It has been three years since I first published my first book which is a reflection of my journey growing up in post-colonial Jamaica to migrating to America and coming to have Italy as part of my life.
Jamaica and Italy bring out the creative juices in me. Not only writing but wanting to add colour - essentially to paint. By the age of 13, when I had to choose the subjects that would lead me to University, I had to choose the sciences. That was the option I was told to do - mainly by my father. He had wanted me to become a medical doctor, something he had dreamed of but was unable to pursue himself because of the economic constraints of a Jamaican boy born in the 1920s to farmers.
So this he had wanted me to pursue. Unfortunately, art, which I loved so much, could not be taken at the same time as the sciences. At the age of 10, I entered art competitions and in high school, it was one of the better grades I got. I drew all the time. Sadly, I believe any talent I had died in the years that I stopped drawing and painting. I did find my creativity, however after graduating from university, when I discovered ceramics. I don't remember how I started, but one day I found myself at a ceramics class at the Jamaica School of Art in Kingston, in an evening class. Perhaps I was looking for an art class. I was doing creative dance classes on a Saturday and maybe I found this class by accident. But that’s a story for another time.
So, back to painting. I rediscovered painting in Tolfa. Jamaica and Italy have this in common- there is art everywhere. In the homes of Jamaicans art is prominent- mostly Jamaican landscapes and portraits in oil paintings. In high school, I learned about our famous artists. When my son was going to middle school, he had to learn art history and complained that kids were born Michelangelo's - they must have art running in their veins, he would say.
In the fall of 2023, I took a few classes. I decided I wanted to add a few paintings to the book I was writing, as it has a theme of dreaming in colour. I named it The Colour Wheel of My Dreams.
Last year, after doing a year of painting and getting the hang of it, I thought about adding more paintings to the book and asked my teacher, Silvia, if I could commission her to do the paintings. But she asked me - why don’t I do them? I thought I would give it a try and it would become my once-per-week project to produce paintings to illustrate the colours of Jamaica and Italy that are in my mind.
I started last October 2025 and at first, it was a guilty pleasure. I have too much work to do I thought to take three hours out of the day to paint. Sometimes I wouldn't go because I had booked a meeting or had a report to write. When I did go, I realized I needed this time. For many reasons. It allowed me to interact with my community and forced me to speak Italian and listen to the local dialect, which I have difficulty understanding. For days, I would work in English and not interact in Italian. Not only did I love slapping on colour, but after the first hour, my mind could take a break from work and other issues and painting became a meditation. Could be the fumes from the turpentine too!
What more could I want from painting companions who are really quite talented? There are no beginners in this class. Yet they are always coming over to encourage with belle and molto bello. They let me know that what I’m doing is beautiful, which encourages me more, despite the simplicity of my art, which I call slapping on colour to the canvas.
Painting helps with the creative side of my brain. When I am relaxed, I can come up with new ideas and projects. Gradually, I came to really need this as a part of my weekly schedule, and when I’m not traveling, I block out one day per week to take time for art.
Then there is a short break. Tisana - non-caffeine herbal tea with biscotti or pastry of some kind. The original paint and sip- without wine. During the winter, this moment is special. With the cold and darkness, having tea or hot chocolate together huddled around the fireplace raises the spirits.
Our classes for the winter and spring semester are coming to an end before the summer break, and thanks to Sylvia's tutoring and assistance I have produced a series of paintings to create a 2nd edition of my book. I am working towards 20 paintings.
I look forward to completing this creative project, which has been a great help in balancing my everyday life. I have a few more that I will complete in June and will work on polishing a few of the poems.
If you haven't as yet purchased a copy, I have reduced the price of both the Kindle and the paperback. All the proceeds go to my nonprofit of supporting young Jamaican and Caribbean scientists
