A future art conservator has plans for the National Art Collection.
Doreen Edwards believes that by the time she achieves her dream job, the works of Barbadian Art Masters will be in need of a touch-up.
Edwards, 21, was speaking to EASY magazine as she showcased four pieces of her work in the art exhibition ‘Home’ in Norman Centre, Broad Street.
“I foresee myself becoming an art conservator, which is someone who preserves and repairs old art, which is something that is very needed in Barbados because our own art collection – is in dire need of repairs,” she said.
“And I would love to be able to work on some of them with the qualifications and in the position of an art conservator,” Edwards added, as she explained her studies would probably take her to England.
There are over 1 000 pieces of work, from local art masters from the 1930s to the 1990s, in the National Collection. They are displayed on the walls of various government departments but the majority of the works are stored at Holetown Police Station.
Currently, when pieces are in dire need of repair, the island invites an art conservator from Puerto Rico.
Meanwhile, Edwards said her four pieces on display comprised two paintings, a wooden bowl and one done in ceramics.
“I mainly work in acrylic on canvas and other media, but mostly acrylic on canvas,” she explained.
This was Edwards’ first exhibition that was not part of her Barbados Community College programme. She is in her third year of the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.
“I walked in when they were setting up and Oneka (Small, the curator of the exhibition) offered me a spot. There was just one spot left so I took it and that’s how I got in,” she revealed.
Edwards said she had recently been experimenting with abstraction and various shapes and how they mesh together. She, however, admitted a fondness for working with cloth and textiles.
“Sometimes I would paint the fabric. I would paint the printed fabrics that you would get in a store; I would put my paint on the top of them and just work with the padding so it creates interesting shapes you wouldn’t get on paper or on blank canvas.
“Sometimes I just paint because I want something to look pretty or I just paint if I have a deadline I need to fill.
“It’s really varying when it comes to artwork so you would see one that is very elaborate and then you will see some that are simple,” she said.
