Caribbean Artists A-Z

Perhaps one of the most popular but least reviewed artists in Jamaica is  Herbie Rose. Jamaicans will know his paintings from seeing them in doctor's and dentist's waiting rooms while visitors will have seen them in hotel rooms and lobbies. They are ubiquitous because this are print reprodctions of paintings Rose produced back in the sixties. Tellingly these genre scenes document everday Jamaican life throughout a cross section of society but more often in the rural parishes…

Born in Accompong Jamaica, Namba Roy settled in South London after World War Two where he established himself as both a writer and artist. Despite migration, Namba Roy was always conscious of his Caribbean-African heritage especially the tradition of rebellion and courage that was a part of the runaway slaves, maroon history and settlement in his home town, Accompong. His novels Black Albino and No Black Sparrows written in the 1950s recreate this history and are a…

Born in 1980, Russell is a graduate of the Edna Manley College, Kingston Jamaica and Goldsmiths, University of London UK. Although based in  Kingston, as a recipient of a Commonwealth Scholarship she has traveled to Japan to pursue her interest in digital animation and film-making. Her career began as a painter, but her interest in comic characters soon led her to digital media and since graduating she has created a number of short films  that parody her own life and speak to the condition…

Dawn Scott was an artist whose creative spirit knew no bounds, although she exhibited professionally, her art was not been confined to museums and galleries, instead her works can be found throughout all walks of life in restaurants, shops, offices and tourist resorts at home and abroad. Dawn Scott was at once a textile and installation artist, as well as a designer of home interiors, theatre sets and fashion.

A restless spirit, during the 1970s she refused to be pigeon-holed and…

Returning from her studies in Europe, Kay Sullivan’s sculptures came to prominence in the 1970’s at a time when public sculpture was in demand. Skilled in many different media such as resin, fiberglas and bronze, her understanding of the human form as well as her empathy for Jamaican subject matter made her a candidate for these commissions. At a time when the health of Jamaica’s pioneer sculptor Alvin Marriot was failing, Sullivan became an ideal choice for commissions.

Sullivan’s…

Specializing in painting, Samere Tansley was trained at art college’s in the UK and came to Jamaica in 1970. She had been a teacher in London and continued in that profession at Camperdown High School for ten years and part-time for fifteen years at the School of Art. Meanwhile she also established her career as artist exhibiting in numerous group and solo exhibitions through the decades, including a solo show in Bermuda in 1997.From the outset, Samere was seduced by Jamaica: its people,…

Phillip Thomas (b.1980) is a graduate of the Edna Manley College of Visual and Performing Arts where he gained both a certificate and diploma in Painting with honours (2003). He currently lives and studies in New York but continues to exhibit in Jamaica. In 2008 he won the Aaron Matalon Award for his outstanding contribution to that year's Jamaica National Biennial.

Phillip Thomas is considered a realist and he paints with an ease that demonstrates his sure draftsmanship and…

Basil Watson was one of the first students to benefit from the Jamaica School of Arts removal to its new campus as part of the Cultural Training Centre. He feels he was fortunate to be taught by a diverse range of tutor including Christopher Gonzales, Gene Pearson, Alexander Cooper, George Rodney and Kofi Kayiga. He specialised in Sculpture and soon became noted for his interest in the human form.

Watson relishes the challenge of representation. He strives constantly for perfection…