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

Country Church

"Country Church" An 11 x 14 Original Acrylic Painting by
Mark Phillips

This is where I am with this piece so far. Sorry about the quality of the photo. It was taken with a really cheap cell phone.

This is St. Martin's Anglican Church in the parish of St. Philip. Unfortunately, this church has been in the news lately.

The very day after I started this painting, I heard the news that Police was investigating what they suspected was a case of arson at St Martin’s Church. 

Apparently, someone set fire to the altar, two kneeling stools and a prayer book, leaving them extensively burnt. 

Burnt Prayer Book

St. Martin's Church was built in 1859 and sits on the site of the previous chapel school for the area. The chapel school was actually built in 1837.  The damaged altar, made from mahogany and interlaced with metal, was part of the church from the very beginning. I will not try to rationalize where a person's mind needs to be at to commit an act of sacrilege but this type of incident is happening way too often in a society that once boasted of being a Christian nation. 

Burnt Stool

Anyone that knows me, will attest that I am not a member of any church. Yet I can appreciate the value that churches provide in maintaining an orderly society. When I was still in High School, a church leader, in fact, a former Bishop of Barbados, told me, "Churches were there to control the ignorant". At the time, I was slightly offended by the condescending nature of this man of the cloth but as I have gotten older, I think that I understand what a 16-year-old me could not. As the influence of the Church wanes in Barbados, ignorance is running rampant in this country. 

Burnt Alter

Many years ago, I worked as a building contractor and I subcontracted a lot of carpentry work to an elderly Guyanese gentleman named Mr Carter. Being a more than decent woodworker myself, many times we would end up, just the two of us,  working on some particularly tricky or difficult job that we could not get finished to the perfection that we both sought. We would be 1/4 of an inch off-specification or a 90-degree angle would read 91and we would spend hours trying to correct a flaw that only the two of us would ever know was there. Eventually, Carter would turn to me and say, "Boss, let we done with this. It ain't no Church." That was our signal to call it quits. In his mind, the only structure that needed to be perfect was a Church! Where has that mentality gone? How did we get to a point where we live in a society where churches need alarm systems, burglar bars and security cameras?

To the technocrat, St. Martin's church is not considered a beautiful church. Many architectural "experts" consider the proportions of this church to be way off what is considered normal. Apparently, the roof is too steeply pitched and the bell tower is disproportionate to the structure. Even the windows in the structure seem to lack any uniformity in shape and size while the buttresses appear to be too small to accomplish the job for which they were built. However, despite the many architectural flaws, it is still one of my favourite Churches. I look at this building and it stands out as an important fixture of the landscape that has dominated its surroundings for almost 160 years. In my humble opinion, its imperfections make it special.

Many, many years ago, when I was still at school I think, I did a watercolour painting of this church. I have no idea where it is today. Most likely, my mother or one of my former girlfriends give it to someone as a gift. A few of my early works found homes that way! This is the only church that I have ever painted twice so I am going to wait until I am in the perfect frame of mind to finish it. This may be one of the works that I will keep in my personal collection, to be sold only after my death. We will see.

"I enjoy art, architecture, museums, churches and temples; anything that gives me insight into the history and soul of the place I'm in. I can also be a beach bum - I like to laze in the shade of a palm tree with a good book or float in a warm sea at sundown. " - Cherie Lunghi

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 with what you think the title of the painting should be.  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 College - Don't let your past dictate your future.

"The College". A 16 x 20 acrylic painting by Mark Phillips

I painted this piece from a photo I took in January this year when visiting the College on other business.

There is a darkness to Codrington College that appears to be part of its very foundation. Built by slaves on lands that were probably acquired by murder. No amount of good intentions could remove the shadow from this place.

I am a product of The Lodge School, which along with Codrington College came about as a direct result of the actions of Christopher Codrington. Sitting in history class at Lodge School with Mr. F.A Hoyos, (later Sir Alexander Hoyos), I  learnt of the benevolence of Mr. Codrington. Only years later as an adult did I learn the full story of the Codrington family’s role in the history of Barbados and the West Indies. I do not blame Mr. Hoyos for his omission. I attended Lodge School in 1974 when it was still a Boarding School and both the student body and the staff were still 40-50% Caucasian. Subjects like slavery barely merited a mention.

Bear with me while I give you a more comprehensive story.

Christopher Codrington was born in Barbados in 1668. His father, Colonel Christopher Codrington, was captain-general of the Leeward Islands. As a young man, Codrington was sent to England to be educated. From 1685 he attended Christ Church, Oxford, as a gentleman commoner. In 1694, having fought with distinction at Huy and Namur, he was made a captain of the 1st regiment of foot guards in 1695. After his father’s death in 1698, King William gave him the succession to his father's office of captain-general and commander-in-chief of the Leeward Islands.

He died on 7 April 1710, and his body was sent to England and buried in All Souls Chapel. By his will dated 1702 he left £10,000, and £6,000 worth of books to the college, a legacy that sufficed to erect, furnish, and endow a magnificent library, in the middle of which stands his statue done by Sir Henry Cheere.

His two plantations in Barbados, now known as the Society and the College, together with part of the island of Barbuda, he left "to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts for the foundation of a college in Barbados," in which a convenient number of professors and scholars were to be maintained, "all of them to be under the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience," and "obliged to study and practice physick and chirurgery, as well as divinity, that by the apparent usefulness of the former to all mankind they may both endear themselves to the people, and have the better opportunity of doing good to men's souls, while they are taking care of their bodies."

The strict rules that Christopher left were never followed but Codrington College was built between 1714-42 and still stands today.   The painting shows one of the original buildings. To his credit, Codrington directed that a portion of his charitable bequest be used to educate the enslaved population of Barbados, but this was a gesture effectively blocked by the objections of fellow planters.

The plantations were run by managers on behalf of the SPG, and their operational oversight was nominally supervised by a Board of trustees of the Society headed by the Archbishop of Canterbury and a committee of Church of England, (Anglican), bishops. The plantations were reliant on the regular supply of new slaves from West Africa.  Due to ill-health, smallpox, dysentery and mistreatment, 4 out of every 10 slaves bought by the plantation in 1740 were reported to have died within three years.

Initially, slaves were branded with the word "Society" on their chests with a hot iron. Historian Milton Meltzer explains that the branding practice throughout the sugar plantations was that “Already branded once by the trader, the slaves were branded a second time with their new owner's initials." On branding at Codrington, historical documents state, “For nearly a decade, Codrington officials tried to reduce escapes by branding all slaves on their chests. In the end, though, the chief deterrent was the lash, plus, at times, an iron collar and a straitjacket.”

Woodville Marshall, emeritus professor of history at the University of the West Indies, said the Church's sins over Codrington were those of omission more than commission. "They had professional planters to run the place," he said. "The Church didn't play an active role, because they were more interested in the receipts." After the plantation was left to the SPG, its slaves were branded on the chest with the word "society", to remind everyone that these were slaves of the Lord. In 1740, 30 years after the Church took over, four out of every 10 slaves bought by the plantation died within three years. "Most people in Barbados are not too troubled by these issues," Prof Marshall said. "It was not so much the SPG that the Church should be apologising for as the activities of the individual parsons who kept plantations and slaves for sheer profit."

The elder Codrington deserves a mention here if we are to understand where the Codrington family wealth was derived from.

Colonel Christopher Codrington (c. 1640 – 1698) was an English plantation owner and colonial administrator who made a great fortune in the West Indies. Born about 1640 on Barbados, Codrington was the son of another Christopher Codrington. His father was a royalist who had arrived in Barbados around 1640, married a sister of James Drax, a leading plantation owner, and acquired an estate in the parish of Saint John. He made a small fortune there, most of which he left to his son when he died in 1656.

In 1663, Codrington and other men of Barbados bought the island of Saint Lucia from native chiefs there. While still in his twenties, he was appointed to the council of Barbados, and then as deputy governor, entrusted with the day-to-day administration in the absence of the Governor. In that capacity, he set about building schools and hospitals, suppressing smuggling, and controlling excessive drinking. Codrington was married to a woman named Gertrude.  His elder son, another Christopher, was born in Barbados in 1668, and then a younger son called John, who was an "imbecile."

In 1669, the elder Codrington was accused of murdering Henry Willoughby, a son of the Governor, Lord Willoughby, during a dispute about Codrington's acquisition of a desirable estate on Barbados called Consetts. (the site of the present College). Willoughby died suddenly with a "violent burning of the stomach", a few hours after eating a meal with Codrington, and although no wrongdoing was ever proved, Codrington never entirely recovered his good name on the island.  He began to trade outside the law and to move his investments away from Barbados.

In 1672, while Willoughby was away on a campaign, Codrington received a report of a rich silver mine on the island of Dominica, which was still in the possession of the Island Caribs and summoned the council of Barbados to ask it to agree that he should seize Dominica "before any other nation should possess the same". He then sent men to negotiate the purchase of the island, and a party to take possession. However, the French Governor General, the Marquis de Baas, promptly had the Englishmen removed from the island and protested that they had broken a treaty with the French of 1660. When Willoughby returned to Barbados Codrington was dismissed from his position and was also removed as commanding officer of a militia regiment.

After leaving the council, between 1674 and 1682 Codrington was elected several times to the Assembly of Barbados and was its Speaker in 1674, 1675, and 1678.

Codrington went on to build up the largest land holdings in Antigua and secured a lease of the whole island of Barbuda from the Crown.  He was appointed as captain-general of the English Leeward Islands, and in 1683 moved his base of operations to Antigua, where he was an important plantation-owner and was influential in reforms to make the island more like Barbados. By 1685, he had founded the settlement of Codrington on Barbuda and went on to build a stronghold there. During the Nine Years' War of 1688 to 1697, he led a series of armed conflicts with the French. As a captain general, Codrington found many ways to line his own pockets and was the target of allegations of corruption when he died in 1698, not long after the Peace of Ryswick.

All his ill-gotten gains were inherited by his elder son, our Christopher Codrington.

To rid ourselves of our shadows -- who we are -- we must step into either total light or total darkness. Goodness and evil. Jeremy P. Johnson

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

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

The Hour of The Wolf

St. Andrew's Parish Church
A 11 x 14 acrylic painting by Mark Phillips

I know you are all wondering what in the name of all that is holy does St. Andrew's Parish Church have to do with "the hour of the wolf".

To explain the connection, we need to go back to 1984. I was a young soldier in The Barbados Defence Force and we were on a one week training exercise in Walker's St. Andrew.

Firstly, according to Ingmar Bergman, the hour of the wolf is;"The hour between night and dawn. The hour when most people die, when sleep is deepest, when nightmares are most real. It is the hour when the sleepless are haunted by their deepest fears, when ghost and demons are most powerful, the hour of the wolf is also the hour when most children are born." -From Ingmar Bergman's Film HOUR OF THE WOLF (Trailer)...

It was a chilly morning just before dawn. The sky was just starting to lighten in the East and the mist off the sea was creating a somewhat eerie scene. I was part of a 2 man patrol and we were to rendezvous with the other members of our section at a point very close to the church. We were fist to arrive and we settled down in a bush out of sight a few yards from the church. 

Now, you must understand that we had been out most of the night and we had walked quite a few miles. We were hungry and we were tired. As I sat there looking at the church wall you see in the painting, I thought I saw a blurry form go over the wall into the churchyard. It wasn't even a form, it was just a movement' like something you catch from the corner of your eye but you weren't sure it was real.

I was about to dismiss it as my imagination fueled by fatigue and hunger, when I saw it again. I immediately looked at my partner in the dim light of the approaching dawn and I realised that he had seen something too. I whispered, "Did you see that?" He shook his head in the affirmative. "What the hell was that?", I said earnestly. He calmly turned to me and said, "those are the spirits of the dead returning to their graves before sunrise." I was speechless! This was insane... But... I had seen it with my own eyes! Not once but twice! I was 20 years old at the time and my partner was an experienced soldier much older that I was and here he was as cool as ever, telling me that spirits roam this land at night and return to their graves before dawn. At the "hour of the wolf".

That was over 30 years ago and I have never forgotten that night. As recently as 2 weeks ago, I drove past the church and I remember that morning like it was yesterday. When I decided to paint a collection of Barbadian Churches in 2018, the first one I painted was this one. You would realise that I had not given it a clever name. This Church is special to me. This church was where I understood that there is more to our existence on this mortal plain than I had before believed. About 10 years later, I witnessed another incident during a funeral at another church that further opened my mind, but that is a story for another day and another painting!

It is not clear if the building known as St. Andrew's Parish Church (established in 1630) actually survived the hurricane that ravaged the island of Barbados in 1780; some accounts state that it was one of the churches reduced to 'ruinous condition' while others state that it had indeed survived. In any case, this majestic church was one of the three churches that did survive the great hurricane of 1831 but it soon fell into a state of disrepair and was slated for demolition in 1842. The knocking down of this church building brought a public outcry from the people of Barbados and the church was subsequently rebuilt in 1846. That is the building that you see here today. This beautiful Barbadian Church, like many others on the island, very closely resembles a traditional, English church with its Gothic inspired architecture and square tower.

Let me apologise for not posting anything over the last few days. Unfortunately, I was ridiculously busy with my "day job". I was working 18 hour days and today Sunday, I finally finished the project and got home about 6 pm. But, as my youngest daughter always says, "You got to go make that cheddar". At least I can afford to buy paints and canvases now! I leave you with this thought;

 “A house is never still in darkness to those who listen intently; there is a whispering in distant chambers, an unearthly hand presses the window, the latch rises. Ghosts were created when the first man woke in the night.” — J.M. Barrie

Rest in peace tonight everyone... Or maybe not!

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 of the history of this blessed place that I am privileged to call home, 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

"Quietude"

St. Peter's Parish Church, Barbados.
 An original 16 x 20 acrylic painting by Mark Phillips

I hope everyone, had a peaceful Easter weekend. I tried to get some rest but was only partially successful. In an ideal world, I would have spent most of the time in my studio but this was not to be. The responsibilities of being a father, a husband and the general fix-it man around the house got in the way.

This piece was painted in January 2018. I was in Speightstown an early morning sometime late last year when I noticed for the first time this scene you see here. It was a holiday, and Church Street  was all but deserted. I was sitting in my vehicle waiting to meet a client and something caught my eye. 

Maybe it was the way the light was reflecting off of the building or the way the guard walls allowed for an almost perfect study of 2-point perspective. Whatever it was, I knew that I was going to paint it. I was not driving my vehicle so I did not have my camera. I therefore turned to my trusty cell phone and shot a few reference images.

To be honest, the photos were ugly. I exercised my poetic, (or is it artistic), licence and did not paint the mess of  utility wires and poles that threatened to spoil this serene scene. I was originally going to name this piece "Tranquility" or "Serenity" but as fate would have it I came across the word "Quietude". Up until that point, I did not know that word even existed! But it was a perfect fit. It sounded more religious, perfectly befitting one of the oldest churches in Barbados.

St. Peter was one of the six original parishes and its first church was built in 1629. The second church was built 36 years later and a third church followed in 1837. This church was built in an essentially Georgian style with its square bell tower. St. Peter’s Parish Church was one of the three churches in Barbados which survived the hurricane of 1780, along with St. Andrew's Parish Church and All Saint's Chapel. This parish church however, was not so lucky when the hurricane of 1831 struck the island. The church was destroyed and by 1837 it was again rebuilt and consecrated.

This third church survived well into the twentieth century but then on April 21^st, 1980 tragedy struck and the church was largely destroyed by fire. The church building sustained damage primarily to the interior with the exterior walls and the tower escaping much of the damage. The church was rebuilt and subsequently restored to its former glory with one marked exception. The large bell that was previously housed in the church's clock tower could not be returned to its former location and so the bell is now housed on the outside of the church building, under a gazebo-like structure. 

Although St. Peter's Parish Church is one of the oldest churches in Barbados, because of the many tragedies faced by this church no early records have managed to survive. Despite this lack of a traditional written history however, one only has to take a stroll through the grounds of the church and even the interior of the church itself to be able to witness first-hand the history on which this church is grounded. 

On entering this edifice, the first thing that catches the eye, is the inscription which is positioned directly above the altar, "This is none other than the House of God and this is the Gate of Heaven Alleluia" this quote, carved in stone as it were, lends to the sacred feel of the church and coupled with the many elaborately carved plaques that date back to the seventeen hundreds, proclaim St. Peter’s Parish Church in Barbados as a treasure trove of historical finds. 

Some other examples can be found in the ornately carved pulpit inscribed with the words "Given to the Glory of God by Little John in memory of his mother" while the baptismal font at the back of the church bears the inscription "The Gift of John Sober Esq. to the Parish of Saint Peter 1767", even the bell which is now mounted outside in the churchyard bears the inscription "St. Peter's 1827".

It was my honour to paint this remarkable Barbadian Parish Church, this true piece of Barbadian history.

As always, thank you for reading. Until next time when I will share some more of my work and a little of the history of this blessed place that I am privileged to call home,  please leave a comment.  And, I will really appreciate if you share this post with your friends. And 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