Remembrance of Christmas

All you folks out there in bloggers sphere. U.S.A, Guyana, Ghana, Haiti, London, Canada, and the rest of the world I am back with an update. More exerts from Remembrance of Christmas and art the latest and earliest love to all.

REMEMBRANCE OF CHRISTMAS



On Christmas Eve, we excitedly took a trip to the shopping district. The roads were packed with shoppers and hawkers. There were vendors on both sides of the street making it difficult to walk on the pavement. Firecrackers went off “Bang! Bang!” Whistles and horns blaring in the esthetic Christmas air. They were tons of toys and lots of food for sale.
Of course, one cannot leave out the masquerade dancers they were fun. Accompanied by flute players and drummers making merry music. Joining them was the scary “Mad Bull with his horns and fearsome face. Then there was the Granny long lady on stilts with her face painted white. “Man is fun.” The masquerade dancers and the flouncing musicians singing and chanting ‘Christmas comes but once a year so drinks your rum and tumble down, “Bato, Bato”! Christmas comes but once a year so flounce if you flouncing “Bato, Bato”! Christmas comes but once a year so wine and tumble down on the ground “Bato, Bato”!
Up the road there steel pan players beating out sweet carols at a bouncy calypso beat. In addition, girls and boys, women and men dancing up a storm to the rhythm of Christmas calypso music.
Oh! Boy I love this Christmas season.
I remember Christmas.

Remembrance of Christmas

Hello everyone in blogger’s world. Its summer and I suffer from the golf blues therefore my art takes second place. Golf consumes me from the time the Sun peaked through my bedroom window; I am out and practice then to play later till the Sun goes down. In between golf I have completed two paintings which I will share with you in my next blog update. Now enjoy excerpts from Remembrance of Christmas and old art.REMEMBRANCE OF CHRISTMAS

In the sixties in Guyana was going through a period of political unrest. There was protest, rioting looting and thousands of workers were on strike. There were food shortages and many houses and business were burnt to the ground. These were frightening times for children. My aunt Yvonne whom we lived with then was also on strike. My brother and I had gone to live with her while; our parents were away in Ghana West Africa.
Therefore I will always remember the sad rainy day when the miracle of Christmas came rippling into our world. Our aunt Yvonne came bursting into our bedroom dancing and flouncing. Flouncing is a traditional dance step in Guyana, preformed mainly during the Christmas season.
Suddenly while flouncing away with the majesty of Christmas Aunt Yvonne raised the hem of skirt and out flew a toy. Then with one, more whirl and toss of the hem of her skirt out flew another toy. To my brother and I these were the best of gifts of the season, nothing else mattered. Our hearts were so content it would not have mattered if we received no new gifts. We were completely satisfied. Her dance of an angle flowing with joy and Peace lifted our hearts with promise and happiness.
I remember Christmas.
I remember Christmas.

Remembrance of Christmas

Continuing my exerts from Remembrance, illustration featured this time is called last Summer a redo of the Brother ent heavy as this original was sold.

Remembrance of Christmas
It was Christmas Eve and my elder brother, Clarence and I decided to climb a tall tree to cut down a few posts to build our little Christmas house. While my tall and on the way to becoming fat brother climbed the tree I stood at the bottom of the tree to point out which of the best limbs to cut. Suddenly I heard a loud “crack.” Then before my horrified eyes, Clarence came crashing down from the tree landing on a pointed tree stump with a loud “thump”. That then punctured his right thigh.
Bravely he held on to his thigh and told me not to cry. Quickly he ripped his shirt off and told me to tie a tourniquet above the wound. How that taught came to him, I would never know. I scampered home screaming for help. What a courageous big brother Clarence was. Lucky for us my parents were home, they rushed him to the Hospital. “Oh! For the love of parents what would kids do?”
I remember Christmas.

Remembrance of Christmas

I have Launched Remembrance of Christmas on lulu.com. I am working on the fine points of the book presentation. I will be adding random paintings also.Illustration Gender.
REMEMBRANCE OF CHRISTMAS

During the Christmas season, one of the traditions in Ghana was to build a trash house. This trash house was built out of the leaves from a palm tree. You then spend Christmas Eve and Christmas morning in it rejoicing the day Christ was born. This custom symbolized the humble way that Christ came into the world born in a stable. Although I must confess that, I was never able to spend the whole night in the palm house. I missed my bed and the nights were cold.

Remembrance of Christmas

Over the next few weeks I will be publishing excerpts of my writing and illustration from my kids book Remembrance of Christmas.

REMEMBRANCE OF CHRISTMAS
I remember Christmas, when as a little boy I sat Under the Christmas tree and gazed at all the toys that Santa had brought for my brother and I. Me saying aloud “Santa must be a very good man”.
Those words brought tears of joy to my grand father’s eyes. At that age I had no Idea that he was one of Santa’s great helpers, who brought all those wonderful gifts that were, adorned the bottom of our Christmas tree. The essence of Christmas, giving gifts of love.
I remember Christmas.

CHILDREN OF GUYANA

PAINTING CHILDREN OF GUYANA COVER PAGE FOR MY KIDS BOOK REMEMBRANCE OF CHRISTMAS ORIGINAL WAS SOLD TO ART COLLECTOR AND AUTHOR BETTY -CAROL SELLEN WHO WROTE SELF TAUGHT, OUTSIDER, AND FOLK ART: A GUID TO AMERICAN ARTIST, LOCACATION AND RESOURCES.