Continuing the Legacy

 

Sitting at home, reminiscing my brother’s great work and poetry and how much he loved to write, he would wake in the middle of the night, with a phrase or thought and placing it together the next day. Like sewing stitches of words, Staying hours and days placing haikus and finding the perfect rhythm, poetry was my brother’s playground and he knew it well.

His love for the arts, Shakespear, accolards, Derek Walcot, Myer Angelou, all the greats whom he emulated, the way he spoke of their work in such great admiration.

I don’t believe he knew just how much I admired him and wanted to write a quarter of how great he wrote, he inspired the very passion out of me. I can humbly admit he was my biggest fan and I pursued writing because he made it sound like a world of adventure and indeed it is. I remembered when I was about ten years old, I wrote stories just so he could read it over and over and give his feedback and he would always be impressed and would boast that there was something about my writing that just stood out. His words of encouragement were so valuable because they came from someone whom I considered a pro at the art of writing.

I followed the path of writing because he led the way, he decked the walls of literacy with words that popped out at you and ignited your imagination, his words and works created a world I was born in but didn’t yet discover, and I am glad he embarked on  the path.

When I lost my brother during Tropical Storm Ericka in 2016,I felt that the artistic part of me sort of died too, with him being gone I felt no one was left to guide or inspire me. I believe one of his purposes was to help me to crawl, maybe stand and now it’s up to me to walk.  No one can get me to the other side but me.

When I won the Outstanding Youth in Literary Arts award in 2016 I felt he deserved that, it was all him and I did dedicate it to his humble heart and amazing existence.

My brother David was my muse and as he’s gone I realize that he can’t be replaced but I know he would want me to continue writing. I know his legacy is intended to live on through me and I pray that I won’t disappoint and that as he did I will find inspiration through all things. I will not quit or keep making excuses; I will give fan to the flames which he started.

Written by

Laurna Guiste

 

 

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Interview with the ARTIST

“This world is but a canvas to our imagination.” Henry David Thoreau

 

It was the first day of February when I interviewed the very intelligent and talented Shadrach Burton whose (also known as Shadi of Wotten Waven.) He Sat cogently at the Loft Art and Cafe, a tranquil setting rooted on 18th Victoria Street, one of the places he displays his paintings. He was generous to take a few minutes out of his busy schedule of helping with some community work to speak to me. I hadn’t encountered the vastness of his unique and outstanding personality and it doesn’t hit me till we sit at one of the cafe’s wooden tables and the interview commences. The walls are decked with his amazing abstract paintings and I’m interested in learning his world.

Shardrach Burton was raised into a talented family, his father being an artist (a tee-shirt artist) his brother Gharan Burton and older sister being artists as well; it was no surprise that Shadi was inspired to become an artist himself, though that inspiration came mainly from his older sister who was a huge artist then. The gift was sort of inherited and he recalls many persons also speaking it over his life as they handed him crayons and other drawing materials growing up. He started painting at the early age of eight while in elementary school where he drew in class for his class mates, works for school projects that left both teachers and students amazed.

Shardrach attended the Dominica Grammar School where art was not taught at the time and so he found himself pursuing Sciences, for his curious mind always had him in awe and wonder and he was always keen on creation.  Shadrach love for the arts had him always painting at home or in school growing more and more in love with the world of art, his favorite artists being local artist Earl Etienne, other artists such as Christian George, Salvador Daly, Jean- Mitchel Basquict, Vincent Van Gough and Damien Hirst.  With his passion brewing on his insides he decided to attend China Academy of Art in the year 2007 where he studied art for eight years. At university he acquired an in-depth knowledge of the arts falling deeper in love with it while he studied various methods of art he was also  learning the Chinese language.

He jokingly tells me how you state simple phrases in the Chinese language and all I recall is ni –Hao” which means hello.  His work also made him a guest on some Chinese TV shows and he was such a great guest that they invited him back but this time as a host, he smiles as he tells how he enjoyed hosting.

Shadrach inspirations stems from everything from pictures, dreams,nature,music ,contemporary topics and pop culture’s all  spur his creative juices.

 

One of his greatest and best works is one which he spent four months working on using pounds of black paint, he calls it the black maze, a depict image of the pollution found in China.

Shadrach runs his hands through his locks as he smiles and describes the best part of being an artist, he states it  is seeing the world differently and creating things that persons view differently. His work being mainly acrylics, abstract and realism, he has developed a signature of his own in his paintings, they come in the form of never ending lines almost like a finger print found in his art representing his belief that all things are connected.

Though the artist at times feel restricted in what he wants done, especially when it come s to materials, he feels his work can be too massive for the materials he can actually acquire, but he remains optimistic that with the help of others anything is attainable.

Shadrach the artist ends the interview giving a word to aspiring artist to be sure of what they want to be in life and go hard for it, go out and chase your dream if not you won’t catch it, be true to yourself and confident in your work.

Written by

Laurna Guiste

The artist can be contacted via Facebook on the link below.

 

https://www.facebook.com/shadrach.burton?lst=1656562108%3A890885462%3A1488040385