Page 146 - Demo

Art
Charles Long Two Girls at the Vanity Table 1975
Bendel Hydes Ovid’s Conch III 1983
in the Cayman Islands
By Natalie Urquhart
The Cayman Islands enjoy a vibrant visual art scene with over 200 practicing artists, seven commercial galleries, a National Gallery with a permanent art collection and rotating contemporary art exhibitions, several publicly accessible artists’ studios, half a dozen arts festivals, and many more exhibition spaces hosted in restaurants and cafes across
the island.
Joanne Sibley South Sound_1995
Since the development of the formal art scene in the early 1970s, with the establishment of the Visual Arts Society and the first national arts showcases, artists can be found working in a wide range of genres and media. Before this period, owing to the tough economic climate, creativity was expressed through the creation and decoration of functional crafts such as thatch weaving and basketry, embroidery, appliqué, smocking, and quilting. Along with fiddle music, quadrille dance, architectural fretwork and wood carving, this was the primary cultural expression well into the late twentieth century. Traditional weaving and decorating techniques were skillful and highly individualised, as evidenced in the contemporary craft industry.
Owing to the spectacular nature of our surroundings, landscape painting was the preferred genre of the early period, remaining popular today. Working primarily in watercolour and oil, artists like Janet Walker and Joanne Sibley skillfully capture the picturesque aspects of the local environment as well as drawing attention to the traditional Caymanian way of life that is rapidly disappearing.
As the first Caymanian artist with art school training, Bendel Hydes is considered Cayman’s most celebrated artist and he has enjoyed significant international acclaim. Residing in New York
144 | destination Cayman 2019
Janet Walker Cottage on the Beach 1986