Cher-Antoinette is an artist and nationally awarded writer and poet. Her work is diverse and quite different from that on the local scene in Barbados. An emerging artist who started in earnest in 2014, the works are primarily affected by those aspects of her life that have influenced her. Her vibrant work can be considered almost a visual diary of life experiences. I had the pleasure of connecting with Cher through my involvement with this year’s Caribbean Fine Art Fair. It’ was a pleasure to interview her for Occhi Magazine.
Thank you for agreeing to catch up with Occhi Magazine. How did you get into visual art?
My journey started in earnest in 2014. A few years prior there was much upheaval in my life and I decided that I needed to start on a path where I was comfortable and confident in my choices. My interest in visual arts had been seeded by my involvement in NIFCA and my association with other visual artists and I wanted to pursue this further. I must also give credit to Anderson Pilgrim, a good friend and one of the Directors of CAFA who encouraged me and said “ Cher, if you are going to do this, you have to be committed and you must have a plan,” so, that’s what I did, I created a plan for my retirement career – Cher-Antoinette’s Studio.
You’re a multiple silver and bronze award winner at the National Independence Festival of Creative Arts (NIFCA) but what is your greatest accomplishment as an artist, and why?
My greatest accomplishment to date, as an artist, was that of my inaugural solo art exhibition “Just Call Me Sarah” which was hosted by the University of the West Indies, Errol Barrow Centre for Creative Imagination in March of 2017. I was invited to showcase my art in celebration of International Woman’s Day and Month and it was quite an honor and with much pride, I worked steadily for 8 months and exhibited over thirty paintings (inclusive of an installation) that spoke to the objectification of women as was done to Saartjee Baartman, a Khoikhoi Black woman from South Africa who was enslaved and trafficked to Europe in 1810 and ridiculed because of her looks and her characteristically large buttocks.
In 2018 I also had the privilege of showing my work at the Organisation of American States, Marcus Garvey Gallery, in Washington DC in celebration of Barbados’ 52nd year of Independence. The exhibition was called “The Colours of My Life” and some of the pieces were gifted to the Barbados Embassy in Washington for their enjoyment and permanent installation.
These two events cemented my belief in my ability to thrive on this creative journey and I do believe in my mantra, “The Sky Is Only But A Stop Over To My Journey To The Stars!”
Please tell us about your art, methodology, and approach to developing your practice?
I am a scientist and I am self-taught as an artist. My approach is one where I am very intrigued by the tools and mediums and paints that are available for my creations and I spend a lot of time researching them. I am excited when I find new techniques for example like Alcohol Inks on Yupo, Resin Fluid Art, and so on. I explore each of them and I am usually consumed. I then use my knowledge of chemistry to see how I can adjust the traditional way in which the paints can be used on the substrates.
My initial choice of medium was watercolor, yes yes, I had to laugh at myself as I chose one of the most difficult areas to work in for a first try as WC is not forgiving, you put the paint on the paper and that’s it….no Oh SH… button to hit.LOL.
But I enjoy it immensely and I come back to that medium after my explorations. I also enjoy WC pencils and I love WC with Pen & Ink.
I have only recently started working on canvas, like in the last 3 years, because I never liked the backpressure of the brush on the canvas…weird I know. So I was introduced to Acrylic Fluid Art and then I kinda went a bit crazy because this technique really utilized my chemistry (my first degree) as it fundamentally is about the densities and viscosities of the paint and their resulting movements and interactions.
I’m particularly drawn to your works ‘She Breathes Life’ and ‘Oh Gurrl, Please’, both featured as part of the Caribbean Fine Art Fair 2021 exhibition. Can you tell us more about these works and how they originated?
Recently, I have found what some refer to as DOT ART and I started working on Mandelas but kinda got a bit bored with just dealing with the symmetrical elements and so I decided to try using this technique for full images or abstract representations. This led me in the direction of understanding pointillism and Seurat and I was in a happy place. So a lot of my more recent pieces are in that style, which I have dubbed Modern Pointillism and the works have been well received and quite a few have been acquired. The National Cultural Foundation recently purchased three pieces for their collection. (Oh JOY!!)
I am drawn to the Tree of Life and I have created images in this basic theme. I incorporate the concept of the female, Mother Nature, mother earth, nurturing element and many of my TL representations showcase the female form in profile. “She Breathes Life” is just one such piece as this shows not only life in the tree but the woman herself as she is with child.
“Oh Gurrl, Pleassze!” is part of my Ratchet Series. I was having a conversation with a close friend and we were speaking of those sayings that some persons who are a bit more rebellious than others, lol some may say even ghetto, not to sound offensive and we were gesticulating and sharing hand movements etcetera. This sparked a thought when I said to her “How Ratchet is that?!” and I was off and running.
During the Covid-19 crisis here in Barbados, we were trying to get persons to be responsible but over the Christmas break there were several events including beach limes and bus crawls that carried our infection numbers up drastically and were referred to as ‘super spreader events’. Once such bus crawl was dubbed “Brandy & Punany” and received much attention when our Attorney General in his press conference actually said the words and the interpreter for the hearing impaired really had a challenging time signing “punany”. This made the rounds as a video meme on social media for at least a month and we know the precipitating event was serious but the visual references were too funny. Hence that became number 3 in my Ratchet Series. (I have attached the series here).
I also have a modern pointillism series on African Heritage Queens entitled ROYALTY.
Of the many works you’ve produced, what is your favorite and why?
My favorite piece is a watercolor painting called ‘IN REFLECTION’. This was one of my first larger WC pieces and used Pen & Ink and wax resist. (I have attached it here). It was my signature piece for my inaugural solo exhibition and is now in the home of one of my clients.
You’re also an accomplished author. Please tell us more about your anthology of poetry titled MY SOUL CRIES, and the publications VIRTUALIS – The Love Story and VIRTUALIS – The Anthology.
My creative journey started as a writer and My Soul Cries was my first comprehensive anthology. This work spoke to the facets that your soul speaks to…..crying for clarity, crying in anger, crying in hope, crying with desire, and finally crying for love. For me the ultimate is love.
Virtuãlis is a modern-day love story that surely challenges the perception of adult relationships – two people from completely different walks of life connect.
Rosalie: A single mother, Rosalie was recently laid off from her job and needed to find some source of income. Her first love, writing, quickly became a focal point for her and on the advice of her thirteen-year-old daughter, she joined the Artista Network and entered the Poets’ Rendezvous.
With much hesitation, she posted a poem and waited. What she found in her inbox was totally unexpected.
DeCarlo: A professor of Black American Literature had recently lost his only son in a tragic biking accident. He buried himself in his work and his research for his new book. He had been advised, by his students no less, to troll the social media, especially Artista Network, and get a feel for the many poetry groups and their activities. He signed into the first poetry group he came upon – The Poets’ Rendezvous, what he found there would prove to send him off-kilter for quite some time.
Virtuālis is a journey of two souls, a cry for solace and love; a conversation of the heart which is freely expressed and interestingly painted with the poetic words of two artists.
“And what would the world say when they see it?”
“What could they say but – Romeo and Juliet.”
“But you do know that they both died in the end?”
The work is their conversation interspersed with the poetry of love and longing expressed by their yearning hearts. The anthology is the poetry alone without the conversation.
In 1989, you become the first forensic scientist in Barbados, having achieved your MSc in Forensic Science from Kings College, University of London. How do you balance multiple interests with developing your art practice?
My professional career as a forensic scientist is slowly coming to a close within the next two years as I intend to retire after 36 years within the government service. My love for forensics and science, in general, will never be dimmed and in many instances do influence my art somewhat. As I prepare for my retirement career I have scheduled as much time as possible for my art and socializing and sharing with the artists of all genres within my homeland.
To date I am an active member of Artists Alliance Barbados and Artist Studio Tours Barbados and have been involved in almost every exhibition they have organized over the past four years. I am also available to young artists who wish to share my techniques and process as part of their interviews for their certification exams.
I launched my jewelry line, C-Toi Wearable Art in 2017 when I opened my home studio in August of that year. As an emerging artist, I gained much attention as the jewelry line showcased my acrylic fluid art. Each piece is one-of-a-kind and brings art to the average person in an affordable format. The pieces are also enhanced with healing crystals such as amethyst, rose quartz, tiger eye, hematite, and black onyx.
How has the pandemic impacted your practice?
The pandemic’s impact, albeit we were extremely concerned with the health of ourselves, loved ones, and our nation has provided the opportunity to re-think perspectives, approaches, and how I can continue to share my love of art and the creative journey I am on.
The lockdown meant that I was conducting my professional duties from home via various technology platforms and this allowed me time to explore new ways of expressing myself in the various artistic media. Besides stocking up on essential supplies prior to our being confined to our curtilage, I also ensured I had sufficient art supplies to keep me busy and distracted, in a healthy way.
The interactions across the social media platforms also cemented many relationships with artists of like minds and some unexpected friendships blossomed.
What projects are you currently working on?
I have just completed a series in my Modern Pointillism style called ROYALTY. This series was created specifically for a virtual gallery showing to commemorate our African Heritage. It can be seen on www.bajanart.com and is curated by Artists Alliance Barbados.
I have five pieces in the exhibition, two of which are from my Royalty series, and the one I am most proud of is I AM QUEEN- Nefertiti. This 12×16” piece is the first you see when entering this virtual gallery…I was so chuffed!
I am also now exploring Resin Flow Art; this is another opportunity to use my chemistry skills to create visually pleasing works.
Where can readers find out more about you? ( please provide any updated websites/ social media links)
Email: cherantoinettestudio@gmail.com
Instagram: @ctoi_wearable-art & @cher.antoinette_studio
Website: www.cherantoinettestudio.com
Whatsapp: (246)239-8617
Facebook: @CToiWearableArt and @cherantoinettestudiobarbados
Images- Main ‘In Reflection’, ‘She Breathes Life’ and ‘Oh Gurrl, Please’
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