- NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 13/Jul 06:02

Artist James Armstrong, inspired by Africa, experiments with textures

For Dr James Armstrong art is not about standing still. Despite having a distinct style recognised by many, he continues to push the envelope, exploring new techniques and materials, and redefining his expression with every brushstroke. Known for capturing the fluidity and power of dance, his paintings burst with energy and motion. Yet, even with his acclaimed depictions of dancers, he refuses to be boxed in. “A lot of people appreciate the movement (paintings) and keep saying, ‘Oh, we want to dance scene,’ so I still do it. But I don't want to be pigeonholed as a painter dancing. I paint other things like landscapes, portraits, anything.” [caption id="attachment_1166201" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Artist James Armstrong at his home in Maraval.[/caption] Innovation in Art is his 11th solo exhibition since his return to TT in 2001, and there he will be showing some of the things with which he has been experimenting. Over the years, he has incorporated aggregates into his paintings. While working in Sudan, he used sand from the Sahara Desert and the Nile River to add texture to his pieces. More recently, he began using glass, creating works that not only have texture, but allow the colour of the glass to shine through when sanded. Also over the past four or five years, he has been experimenting with painting on copper and aluminium. These surfaces, he explained, provide effects that canvas cannot. [caption id="attachment_1166203" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Glass is among the textures James Armstrong uses in his paintings.[/caption] “But what I do is not just paint on the copper to cover it up completely. I also allow some of the copper to show through. I'm also painting on coated aluminium, which, again, allows me to do a lot of other things that I wouldn't normally be able to do using canvas.” He uses different types of paints in different ways, sometimes stencilling in the forms he wants to paint, adding gesso to prepare surfaces, then spraying acrylic paints around the stencil to create a layered background. The painting itself would then be done in oil. [caption id="attachment_1166204" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Bright colours enhance the dancers' movement in this piece by James Armstrong.[/caption] He said he experiments with techniques and materials all the time because when he approaches a painting, he not only thinks about the subject matter, but the technique – always asking himself what he could do differently. But, he said he is not abandoning his old techniques, but building on them to innovate. Like dancers, novelists, architects, and calypsonians, Armstrong believes creatives must strive to improve and try new things. To him, art is about authentic self-expression, not merely commercial recognition. [caption id="attachment_1166205" align="alignnone" width="1024"] A nostalgic portrait of Caribbean life is captured in this James Armstrong painting.[/caption] He recalled being told that for an artist to make money, their style must be recognisable. But for him, that was never the main consideration. “I'm not a merchant of art. I'm an artist. I like to create. “While I might change the subject matter, I'm basically what I would call a representational artist. In other words, you'll see I hardly have any sort of non-objective, expressionist art. Whatever I'm painting, although it might not be realistic, it represents something from my community, from my environment. [caption id="attachment_1166206" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Dancers sway like shadows in a James Armstrong painting.[/caption] “When I say I'm a representational artist, if you see my work, you know that I have to be from the Caribbean, most likely Tobago.” While some aspire to make it big in art hubs like New York or Paris, Armstrong’s focus is different. “Some people say, ‘Oh, if I could make it in New York, or if I could make it in France...’ If I could make it in New York, fine, but I'm not painting for New York or for the metropolitan. “I'm painting because I want to express myself, and I want to express or to depict those things that are in my environment. Now, I'm sure that if you see any of my paintings, you will know that it's my painting.” From Tobago to the World Armstrong’s artistic journey began in Tobago where he had his first solo exhibition in 1965, before he left in 1967 to further his studies. That decision set him on a path across the world, combining his careers in environmental design, urban planning and development planning with his passion for art. After studying environmental design at the Parsons School of Design in New York, he received a scholarship to Columbia University for a master’s degree in urban and regional planning. While working with the UN as a human settlements development advisor, based in Africa, he pursued a PhD in development planning at the University of Nairobi, Kenya. “I never stopped painting. So any country that I went to, the first thing I'll do is find a gallery or find other artists and join a group, paint, exhibit in that country. But I’d also paint that country, which is why I have so much work featuring dance forms, which I really started in Africa.” Although his fascination with dance began in Africa, his appreciation for it started as a youth in Tobago, where his aunt worked as the cultural officer. This gave him the opportunity to attend cultural events and folk activities. Music was also a constant presence at home as well, with a foster brother who played the drums. He recalled in 1973, as a graduate student, when he received a scholarship to study in African, he stayed on campus. On his first morning, he woke to the sound of drumming and briefly thought he was back in Tobago. He later discovered the drumming came from creative arts students practising various dances. Curious, he went to watch them. “And from that first day, every time I had an opportunity, I would go to see them dance. And the dancing that they were doing was really showing off the form of the body. I was fascinated by that, and I started painting dancers, and I captured the movement of those African women.” Since then, movement has remained a central theme in his work. About half of the pieces in Innovation in Art will depict movement and, as always, his aim is to show the energy and form of the human body in motion. Armstrong told Newsday when he returned to Trinidad, he wanted to reconnect with dance. He reached out to Metamorphosis Dance Company, explained his purpose and was welcomed to their rehearsals. It was an experience he deeply appreciated, as it allowed him to study their movements closely, translating them into powerful, emotive pieces. Still, he stressed that he is not only a painter of dancers. He explores any subject that calls to him, and is constantly seeking new ways to express his ideas, as proven by his experimentation with materials and techniques. Innovation in Art runs from July 15-19 at the Art Society of TT in Federation Park, Port of Spain.   The post Artist James Armstrong, inspired by Africa, experiments with textures appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.