Anthea McGibbon, Gleaner Writer

The leaves flirt with the wind while blowing a whistle. - Photo by Anthea McGibbon

NO GREATER love hath any man, than that of Howard Moo Young for art expressions. No stranger to the Jamaican scene, native Moo Young recently took participants on a banana trail around Oakton House, Half-Way Tree.

Moo Young's mastery goes beyond photography. He excels in basically any form of art heputs his mind to, taking the viewers to levels they can only feel challenged to attain. 'Howard Moo Young: Gone Banananas' demonstrates the fusion of two of his noted skills - photography (fine art and commercial) and design, confirming a philosophy for the artist that "composition is key".

Among the display is his main tool - his totally manual Nikon 8008. Armed with the tripod and film, Moo Young's photography is his masterful "painting with natural light".

Selective focusing

Only one work is not done using natural light, and the range of canvases chosen are from colour negative film and colour transparencies. Moo Young said he used the tripod "wherever he could", as it allows him to open the camera, apply selective focusing and slow down to speeds such as a 30th of a second and a 15th of a second.

The exhibited pieces, including three giclee prints, are numbered, but they tell more than a lover's tale with the banana. We cannot deny the obvious illusions captured, such as a prostrate female, musical instruments, and a wind-blown Jamaican flag, architecture, but we are mesmerised by the ultimate illusion of a water mound. For some viewers, this particular photograph represents in the abstract the part of a 'chiney' man's head. Still the image has impact.

Taken just after the rain, the frame demonstrates Howard's capacity to manipulate his skills in creating designs. Moo Young said he looked straight up the leaf and took the photograph at one 60th of a second after the heavy rains left water slithering down the banana leaves.

The patterns created by nature from the sun to drops of silvery rain are captured for their uniqueness in the designs they create when combined with the banana leaves.

Many awards

Through the exhibition, we explore irresistibly the changes that a banana plant and its leaves undergo, especially the colours - tones of green, then yellow, then brown - but amazingly on one tree. Also featured are the changes in the personality, and flirtations of the banana leaves with nature asthey dance, roll, politely stand and protect. Moo Young uses the shapes, colours and lines to his advantage, and the resulting exhibition overall dispels a period of harmony and grace.

A graduate of the School of the Visual Arts, New York, he studied advertising, graphic design, and photography. Moo Young has taught for over 20 years at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts. His many awards attest to the mastery level he has achieved that has further qualified him to be one of the best judges of photography islandwide. Among his accreditations is the 2003 Hall of Fame award for Excellence in Photography from the Caribbean Development for the Arts and Culture Foundation.

Moo Young's exhibition reaffirms his position with the great photographers of Jamaican time like the late Ken Morgan, Kent Reid, Donnette Zacca and Amador Packer.

Her Excellency The Most Honourable Mrs. Rheima Hall who declared the exhibition officially open was in awe as she spoke. For Mrs. Hall, the displayed images were "the result of the discerning eye and creative mind of an artist who has explored a variety of media - who understands his tool and loves his craft".

Admiration

"Excellent," is how Oral McCook, from OGM Integrated Communication, described the exhibition. The advertiser expressed admiration for his close friend, Moo Young, who first introduced him to advertising ... "years ago after graduation from UTech, at Moo Young and Butler." He particularly admired "how he (Moo Young) was able to shoot the banana, making it a product of magic."

In the comfort of his backyard, Moo Young fell in love with the curves, and moods of the banana and could not resist capturing, for a period of two years, its many characteristics on film. This love affair became intense after heavy rains in 2002.

Later, he decided to make it the centre of his first exhibition - a good comeback after the death of his wife and an indispensable period of personal trials. This dedication led him to Jacks Hill and up in the St. Mary mountains for other banana images. Moo Young says he saw images from romantic to the clinical man in a tuxedo and "just went crazy".

His daughter, Laura, remembers her dad getting up at six most mornings, but says she was more than surprised by the revelation of what he was doing with the banana leaf.

A make-up artist, Laura, is proud and continues to expect great things from her 'extremely' creative father.

Hardly anyone can understand Moo Young's constant impatience to tell a tale with his work. He is always on the go, but those who know him, understand he only wants high standards that he knows Jamaicans can deliver. He had all the time in the world for his banana leaves, however.

At the show, he read a poem illustrating his exclusive affair with his camera and its captivating features. Yet, his passion for translating his subjects on film, from the moment he brought home his first camera was more than clear.

Moo Young's personal motto: "Creativity in my mind is invisible, but God has made it visible through my work."

Anthea McGibbon, a graduate of the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, has more than 10 years experience in the fields of journalism and the arts. Contact her at islandartattack@yahoo.co.uk or anthea.mcgibbon@gleanerjm.com.