He may not yet be a household name as yet but you’ve probably seen Randy Fredericks’ work. Fredericks, 33, a Visual Arts teacher at Mahdia Secondary School, is currently doing freelance work designing and decorating businesses and homes for the Christmas season.
He is the artist behind the Giftland Mall’s Christmas lighting and decoration. He said he came up with quite a few designs before choosing and implementing the design at Giftland, while also noting that his client also had a part to play as the design needs to be to the customer’s satisfaction.
But while he has decorated several businesses and homes and has several more that he needs to complete before Christmas, Fredericks has his sights already set on the future and a bigger goal – doing his part to foster a deeper appreciation for all types of Guyanese artists and artworks. He plans to launch a business next year through which he will be able to do just that.
In an interview, Fredericks said he believes his love for art grew as a result of him being around many artists as a child. He mentioned one in particular, Kathleen Thompson-Henriquo, who, he said was like a godmother to him and inspired him to involve himself in art and craft. “I’m an artist. Been one all my life and I choose to do decorating mainly because that’s what people have been requesting. But, whenever I do get the chance, I still do my art. I do painting, drawing, sculpting, interior designs, I do a lot of this. I am also interested in culinary arts, performing arts. I’ve done directing. I’ve directed music videos before. I have written songs before. I love art and animals, also nature,” he commented.
According to Fredericks, after returned to Guyana from overseas, he launched a business named Velvet and ran it for about eight to nine years before deciding to close it down to travel.
Now, he said, he is planning to restart his business, but this time he hopes it will allow Guyanese to see how talented artists in Guyana really are.
“I found that art isn’t really respected in Guyana and a lot of times Guyanese like to label or put an artist into a box. If you’re an artist, you’re a painter and do drawings. So with me, I see art as more than painting on canvas and just doing drawing to put in frames,” Fredericks said. “It’s a wider spectrum and there are a lot of artists that practice here in Guyana that don’t get the recognition that they need. Like an artist may want to work with bamboo or glass; these aren’t painters, but they are also artists, so I’m trying to create a space where these artists could be recognised, and their work can be appreciated in Guyana. I want to show that Guyanese can do a lot more than just what society may have termed as art.”
He explained that the business is going to be launched by next year May and will include a number of young Guyanese artists, who each specialise in their own type of art. He added that with their skills, they are hoping to create unique pieces that might interest hotels and other businesses that require décor.
“I’m going to be pulling in a lot of local young artists whether it be sculptors, painters, all of that. And so whenever a company may want a mural done we would have the taskforce to get that done. We want to create art stuff that goes up in stores, hotels and things you wouldn’t normally get from other interior designers. Like actual art,” he said.
While there are still months to go before the official launch of the business, Fredericks said they are already working on some pieces that will be seen at the opening.
“I really like sculpting. I really like doing unique things and so we are working on getting samples to show the public what we are capable of by May next year,” he said.
