Norman Grindley, Staff Reporter
One section of Norman Russell's painting display.Michael Robinson, Staff Reporter
Norman Russell's choice of a home setting for his latest showing, 'Watercolours', while unusual, proves to be a suitable environment for his recent works. The intimacy of the exhibition space provides a level of comfort that facilitated viewing as well as more than one hearty discussion about contemporary Jamaican art.
A teacher at the Priory High School, the painter seems drawn to nature. Although the content of his work varies from music 'Jazz Series' to fruit to abstract self portraiture, he confesses to enjoying the study of nature. And indeed, flora is the most dominant of his chosen subject matter.
Russell has a genuine love for his craft and an easygoing manner that comes through in his choice of colours and thick application, giving the works a warm and honest quality.
Although space was understandably a concern in hanging, the display is a little tight in places (I almost missed 'Fruit', a delightfully minimalist study of an orange).
Where some of the larger pieces tend to feel academically self-conscious, the intimacy demanded of the artist by his miniatures appears to have evoked a more intuitive application. As a result, the miniature paintings like 'Petal Panorama I', 'Bird of Paradise' and 'Evening Song' have a very powerful presence and an interesting experimental feel.
A strong connection can be felt between artist and medium in 'Evening Verse', a lone house on a barren plain at what appears to be dusk. Great sensitivity is displayed in the setting of the mood with heavy cumulus clouds drifting slowly overhead as the house, though small and solitary, feels like the safest place in the world.
According to the watercolourist, the actual house stands on a sugar estate and the picture was drawn at a time when all the cane had been cut.
The piece is absolutely poetic.
In terms of experimentation, the artist plays with his format in pieces like 'World is a Stage' which is a triptych -- a three-part picture. He also places a format within a format in 'Sanctuary (Inner Space)' and 'Inner Space (Blue Mountain)', adding interest and depth to an almost surreal tropical scene lush with vegetation. In instances, more depth and a greater visual tension could have been achieved through an increased variation of the pigment saturation.
For the larger part, Russell's subject matter seems to choose him, not the other way around, resulting in an expression that is at once honest and appealing. His colours speak of life spent in a tropical clime and the richness of Jamaican sunshine.
The private exhibition presents a pleasant opportunity to spend a little time with some interesting work.
