Double Take

As promised, here 's my review of With An Open Mind after my second visit to the Fine Art gallery. I must say that I feel very proud to have been a part of this exhibition, put on by my friends of Canvas Caribbean because the standards of technique and creativity of most of the participants, were very high. My favourites were Carol Lewis, Raymond Alexander, Leona Fabien and Shalini Singh.

Carol evidently gave a lot of consideration toher compositions especially those that were composites of something greater. She gave real meaning to the phrase 'the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts." Carol also added depth and creativity to her work with her tactile textures and collages. Among my favourites was The Beholder's Eye, a colourful piece consisting of half of a human face juxtaposed against abstract shapes.

Raymond Alexander's work is quite representational, at times almost to the point of photo realism but his creativity can be seen in the design of his compositions . Also, he manages to convey a strong sense of mood that makes a connection with the viewer. My favourite pieces are Come Walk With Me and Bird On A Wire.

Leona is known for her abstractions and her clean ,harmonious palette and her submissions for this show were no exception. In particular, I liked Architectural - Moody Spaces.

Shalini, true to form, created inticate pieces, albeit on a large scale. Her work was also conceptual so one really focused on the design elements of her work such as the palette, and on her technical skill. I was mesmirized by Real.. Not A Dream because of the depth that she captures in parts of the painting. However I felt that this effect should have been applied throughout the entire piece.

It was truly a treat to have been able to review these pieces and I look forward to working with Canvas Caribbean again.