Michael Robinson, Gleaner Writer

'Bibles and Bottles' by Roberta Stoddart (2008). - Photos by Micheal Robinson

Khary Darby, Roberta Stoddart and Zoya Taylor are the 'Three Painters' sharing the spotlight at 128 Gallerie. As the title implies, the exhibition, which opened last Friday, is a collection of 34 pieces from three stylistically distinct painters. Darby's mythology-inspired pieces, Stoddart's duochrome visions and Taylor's brightly hued compositions are good complements.

Self-taught

Darby and Stoddart are Jamaican artists, while the self-taught Taylor hails from Norway. The commonality, besides a penchant for oil paint, seems to be a seriousness about creation. Darby views the production of objects in two dimensions as "both vital and incidental". Inspired by such icon-laden subject areas as Greek and Roman mythologies, his work is concerned with issues like mortality and identity.

Stoddart, who resides in Trinidad and Tobago, has produced a series of paintings that read like a sepia coloured story. Her work is characteristically thought-provoking, evocative and completely unexpected. The show's catalogue includes a written piece by Stoddart which sheds some light on the series while adding a depth that could only be conveyed with words.

Innocence

Taylor, for her part, is represented by 13 pieces that portray an uncomplicated viewpoint. Her images have an emotive innocence that works well with the vibrant palette. Her large-eyed figures, painted in various contexts, allow for a universal connection to take place with the work through the 'windows to the soul'.

Curator Susan Fredericks says the pieces were all created for the exhibition, with the artists having been given complete creative freedom. The result is a strong showing from a talented group in a gallery that has become synonymous with consistently high standards.

'Bird Boy' by Zoya Taylor (2007).