THE MASTER OF LIGHT AND SHADOW

With rich colorful hues and heavy brush strokes in oil, pastels, acrylics and his favorite water colors, Errol Allen is the ‘Master of Light and Shadow’ portraying the Jamaican way of life. Described as ‘a man of many styles’, the talented artist does not have a set style or medium.

If you are on beach vacation in Negril, you might be lucky and bump into one of Jamaica's most prominent artists, capturing the landscapes, seascapes, still life form and the everyday ethnic scenes surrounding him with his paintbrush.

Born and raised in Granville near Montego Bay, Errol’s extraordinary talent came to light as early as the age of 3, when he was drawing on pieces of card board together with his cousin on a Sunday evening in 1964. “I drew a fireman and a cowboy,” he remembers.

Attending Granville All Age School in 1968, the painter recalls; “I did not understand what my teacher, Ms. Medley, meant, when she put me in front of the class and told the other children that ‘we have an artist in our midst’”. Once his talent became common knowledge, the burgeoning artist quickly became the school’s designated chart and sign artist.

Since Errol was also a good student and singer, it was widely thought that he was possessed by spirits; ‘Duppy deh wid you’, accepted by Jamaicans as the most likely reason someone is talented at many things. “Despite quite a bit of envy, I became a real celebrity in school,” Errol remembers.

Although born into a family of artists, his mother and father did not take young Errol’s work seriously at the time and wanted him to learn a ‘real’ trade, such as tailoring or carpentry. He remembers: “When my mother saw me drawing, she often hit me on my fingers and said: ‘Stop the foolishness!’”

Born with an extraordinary gift that no school can teach, it is a good thing that Errol did not follow his parent’s wishes, or Jamaican art would have been cheated of his genius. When the revered artist Phillip Higgins introduced Errol to another of Jamaica’s famous artist; Lionel Walker, in 1975, the aspiring artist knew that all he wanted to do in life was paint. Handed a paint brush at Lionel’s workshop in Negril Beach Village, now Hedonism II, Errol impressed everybody with his immense natural talent and later, Jamaican master painter, Barrington Watson, also became his mentor.

Inspired by French Impressionist painters such as Manet, Renoir, Monet and Pissaro, Errol embarked on extensive studies of various art-forms, while observing the artistic styles of other famous artists, such as Rembrandt, Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo and Van Gogh.

Errol says it was an honor to be commissioned by the Jamaican Government in 2002, to do a portrait of ABC television talk show hostess Starr Jones for her 40th birthday celebration in Jamaica. Engaged in several local and overseas xhibitions, he sells his work to collectors from all over the globe, explaining; “It is the wealthier class Jamaicans who have come to value my work.” But he is not a man aiming for great recognition; “People need to humble themselves. Vanity is the root of all evil nowadays,” says the spiritual painter.

Although a Rastafarian by heart, Errol states that art is his true religion. He believes deeply in the bible and frequently quotes from it, stressing: “I am not here to praise man; it is the almighty who incites me. I have to give thanks to him. Every time I paint, I communicate with him first.”

The devoted family man has even named his children after artists and biblical figures, one of his sons carries the name of Rembrandt Picasso Allen and one of his daughters the name Rhianna. Errol looks at every scenery, object or person with an artistic eye and says that he works continuously, and is often inspired by the music of Bob Marley, Garnet Silk and Luciano.

His magnificent pieces are displayed in several art galleries, such as Saba Art Gallery on Fort Street in Montego Bay. Tel. 940-1011. You might also meet Errol at Negril’s Whistling Bird Beach Resort on Norman Manley Boulevard, where he is the resident artist. Other exhibitors of Allen’s fine art pieces include the National Gallery of Jamaica, The Jamaican High Commission in Toronto Canada, and private Galleries in London, Africa and New Jersey. 

It is with great sadness to have learned that 'The Master of Light and Shadow' has passed on on August 2, 2012.