Kerry, an African expat artist, living her passion in Mauritius

Can you briefly introduce yourself and tell us about your artistic background? 

Bonjour. I'm Kerry, an artist born in Durban, South Africa. Mum was an artist, so from a very young age, I was always around her watching her, with awe, as she would draw and paint so easily. This also meant that there was always a little stock of materials for me too. In secondary school, I was accepted at the Art Ballet and Music school in Pretoria to specialise in art, which sadly I had to leave after three years as my parents moved province back to Natal.

After returning to, and completing, standard formal schooling, I went to Durban Art college (which I did not complete), then into working in the commercial art sector doing textile design.

What brought you to Mauritius?

I met and married a Mauritian who was living in Durban. In 1986 South Africa was highly unstable politically with extreme rising apartheid tension. This was pre-Mandela release when Army tanks surrounded african townships, and most people were sleeping with a gun under their pillow and/or carrying one on them in their daily life.

The security risks in our area were spiralling with bomb scares and growing brutal crimes. Unfortunately, the government of the time showed no signs of making any effort to balance the profoundly unbalanced social status quo to diffuse the situation.

Having a little daughter and another baby on the way, we decided to move and make the future for our young family in Mauritius.

What are you doing currently?

Currently, I am teaching art. Life events, followed by Covid lockdown, caused me to be grounded to home-base. The unexpected spin-off was that it also gave me time and space to return to my first love, art.

At one point, reflecting on my artistic path and condensing all I had learnt into what it was that was really worth knowing, I created a beginner's course of the essentials that any / every aspiring artist needs to know, in theory, and in practice.

In all my years of art education, I had not had the benefit of that form of teaching. Essentially the course was what I wished I had been taught from the outset. From experience, I knew that these elements were key.

I'm teaching this beginners course at Artspace in Calodyne, with great results. Artspace is a buzzing art studio offering a fabulous buffet of excellent courses with great tutors, both local and international, for all levels.

In addition to that, I have other groups where I guide each according to their needs through the process of painting subjects of their choice, in the style of their preference, which I love as I get to tune into and share each one's unique journey. The diversity keeps it exciting, and sharing ah-ha moments are great fun!

What do you think of the art and culture sector in Mauritius?

I am not involved with the national art and culture sector. However, I have an impression that it is growing and evolving here. One primary indicator is the growing space being given to art materials in the supermarkets and art/craft supply shops, as well as how quickly the materials move off the shelves!

As with any sector in a growth surge, there is always more to be done to encourage and facilitate that growth in concrete ways.

Training, guidance and commercial outlets, particularly for budding and intermediate artists, are areas that are wide open for further development. There is no clear platform to inspire, exhibit and encourage growth for this sector, yet many of them are producing wonderful works of art.

Professional artists do have a base of followers and patrons, have their own websites or their own galleries or are promoted by established commercial galleries - so generally speaking, they already have established platforms. Yet I am sure that they too would have something to say about their needs.

What was the impact of the global health crisis on your professional activity, and how have things changed now the island is open again?

Well, as with many, the lack of income was of deep concern. And I missed the buzz of being in a community of artists. It is a special creative energy exchange that sparks inspiration!

With life opening up again, I think we all appreciate, more than ever, how much we need an energetic interaction with one another and with life, in all aspects, not only in our professions.

What's your favourite part of Mauritius and why?

Oh, my favourite part of Mauritius - the beaches! – Walking, swimming, snorkelling, or just being there. Why? It is my unwind, my recharge, my Church!

Another favourite aspect of Mauritius is the light which has a special quality. Particularly in the early ‘winter' morning and the colours when the sun rises slowly – and in the late summer afternoon/evening. The light here has a unique magnificent glow that a camera cannot capture.

What are the main challenges you have faced as an expatriate in Mauritius?

Whew! Mauritius was very different in 1987! Compared to what is now.

Moving here was like having the carpet of everything familiar being pulled out from under you. The language (I was not conversant in French or Creole), the unfamiliar money, not knowing one's way around, making new friends, being very much the outsider no matter how kind and lovely the Mauritians are – you are always the ‘foreigner', finding a good hairdresser, doctor, dentist etc. Also, learning to drive confidently on the then very bumpy narrow roads with deep open, unprotected ditches on the edge! All those lovely highways we have now were not there then.

What piece of advice would you give to budding artists in Mauritius?

- Learn the basics! The classic foundation will always serve you and give you that solid leg up, whether your preferred style is realism, impressionism or even abstract art – regardless of the medium being pencil, charcoal, watercolour, acrylic, oil or pastel... The basic essentials are pertinent to all.

- Practice, practice, practice... This sounds like ‘work', but it is not, it is fun, and you will certainly be spurred on by the results!

- Don't be afraid to explore and experiment. Not every idea will be a brilliant one; don't let that put you off! Just see each project as a stepping stone on your path, learning as you go to the next one.

- Ignore the inner critic telling you, you can't, or you are not good enough. Focus on exploring. Doing. Immersing yourself in the process.

And especially loosen up and enjoy yourself!

What are your plans for the future?

I am working on a comprehensive plan to teach and mentor those from less fortunate backgrounds with creative passion. They will learn how to draw, paint, and much more – with the aim of assisting them in setting up their own independent outlets in order for them to ultimately have a long-term artistic career earning a sustainable income.

To achieve this, we will need sponsors to sponsor the four months of training as well as each one's initial setup to get them going. The mentoring will be an ongoing support for successful participants.

I am really excited about this and hopeful that 2022 will be the start of this new venture.

Tell us something fun about you, Kerry!

During the last lockdown, Georgie came into our life. A little fledgling sparrow that had fallen out of its nest. This took us on a fun journey of what it is to be a bird. From being a little wobbly pink and partially feathered creature with a huge mouth, surprisingly in need of not only food but also love, comfort and connection. The feel of the little body wriggling into a comfortable position of absolute peace in the nest of my hand. His first-half meter flight from the lawn to a pot plant was a major moment. One afternoon I was drinking a short glass of water and offered him a sip. He actually ended up diving into the water, flapping his wings and loving the tubular bathing experience.

Georgie is now a fully-fledged bird, well integrated with the other birds and still flies in and out of our home, where he has his food tray always set for him. He visits every time an art session is in progress; all members are well acquainted with Georgie as they watched him grow and had their cuddle times with him. I believe he loves the paintings, looking at them from various angles of the art space. When he was a bit younger, we had a few occasions that he landed on the paint palette actually hopping around in the colours to our distress also pecked at the colours, flying off with coloured feet and beak! He makes sure to appear when my family come to visit, hanging around our space. He knows them all and is loved by all. However, we are no longer allowed to touch him, which I believe has something to do with our scent on him, disturbing the other birds and, therefore, his being accepted in his ‘tribe'. So we have to respect that.

Now he flies like a spitfire at great speed and accuracy – playfully letting me know he is here by flying full speed within millimetres from my forehead, landing about 3 feet away just coming to say hello or letting me know he needs more seeds, indicated by little agitated movements. We have had so many fun stories and memories of his development. Who knew a little bird could be so incredibly full of life!