Jamaican born fine artist Juliet Thorburn recently launched a book entitled “A Watercolor Tribute to Historical Jamaican Churches”
By Derrick Scott
Washington, DC – Jamaican born artist, Juliet Thorburn, based in Wilmington, Delaware, offers aficionados of historic Jamaican churches, a pictorial journey into the island’s celebrated churches and the magnificence of their distinctive architecture.
This treasured collection of watercolors, is shared alongside the historical context that so inspired her.
The book Published in 2015, Juliet’s latest offering from the easel is her outstanding labour of love. This beautiful Jamaican coffee table book includes research text and photographs, and is destined to become a “must have” for collectors.
Page after page, it brings together this artist’s masterful rendering of some of Jamaica’s oldest and most historically interesting buildings, accompanied by impeccably researched text detailing the architectural, cultural, and social background of these magnificent edifices.
The result is a visually and intellectually stimulating account of a slice of Jamaica’s rich heritage. Together with accompanying photographs, the 14 watercolor paintings depict churches across Jamaica, while the text conveys each church’s history and character. Replete with stories of love and family, sorrow and triumph, readers will not be able to put the book down. It is a true delight to those with an appreciation for Caribbean art and history.
This outstanding Wilmington-based artist with equally strong talent nurtured by her studies in Jamaica, the United States, and Italy. Masterful and versatile, Juliet imbues each piece with her signature “magical” touch. Whether using watercolor or oils, and whether expressing realism or an abstract form she calls “Ethereals” and “Jewelled Ethereals”, this Jamaican fine artist repeatedly harnesses her energy and talent to produce unique views from her mind’s eye.
Many successful shows have been held in Jamaica and abroad, and have had the honour of works repeatedly included in the prestigious Jamaica National Gallery Biennial Exhibition.
Juliet’s greatest source of inspiration has always been nature’s energy. Growing up amid the island’s natural beauty, she quickly became one of its premier nature artists early in her career.
Spirited and soulful, Juliet’s watercolors, illustrations and works in oils are images that present a decidedly fresh boldness. More recent works have turned her creative eye inward, departing from the realism of her early works, portraying the essence of her subjects in equally intriguing abstract works she describes as “spiritual imagery.”
Juliet has staged many successful shows, in Jamaica and abroad, and have had the honor of her work repeatedly featured in the prestigious Jamaica National Gallery Biennial Exhibition.
The Jamaican fine artist’s most recent project saw her producing an enchanting watercolor series of the island’s historic churches.
In selecting the churches Juliet painted, she travelled the country far and wide. “I remember painting the first church trying to get the right view and perspective, so I climbed a hill in Port Antonio. That church was such an inspirational process. The people who in the area watched me climb into the bushes wondering what I was doing. I guess I was trying to make myself part of the landscape.” She said her book attempts to make what has become invisible, more visible, more valuable, more appreciated”
In congratulating Ms. Thorburn on the launch of her book at Devon House in Kingston, Tourism Minister Ed Bartlett said the book was not only a conversation piece, but also a reminder of where we are coming from and the role that the church plays in carving out the social fabric.
“You have brought back to life a part of our history that is slowly melting away. It is this lost glory that we can use to enrich the local and visitor experience, and remind ourselves of the pride we ought to feel when we remember our heritage” Mr. Bartlett said.
“With the publishing of the book, we could learn many lessons from our past and remind us of the importance of perseverance, self-sacrifice and togetherness”, he continued.
“It is a beautiful combination of stories told in different ways by way of the brush, the camera, and the pen; our historic churches tend to exhibit a curious combination of Jamaican georgian and classic gothic elements to produce a hybrid style most easily identified as Jamaica,” the Tourism Minister declared.
