Happy New Year! COVID restrictions still prevent us from meeting as usual, so let us introduce you  to another lively members of the organization. Meet Randy Bryan, our featured artist for this issue and a “member extraordinaire” of Arts Society of Kingsville.

Why extraordinaire? Randy is an enthusiastic artist who lives and works in our community despite frigid  weather, freezing rain, dismal skies and heaps of snow at this time of year. His artwork reflects his warm,  vivid Caribbean beginnings and he applies this special sense of colour to local scenes as well.

Here’s Randy’s story.

“I   have always been into art as long as I knew myself. From the time I was a kid, I always liked sketching and  graffiti art. As an adult, I got into tattoo art, and then later, painting. My Caribbean roots make me gravitate  more to colourful, tropical work as it reminds me of the Barbados where I was born and raised.

“Locally, my paintings have been on display on Pelee Island, various businesses in Kingsville, and at different community events like The Tall Ships Festival, The Highland Games, and Culture Days.  My first painting was a birthday gift for my significant other. Seeing that painting on the wall now has me  wanting to redo it. I have had much more experience now.     

“I am very fond of many artists in the Arts Society of Kingsville. Elaine van Loo is probably my favourite artist in this organization because she often paints subjects that matter to me, but at a much higher level. I would love to achieve results like hers one day.

“Another goal I have is to travel to parts of Africa. I would like to paint scenes from there and display them here to increase awareness of the level of poverty that exists there, yet still reflect the beauty from scenes found there.

“When I get stumped in the process of painting a picture, the strategy that works best for me is to put it  away for a couple of weeks and come back back to it refreshed.

“The Arts Society is so amazing. It is the only group of people I know with such a strong, common interest in helping one other. It is rare in today’s world to experience this strong willingness to help, uplift, motivate and encourage one another.”

Photos provided by Candace Anderson