Romeo Downer

Romeo Downer's artistic journey began years ago on the quaint Caribbean island of Barbados. During his early school days, this ability was brought to the attention of Carl Broodhagen, a well-known artist in the Caribbean. With Broodhagen's tutelage and encouragement, Downer was able to sharpen his drawing skills. Later, he joined the staff of Barbados' The Advocate newspaper, where his cartoons, many of which expressed the current political issues, became a popular installment of the daily publication. While Downer continued to relish in his love for drawing, he also developed a new talent as an avid amateur photographer. He was able to put this new skill to task when The Advocate, filling in for photographers on several occasions.

At the age of 21, Downer immigrated to America and continued his education in photography. This led to a career with Hughes Aircraft Company in California where he was a Technical Research photographer. For many years he served as the company's aerial photographer and participated in the development of several systems for the US air defense.

Throughout Downer's 28 years at Hughes, he continued to hone his skills by attending art classes at UCLA and Arts Center in Pasadena. Unfortunately, he found that ...