Evening Mist Painting

I began painting with acrylics and watercolours in the summer of 1989. I progressed from drawing with graphite pencil on any paper I could find; this I could remember doing while I was in Primary leading up to Secondary School. I got into painting with acrylic on canvas as a medium through Mr Dean Vanhorn; a Jamaican fine artist from my community. In 1989; my beautiful and supporting parents sent me to Mr Vanhorn to learn how to be a professional fine artist. A year later I started selling my art through one of my cousins (Junior); who was working at the Dragons Bay Hotel in Portland Jamaica. He took a chance because he liked what I was doing at the age of eleven (11). My early work was mainly concentrated on the colours of the Caribbean; mainly Jamaica because that was my surroundings. These colours stimulated my artistic abilities and gave me the opportunity capture the Caribbean lifestyle on paper and canvas. The Jamaican fine art community embraced my talents from that early age, private collectors, tourists and institutions collected my work, which inturn gave me the platform to showcase my work at various local visual art exhibitions. When I was introduced to painting with acrylic on canvas; my whole life changed; because I discovered myself; who I really am and could potentially become and now this is the medium I almost exclusively paint with. Acrylics combine strength of colour with technical simplicity, and their durability; gave me confidence knowing my art will remain in perfect condition when shipped accrossed the world. When I Moved to England in December 2001; most of my focus changed and I went to university to study architecture. eventhough it did slightly change; my undying love for my art never diminished. I found it beneficial moving to Europe and completing my university studies because this gave me the opportunity to to explore different sceneries and learn different techniques of the visual arts. Art to me gives me the chance to inspire life, you can escape and find youself. As my art grows and reaches different people, my greatest wish is that I can inspire someone; now my days almost always begin with a blank canvas in front of me, and images of stunning tropical waterfalls, mountains, white sandy beaches and swaying beautiful coconut trees, all fighting for their chances to be the next inline to be released from my mind so they can be painted on canvas.   Contact email: collinclarke42@gmail.