Andre Jebbinson, Staff Reporter

'Moonlight Dreadlocks' by Andy Jefferson. Contributed

For Andy Jefferson, coming to Jamaica in 1982 was like a castle in the sky for a young artist, the spectacular scenery of the island was quite different from that of his native England.

Alas, the beautiful picture Jefferson saw was later smudged by Jamaica's most stubborn stain, crime.

During that fateful visit to his brother Mark, Jefferson said he was immediately attracted to the island, and his future in Jamaica seemed promising after landing a job as a lecturer at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts.

Ambushed

All went well until the brothers were ambushed by gunmen in Bull Bay, St. Andrew.

Andy survived the attack, but Mark did not.

"I have a love-hate relationship with Jamaica, in that, I hate what has happened to this beautiful country. We talk about cool runnings, one love and respect, but things have changed. It's a shame," Jefferson said.

The horror of his brother's death caused Jefferson to leave Jamaica, but a long and protracted case had him making several trips back to the island.

Since then, he has been faced with many other incidents that would probably cause others to pack up and leave.

Since his brother's death, he has been carjacked and held up at gunpoint. He told The Sunday Gleaner that the same judge who let his brother's killer go 13 years ago did the same with the man who carjacked him.

Jefferson also dabbles in reggae and the blues and will soon be releasing his album, Justice.

"I think, sometimes, in difficult countries, artists can be stimulated to talk about some of the problems that are going on. I am like a social commentator," he said.

It will not be the easiest thing to leave Jamaica when the time comes, as his dead brother's three children reside in Jamaica. Jefferson also has a daughter who now lives in New York. He plans to return to Edna Manley to lecture in art while he continues to have his work displayed in his exhibitions.

Jefferson said he wants to see more young artists come to light and also more attention being paid to them by the local galleries. Regardless of what happens, Jamaica will continue to be Jefferson's muse.