I loved art before I even knew that it was something to study. Growing up in the 1980’s while most girls might consider a new Barbie or Cindy doll a prized possession, I always relished the smell of a brand new pack of Crayola or Panda wax crayons. If i was really lucky, there would be a pack of ink markers at Christmas time.
Art was a subject available to me both in primary and secondary school. I considered it the best time of the school day and I approached it with more reverence than any other subject. I won many art prizes in lower school and participated in free competitions whenever I could. Yet, art was not recognized or accepted as a “real” subject by my family and I did not pursue it at examination level.
Perhaps though – it was meant to be. If you really love something, you never stop trying. With my first salary, I purchased materials and began painting as a hobby. I experimented relentlessly with oils and acrylics. In 2016 though, things changed for the better and in a serious way. I was selected to participate in a bootcamp for emerging artists hosted by the Ministry of Arts and Culture. This 4 week intensive programme introduced me to art as a creative business. Perhaps more importantly, the bootcamp re-introduced me to the medium of watercolour.
Something shifted inside of me almost overnight. No other medium had ever felt this natural to me. I completed courses led by Clayton DeFreitas and Gabriella D’abreau. I wanted to know as much as I could about it. I returned to training under my former high-school art teacher Mrs. Anne-Marie Howard (Sister Garcia). This was a defining moment in my education as an artist. I spent 10 months working alongside her in the little studio at the PTSC Priority Mall learning to paint watercolour portraits.
In 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 lockdown, I completed the Mastering Watercolours course under International Master Watercolourist Meeta Dani. Today, I specialize in realistic watercolour painting.