Barry Pierre’s eclectic works

The only two of Pierre’s works in my database are a surreal fantasy of a mas’ player in a Wayne Berkley band dated ’02, and a caricature of Queen Elizabeth II dated ’04.

Continuing in the caricature vein, in the current exhibition we have “Gay Adolph”, a small head and shoulders of Hitler with a Nazi swastika earring in his right ear. For the rest we have abstract, realist, impressionist, still life, seascapes, landscapes and the devotional. In fact something for all, whatever their artistic tastes.

The semi-abstract “Mrs Boodoo’s Chocolate” was the piece that pleased most with a welter of chocolate wrappers, only one distinguished by the words “Fruit and Nut” and the chocolate bar itself, and a suggestion of peanut shells. Why did it please? – possibly due to the promise of sweet things and nibbles and the pleasures of eating.

However, “Coconut Vendor” is the most striking of the works on exhibit, even though the vendor himself appears more Asiatic than most of those selling ice-cold coconuts around the Savannah. Whitehall in the background seen at a slant adds a touch of the Brian Wong Won’s to this piece.

The landscape “Romantic West Indiana” is par for the course for West Indian artists being neither photo-realist a la Sylvester, nor completely abstract like “Abstract Shack” in this same exhibition – the latter coming close to being one’s favourite painting on show.

“Barbados Pride” is a large, colourful painting of this shrub in flower that is a favourite with gardeners, backyard and otherwise. “Lakshmi” is a small painting, just one of several featuring Hindu deities in this exhibition.

“Horizons Art Gallery presents Barry V Pierre” continues at Horizons until June 30.