“Guyana has not given me that chance to showcase my ability to its fullest and because of that I had to migrate to a smaller place that respects art and the artists,” says Lionel Aubrey Simon.
Simon, 50, is a full-time artist, who has been making his name in Antigua since 2017, when he moved there due to the challenges he says he was experiencing as an artist in Guyana.
Simon believes artists are not respected in Guyana and that over the years nothing much has changed to make things better for them. He says artists should be respected and treasured for their work, which can bring revenue into the country through tourism. As a result, he thinks artists should be promoted as a part of the tourism sector of the country. “I would like to see more respect given to artists and incorporating art in tourism, you know, boosting tourism with art,” he adds.
While speaking about the challenges he has faced so far as an artist, Simon notes that he is currently trying to secure the Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ) certification to continue pushing his art in Antigua. However, says that he was told that because he is an artist, he has to obtain a specific certificate and this cannot be done in Guyana. He is nevertheless persevering.
A self-taught artist, Simon has seen some success in Antigua and last year he presented Prime Minister Gaston Browne with a wooden portrait sculpture in his likeness.
Simon, who has been a sculptor for about 30 years, got his start as an artist in his early 20’s, when he started helping out someone who was involved in abstract wood art. The sculptor said that as the man would discard pieces of wood, which were deemed not good, he would take the pieces home and carve them into different things. “I used to
help him do sanding and stuff and then I realised he used to throw away these pieces that they would deem as not good. So, I used to take it and carry it home and carve it and when I carry it back now they would be amazed,” Simon recalls.
He says he knew from the beginning that he wanted to make his living from his love and passion for art. He did not attend any formal art school to receive training. Instead, he has taught himself and over the years he has tried as much as possible to perfect his craft, which includes wooden sculptures and signs as well as craft made out of coconut shells and seashells.
He notes that at first he had started out as an abstract artist then went on to semi-abstract work before gravitating towards realistic and portrait sculptures.