Make Me An Offer I Can't Refuse!

"Rooster" 8 x 10 acrylic painting by
Mark Phillips

I had so many plans last week. I was going to spend some time in my studio and finish some work for the upcoming exhibition at the Caribbean Gallery of Art as well as put some finishing touches on some pieces for the Little Gem Show at the Barbados Arts Council Gallery.

I am only about half way there! Oh for the day when I can spend all day, every day in my studio!

I had a conversation with an accountant this week with regards to another of my business ventures and the conversation got around to my Art and the "unscientific" way that I arrived at my pricing.

Now, before I go on let me tell you what I think about accountants and running a small business. 

They shouldn't!

In the early nineties, I incorporated my first business, an alarm company, with a friend of mine from high school. I was the alarm technician, had trained with Ademco in New York and had completed a number of other technical courses across the USA. Tony was a Certified Public Accountant and the Financial Controller at a well recognised financial institution in Barbados. I was good at what I did and he was good with the numbers but it was not long before I realised that being good with numbers is absolutely useless if the only major numbers that you are generating is debt! I was aware that I knew next to nothing about running a business but I had wrongfully assumed that an accountant would!

Fast forward 15 years. I was approached by, you guessed it, an accountant and another entrepreneur to form yet another security company. To make a not so long story short, this company was incorporated in 2010 with what I thought should have been adequate funding, but within 2 years it was bankrupt. Again, despite my better judgement, I left financial decisions to the accountant. In 2012, I salvaged what customers remained, formed a new company, (alone), and for the last 6 years, the business is growing, has no debt and is making a profit.

In my opinion, if a business is not grossing over 7 figures a year it does not need the regular input of an accountant. A decent accounts clerk and reputable software will get the job done.

So you can see the reason that I was sceptical when an accountant sought to give me advice on running a small business.

However, there was some merit to what he said. He pointed out that my prices should reflect the time and the skill that was used in producing the piece. I had explained to him that this piece of Leacock's Variety in Speightown has taken over 60hrs work already and yet it was not completely finished. I also told him that I would sell it for around $900.00.

His argument was that I was charging $15.00 per hour for my work. About the same as an inexperienced tradesman on a construction site. The skills required to transform a flat 2-dimensional canvas into a scene that creates the illusion of solidity and depth to the extent that the viewer feels that they are standing in person across the street looking up the road must be worth more than $15.00 per hour.

I, of course, argued that there is no way that the market in Barbados would be able to support art prices that reflect the true value of an artist's skill. However, as I was saying it I realised that I was not truly believing what I was saying. I charge $80.00 an hour as a security technician and no one complains. As a locksmith, I once charged what equated to over $1000.00 an hour to open a safe with a damaged combination for a business and they thanked me for it. Why should the skill and experience of an artist be so devalued?

So, I am going to carry out a little experiment. The painting of the rooster above is a unique piece of original art. It is painted in acrylic paint on an 8 x 10 stretched canvas. The materials used cost about $20.00 and it took me about 12 hours to complete.

What do you think I should charge for it?

No, I think the better question is...

What would you offer me for it? And why do you think it is worth that amount?

The person, in my opinion, with the most compelling reason for the offered price, will be allowed to purchase the piece at that price. You may make your offer in the comments section below or on my facebook page. 

I really look forward to hearing your opinions.

As always, thank you for reading. I appreciate the comments and the kind words of encouragement. Until next time when I will share some more of my work and a little about what makes me tick, please leave a comment. And, I will really appreciate if you share this post with your friends. To make sure that you don't miss any future posts, Please enter your email address in the subscribe by email box on the right.


Mark Phillips

Artist
Email:- mark@phillipsbajanart.com
Website:-www.phillipsbajanart.com

Which piece really says, "This is Barbados".

"Long Bay Blue" A 16 x 20 Acrylic painting by Mark Phillips

I started this painting a few weeks ago but I was distracted by the "Street that never sleeps", and my finishing of "Tweedside Saturday Morning".

I am now going to finish this over the next few days.

Recently, while reviewing my work, I started to wonder, "What scenes are more distinctly representative of Barbados and the Barbados way of life? I don't mean what we try to represent to the tourist. There is sea and sun in many other countries but what makes Barbados unique?

Is it our street scenes? Our Churches and other historic buildings? Or is it indeed our coastline and beaches?

As fate would have it, while I was pondering this, I received an email from a young lady who had some questions about collecting art. She was in her 20s and wanted some advice about deciding what art to invest in. I must admit that initially, she had me stumped. What did I know about art collecting? Fortunately, she peeked my interest enough for me to do some research.

For many people in their twenties, art collecting can seem like a far-off pipe dream, the preserve of the older and wealthy. I understand that the average income for university graduates is Barbados is just under $50,000.

Fortunately, the art market in Barbados isn’t about $450 million Leonardo da Vinci paintings. There are many local artists that produce excellent work and offer them for sale at reasonable prices. I offer layaway options for persons desirous of purchasing my art and I am sure that many local artists would consider similar arrangements. 

The next barrier to starting your art collection is the need to discover your likes and dislikes, and know where to find and buy the art you enjoy. Local Art Galleries are excellent places to see works up close. Young collectors can support artists who are also just starting out themselves. Buying the work of an emerging (or even unknown) artist isn’t about bringing home an expensive trophy for your wall. It is about fostering the career of a young artist you respect and enjoy.  A collection doesn’t need to start with a Fielding Babb. So next time you see a work that you like and it fits your budget, “go for it.” Owning a unique creation from the hand of an artist is something you’ll enjoy for a lifetime.

Barbadians like to say that Barbados is a small place. If you see an artist's work that interests you, contact them directly. Ask to see some more of their work. More often than not you will find a piece that you like that the artist could offer you some financing on.

As I was trying to determine what type of art this young lady liked, I was also gaining some clarity about what my style was. I never thought of myself having a style. I just painted whatever caught my eye in Barbados. Then I remembered when I asked Facebook readers to help me name one of my pieces. Almost half used the words, "peace" or "tranquil" in their suggestions. While this may not be a style, per se, I realised that quiet tranquillity was the underlying theme in most of my paintings! 

I have not decided how I feel about this. This type of painting sells well but does it truly represent Barbados?

I have attached  6 images of my work. Please tell me, in your opinion,  which one would you like to own as the most representative of a painting depicting an authentic Barbadian scene. You can comment on Facebook.

1

2

3

4

5

6

As always, thank you for reading. I appreciate the comments and the kind words of encouragement. Until next time when I will share some more of my work and a little about what makes me tick, please leave a comment.  And, I will really appreciate if you share this post with your friends. To make sure that you don't miss any future posts, Please enter your email address in the subscribe by email box on the right.


Mark Phillips

Artist
Email:- mark@phillipsbajanart.com
Website:-www.phillipsbajanart.com

The Street that Never Sleeps.

"The street that never sleeps" A 16 x 20 acrylic painting by
Mark Phillips

The Street that Never Sleeps

It has been 7 days since my last post.

Where has the time gone? 

I have been extremely busy and this painting is partially the reason why. I am preparing some pieces for an exhibition to be held at a local gallery later this year and this will most likely be one of the pieces. The theme of the exhibit is "Barbados", and I wanted to do something other than my usual sea and sun pieces.

In my opinion, you can't get more Barbados than this. I no longer frequent Baxter's Road like I did in the old days but it is still one of my favourite places for authentic Bajan food. I have been buying fish from Ann for over 20 years. Perfectly seasoned, and fried to order in a cast iron skillet over a traditional coalpot. 

Many years ago Dereck, an acquaintance of mine, was visiting from the U.S.A.  I took him done to Baxter's Road on a Friday night for some fish. He was protesting that he did not eat fish because it was bland and tasteless. Only after much coaxing and the promise to buy him all the beer he could drink if he didn't like it, did he consent to try it. We waited as Ann chose 2 lovely dolphin steaks and proceeded to work her magic with the coalpot. In less than 10 minutes, the fish was ready. Lightly dotted with ketchup, more liberally covered with Bajan pepper sauce and served with fried breadfruit and coleslaw. Needless to say, he loved it. He even bought another one to take home so that he could show his wife how fish should taste! Every time he returned to Barbados he always wanted to go and get some of that "Night Fish".

I remember when Baxter's Road was the place to eat no matter what time it was. Many a trip to the After Dark Nightclub in Christ Church ended with a trip to Baxter's Road at about 4 a.m. In the early 1980's, (before there was an Oistins Fish Fry), many a 4 a.m Sunday morning found me in "Colins Restaurant" eating a 1/4 chicken with rice and a portion of macoroni pie, or in "Pink Star" eating a fried chicken leg and chips.

You gentlemen out there will relate to this next story. The year 1990, my girlfriend was pregnant with my first daughter. She decided that she really, really wanted a "One Fifty". This was a small lightly sweetened loaf cut in half and stuffed full of cooked liver. This gem was sold only at Pink Star in Baxter's road for the princely sum of $1.50, hence the name. Now, I grew up hearing that when a pregnant woman is craving anything to eat they must have it or the child will be affected in some way. So, being the good partner and father to be, I drove the 10 miles or so from St. Philip where we were living to Baxter's Road. I got there, made a few circles to find a park just in front of the restaurant so that I could leave her safe in the car. I went inside. The place was packed. It took me about an hour. When I returned to the car, she gave me that look that I had learned to mean, "Mark, don't get mad." I turned to her and asked her, "What?" She gave me her cutest smile and said, "I don't want it anymore".

The powers that be need to take a serious look at returning Baxter Road to its former glory. No one that had experienced a Baxter's Road Mall of the early eighties would ever forget the experience.  It was designed around the street fairs that were popular in many districts at the time and was easily the most popular fete of the Crop Over season. It was held every weekend during Crop Over, with the last one on the night of Kadooment. Stacks of speakers 12 feet high blaring out the latest reggae and calypso songs lined both sides of the road from Tudor Street to the Texaco Station that stood at the stop lights opposite the church in the painting. It took over 3 hours to manoeuvre from beginning to end through the tens of thousands of people the packed into the road.

The last one I remembered was 1983. I had just finished school and was enjoying my last bit of freedom before entering the Barbados Defence Force.  Gabby's "Boots" and Grynner's (Mr. T) would forever be engraved onto my brain. 35 years later I can still sing every word to both songs! This was the only time of the year that the first bus at 6 a.m from the Fairchild Street bus stand, (not bus terminal, that came later) to Bayfield and I assume many other places, were packed to capacity. I am proud to say that I have seen many a sunrise over Baxter's Road.

I wish I could share all the memories of the night in Baxter's Road after Kadooment Day 1983.  I was tempted to tell you the story about how I ditched my girlfriend at the stadium that Kadooment morning in order to spend the day with another girl only to caught by my girlfriend in the arms of the said girl leaning up by Johno's Shop in Baxter's Road that night. However, as both ladies in question probably read this blog, I will not share the details of the resulting altercation. What I will share is one fact that I learnt from that incident that had stood me in good stead over the years...
An angry woman is surprisingly strong! Enough said.

I just realized that I could probably continue this reminiscing for a while. However, I am not sure of the statue of limitations relating to some of the incidents that I can share that occurred on Baxter's Road back in the day.  After over 30 years I will not impugn the integrity of some persons that are considered Barbados's most upstanding citizens today!

"Nostalgia is a file that removes the rough edges from the good old days."  Doug Larson

Soon, I will share with you the other pieces that I am working on for the Exhibition. I may even ask you to help me choose the final 3 pieces when I had identified the most likely 6.

As always, thank you for reading. I appreciate the comments and the kind words of encouragement. Until next time when I will share some more of my work and a little about what makes me tick, please leave a comment.  And, I will really appreciate if you share this post with your friends. To make sure that you don't miss any future posts, Please enter your email address in the subscribe by email box on the right.

Mark Phillips

Artist
Email:- mark@phillipsbajanart.com
Website:-www.phillipsbajanart.com

Flamboyant Avenue

In progress, Flamboyant Avenue. an 11 x 14 original
acrylic painting by Mark Phillips

Summer is my favourite time of the year in Barbados.  Between May and September, the Barbados landscape becomes a sea of red as the Flamboyant trees bloom! My job takes me to all eleven parishes and the beauty of the red Flamboyant tree in full bloom always takes my breath away. 

This is my first in a series of paintings that I have entitled the "Barbados in Bloom",  collection. So far it looks like it will be 10 paintings but that number might increase. I have been taking reference photos from St. Lucy to St. Philip and I have some very interesting scenes to work from. I am really looking forward to working on these over the next few months.

The Flamboyant tree is also known as the Royal Poinciana or Flaming Tree and is very popular in Barbados and across the Caribbean. In addition to its breathtaking beauty, the Flamboyant tree provides excellent shade.

In the Indian state of Kerala, royal poinciana is called kaalvarippoo (കാൽവരിപ്പൂവ്) which means the flower of Calvary. There is a popular belief among Saint Thomas Christians of Kerala that when Jesus was crucified, there was a small royal poinciana tree nearby his Cross. It is believed that the blood of Jesus Christ was shed over the flowers of the tree and this is how the flowers of royal poinciana got a sharp red colour.

"He that planteth a tree is a servant of God, he provideth a kindness for many generations, and faces that he hath not seen shall bless him." -   Henry Van Dyke   

A few people asked me when will I be having the next giveaway! I must tell you. It was more work than I thought it would have been and I would have to give it some thought. However, I am considering another option. I will let everyone know as soon as I work it out. In the meanwhile, I would appreciate if you will take time out to complete the following survey. It will help me to help you.

As always, thank you for reading. I appreciate the comments and the kind words of encouragement. Until next time when I will share some more of my work and a little about what makes me tick, please leave a comment.  And, I will really appreciate if you share this post with your friends. To make sure that you don't miss any future posts, Please enter your email address in the subscribe by email box on the right.

Mark Phillips

Artist
Email:- mark@phillipsbajanart.com
Website:-www.phillipsbajanart.com

Wood Pigeon.

Wood Pigeon. An 8 x 10 Acrylic painting by
Mark Phillips

This is the latest painting in my “Birds of Barbados” collection.

For all my life, I have referred to this bird as a Wood Pigeon. However, its correct name is Columbidae Patagioenas Squamosa, also known as the Scaly-naped Pigeon or in some countries the Red-necked Pigeon.

The Scaly-naped Pigeon is a large, dark pigeon that is common and widespread throughout the Caribbean except for Jamaica and the Bahamas, where it does not occur.  

It is very good to eat.

No, it does not taste like chicken, it tastes much better!  They feed on fruit and seeds and as children, we caught them with “fly sticks” baited it with sunflower or “yellow hawk” seeds. Some of the boys even used downfall traps made from pieces of old chicken wire and wood but I preferred my fly stick. We have even used our "guttaperks", made of a y-shaped stick cut from a branch of a Whitewood tree and strung with a piece of rubber cut from an old bicycle tire.

We would remove the intestines and organs, remove the feathers, skin and all, and roast them over a fire made with cow dung and casuarina sticks. Good Eats!

Many times, our hunting efforts were frustrated by wood doves, my grandfather's pigeons and other smaller birds being caught in out traps. We usually set these free as they were just not worth the effort to cook. However, whenever wood pigeons were present they would push the other birds away to get at the bait and invariably they were caught. 

There is a lesson there somewhere.

I believe that there are other species of "wood pigeon" in Barbados. I would appreciate if anyone has any information to let me know in the comments below.

I'm like Albert Schweitzer and Bertrand Russell and Albert Einstein in that I have a respect for life - in any form. I believe in nature, in the birds, the sea, the sky, in everything I can see or that there is real evidence for. If these things are what you mean by God, then I believe in God. - Frank Sinatra

As always, thank you for reading. I appreciate the comments and the kind words of encouragement. Until next time when I will share some more of my work and a little about what makes me tick, please leave a comment.  And, I will really appreciate if you share this post with your friends. To make sure that you don't miss any future posts, Please enter your email address in the subscribe by email box on the right.

Mark Phillips

Artist
Email:- mark@phillipsbajanart.com
Website:-www.phillipsbajanart.com
Online Store:- PhillipsArtStore

Country Home

"Country Home". An 11 x 14 Acrylic Painting by Mark Phillips

As with most of my paintings, I was driving through St. John, just pass the entrance to Bath Beach and the old Cable and Wireless earth Station site, when I saw this house looking at home, nestled at the edge of this tropical forest.

This became the latest in my Chattel House Collection. It was done earlier this year and when I first painted it I was not very happy with the results so I packed it away on a shelf in the studio with the intention of changing it some day.

However, I was looking through some older paintings to fulfil an order for a client who purchased a license to use some of my original pieces in their company promotions, and I came upon this piece again.

Surprisingly, I loved it! I could find nothing that I wanted to change about it. If I was being purely academic, I must admit that it broke some composition rules that artists are taught to follow but looking at this piece I felt a sense of calm and relaxation. This was a piece of the real Barbados. A traditional home perfectly engineered to take advantage of the cooling St. John breezes blowing in off the Atlantic Ocean. I truly green space surrounded by the indigenous vegetation the covered this island before the exploitation by its European colonisers.

The steep gable roof, constructed of corrugated iron, perfectly adapted to suit a climate where heavy rains and high winds were the norm each year. The angle of the roof deflects the wind rather than providing a platform for it to lift off. The jalousie windows, with three sets of hinges - two vertical and one horizontal - allow maximum flexibility against the wind and sun. The interior of the house is kept cool while providing security and privacy.

I will like the share this poem that I found on Barbados.org. Unfortunately, they did not share the author's name. I believe that artists should be recognised for there work, so if anyone reading this knows of the author please tell us in the comments below.

"Little Houses"

Little houses built of wood, 

Sash window and the jalousies

Fretwork filters dim the light light 

To set the shade and cool breeze free

Little houses falling down 

Rumble tumble to the ground

Patchwork, nailed and hammered fast 

Loved and cherished to the last

Skilled and crafted

in precise scale

of detail like the villa grand

with pride upon the blocks you stand

Home where Grandma Settle lived

And where all 8 brothers grew,

living in a room or two

I grew up in St. Philip but I was born in St. John. As my mother loves to remind me, "my navel string bury there". The little village of Glenburnie situated about 2 miles from this house is where I came kicking and screaming into this world. No doctors or hospitals, just my mother and the village midwife with the ever-present sound of the Atlantic Ocean providing a perfect complement to our cries. 

This piece now hangs in my studio where I can see it every day. A reminder that we sometimes need to take a step back and look at something again before we can fully appreciate it.

“There are some people who see a great deal and some who see very little in the same things.” ― Thomas Henry Huxley

As always, thank you for reading. I appreciate the comments and the kind words of encouragement. Until next time when I will share some more of my work and a little about what makes me tick, please leave a comment.  And, I will really appreciate if you share this post with your friends. To make sure that you don't miss any future posts, Please enter your email address in the subscribe by email box on the right.

Mark Phillips

Artist
Email:- mark@phillipsbajanart.com
Website:-www.phillipsbajanart.com
Online Store:- PhillipsArtStore

Rest In Peace "Brig Lew".

An 11 x 14 Acrylic Painting of  Harrison Point Lighthouse
 by Mark Phillips

Firstly, let me apologise for not posting over the last week. I was off the island on business and time just did not allow it.

This is an 11 x 14 acrylic painting of the lighthouse at Harrison Point, St. Lucy. When I started this piece I intended only to capture a beautiful St. Lucy sunset to complement the sunrise at River Bay that I did before.

However, from the time I started working, a sense of sadness came over me as I started to reminisce about the time I spent stationed at Harrison Point in 1984 & later in 1986/87.

I did my recruit training at the old U.S. Naval Base at Harrison Point which by this time was controlled by the Barbados Defence Force and renamed the National Youth Service Training Centre, (N.Y.S.T.C.) Despite the gruelling and sometimes sadistic nature of the training, I can still say that the experience at Harrison Point had made me the man, the father, the husband, that I am today.

When I left school, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I knew that I didn't want to spend the next 4 or 5  years of my life at University training to work for someone else. I had the required GCE O & A levels but I had no intention of being stuck in a classroom. I had spent 8 years at the Lodge School and enough was enough.

I was a rebel at school, constantly getting into trouble for flaunting any rule that was in my opinion, silly. I wore suede shoes for 3 years because I argued that the rules required that brown leather shoes be worn and opinioned that my suede shoes were indeed leather. This lead to many confrontations with the then headmaster, one Cecil Everton Aurelius Smith or "Joe", as he was known to us students. Joe was constantly on my case about my shoes and no matter how I was punished, I persisted in defiance of this silly rule. The thing that made it more frustrating for Joe was the fact that I was best friends with his nephew Michael and very good friends with another nephew Craig and his son Roger. This brought us into contact more than either Joe or myself would have liked. 

One evening, when I was in my final year of Upper 6th form, l was walking across the courtyard around  5 pm. after cricket practice and Joe stopped me. He told me not to come to him for a testimonial as he would not perjure himself for me. I was really taken aback by this. I did not even intend to ask him for one but I was still pissed. It would be many years later before I consciously made the effort to forgive him for that slight. That was when I learned of his prolonged illness around the same time as hearing about the murder of his wife.

However, I digress. Joining the Barbados Defence Force channelled me in the right direction when I could have easily wandered done the wrong path.

This painting conjures up feelings of sadness, not because of my recruiting experience but because of what happened a few years later. It was in either 1986 or 1987 that I, a young Second Lieutenant just back from the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, was posted as Officer-in-Charge of the base at Harrison Point. By this time, the camp was no longer a training camp. It was a guard post. The explosives used for excavation by the nearby cement plant was stored in the old US army armoury which was situated in the T-Building in the area close to the lighthouse. The soldiers guarded the building and provided armed escort services for the explosives.

It is customary for the Officer-in-Charge to have a Sergeant as his Second-in-Command (2IC). However, I was posted there for about 3 months with a Corporal as my 2IC. And, what a corporal! Corporal Murphy was the most unreliable, untrustworthy, conniving son of a bitch that you would ever have the misfortune to meet and on top of that he was an alcoholic that would drink himself into a stupor on occasions. Not the type of person that you would like to leave in charge! The result was that for my entire tour of duty at Harrison Point, I did not go home. I spent every night in camp even when I was officially off!

Unfortunately, I was not the only one spending unusually long hours in camp. We were understaffed and most of the men were working 3 or 4 times harder than their counterparts at Headquarters, (HQ), or even at the new Paragon Base. Moral was at an all-time low and tempers were beginning to flare. There was only one telephone available to make outside calls and for obvious reasons, I had forbidden its use for personal calls. This meant that soldiers were out of contact with their wives and girlfriends and the teasing of the other soldiers about who was doing what with them was beginning to take its toll.

I made a report to HQ highlighting the status of moral of the men and stating my concerns about me alone supervising 30 unhappy testosterone-fuelled soldiers walking around with rifles and live ammunition.  I was accused of being melodramatic. Fortunately, I was reassigned a few weeks later. It was very soon after that Private Roderick Lewis, (aka Brig Lew), was shot and killed at Harrison Point by another soldier as they were on guard duty one night.

This incident hit me hard! I was devastated! Not only was Brig Lew a friend of mine, we had recruited together at Harrison Point. Not only had I lost a friend but I am sure that the situation these young men were placed into at Harrison Point was in some way responsible for this incident.  I will say no more before I say too much. Continue to Rest In Peace "Brig Lew".

"Your lost friends are not dead, but gone before, advanced a stage or two upon that road which you must travel in the steps they trod." Aristophanes

For your information, some months after I had left Harrison Point, Corporal Murphy was driving drunk one night and was involved in a fatal hit and run which resulted in him going AWOL and leaving the island to avoid prosecution.

My art is inspired by my life's experiences. Every painting has a story and, although when I started this painting, I had no intention of telling this story, I am glad that I did.

As always, thank you for reading, I appreciate the comments and the kind words of encouragement. Until next time when I will share some more of my work with you, please leave a comment.  And, I will really appreciate if you share this post with your friends. To make sure that you don't miss any future posts, Please enter your email address in the subscribe by email box on the right.

Mark Phillips

Artist
Email:- mark@phillipsbajanart.com
Website:-www.phillipsbajanart.com
Online Store:- PhillipsArtStore

Forgiveness Part 2 - The Letter Killeth

Yesterday, I received an email from St. Thomas Parish Church. It read...

"Thank you for sharing part of the history of this church. Hope to see more.

The Reverent was correct in his reason for not marrying you and your then wife to be, take note that the Queen will not be going to the wedding of her grandson next month, as his wife to be is a divorcee, but she will go to the reception."

Ironically, at the time that I received this email, I was hosting the Choir of the St. Thomas Church to a luncheon at my home!

I tried to respond but as is often the case with some Outlook accounts, my mail was undelivered. I wanted to engage the writer in a discussion as to why the Queen's actions are to be considered as a vindication of the correctness of this stance by the church. 

I understand that the Church of England, (Anglicans), does not encourage divorce, but, should it not as a "Christian", forgiving organisation, be able to treat with empathy to those who find themselves in such a situation?

Until the 16th century CE, the Church in England recognised the Roman Catholic Pope's authority. However, when Catherine of Aragon failed to produce a male heir for Henry VIII and was considered too old to give birth to any more children, Henry wanted to divorce her. The Pope refused permission and so the only way for Henry to get what he wanted was to break away from the Vatican and make divorce legal. The Archbishop of Canterbury granted Henry a divorce in 1533 (under pressure) and Henry made himself head of the Church of England.

So… Fact. The Church of England is founded on adultery. But, we will not hold that against them.

By allowing himself to remarry, Henry made the same thing possible for his subjects. However, I understand that couples do not have an automatic right to remarry in church. Apparently, remarriage is always allowed if the couple's former spouses are dead. The matter becomes more complicated if one or both of the exes is still living.

I was married in 1996 when the Anglican Church was still a little confused as to the official stance on the treatment of divorcees and their right to be remarried in the church. However, the Church has had a clear stance on the subject of a Christian remarriage since the General Synod meeting of 2002. In a vote concerning marriage after divorce, the outcome was 269 votes to 83 in support of a change. The Church of England teaches that marriage is for life. It also recognizes that some marriages sadly do fail and, if this should happen, it wants to be available for all involved. The Church accepts that, in exceptional circumstances, a divorced person may marry again in church during the lifetime of a former spouse.

Under civil law, the clergy has the capacity to marry any two people (as long as the couple can legally marry). The Church advises clergy to think carefully before remarrying couples and to ask them questions to find out how committed they are. The final decision that can easily determine the course of people's lives, rests with the clergy member.

The Church's suggested questions concentrate on the intentions of the couple and whether allowing the remarriage would be harmful to anybody involved. For example:

• ·       Does the couple understand that divorce is a breach of God's will for marriage? 
•          Do they have a determination for the new marriage to be a life-long faithful partnership? 
•          Do they seem willing to explore and grow in the Christian faith? 
•          Has enough time passed since the divorce for everyone to have recovered, and are there complicating factors from previous marriages (court proceedings or child support payments, for example)? 
•          Has either of the parties been divorced more than once? 
•          Was their relationship a direct cause of the breakdown of a previous marriage? 

I believe that there is an almighty being that controls life in this universe. I also believe that mankind does not have the mental capacity to understand where this entity resides in the construct of time and space as we perceive it. Our universe is a strange place brimming with lovely paradox. Our limited minds cannot hope to comprehend the scope of a creator that can be responsible for such complexity. Even on this tiny dot that we call Earth, that is no more than a speck on a grain of sand in the centre of the ocean, man is not the fastest, the strongest or even the most resilient but we would like to think we are the most intelligent. We definitely are the most arrogant! We create rules and laws in an effort to control the ignorant and then try to justify them by claiming that they are the will of the creator!

This is what rubs me the wrong way about all religions and their hundreds of denominations and sects. Many years ago, I promised my wife that I will stop writing about religion and I will not break that promise. I will leave you with this concept of the Almighty that I find most appealing.

"I am that I am", is a common English translation of the Hebrew phrase, "’ehyeh ’ăšer ’ehyeh ".  Also "I am who I am" or "I will be what I will be". Its context is the encounter of the burning bush (Exodus 3:14): Moses asks what he is to say to the Israelites when they ask what God has sent him to them, and Yahweh replies, "I am who I am." ’Ehyeh is the first person form of hayah, "to be", and owing to the peculiarities of Hebrew grammar means both "I am", "I was", and "I will be". That nicely sums up my creator. I AM, I WAS, and I WILL BE.

I hope that you forgive my rant today. This is not exactly Art related but my beliefs are a large part of what makes me the person that I am. I could not create the work that I do if I did not see the world as I do. My perception of life is what makes me an artist.

Until next time when I will definitely share some more of my work with you, please leave a comment.  And, I will really appreciate if you share this post with your friends. To make sure that you don't miss any future posts, Please enter your email address in the subscribe by email box on the right.

Mark Phillips

Artist
Email:- mark@phillipsbajanart.com
Website:-www.phillipsbajanart.com
Online Store:- PhillipsArtStore

Forgive, Never Forget.

St. Thomas Parish Church. An 11 x 14 acrylic painting
by Mark Phillips

St. Thomas Parish Church sits in the district of Arch Hall in St. Thomas and dates back to 1629.  That first building was destroyed by the hurricane that hit the island in 1675. The parish church was rebuilt but this structure too was demolished by the great hurricane that struck the island in 1780.  It was some six years before the church was rebuilt and by 1831 it was again destroyed by the hurricane that reduced most of the churches on the island of Barbados to ruins.

In appearance, this church is quite similar to the St. Peter's Parish Church. Their design is rather less Gothic in design than some of the other Parish Churches around the island of Barbados. The appearance of these two churches is less imposing when compared to that of St. John’s Parish Church for instance.  None-the-less, the St. Thomas Parish Church still manages to evoke a quiet, understated elegance and charm.

On a personal level, St Thomas Parish church represents a not very pleasant chapter in my life.  When I was a child, I remember my grandfather saying that he will never step foot in St. Catherine’s Church as long as he lived. I never asked him the reason why he had taken that stand but true to his word, the only time I say him in that church was on the day of his funeral. Ironically, he is buried in the graveyard of St. Catherine’s Church.  I mentioned that because I lived to hear myself making the exact same statement about St. Thomas Parish Church!

When my then betrothed and I was planning our wedding, St. Thomas Parish Church was the church of choice. My fiancé was born in Arch Hall and she was a member of the church for almost 30 years. She was a member of the church choir and almost every other women’s organisation in the church. We approached the Reverent in charge and submitted to the mandatory interviews and counselling only to be told by the goodly Reverent that he would not perform the ceremony. My fiancé was divorced twice before and he made me think that it was church policy that divorcees could not be married in the Anglican Church because the Church considered the matrimonial vows of, “till death do us part”, as a sacrament that could not be broken.

Of course, this pissed me off and after some research, I discovered that it was at the discretion of the Reverent as to if he was going to perform the ceremony and, that he had refused because, in his opinion, the marriage was, "not going to last". 

We were subsequently married at James Street Methodist Church. 

Earlier this month, my wife and I celebrated our 22^nd wedding anniversary. 

So much for not lasting!

My wife is still a member of the church choir, my daughter and later my granddaughter has been confirmed in this Church and I have not stepped foot in this Church in the last 22 years. I occasionally run into the Reverent, (now retired), that refused to marry me and as recent as 2 weeks ago I gently reminded him that, I am still married!

So bear with me for portraying this building as a little dark and not as the bright beacon in the community that it should be. If my years on this earth has taught me anything about myself, it is that I am capable of forgiving but, I never forget. In the words of JFK...

"Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names." -  John F. Kennedy

or more succinctly,

"The stupid neither forgive nor forget; the naive forgive and forget; the wise forgive but do not forget." - Thomas Szasz

As always, thank you for reading. I appreciate the comments and the kind words of encouragement. Until next time when I will share some more of my work and a little about what makes me tick, please leave a comment.  And, I will really appreciate if you share this post with your friends. To make sure that you don't miss any future posts, Please enter your email address in the subscribe by email box on the right.

Mark Phillips

Artist
Email:- mark@phillipsbajanart.com
Website:-www.phillipsbajanart.com
Online Store:- PhillipsArtStore