- NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 28/Jun 03:21

Pleasantville artist hosts exhibit to offset medical expenses

BORN during a raging storm which her late mother walked through to get to the Arima hospital to give birth and immortalised the moment in her name, Caitleen Storm Brown is no quitter. Like the storm she has been named after, she has been barrelling through life, not letting the challenges or disappointments she has endured over the past 55 years dim the numerous successes she has achieved. [caption id="attachment_1163321" align="alignnone" width="775"] Watching - her fascination with eyes -[/caption] Recently struck by a debilitating heart condition which has made it impossible to maintain a regular job, she has turned to her passion for art into an avenue for her survival. Her artistic talents range from her sweet vocal cords to fine, graphic and culinary arts and fabric design, and she has transformed a portion of her Pleasantville, San Fernando home into an art gallery. Here she creates and sells original art pieces – from acrylic to pencil and charcoal paintings and drawings – to offset medical expenses to treat the condition known as arrhythmia. The condition affects the rate or rhythm at which the heart beats and can be life threatening if not treated. [caption id="attachment_1163320" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Save the manatee -[/caption] She said her doctor gave her the option of either continuing to work under stressful circumstances and shorten her life-span or quit her job and live longer with the aid of medication. She has opted for the latter, but with no fixed income, life is a constant struggle. She decided to sell some of her Art by Storm pieces to help with her medical expenses. “Although Trinidad is a tough market for artist and being a creative is undervalued, I have to try.” Both Brown and her husband, Providence “Jerry” Brown are creatives. He is a well-known musician who would have toured with the late Ras Shorty I, and his skill as a flautist is on many of the late icon’s records. [caption id="attachment_1163319" align="alignnone" width="842"] Protect the mangroves -[/caption] She has taken on the role as his manager and sometimes they do duets, but she said gigs are not always easy to come by. She pooled all her talents as a chef, hospitality manager, administrator, singer, fabric designer and other talents to create her own events. She has staged Jazz Art, a fusion of jazz, food and art at her home where guest artistes like Pedro Lezama, Sheldon Blackman and others have joined with her husband in entertaining the audiences. This time around she is doing a solo exhibition titled Cocktails and Art by Storm which started on June 20 and runs until June 29, at 129 Circular Drive, Pleasantville at the corner of Ken “Professor” Philmore Street between 5 pm-9 pm. [caption id="attachment_1163318" align="alignnone" width="720"] Nubian princess -[/caption] After the exhibition, Brown said she intends to keep the pieces up for continuous viewing and hopefully a few sales. “I have so many pieces. Even though I love art, I could not make much money as an artist in Trinidad. Even up to today, the market is tough. It is a terrible thing for the creative arts in Trinidad and Tobago.” Some of her work has been on display at the Rotunda Gallery at the Red House for the last two years. “But I never got any pieces sold.” She works on commission, does fabric design, portraits and commercial art such as banners. She had to quit her last "real job" as an ad executive at a radio station in December 2022, “as my body started breaking down. “Being at home and not having a monthly salary is difficult. I do a small business, but it is not sufficient to meet all my needs.” Brown hopes TT society can become more appreciative of its creatives and help in their survival.   The post Pleasantville artist hosts exhibit to offset medical expenses appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.