John Stuart

John Stuart was born in London in 1932.  His earliest recollection of art were the haunting London wartime drawings of Henry Moore, which followed by the jubilant freedom of his large abstract sculpture pieces and when coupled with the London showing of Ken Rusell’s documentary film on the French Impressionists, had a profound effect on his young mind.

The effect of this joyous celebration of colour, particularly when combined with landscape was to stay with him into later life.

His profession as a fashion hair stylist took him happily to a salon in the centre of the Cork Street/Bond Street art gallery district of Central London.  Here he spent every available moment in the art galleries, which were literally on his doorstep.  It was here, in the late1950’s, through the work of such painters as Ivan Hitchens the English abstract landscape painter, that his vision of modern art was broadened to the point he felt the compelling urge to experiment with paint and bits of bric on board and canvas himself.  This urge was not to be realized until he and his wife had come to Barbados in 1962, but business commitments and a young family only allowed him sporadic periods to give to his creative impulses.

It wasn’t until around 1995 and when he was in his mid-sixties that he realized that if he were ‘going to do it’ then he’d better ‘get on with it!’  It is since then, through local artist Indrani Whittingham, who incessantly gave him confidence and the courage to go on and also through Barbadian artist Fielding Babb who inspired and encouraged him and also because of the interest, and little nudges in the right direction from art historian Therese Hadchity, that he produces with enormous personal pleasure and great joy, ‘when it goes right!’, the work that you now see.