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A collection of paintings by the late Pat Bishop will be enchanting visitors to Castle Killarney (commonly known as Stollmeyer's Castle) for more than two weeks.
Her collection She Sells Sea Shells by the Seashore is the first exhibition in A Call to Arts: A Trilogy of Art Exhibitions as part of Bishop Anstey High School's 100-year celebration. Bishop was an alumna of the school and a National Scholarship winner. President Paula-Mae Weekes, another accomplished Bishop's alumna, spoke at the opening ceremony for the collection on February 22.
[caption id="attachment_876178" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Shells have amazing interior architecture. - SUREASH CHOLAI[/caption]
She Sells Sea Shells by the Seashore was Bishop's final series of paintings and features 20 pieces connected by the titular theme. All the pieces are acrylic, all but two are on multiple canvases and some include gold leaf, brass, shell fragments, copper coins and even a fishing net. There is also a repeating image of the shape of a face which matches Bishop's own. The style has shades of symbolism with a touch of cubism.
The titles range from conversational like the piece, "She finds her shells on the sea shore, that's where they usually are," to the descriptive "Portrait of a pink shell in blue water showing the mollusc and the architecture which it built," to the whimsical "A scallop shell with eleven corners and informed by absolute serenity. Just like my cat Billy."
[caption id="attachment_876177" align="alignnone" width="864"] Portrait of a pink shell in blue waters. - SUREASH CHOLAI[/caption]
Bishop served as director of the Lydians choir and Desperadoes Steel Orchestra and there are several musical references in the collection. In the piece, "The sibilant sound of the letter 'S' which we rehearse in vocal exercises", there is an image like an uvula and circles and waves giving the impression of sound vibrations. In the piece, "Listen to a sea shell and you'll hear the music of the sea. Listen hard, because the sound of the sea is wonderfully complex!," the swirls of deep blues and lines of dark green create a feeling of a shell releasing its memory of the deep ocean.
There are a couple of soothing pieces like "A fragment and its gilded reflection," with its calming aqua hues, and "Shells at rest on the sea shore, they DO sleep you know," with its soporific coral colours and swirls. There are also melancholic pieces, namely, "This one got caught in a fishing net. Nets of whatever kind, are hard to avoid as indeed, to escape!" with its pink streaks like trails of blood, and the follow-up, "Only fragments escape the net. Isn't that what life is?" with broken, "bleeding" shells amid a bursting kaleidoscope. The piece "Had she been lucky enough to find a pearl, she'd have made much more money," distracts from its wistful theme with images of treasure and precious items.
[caption id="attachment_876176" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Only fragments escape the net. Isn"t that what life is? - SUREASH CHOLAI[/caption]
There are a couple of local references, namely in the piece, "She tried her best to sell her shells but she only made eleven (TT) cents poor thing....," which features painted local copper coins and shells positioned like raised hands in a pleading position. There is also the exuberant piece, "Never mind. She has shells enough to make a big headpiece and play mas. Don't be sorry for HER!" which is a predominantly white, carnivalesque painting with its oyster shells arranged like the adorning of a headpiece worn by the faceless figure.
[caption id="attachment_876174" align="alignnone" width="1024"] A Fragment and its glided reflection from Pat Bishop's exhibition, her final series of paintings titled She Sells Sea Shells by the Seashore, at Castle Killarney, Port of Spain. - SUREASH CHOLAI[/caption]
There are also pieces celebrating manhood and womanhood. The piece, "Doesn't HE sell sea shells on the sea shore?" has a structured design showing both the earth tones of the land and the bright blues of the ocean, with a golden eye shape as the central focus. The piece, "Venus emerged from the sea upon a shell...But this lady is no Venus and we would need Botticelli to paint her image...at least!" is one of the more memorable paintings with a deconstructed Venus emerging from the water to the violence of crashing waves and illuminated by a yellow sun. And sadly there is an untitled, unfinished piece with the face shape and a pink female symbol.
Sea Sells Sea Sells by the Seashore is on show at Castle Killarney until March 13. The opening times are 10 am-5 pm Monday-Friday, and 10 am-2 pm on Saturdays.
A Call to Arts: A Trilogy of Art Exhibitions continues with From Sybil Atteck to Sarah Ali (March 23-April 10), and concludes with From Nina Squires to Nneka Jones (April 20-May 8).
 
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