(Title of work: 'Tea for Two' pastel on paper)

"My paintings are about love, dedication, determination, honesty and plain hard work.

My paintings are a desire to express my life and depict strong family values. I believe art is continuous, and that there is always something to be done. However, consistency, determination and persistency will always assist individuals in the accomplishment of their goals."

Devon Harvey, fine artist, consultant, painter, photographer, teacher, was born in Hanover. He graduated with honours from the Edna Manley College for the Visual and Performing Arts in 1984, as a painting major. He lives and works in Kingston.

(Title of work: 'The Good Old Days' acrylic on canvas)

Patsy began painting in the early 70s as a student of master painter, George Rodney, and in 1996, gained the Master Art Diploma from the International Correspondence School. Since 1974, she participated in Jamaica national festival competitions gaining Bronze medals in 1976 and 1977, and through Life of Jamaica staff appreciation achievements, gained first place art awards in 1990, 1991 and 1992. Her first solo exhibition was in 1997 at Braco Village Resort, where she was artist-in-residence for a week. Her work is in the private collections of local and overseas art collectors.

(Title of work:
'La Fe') - textile

Born in Cuba, Juan Antonio Gonzales, better known as 'Erman', is a mixed media fibre artist thematically working in various media.

He said, "... Since childhood, I have been intrigued by a clothesline dancing in the breeze, both for its kinetic, ever changing shape qualities, as well as for its iconographic representation of family, immediate, extended and global ... When I began to conceive the components for my first installation, I knew that I wanted to three-dimensionalise the clothesline, a recurring visual theme in my mixed media on paper and quilted works, (from ongoing series such as 'The Book Pages'), but I needed a definite separation between my artwork, and the art-to-wear work I have been known for, for decades. This is why the garments have a raw, unfinished quality to them, and are not meant to be worn. Raw and Unfinished, adjectives that can describe feelings and emotions ... Coming to America afforded me an extended family that is global, and if only one good thing came out of communism and exile for me, is that I now feel capable of living as, and understanding other cultures, celebrating our differences and similarities."

With the aid of a sewing machine, using needles as brushes, and thread as pigment, Mr. Gonzales tells visual, hand-written, drawn, appliquéd, and embroidered stories about his life in exile, tinged with nostalgia for a landscape unknown, and growing up in a strong matriarchal family.

Erman uses art as therapy, working with infirmed and demented adults, as well as physically, mentally and emotionally challenged children.

Participation in 'Tea, Glorious Tea' is made possible through Diaspora Vibe Gallery, Miami, Florida.

(Title of work: 'Untitled') - porcelain

"Despite occasional lip service to the "less is more" theory, and years of relentless girl's-school brainwashing as to the vulgarity of excess, I cannot escape a long - standing conviction that for me, more is better. This, combined with a sheer inability to stop obsessing, has led to a body of work where originally simple forms may be deconstructed, complicated, and reassembled before evolving into multifaceted canvases from dense, black and white drawings.

The way in which this externalised kaleidoscope of images has found expression on my pieces owes as much to a formal training in drawing, printmaking, and graphic design, as to my coming from a storytelling family and region. The drawings, which alternately acknowledge and deny their supporting forms, are part of an ongoing exploration of the intertwined roles of memory and imagination in establishing cultural identity. Often they include imperfectly remembered domestic interiors, mental recreations of a staunchly middle-class childhood in Barbados ... even deliberately included flaws are "prettied up", unobtrusive until closer inspection, and do not intrude upon good taste, reflecting an upbringing steeped in protocol and the importance of maintaining appearances. I work primarily in clay, fluctuating between the functional, the potentially functional, and the ceramic object."

Caroline holds a BFA (Hons.) from York University in Toronto, a Diploma of Education in Visual Art from McGill University in Montreal, and an MFA in Ceramics from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Her work is in numerous collections worldwide, including the King and Queen of Norway.

Participation made possible through Diaspora Vibe Gallery in Miami, Florida.

(Title of work: 'Tea Party' acrylic on canvas)

"When I was being punished, I was sent to my room.

So, I would draw.

My imagination became my way out.

Now, I find beauty in everything.

I work hard at what I like to make you like what you see and maybe, you'll remember me as a man with skill."

You can say, my punishment made me good.