Arjuna Watson did not go to art school. He does not have any fancy degrees. He is just a guy who paints. He always has been. His career started in 1985, in Melbourne Australia, as a rebellious 13 year old trying to leave his mark spray painting walls and trains and outrunning the authorities.

He join the local graffiti crew, Crims Insane (CI) and, together they went on a campaign to get as much of their art into the public arena as possible. They recognized that their street art has as much power to persuade as large branded companies spending millions a year on advertising. He embraced the fast-paced and adrenaline fueled lifestyle of a Melbourne Graf artist. His illegal career abruptly ended with an arrest and an ultimatum from his mother. He promised her that he would stop. He moved more into the mainstream when mentored by Australian artist, Craig Foster who exchanged hard labor for life drawing classes. Graffiti was gone, replaced by an urge to capture images in a more realistic way put with the bold style of a street artist.

His art was briefly overshadowed by a fanatical obsession with rock-climbing and sailing. In 1997 he visited his estranged father in Trinidad, determined to re-establish a relationship lost when he had moved to Australia at the age of 5. In Trinidad he used his sailing experience to secure a job doing sailboat deliveries and eventually sailed into Nassau Harbor in 1998, where he met his future wife, Gillian. After relocating to Nassau and marrying that summer, he quickly immersed himself in the lifestyle of his new home, including visiting the studios and art shows of many of the local Bahamian artists. He felt the urge to paint again and opened his first show, Decypul: a collection of urban images, in Nassau in early 2006. His first collection was made up of monochrome stenciled images and officially ushered him onto the Bahamian Art Scene.

Since his first showing in 2006 he has had yearly shows and collectors of his work have watched his style gravitate more towards the human form and, most recently intricately detailed portraits using a bold, strong color palette. He enjoys painting on a large scale and still manages to throw up images (though now by invitation) on random buildings around town. He prefers to paint with enamel but has recently begun to experiment with the ore traditional oils, which he treats with his usual irreverence and steadfastness. He is currently painting for a collaborative summer show, which will also include works by Toby Lunn and Jason Bennet. For more information on Arjuna please visit his website at decypul.com or at his studio, Cube West, 362-4702.

Toby Lunn
1991 BFA ,Maryland Institute College of Art

Selected exhibitions
NAGB,1,2,3& 4
1991 Bahamian art Gallery w/ John Cox
2003-2005
Popop studios group showing
2004 Black Fine arts exhibition,Soho New york
2007 Diaspora Vibe Gallery ,Miami
2007-2010 Transforming spaces,Popopstudios &
Doongalik studios Art gallery ,Nassau

Imogene Walkine

Born in Nassau, Bahamas, Imogene Walkine obtained a BA in Art/Art History, at
Goldsmithʼs College (The University of London).

In Imogeneʼs ceramic work, she describes her masks as ʻextractions of nature”.
With these, she aims to pay homage to the sumptuous colours, scintillating
textures and mind boggling patterns that are found in our natural Bahamian
environment.

In her other forms of wall sculpture, Imogene has taken the common platter to a
new level, by transforming them into more sculptural forms. Recently, her
sculpture has expanded further, into a more abstract and organic world. As a part
of this new series of work, Imogene has created wall sculptures which can be
both decorative and functional - with many of these pieces being suitable as light
sconces.

After experimenting with bold colours, Imogene has chosen to simplify and focus
on form. She is now using white in many of her pieces as a way to achieve this.
She feels as if it allows shadows to appear where they did not in her more
colourful works, thereby enhancing the form. In her current works, you will see
this new white being used in her sconces as well as her masks.

In Imogeneʼs show in November 2010, the artist goes even further into form by
extracting and isolating elements of her designs - some in a framed format and
some in unframed panels. In these pieces, she wishes to present the essence of
what initially drew her to her inspiration.

Ultimately, Imogeneʼs wish is to represent the life force and the continual
evolution which is within all of Godʼs creations.

Born:  23 November 1972

Live & Work:  Nassau, Bahamas

multi media artist

As a native Bostonian, Susan has been living in the Bahamas for the past 18 years. Much of her inspiration comes from the natural beauty of the islands and the vibrancy of the Bahamian people.  Susan’s background as an illustrator is also very much of an influence in the way that she now creates and this gives her work a fresh and funky style. 

 “My first idea when I start a piece is not just about capturing the image, but more about creating a mood and being able to use color and texture in a new way.  I love using artistic license and being able to use strong, bright hues in places where the viewer would least expect.  Much of my color inspiration comes from my eclectic surroundings and also from such artists as Romare Bearden and many of the California Bay artists as well. 

I basically use collage in the same way that I would to create a painting. By layering colors and patterns, I move through the process of creating until I reach the final expression on paper.  Very often, to create richness and depth, I’ll add other mediums such as acrylic or crayon. I love collage because it affords me the freedom to use whatever papers, fabrics or anything else that I might find.

For me, collage is the perfect medium because I never run out of ideas and the elements that I use are endless.  Right now, I am looking forward to taking collage even further and I am continuing to experiment with new ideas.  Because I have always loved to paint, I have started using acrylics again and find that like collage, I am able to layer the paint and continue to use the bright colors which I love so much.”

Susan holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in illustration. She formerly worked in editorial and fashion illustration in conjunction with design studios and publications in Boston, Mass.  Her collages have been exhibited in various shows in and around the Bahamas and most recently installed in the new Lynden Pindling International Airport. Her work can be found in private collections in the Bahamas, as well as in the United States.

You can see more of Susan’s work on her website: www.susankatzstudios.com    

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