A Professional's Point of View

The expression of creative skill and imagination, in a visual form such as painting or drawing, to be appreciated for its beauty and emotional power is what art is all about. 6 PM Splash brings the joys of that for locals here in Barbados. PM Splash showcases a variety of art forms from music and fashion to visual arts of all forms.

PM Splash is a part of the Barbadian Creative community so if you haven’t heard about Barbados’ trendiest, Premiere Modern & Fine Art show, you have been missing out. This is an event that I witnessed for myself that begins with a few people but halfway through it has a great turn out and lots of people from all over Barbados come to this show at the Sweet Field Manor Boutique Hotel just to witness Bajan talent at its finest. While taking in the talents showcased by many artists I spent some time talking to Shain "Rudy" Clarke. He is a 27-year-old full-time professional Fine Artist and one of the key people who branded and did the startup for 6 PM Splash. He didn't grow up around artists but he, however, preferred to use Tumblr to look at all types of art forms and that is what piqued his interest in arts. He said that most of his inspirations came from his favorite artists and business people like Ronnie Fieg. Ronnie Fieg is a Fashion Designer who specializes in footwear. He is also the founder of the New York boutique footwear shop Kith NYC. Clarke admires these people's work because of "the way they influenced culture with their respective brands." Art can be used as an expression of emotions but it can also overlap culture. If it does, that makes it difficult to differentiate art and culture. According to Jay (2018) Difference Between Art and Culture: Art vs Culture, "Arts can be defined as a diverse range of activities executed by human beings, as well as the products of these activities. Art can be of many forms, as well. A visual art is the creation of images that can be seen by the eyes and these include sculpting, painting, photography and other visual media. Music, theatre, dance, film and other arts that require performing fall under the performing arts category. Literature and other forms of interactive arts fall under the broader definition of the arts while fields such as interior design, architecture, industrial design and the likes fall under the category of applied arts." While culture is a more modern concept that evolved during the 20th century. It comprises a wide variety of human behaviors that cannot be attributed directly to genetic inheritance. It can also be defined as the unique manners in which different people live and how they represent and act to make their experience creatively flow with symbols. For Clarke, he said his work is heavily influenced by pop culture, comic strips, graffiti, and advertisements from the '90s. He goes on to say that his work is made to explore the contrast of elements on a canvas paper so that people see how he sees the world. "I see myself being one of many internationally represented Barbadian fine artists and traveling the world to collaborate with brands that have influenced my lifestyle." That is the dream and goal for Shain Clarke. Who knows maybe one day Barbados will reach the international standards for fine art.

S.Theobalds

04-18-2021