The enchantment aesthetic of a wild woman

Elspeth Duncan

There is a mystical wild woman living in Hasting, UK. Every Tuesday night she visits an old medieval pub and joins in with the live folk music on her flutes and Irish drum. The musicians play lots of old Irish reels and jigs and the wild woman often wonders if there are folk alive in Tobago who still remember and can play the Tobago reels and jigs as they used to be played long ago. Sometimes, in Hastings, when people sing ancient songs of sailors and pirates going to the West Indies, the wild woman’s eyes sparkle with recognition, as her heart and soul live in the tropics too—Tobago in particular.

From the time she was an old soul in a child’s body, Jennifer Baird - ‘visual/sound artist and wild woman’ - would hold a special wand in her hand and conjure colourful magic, sharing her inner sense of mystery with the world around her. It feels more apt to describe her early foray into art in this way. To simply say ‘she used a paintbrush to paint’ would be to dilute the etheric and elemental nature of an almost inexplicable being.

For over six decades of life, Jenny (as she is fondly known by many) has been led and inspired by a deep curiosity for the mysteries of the inner and outer Cosmos. This naturally questing path led her to Tobago in 1979 where she lived for 34 years—discovering herself further, creating art and life (she has one son) and living as a hermit for 16 profoundly transforming years in the rainforest.

Hundreds of her paintings grace the walls of Tobago homes, hotels and houses around the world—owned by people who visited Tobago and met her during their stay. These works of art are like fingerprints she has left on the people and the tropical world she touched as much as they touched her.

How does one adapt to life in the civilisation of Hastings after being immersed in almost two decades of reclusive existence in the wild?

“It’s been a tremendous adventure and seems slightly surreal. I still feel that my ‘true’ self is the reclusive hermit who loves to live alone in the wilds—but I’m gaining many skills and insights from this phase of life, particularly to do with music.”

Upon her return to the UK, Jenny knew no one in Hastings, but quickly connected with the artists and musicians of the vibrantly cultural town. Unable to carry “the wild and beautiful nature of Tobago” with her to England, she found another spirit of freedom and wilderness in the beautiful Hastings coastline.

Inspiration for her art has always risen from internal life and the spiritual quest for enlightenment and depth of meaning, which is deeply linked to the culture and environment in which she exists. In Tobago, it was about “the rainforest, the quality of light, the wonderfully bright tropical colours, the cultures of the African tribes who came to Tobago, the Amerindian peoples who once inhabited the islands, the stories that came via Africa and Europe to the Caribbean” and, during her years in the rainforest, the mystical and incredibly deep relationship she experienced with Nature.

And in Hastings?

“Since coming to live in Hastings my art seems to have taken more of a philosophical and intellectual turn and I’ve done quite a few pure abstracts that are about humanity evolving and ‘waking up’. Also the colours here are different although the quality of light is very good in Hastings. The views of the medieval parts of town fascinate me.”

Jennifer Karen Baird has exhibited (mainly solo, but also group) in Trinidad & Tobago, the UK, USA and Hungary. In what will be her largest UK exhibition to date, The Enchantment Aesthetic, 15 – 27 May 2018, she will honour her journey of inner and outer transition over the decades.

The meaning behind The Enchantment Aesthetic speaks volumes of the work and of the artist:

“Aesthetics have always been extremely important to me in the deepest philosophical sense. The Enchantment Aesthetic that art can embody is something mystical that transcends eras and styles of art. It’s a transcendental, spiritual quality that’s very hard to describe but that can be directly transmitted and felt. It’s what I strive for in my art but also in life. The aesthetics of feeling and emotion, the aesthetics of perception and view, of how I choose to ‘assemble’ possible realities. The enchantment is that burning curiosity and open wonder that pervades every aspect of existence. It’s a natural inherent quality of awareness.”

The 55 paintings (an average size exhibition for the artist) are mixed media on canvas—oil, acrylic and silver-leaf.

Of the collection, Jenny says:

"Many are abstract works but quite a few are figurative and narrative. There are two ‘series’; one of seven paintings (The Deep Time series) and one of nine, both of which are abstract. The series of nine is called “Tides of Choosing” and began life as sketches of the tidal marks on Grafton Beach last time I was in Tobago! There are several paintings that have a very strong Tobago flavour.

“Also there are Hastings scenes such as the sun setting over the ancient castle ruins and a view of the old medieval town and the sea from a hilltop. There are some that have a mystical theme and some that are to do with higher orders of communication. The paintings also vary greatly in size from very small to very large. It’s an eclectic mixture but they all are very obviously my work!”

For the two-week duration of the show, Jenny’s long play-list of world music will be on loop and musician friends are invited to pop into the gallery (Hastings Art Forum) and improvise with their instruments—serenading a particular painting or the playing to the entire collection.

“What I’m interested in is transmitting a vibe that can enchant/ intrigue/ delight/ pierce/ catalyse.” (Jennifer Baird)

The Enchantment Aesthetic runs from 15 – 27 May 2018, Hastings Art Forum, Hastings.