Laurel

PERSONAL STATEMENT:To be born on the 22nd of July 1982, on the island of Trinidad in the Caribbean is the only thing another person will have in common with me. Born the fourth of five children, I lived in a single parent, female lead household. Following in my mother's footsteps, I developed a love for the arts and crafts. As a child my siblings and I were always encouraged by my mother to participate in various church and community groups, where we developed and early tolerance and appreciation for the various art forms.In the cosmopolitan society of the republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the annual cultural and religious traditions such as Carnival, the Best Village festival, the Emanicipation day celebrations, Eid-ul-Fitr and Pagwa have always been a platform where our folk, cultural and religious traditions are transformed through imagination into great works of art. Throughout my life, these events have not only been a source of education for me about my country's history and traditions but the many creative designs that are produced for these events have all served to educate me about the many processes involved in two and three dimensional productions and problem solving. The fascinating colour spectrum and various textures of the flora and fauna of my home land, has also played an important role in these creative designs which have all compelled me to incorporate these elements of design into my personal compositions of self expression while creating a visual impact.Over the years I have participated in a number of these community programs and projects and they have all influenced my cultural ideologies and contributed to the development of my character, self motivation, creativity and my artistic skills. It is with these attributes my intentions as a developing artist is to contribute to the growth of the arts in Trinidad and Tobago, the wider Caribbean and eventually the world while fulfilling my indisputable destiny of creating.