Art by Knaggs and Phillips at 101

For the rest, God willing, readers should be able to appreciate the subtle tints, the hues of Knaggs’ and Phillips’ work displayed on the walls of the Art Society of TT by 101 An Art Gallery in this joint exhibition.

Having apologised for the very poor colour reproduction of “Bromeliad Haven” I had no such problem with the interesting nude “Melanie”; I liked the model’s somewhat sulky expression, the hint of roughness at the elbow, the drape of the cloth.

And who would not smile to see the “Determination” displayed by newly hatched leatherback turtles flapping their way to the sea? Did the artist photograph the event and copy it in paint, one wonders, as many a realist artist in this technical age carries a digital camera to make notes instead of, or as well as, a sketch pad as they follow trails in the bush or gaze out to sea?

Knaggs has indeed developed a flair for the dramatic in her paintings — a fact much appreciated by those attending the Private View last Tuesday.

At first, and at second glance at his recent work on exhibit, it seems the paintings of bird-portraitist Larry Mosca have been inspiring Michael Phillips of late. Instead of his usual large scenic paintings with ocelots we have much smaller works featuring mostly small birds.

A leg broken in two places followed by three months in plaster, as well as his work with cycling, and his motivational, inspirational tours of schools have, no doubt, curtailed Phillips’ forays into the bush in search of inspiration for his canvasses and brushes - as well as time spent actually painting.

Being fond of Pygmy Owls, especially one that visits my urban backyard, I couldn’t resist photographing that bold, yet tiny bird that dares to come out in daylight.

The Black-headed manikin perched atop a thick bamboo cane in the depths of the bush is a painting to soothe the troubled soul, while “Nariva Macaws” reminds one of the efforts of conservationists to protect these magnificent birds from poachers.

The joint exhibition of the Recent Works of Robyn Knaggs and Michael Phillips continues at 101 in the Art Society Building Federation Park until March 27.