-6:30pm with a special viewing for Cayman Arts Festival ticket holders 5-6:30pm; Sunday 19, noon-4pm.
The opening night for the VAS “Featured Artist” exhibition of “Paths” is Thursday 16 February, 6pm-8pm. Weekend times are: Friday 17 from 9am-3pm; Saturday 18 from noon-6:30pm with a special viewing for Cayman Arts Festival ticket holders 5-6:30pm; Sunday 19, noon-4pm.
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