Jamaica Gleaner Arts &Leisure
published: Sunday | De= cember 17, 2006

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Pe= ter Wayne Lewis is an artist living and working between Boston and Jamaica. His entry in the exhibition Jamaican Biennial 2006, titled 'Booster 61', is composed of acrylic on paper. Here he discusses h= is work with Dr. Jonathan Greenland, executive director of the National Gall= ery of Jamaica.

Please describe your piece in the Biennial Booster 61

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The title of my painting= is 'Booster', which refers to the actual word found in the dictiona= ry. The meaning to me, though, is that I have 'amplified' the paintings: I us= e a larger scale, and more force, pressure and power when creating them. I wa= nt the viewers' sensory systems to be overloaded by the larger physical presence, the qualities of the paint itself and the images that I have managed to achieve. This, for me, involves thoughts about what the most b= asic components of matter itself really are, and how can they be described. For me, the painting is about order, chaos, gravity, speed, time and light. T= hese are the building blocks of the ephemeral world in which we dwell.

Booster 61

What inspired yo= ur piece?

'Booster' is an ong= oing series of works on paper and canvas that was directly inspired by my investigation into the nature of my existence and the nature of appearanc= es, that is, reality as it is described. I am trying to look behind the veil = of reality.

What exactly do = you mean by this?

To see what existed before the big bang and how all things came into being. I suppose it has = to do with seeing God.

What is your gre= atest artistic influence, and why?

The first paintings= I ever saw were by the great Japanese artist Utamaro. I was 8 years old. I = have never forgotten that experience. There is a beautiful poetry in his compositions. I was left looking at images of a culture that I had no idea existed. This was a magical world for me and it shook me. It was a comple= tely new culture after traveling from Kingston, Jamaica, to Sacramento, California.

What do you thin= k of the Jamaican art scene?

It is too closed and needs to expand as the Cuban art scene has done. Cuba has fewer resources than Jamaica. I find it astonishing how provincial Jamaica is, considering the freedoms that our people have.

What has been yo= ur greatest moment of artistic achievement?

Producing and exhib= ition of eight works on linen six feet by eight feet each in two weeks in Beijing, China, this past May. The works became the largest Booster paintings to date and were reviewed by Ding Ning of Peking University in the New York Art Magazine. The final configur= ation of the works ended up being 16' x 12'. Similar works will be considered f= or the Beijing Olympics Arts Exhibition in 2008, which will be the largest exhibition in Chin= a of western paintings to date.

Booster 60

What is your fav= ourite work of Jamaican art?

I do not have a fav= ourite work of Jamaican art but I do consider Milton George to be one of the greatest artists of his generation. I have not had the privilege of meeti= ng him but, hopefully, I will someday. I like his brilliant and imaginative = mind and how he conjures his magical worlds into existence. He is not an imita= tor, he is a creator.

Where is your favourite plac= e in Jamaica<= /st1:place>?

My favourite place = in Jamaica<= /st1:place> is the entire island. It is one great piece of energy that does not exist anyplace else on earth.

Where do you see= your work in five years (or less)?

A one-man show at the National Gallery of Jamaica! This would

certainly open up the conversation about what painting can be, and how one can begin the process of dealing with the abstract nature of all art.

Jamaica Biennial 2006 runs through = March 12, 2007. Please call the National Gallery at 922 1561 for more details or email us at natgalja@cwjamaica.com.

Peter Wayne Lewis

June 2006 in Beijing, China