SOUTH FLORIDA – Like many persons raised in rural Jamaica during the early 1960s, Paul Blackwood was part of a large family who lived in challenging conditions.
Those years, around the time Jamaica gained independence from Great Britain, inspired him to become an artist. The simplicity of country life is depicted in many of his works, some of which will be shown at the August 4-6 Black Women’s Expo, which takes place at McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago.
Blackwood, who divides his time between Jamaica and New York, recalls living with 11 siblings in a modest wooden house in Westmoreland parish, nearly 200 miles west of Kingston, the capital.
Paul Blackwood
“My pieces are mostly depicting our rich Jamaican culture, because I am a real country boy as we say. Born in Black River (in neighboring St. Elizabeth parish) and grew up in Westmoreland in the early ‘60s; our parents taught us to love and serve God, have manners and that will take us through the world,” Blackwood related.
Self-taught, he describes his paintings as a mix of abstract, semi abstract, landscape and collages. In simple terms, his creations are distinctly Jamaican.
“My art is mostly true to our lifestyle which must not always be a mystery but easily recognized and can evoke precious memories for the viewers. Jamaicans are Out of Many, One People, filled with impeccable history,” Blackwood said.
Jamaicans celebrate independence on August 6. On that date in 1962, it became a sovereign nation after over 300 years as a British colony.
Blackwood began painting in 1982, and three years later mounted his first exhibition in London. Since then, he has staged similar events throughout the Caribbean, Canada, Europe and the United States.
Some of the celebrities who own Blackwood pieces are Emmy winner Sheryl Lee Ralph, soul singer and Grammy winner Roberta Flack and (the late) Lowell Hawthorne, founder of Golden Krust restaurants.
Like legendary Jamaican painter Barrington Watson, one of his heroes, Paul Blackwood strives to project the beauty and diversity of his country. Visitors to the Black Women’s Expo will experience that versatility this weekend.
