Jean-Pierre Straub came to Anguilla to visit yesterday – we landed up having a great lunch at Spice @ Cap Juluca, ruminating about how we sometimes forget we live in paradise! As well as bringing over reworked, large versions of Rue de Tamariniers (Tamarind Street), and La Cabane de Pecheur (Fisherman’s Hut), he brought over a really lovely small work. La Maison du Port is 9 x 11″ framed – I’ve hung this gem directly across from my desk to enjoy until it has a new home.
The heat of the day had broken, so off the dogs and I went for what turned out to be a really lovely walk. From Mimi Bay looking up the road, my Lola had pulled her “Scarlett O’Hara” pose. You know the one, where she’s been eating radishes after the war, and swears she’ll never be hungry again.
Once back at the house, I feasted on some of the best seagrapes that I’ve enjoyed for years. They mature in the late summer, and need a lot of rain and heat (tick, tick) to get sweet. Right now, they abound all over the Island, and people are stopping their cars to pick and enjoy. Delicious.
Just heading into the yard, I looked west, and got this fabulous sunset. Time to wind down now, and see what tomorrow’s sunrise brings.
What a treat the day was today. I was giving an Island tour to a friend – we started with an always great lunch at Straw Hat, then landed up at Viceroy for drinks. Just as we got to the point, the magnificent Anguilla racing boats passed the hotel. They’re always such an amazing sight
to watch……..
I’ve been exhibiting 
the work of Francis Eck for less than a year now, and am pleased that so many visitors have responded so enthusiastically to his paintings. Eck came to Anguilla yesterday – we had a great chat at Gerauds over espresso, and he left two new canvasses for the gallery. I think they’re superb.
I always remember to stop and smell the roses these days - or frangipani, as the case may be. The wild frangipani bushes are in full bloom right now, and the abundant rains that have blessed Anguilla are helping these wonderful flowers to look their very best
. I took some pics on my walk with the dogs tonight – truly an abundance of beauty to behold.
I’ve been priviledged to have superb works by Henri Robert Bresil, the last Haitian master hanging on the gallery walls through the years, and I’m absolutely captivated by this small treasure. The canvas is only 8 x 10″, yet it’s as strong and beautiful as any larger work which the gallery has
displayed.
Although I titled this post “stone work”, I could have easily called it “stone art”. My neighbour is building a landscaping feature in his yard, and I’ve had the oppotunity (as have Lucy, Lola and Luther) to watch this beautiful artwork take shape. The raw material is actually just the boulders of Anguilla limestone, lying around just about everywhere on Island. Artisans like Dennis, pictured, cut these stones with special saws, then assemble the veneers, as it were. You can see some of this work “facing” a few buildings around the Island, but this is the first time I’ve been able to watch the creation take shape. 
As always, it’s a treat to have works by the late great Haitian master, Henri-Robert Bresil. And as always, these paintings come with impeccable provenance (history); always important for historical work. They were bought directly from the artist, and have remained in a private collection until now. Two superb paintings, each is 4 feet x 4 feet in size.
Carlo Jean Jacques (1943 – 1990), was a Haitian master, who gave great dignity to the everyday citizens he encountered on the streets of Port-au-Prince. The work is haunting, and superb.
These two works are small gems, each 10 x 8″. Details can be seen in the “Haitian Painting” section, when you click on the “Artists” tab above.
I re-shot some installations of Haitian metal sculpture today at the gallery for the site, and found myself entranced with this work all over again. This is one of the most distictively Caribbean art forms being produced today; started by 
the great master Georges Liautaud (1899 – 1991) in the mid 1950′s
, these sculptures from recycled metal oil drums are still going strong in Haiti today.
