Neil Hamaty, Gleaner Writer 
Pot Study - CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
ALIVE, PASSIONATE and ebullient not only describes Sylvia Joy Scott, but her art as well. Following a tip from a few friends, who saw some of her works at an exhibition at Suzie's, a popular Kingston bistro located on South Avenue. I journeyed to Mrs. Scott's home to interview her and see for myself what everyone was raving about.
What I saw surpassed my expectations. The pieces exhibited at Suzie's represent only a small slice of her artistic repertoire. Her range, she advises me, has a lot to do with the mood that she is experiencing at the moment. The pieces that were featured represent three distinct styles: 'Pot Study', three groupings of jars in differing sizes is an essay in balance and composition, her exquisite attention to detail gives the work an almost photographic quality. I was also impressed with Rasta Woman, a piece which is self explanatory, except that the face of the woman shaded in charcoal black is a foil against which the locks, head-tie and surrounding maroon background are dramatically contrasted. Women Study features a group of women who rise ephemerally from the earth, the piece is fluid in style and the use of pastels and luminescent shading struck me as serene and poignant.
VERSATILE
It was when Sylvia invited me to see some of her other pieces that my eyes truly opened to her range and versatility. Unfortunately the scope of the piece will not allow me to go into her full range. She works only in watercolour but is definitely not afraid to explore with different techniques. Two pieces she showed me, Implosion and Tree Spirit represents an adventure in technique in which no brush stroke is used to achieve a result. 'Masking fluid' (opaque and dries on paper to become a rubbery white resin) is selectively applied on paper and then a paint wash is used to create what is simultaneously magical and spontaneous.
The fact that she was not formally trained (at a art or visual arts college) enthralled me considering the controlled and studied detail of some of her work. Aladdin's Lamp for instance features the lamp which her husband studied by during his school boy days and is so exquisitely intricate that you feel as if you could reach out and touch it. She is unashamedly sentimental when she explains that no amount of money could persuade her to part with it. Later on in our interview she confided that she wept bitterly after one of her clients left her home after purchasing one of her pieces. She explains that each piece is like a child, it flows out of her creative womb. It is a testament to the fact that in some cases raw talent is sometimes best served by leaving it unmolested and untrained.
She was born in Kingston, but spent her childhood in Portland. When I questioned her as to how she started painting, she is direct. She has always been able to paint.
"My ability to paint is a gift from God. People can develop your gift. No one can put it into you." She says that she has been blessed by people who have always encouraged and nurtured her gift. She credits Ms. Anna-Marie Hendricks, who taught her art at Immaculate Conception High School, with equipping her with the foundations in watercolour which has helped her hone her craft into what it is today. Her husband Jackie Scott, to whom she is lovingly devoted, a photographer (with an impressive body of work to his credit) is not only a doting husband but an admiring critic. I was deeply moved by their obvious love and devotion for each other. It was clear to me that their mutual honesty and admiration for each other has provided nourishment for their mutual artistic growth.
Sylvia speaks like how she paints, her words splash the air with vibrancy, colour and vitality and in this writers opinion, they reflect the artist's honesty and emotional integrity. Sylvia's pieces creates a mood. You cannot separate an artist from his/her work, they are both one and the same because art mirrors the soul and the vibrations of the heart. It was therefore a privilege for me to do this piece because I was invited, not only to catch a glimpse into who Sylvia Joy is, but I also experienced the thrill that comes with discovering a rare talent. Sylvia Joy Scott qualifies as such. <
