Creating art takes time, patience, and dedication. It takes a keen eye to view the world for all that it is, bright and colourful and filled with complexities, and as such, artists make it their duty to show us the world in a way we would otherwise be ignorant towards. Albert Barnwell is a well-known street artist who sells his art on Main Street. His beautiful watercolour paintings are on display for all to be in awe of.
Early Life
Albert had a simple life growing up, he moved from place to place but always resided in Georgetown, the heart of Guyana. He lived in Alboystown, Albert Street, and even parts of Regent Street. One of his main inspirations as a child was a comic named “Andy Capp”, a British comic strip created in 1957. Albert would sit and trace the characters from the newspaper.
“I am not sure what gravitated me towards art but there was a popular cartoon called ‘Andy Capp’ that used to be featured in the newspaper and I was intrigued by the hat of Andy Capp and I would try to trace it. You grow from strength to strength and the interest builds as you grow older.” He stated when asked about his early inspirations.
Photo of Andy Capp. Photo Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Capp
Growing up he did not have any family members who did art or understood it in the way he did so he did not receive much encouragement in pursuing art as a career.
He attended the South Georgetown Secondary school where his love for art began to grow. He started to buy art magazines to study the various techniques that he would read about. At the ripe age of 16 years old Albert applied to get into the popular art school, Edward Burrows School of Art but was rejected. Saddened but not defeated, Albert continued his journey with the same drive and passion.
Early Development in Art
Albert uses watercolour to create his artwork but before that, he has tried other mediums such as oil and acrylic but found that the pieces would not come out quite as he wanted, but, after having experienced the wonders of watercolour around 14 years old, he knew that was the medium for him. Unlike other paints, he had complete mastery over the way watercolour flowed onto the paper.
“Everything is about trial and error. You do things and it don’t come out right and you just do it again.” Albert said while reminisicng on his earlier pieces of work.
During his early 20s, he migrated to Barbados to experience the culture and to further enhance his artistic knowledge and skills. He started to sell his artwork on the street and took it on as a full-time job. He saw potential in developing his skills even more and decided to travel, to take in the beauty and scenery. He travelled to countries such as St. Lucia, Aruba, the British Virgin Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, and Curaçao. Many things that he saw piqued his interests, especially Curaçao which generously fed his admiration for old architecture. He described the buildings in Curaçao as being “very colourful” and well kept.
“Every island has its own striking feature you won’t find anywhere else, besides, of course, the sand and sea, but there are some features that each island has that is unique and nice.” He said.
The Man Behind The Art: Albert Barnwell
Where Does He Like To Paint?
Even as a child Albert loved being outdoors and creating art. He talked about how he would often go by the burial grounds, which at that time were properly maintained, and sit and draw. He would admire the trees and the birds.
“There was something poetic about the burial ground.”
Unlike some artists who preferred the comfort and quiet of their homes to work, he preferred the hustle and bustle of the busy streets. He liked to listen to the conversations people would have and watch as the vehicles zoomed by, or sit and watch the birds and admire the buildings. All these things are a part of nature which he was quite fond of. The outdoors contained an abundance of inspiration that may otherwise be overlooked.
Struggles Being A Street Artist
It is never easy doing art, not just because of the amount of patience and practice you need to acquire to develop your skills, but, also, because it isn’t a quite profitable career if you want to make a living. Albert surely has had his share of experiences with losses. Sales are hard to get especially in Guyana where art is not appreciated that much by the masses. During the months of November through March, he would notice an influx of tourists and they would eagerly purchase his pieces. He would travel to Barbados during this time or even hop on a cruise ship where he gets most of his sales.
Art supplies, as he mentioned, are also very difficult for him to source at a reasonable cost but despite all of this he still happily creates art. He has also begun to sell hand-crafted jewelry that he makes out of wood and then paints on them, he sells vegan soap and fragrance oils.
The Art Movement
Albert along with other street crafters and artists have started what they refer to as an ‘art movement’ in which they set up their stalls on Main Street to sell their products and gain a wider audience.
Albert does not have any social media but if you are ever taking a walk down Main Street, opposite the Tower Hotel between 9 am to 4 pm you are bound to see him on the corner at his stall. He can often be seen sitting on a small bench painting beautiful scenes while watching over his items.
Albert’s stall on Main Street
Albert creating beautiful earrings.
“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” – Pablo Picasso
All photos are credited to Nirmal Kawall
