- Carlington Wilmot/Freelance Photographer
Tajay Gayle
Daviot Kelly, Staff Reporter
LEONARDO DA Vinci, Rembrandt, Picasso; all famous artists whose work have graced museums, palaces and presidential offices. They all had to start somewhere honing their skills from very young ages. Jamaica has had its fair share of artists including Kapo, Cecil Cooper and Gleaner Honour Recipient Dr. David Boxer, and might have another master artist waiting.
Eleven-year-old Tajay Gayle, who attends Denham Town Primary School shows early signs of a passion for art and has moved beyond just an exhibition of passion to an exhibition of artistic ability. We spoke to Tajay recently during lunch time at his school. The quiet reserved young lad loves to draw primarily and then either colour or paint his drawings. He first realised that he had the knack for the arts when he was only five years old.
"I have been drawing and painting for about six years," he says.
No doubt that art and craft is his favourite subject in school. When asked about the other subjects he takes, he admits to not being a fan of mathematics. Tajay is a part of the Art and Craft Club at Denham Town Primary and that was where Marri-Ann Williams-Stewart saw his potential. However, his work is not limited to the club. He does work for other sections of the school like helping to make charts that teachers use in class.
But how did Mrs. Williams-Stewart realise that she had a prodigy on her hands? There was a symposium at the National Gallery and one of the directors asked for drawings from children in the community.
"I asked the club members to do it and when I saw his work, I thought they were very good."
She decided to act on what she saw and got Tajay into a workshop sponsored by the Multicare Foundation. So, last summer at the National Gallery, Tajay and other children were introduced to some of the finer points of the different types of fine art. They worked with clay and of course, drawing. So what does he draw?
"Anything that comes to my head," he said.
This is evident by his repertoire; everything from squirrels nibbling on acorns to cartoon characters from Dragon Ball Z.
"When things get boring and I don't have anything to do, I just draw."
He says that when he was smaller, he used to print the objects he drew. Now, he just needs to look at an object and he can draw as accurate a copy as you can imagine. One of the most impressive pieces of his work, is his adaptation of a painting he saw at the National Gallery.
Titles
He doesn't give titles to his work; he just does them. If the talent he shows is a revelation, then the source of that talent is a mystery. He claims that neither parent nor any relative he knows is good at art. Speaking of relatives, his biggest fan is, of course, mom.
"She asked me what I wanted to do with my life. I said an artist and she said that I must keep it up."
Only in Grade 5, he won't be tackling the GSAT exams until next year. But he has his sights firmly set on attending Wolmer's Boys School. When not working on another piece of art work, Tajay is busy looking out for his brother Lamar, who also attends Denham Town Primary. Tajay says that children ask him to draw things for them all the time but he doesn't brag about it. In fact, he always tells them to just keep practising and eventually they too will get the hang of it. He insists he is just a regular child who likes to "play at lunch time". He also takes part in the Boys Scouts troop. Persons who would like to see Tajay's work and those of the other club members will have the chance soon.
"Well, we're supposed to have an exhibition here at the school this month, so most of his work will be there."
Some parents still insist that their children become lawyers and doctors or, in short, go into traditional work. But Tajay has a few words of advice for them.
"I would tell them that it is up to the children to be what they want to be." He also hopes that parents would support their children the way his mother has done with him.
