Bequia Arts & Crafts
For a small island Bequia has quite a number of local artists
and craftsmen who undertaking crafts as diverse as boat
buildng to silk paintings. There are a number of galleries
and workshops dotted throughout the island. Local artists
are always very welcoming and happy to speak to visitors
about their work.
Belmont Walkway, Bequia by Julie
Lea
BEQUIA REFLECTIONS An Artist in the
Caribbean by JULIE SAVAGE LEA
This 48-page collection of sketches and paintings truly
captures the vibrancy of Caribbean life on the tiny Grenadine
island of Bequia and explores its mystery and beauty. Julie
Savage Lea has adopted a vivid use of colour and changing
style to produce a unique record of life on Bequia over
the past twenty years.
Work by this artist can be seen at exhibitions
throughout the USA and in collections in many other countries
. Frequent visits to Bequia have inspired many of her shows.
website: http://www.begos.com/bequiart/
http://www.gleedsvilleart.com
While you are in Bequia, visit the home of French artist
Claude Victorine : at the end of Lower bay beach, up the
hill, you will discover, hidden under the tall trees, Claude
Victorine's studio : an attractive yellow and white woodden
house. Claude Victorine is an elderly lady who kept up the
tradition of painting silk : habotai, twill and raw silk,
using guta, brushes and colorful inks.The studio exhibits
permanently Louloune's beautiful water-colors.
website: http://www.imagesud.com/claudevictorine/2entree1024.htm
Other artists on the island include:
- Mauvin’s Boat Shop: model boats
http://linnetwoods.com/marinezine/advertisement/mauvin_model_boats.htm
- Sargeant Brothers Boat Shop: model boats
- Melinda’s Studio: stained glass and hand painted
clothing
- Jacob Scott: sea baskets and hatsSpring Pottery &
Studio: a working pottery and gallery exhibition of ceramics
and paintings
- Claude Victorine’s: paintings, picture frames and
Claude’s hand-painted silks.
http://www.imagesud.com/claudevictorine/2entree1024.htm
- The BoatHouse: Model boats-that-sail by Kingsley “Prop”
King, paintings by L.D. Lucy; scrimshaw by Richie King.
- The Banana Patch Studio: paintings and scrimshaw by
Sam McDowell; seashell craft by Donna McDowell.
Recommended Reading:
Bequia sweet, sweet
A Tribute and guide to the island of Bequia in the St Vincent
Grenadines
Pat Mitchell
http://www.macmillan-caribbean.com/books/General/Illustrated/beqsweet.htm
Bequia (pronounced 'Beck-way') is the first island you
will encounter if you are sailing south through the Grenadines,
a scattering of small island between St Vincent and Grenada.
To those born there, to those who have settled there, and
to the countless visitors who regularly return, Bequia is
a special sort of place.
Pat Mitchell's Bequia sweet, sweet is, likewise, a very
special sort of book. Lovingly written, it is a personal
introduction and guide to the island that has become her
home, combining practical information on accommodation,
food, transport and walks with lively descriptions of Bequia
life past and present - enjoy the local music scene, the
thrill of 'mangomania' and experience the warmth of a Bequia
Christmas.
Despite its new airport and improved communications, Bequia
is still steeped in its maritime past. The clamour and excitement
of the annual Easter regatta - something definitely not
to be missed - is described, as are the centuries old methods
of whaling, related in the context of Bequia's history and
economy.
Throughout the text Pat Mitchell's colour photography brings
to life the magic that is Bequia.
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