The Artist

Main Medium: Oil on canvas and Graphite & charcoal pencils on mixed media paper. 

Years of art experience: 20+

Quote: “It’s not worth sharing until it becomes a work of art”

Interviewer: Let’s begin with the most cliché of FAQs; at what age did you start drawing?

Shane: And I suppose my answer will be cliché as well haha. I started drawing at a very young age. If I were to pinpoint a specific age I’d be lying. However, I do remember drawing a lot in Primary school—at that point I was around five or six years of age. My favorite character to draw was Fido Dido. Man, I got so good at drawing Fido that I could close my eyes and sketch him in under a minute. People who knew of my talent would approach me with a pencil and paper and say "draw Fido for me." You do know Fido Dido, right? Fido is that infamous cartoon character that became the face of 7-Up for years. The first sketch of the character was created in 1985 by Sue Rose, who did an initial sketch of Fido on a napkin in a restaurant. True story. 

Interviewer: Interesting. There is a myth that since art is a God-given talent one does not necessarily need to be formally educated on the subject to be good at it. Do you agree and do you have any formal art education? 

Shane: Well I do believe that there are artists with God-given talent. However, talent by itself can never suffice, especially for those with great ambitions. We’ve seen this in different aspects of life, besides art. In fact, I do believe that ultimate appreciation for one’s God-given talent is displayed in the amount of time spent developing such a gift into one that essentially changes lives, and one worthy of teaching to others. That includes formal education and or personal research and practice to learn and develop the fundamentals. Art fundamentals are the foundation to doing good art, and are absolutely imperative. 

I studied art in high school at Munro College; I was fortunate to receive a distinction in the subject at the CXC level. Subsequently, I went on to do art at the more advanced CAPE level in lower sixth form for one year before changing course to Economics. Those fundamentals have been the foundation to my understanding of drawing and painting—yes, I do paint as well—and they will continue to be vital while I learn and develop more as an artist.

Interviewer: So, I see more than ten years of disconnect between the time you ended your studies at Munro College to the time you completed a Master’s in Political Science. How did you move from Art to Political Science, and at what point did you reconnect with your love for art? 

Shane: I don’t believe I ever lost my love for art. We tend to develop interests in other areas of life, especially at a younger age. As far as my studies are concerned, I’m always trying to learn other areas of life, which requires studying different subjects. One of the great ironies is that it was during my graduate studies at ESU that God lead me back to doing art. During that time, I was experiencing a major transformation in my life, and engaging in drawing was one of the major activities I used to express how I felt back then. 

Here’s another true story; in 2007, during sophomore year, I elected to do a course called The History of Art. I was excited to see what that course had to offer. Third week into the course I was completely lost; felt as though I was learning a new language as the course was absent of practical art. I finished with a C lol. However, I learned more about art than I could ever have imagined, and my interest in the theoretical aspect of all kinds of art was ignited. As a result, I wanted to minor in Art, so I reached out to the professor who advised me accordingly. I located the Art Department and spoke to the relevant people about my interest. That didn’t work out. Ahhh…. let’s just say I wasn’t encouraged after speaking with the Chairperson. But yes, I reconnected with the pencils in 2012 lol. 

Interviewer: I see where you were going with that. Nonetheless, I know there are people out there who have been following your work ever since you started posting them on social media, and they—along with myself—keep asking a kind of silent rhetorical question. How’d you get this good at drawing? 

Shane: See… I think the answer to this is linked to one of your previous questions. It’s absolutely important to study your craft. What I mean by study is this; we must research and practice. Knowledge of theory is important to have good practice. So, once you know and understand what you are doing it’s much easier to apply your techniques. Over recent years, I’ve been doing more art research than practice—as evident in the few pieces I’ve posted, I should be posting more lol. I’ve studied the work of different artists, medieval and contemporary. Doing this has allowed me to develop and apply my own techniques in unique ways. So, the progress you’ve witnessed over recent years is due to my personal curiosity to study the subject in-depth. 

Interviewer: Who is your favorite artist, and, what is your most favorite piece from that person?

Shane: Favorite artist is Pablo Picasso, no doubt. Besides his work, I think we are similar in that we are both immigrants lol. My favorite piece of his is “Bull’s Head.” Check it out. His imagination was wild; he created a bull head using a bicycle seat and handlebars. Exquisite stuff. Another artist whose work I greatly admire is Casey Baugh. He’s a New York base artist with wicked skills. And as expected, you can never have a favorite that doesn’t include a Jamaican haha. My favorite Jamaican artist is the great painter Barrington Watson. His work speaks for itself. 

Interviewer: What type of artist do you see yourself as?

Shane: I’m always hesitant to put myself in a category, since all categories tend to have conventional prohibitions and set expectations, relative to methods, content, and outcome. I don’t necessarily conform to any specific type of art. I believe once you can see it through any form of sight—with the eyes and mind—then you should be able to draw it. However, I’m going to be less philosophical and say that without even knowing it, I subscribed to the ideals of naturalism, because I tend to focus more on the methods of drawing. For me, the content of an image or vision is important and must appear in its most natural form to ignite my interest. Once the content isn’t superficial or distorted then I’m all about applying a naturalistic approach to completing that piece.

Interviewer: Final question, for now. What recommendations, if any, do you have for someone trying to be an artist?

Shane: Study study study! You will never ever discover enough knowledge. The more knowledge you have the better are your chances of perfecting your craft. And, discover or create your own space or identity as an artist, because differentiation is important.