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