Basil Watson
Art: “The expression of one’s vision of life”.This personal description of his lifelong passion is what defines the works of renowned Jamaican and international artist/sculptor, Basil Watson.
For over 24 years, he has been translating life’s important
attributes – positive emotions and attitudes, the spirit of freedom
and spontaneity, strength, sensuality, energy and vigor – into
finely chiseled pieces of art. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, his childhood dream
was to become a sailor or a soccer player. As
a teenager in his early years of high school, there was no denying his
artistic talent and ability, nor could he ignore the growing affinity
to the creative form. It was therefore a natural
progression for him to pursue the four year art program at the Jamaica
School of Art (now the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing
Arts). Under
the tutelage of his mentors, Jamaican artist, Alexander Cooper and
sculptor, Christopher Gonzales, with the quiet support of his father,
acclaimed and respected international artist, Barry Watson, and an
admiration for the works of French sculptor, Auguste Rodin, he honed
his skills to now become a force to be reckoned with in the art world. Through
a strong foundation in drawing, Basil eventually found sculpture which
he sees as an excellent medium to capture his fascination with the
human form and portray it in a realistic way. Through
the exploration of the language of the body, Basil has depicted
exaggerated movement or subtle gestures in the expression of moods,
thoughts and feelings. Sensuality has always
been a strong underlying element within his work. While
he sculpts both sexes, his works primarily celebrate and radiate a
greater appreciation of women, whether in thematic pieces, athletic
movement or intimate studies of the model. Basil had developed a
preference for modeling and casting in bronze for his dimensional work.
Although
he carves wood and stone, and wields mild steel or stainless steel,
modeling affords him the total independence and impulsiveness to
explore the wide range of movement and emotions of the figure while
providing the softness of feel. His
work
ranges in size from small, intimate pieces to larger than
life-sized outdoor sculptures, each one exuding strong, heroic and
sensual qualities, whether in quiet repose or in extreme action. He
is best represented in galleries in Jamaica – the National Gallery of
Jamaica, the Contemporary Art Center and Mutual Life Gallery – and he
has the distinction of having his works in each of the three
universities in Jamaica: the University of the West Indies, University
of Technology (the UTech Sculpture Park) and Northern Caribbean
University. He has commissioned works for the Government
of Jamaica, parks, hotels, companies and private individuals in Jamaica.
Fine
examples of his work are also included in collections at Savacou
Gallery in New York, Mason Murer Gallery in Atlanta Georgia and Hearne
Gallery in Little Rock, Arkansas. He has participated in exhibitions at the University of Arkansas,
Pine Bluff, and most recently, he represented Jamaica in the 7th
International Sculpture Symposium
in Changchun, China which saw the fusion of different cultures from 26
countries, including Canada, Korea, Gabon, Thailand, Guatemala,
Paraguay, Namibia and El Salvador. It was here he
completed a life-sized sculpture “Earth to Heaven”,
which is displayed in the renowned sculpture park which displays over
300 works representative of more than 115 countries. Most recently, he
created "Balance"
a life sized bronzed sculpture which is mounted on Doctor's cave Beach
in Montego Bay Jamaica. Doctor's Cave is among the Island nation's most
visited beaches and the Caribbean's most popular tourist destinations.- -Cherie-Ann Byfield