Rustic beauty at Horizons

Art lovers with a taste for local scenery will be in for a treat as Horizons Art Gallery presents Karen Hale-Jackson and Karlene Francois in a joint exhibition.

Acrylic painter Hale-Jackson is well-known and loved by gallery frequenters. She is sought-after for her scenic views and seascapes and does not disappoint this time around. When asked about her artistic development, especially regarding this latest show, Hale-Jackson said, “Being a self-taught artist, I try to teach myself new techniques while preparing for each show. This prevents me from stagnating and makes my paintings more appealing to the eye. This 'freeing up' has made me so much more relaxed and confident as an artist.”

Hale-Jackson had been going through a turbulent time while preparing this body of work, but says, “I turned to my work to keep me calm and it may show in the palette I used. In many of the paintings the subjects and the colours are softer and have a calming effect – at least they did for me. I also tried many new techniques that gave me great joy.”

Paired with Hale-Jackson is a relative newcomer to Horizons patrons, San Fernando-born water-colourist Karlene Francois. With a Business and Technology Education Council higher national diploma in graphic design from the University of Sunderland, a BSc in economics with a minor in finance from the University of the West Indies, St Augustine and a master's of business administration from the ESAN Graduate School of Business in Peru, Francois explores socio-economic themes through crisply captured scenes and detailed studies. All things aged, worn and decayed are carefully and lovingly examined through the artist's brush.

In Francois’s own words, “There is no way forward without looking back — at ourselves, at what we’ve left behind, at what we hope never to repeat. How else do we question the way forward? Peering through broken cedar boards, at locked doors with unyielding knobs and nails, at cocoa houses bereft of cocoa and the laborers who danced and raked them, in the shadows cast by obstinate rafters at old fishing depots … we understand how nature engulfs, erodes, and erases.”

The joint exhibition opens at Horizons Art Gallery on March 12 from 7 pm-8.30 pm, and will continue until March 23 at the gallery, 37 Mucurapo Road, St James. Opening hours are 9 am-5.30 pm Mondays to Fridays and 9 am-1 pm on Saturdays.