By WANDEKA GAYLE, STAR Writer
Fitzroy and Denton Williams of Lluidas Vale, St. Catherine, hold up a Bob Marley portrait they did together. - wandeka gayle
JUST LIKE THE Wright Brothers in aerodynamics and the Grimm Brothers in the literary world, the William brothers from Lluidas Vale, St. Catherine, are trying to leave their mark on the world.
These twin brothers started drawing from age six and discovered painting four years later.
"My style is now to do public figures and imaginary scenes," Denton told THE STAR, showing headshots of Louise Bennett-Coverly and Bob Marley in multiple and monotones.
They displayed their work at the Ackee Festival in Linstead recently.
Both brothers insist that they had to teach themselves the art. "We have a cousin that did art work and drawing and we would watch him," Fitzroy supplied.
PAINT ON SAME CANVAS
And, ever since the two can remember, they sometimes paint on the same canvas. "We paint separate but most time we paint together. We do still life, landscape, ceramic," Fitzroy said.
"Sometimes in choosing colours, it may cause controversy."
"But we love it and we want to make our name in it," Denton added.
The Williams brothers are also giving a leg up to a young artist, Omar Maye.
"I went to the HEART Training Centre to learn engineering but since 2000, I have been painting with them," Maye told THE STAR.
The twin artists claim that they invented the process of using cane blossoms to decorate gourds.
"We have been experimenting with it over the years but in 1974, at the JCDC Festival, we got an award for it," Fitzroy said.
Now, they sell their work in their hometown as well as the tourist town of Ocho Rios, St. Ann.
Their work can be sold for as high as $25,000 to as low as $300, dependent on the size.
"We don't have a shop but people will still come and buy from us, mainly tourists though," Denton said. "The most we ever sold a painting for was US$2,000. It was a market scene."
The brothers insist that their paintings are less expensive than the average artists'.
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