Praise for young artists in Berger contest

YUDHI SAMAROO, general manager of Berger Paints, has praised young upcoming artists for their exemplary work in the company’s 2018 art competition.

Addressing the four winners at the company’s offices in Sea Lots on Friday, Samaroo said the competition is significant because it explores and expands the imagination of children.

He said it makes children more conscious about nature and the environment. He said:

“This competition also explores their creativity on how to use colour, how colour affects their lives, how it affects their emotions and it gives their artistic abilities expression. This competition is the only one that exists in TT. There is no one else really promoting children’s paintings on an annual basis like what Berger Paints is doing.

“These paintings will be used for our regional calendar which will be sent out from as far south as Suriname to as far north as Jamaica to all Berger Paints companies.

“Every year we do a calendar to highlight the genius work of students from ages 13, 14, 15 and 16. Every year we have four winners and this year Lakshmi Girls’ did very well, the school had two winners, from the 13 and 16 categories. In fact all of the students did very well.” Students between the ages of 13 and 16 were asked to submit a painting based on the theme Nature’s Fantasy. First placed winner in the 13-year-old category, Alyssa Hosein, who attends Lakshmi Girls’ Hindu College, said her painting was based on her love for the Walt Disney film Finding Nemo.

Her painting was of a huge leatherback turtle swimming in the ocean among other sea creatures. She said:

“I love the idea of the turtle in the show Finding Nemo and in the painting TT is one of the sights where the leatherback turtles come to lay its eggs. It really inspires me to paint about the ocean and the turtle. Not only winning the competition in my category makes me feel proud but to know my painting will be seen all over the Caribbean makes me feel like wow.

“I never thought I was such a good painter and knowing a lot of people are going to be seeing my painting makes me feel very excited. I never entered a competition before so I am so proud of myself.”

Hemalini Boodram, who also attends Lakshmi Girls and placed first in the 16-year-old category, said since she can remember she has always admired the mountains of the Northern Range from her community in Bamboo Settlement, Valsayn. “I was inspired by the hills and the forms of the mountains.” and sometimes if you look good you can see the formation of body parts and other stuff. I named my painting the Goddess of Nature because of the Amerindians being the first people that actually inhabited a Caribbean island,” she said, adding:.

“The painting is all about the Amerindians. Winning this competition is very unbelievable because I am in Form Five and I don’t do visual arts as a CSEC subject but I really love art. When I won I really could not believe it. I hope those who have the opportunity to get a calendar and see the painting will enjoy looking at it and enjoy everything about the nature aspect of it.”

The winners were presented with Apple iPads and $3,000 worth of Berger paints for their schools.