Adman returns to art scene

Local artist Patrick Johnstone returns to the TT fine art scene with a new exhibition, Ad Man Paints 2 which opens tomorrow.

Johnstone, well known in advertising circles as the CEO of Publicis Caribbean Ltd, will present a new body of work, with subject matter ranging from the architectural to portraiture. He explores various styles using the acrylic medium, applied very thinly on canvas with mixed media. There are experiments with hard-line ink and colour.

According to Johnstone, “Each piece has a twist, largely through colour or interpretation. Some are deliberately poster-like. This exhibition lives in each individual piece and the emotion it sets up for the viewer.”

Johnstone studied charcoal drawing and oils in the 1960’s, under the tutelage of MP Alladin, a pre-eminent Trinidad artist of that time. However, by the 1970’s, immersed in the commercial world of advertising, his work took the turn to graphics.

“Ultimately I was unable to reconcile the advertising graphics discipline with fine art.” he says in a media release. “My career won out, so I gave up painting for more than 25 years. I returned to fine art in 2008 with a different interpretation of the medium, which I called Ad Man Paints. This exhibit, Ad Man Paints 2 extends that vision.”

Adman Paints 2 runs until September 13, at Senseo, Ground Floor, High Square Apartments, 1A Dere Street, Port of Spain. Parking is available opposite the apartments in the Publicis car park.