○I often read about Caribbean artists who live and study abroad, develop their crafts in North America and Europe, and exhibit and lecture at prestigious museums and universities. Alsina Norley, on the other hand, was born in Buffalo, New York in 1940 to a father of St. Lucian descent and a mother of St. Christopher descent. She then returned to beautiful St. Lucia to live and paint in a place she calls paradise. .
Norrie earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1964, studying everything from sculpture to crafts to jewelry making to music, but never took a painting class. However, after graduating, she discovered she had a passion for painting and read every book on painting she could find while teaching herself to apply the design principles she had learned.
She took classes with other artists and adult art classes in college and began painting in oil. Unfortunately, she discovered she was allergic to turpentine and switched to acrylic paints before paint manufacturers developed walnut-based oil paints and solvents, allowing her to return to oil paints and easels. Shortly thereafter, with the introduction of Apple computers, Norrie also learned to draw digitally, creating digital files that could be printed.
Ironically, Norrie didn’t actually visit her father’s island, St. Lucia, until 1983. Still, this is where she found inspiration. And she knew that because every painting she created from then on, and every subsequent visit, sold like hotcakes wherever she exhibited. So she moved permanently to St. Lucia with her family in 1992.
Since blossoming with ‘Helen of the West Indies’, Norrie, who now has over 20 honors and awards, has participated in several CARIFESTA (Caribbean Arts Festival). He has served as a juror at over 30 exhibitions around the world. He has had two solo exhibitions in Jamaica and California (USA) and two group exhibitions in Barbados.
After retiring from teaching (she taught high school art at the CXC level in St. Lucia for three years), oil painting on canvas became her primary form of expression. But in the classes she taught, she also exposed students to acrylic paint.
She has a passion for photographing and painting on location throughout St. Lucia, and has inspired St. Lucian artists to appreciate plein air painting (the practice of creating art directly from nature outdoors). I worked hard on that. She prefers realism, relying on simplified compositions.
“I was fortunate enough to be able to design and build my own home,” she says. Painting! “
She also has printing and crafting facilities, and is equipped with a jewelery bench and kiln to accommodate her many talents, including making jewellery, Christmas decorations and painted bottles to sell vanilla. She is trained in carving and can engrave some of her jewelry and crafts.
This year, Norrie celebrated her 65th wedding anniversary with her husband (who also works as a frame maker), and they have a son and a daughter. She is also proud of the success her students have achieved in life. She also has some sage advice for young creators.
“Keep developing your skills and keep seeking advice and knowledge about painting wherever you can get it – books, YouTube, TV, experienced artists, etc.,” she says. “Go to art shows, museums, seminars, and classes. Education and skill building should be continuous, and you never know when someone will mention the answer to your needs.”
Norley points out that St. Lucia doesn’t have much art for sale in tourist shops and only has one art gallery (which currently doesn’t host exhibitions). She hopes things will change in the future. But in the meantime, she exhibits and sells her work at various venues around the island.
Talking about her days drawing while petting her dog Zumi, she says: Drawing from life conveys the real sun, wind, shadows, smells, and textures. ”
When asked if she always reflects St. Lucia in her art, she replies: Every day I am amazed by the waving branches of banana trees, towering coconut palms, and beautiful green mountains far from my home. It is a lush island. Nature is good for us, so why not capture it? ”
She declares that she will continue to draw as long as her hands allow. May it continue for a long time.
Learn more about Alcina and her work here. www.alcinanolley.com
