Since “choice” is the operative word here, I must introduce you to artist, Fred Odie. I met him at a collective gallery/booth in the quaint local shopping center in Holetown, Barbados. Actually, I met his beautiful wife, Donna, a jewelry artisan, at an earlier date, but I was on the run and did not have the opportunity to connect with her. Odie has a daughter, Majenta, who is featured in one of his story boards. (See below)
I found both Fred and Donna to be warm and engaging, and Fred welcomed questions about his work and local artwork in the community. Depicting images that speak to the culture of Barbados, Fred had creations of every design, from paintings to wraps, jewelry, bags , and cards–talk about choice!

Family

Hand painted leather jewelry
“I am a self-taught artist living on the island of Barbados in the Caribbean, I have been involved in the creative fields all my life , from making flowers from supermarket plastic bags to knitting with wool on a wooden frame to painting, drawing and photography. I also spent 10 years doing graphic design, which I still love (ever seen anybody get fuzzy over fonts) . The adventure of creating to me is one of the best feelings I experience and I get to do this over and over. My basic philosophy is to forget the categorization and just create. Who knows what I’ll be doing next , as I have some stories to tell and might venture into books or get myself a camcorder and do some short films. It’s just another avenue to being creative.” Fred Odie

A Little Story, part 1

A Little Story, part 2


Hand painted clutch

-Fred Odie
Fred sells his artwork from any number of venues, including his website, or Facebook, or visit Barbados and catch him in Holetown. I’m happy I did.
-Victorine
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