The Devonish Art Gallery is owned and managed by husband and wife team, Courtney and Carrolle Devonish. Courtney Devonish is a Barbados born sculptor and potter who has resided in Anguilla for 30 years. His wife, Carrolle Devonish, works with beads and has a special interest in African beads. The Devonish Art Gallery located in West End is the permanent showroom for their creations.
Courtney began his art education at Birmingham University School of Education, in England, where he majored in arts and craft specialising in sculpture. He did post-graduate studies in Italy under the auspices of an OAS fellowship in ceramic technology. This talented artist has attained international reputation for his creations in wood, stone and clay.
He taught for a few years in England before he decided to pursue his passion full time. He stated, “I gave up teaching to do art. It was my headmaster who encouraged me to do art because he saw the things I was doing.”
Courtney started his studio in Barbados in 1970 and moved it to Anguilla when he relocated. Almost 50 years later, he is still hard at work doing what he loves. In his own words: “I currently work mainly in wood. I have probably about another 15 years of wood in stock. A lot of it is mahogany which is my favourite wood. I do less ceramics now as the hurricane took the kiln – and the cost of electricity in Anguilla is too high for an electric kiln. I also manage the gallery myself now. It is open from 9 am to 1 pm daily and then I prepare lunch and go in the workshop from 2 pm to 6 pm.”
Building and sustaining a business in Anguilla has had its fair share of challenges. Courtney shared that one of the biggest challenges of his career is very current. The challenge is that large groups are visiting the hotels but visitors are not venturing out, or are being kept in through organised activities at the hotel, and thus are not exploring Anguilla including visiting his gallery. He stated: “I can’t afford to have a shop at the hotel. As a consultant, I told the Government, when I first came to Anguilla, that young persons were not into arts and craft because there are no outlets. I recommended to the Government at the time that every hotel should have a minimum of 400 – 500 sq. feet allocated space where the work of local artists can be exhibited and sold. The report has now been lost and the recommendations are being duplicated but not acted upon. This solution is something that would have to be organised and agreed upon by Government, craftspeople and the hotels to make it work. There is a need for a champion of the arts and craft to push the arts forward.”
Another challenge faced is the fact that the Gallery does not have a local following in Anguilla. Mr. Devonish was able to create demand for his work in Barbados, after many years, when he had the opportunity to have his work displayed at a major department store frequented by locals. The locals realised then that quality craftsmanship was readily available and that they could afford his work. Thinking outside the box, Mr. Devonish observed: “Anguilla does not have any department stores but I think it would be possible to partner with a supermarket to display my work to expose locals to what we offer here.”
Mr. Devonish has decades of experience as an entrepreneur and shared that Anguilla is a difficult place to do business. He said: “It is expensive. Anguilla also has a problem with our work attitude and an issue with service and servitude. We don’t love each other, and do not like to see another black person succeed. There is a need for more education in the schools in this regard. Kids need to learn how to manage themselves, preserve themselves and respect themselves. We are not teaching this to our children and, as a race, we are suffering for that.”
Mr. Devonish shared passionately and earnestly on things that could be improved upon, but also on things that are currently working.
Self-satisfaction was given as the biggest benefit of owning a business. He smiled as he reflected: “I get up in the morning, do what I want. I work for as long or as short as I want, and the only person I complain to is me. I love what I do. When your passion is your job, you have to learn how to manage it. I have made some mistakes but I have never had to take a job – and very few artists can say that.”
His advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is, “Get an education, but if you have a passion follow that passion – but have that education as an insurance policy so if you need it you can fall back on it. There might be times you might have to get a job, but don’t be embarrassed to do a job if it fits what you want to do. Be creative.”
When asked about the best advice he received he shared a story from his early days: “When I started I was a pioneer in the field. There were no art galleries in Barbados. Similarly, Devonish Art Gallery was also the first art gallery in Anguilla. However, while I was in Barbados, I did meet one couple who wanted me to make some household items for them. I told them I was a creative artist but they insisted. I visited their house and they had a collection of invaluable art, including Picasso and others. I decided to make the items – as I liked the thought of my work being a part of this collection. This couple helped me a lot in making business decisions, and I guess that is one of the reasons I am still here. This year marks fifty years and I have never done anything else. ”
Courtney and Carolle would like to thank all the patrons of the gallery, over 50 years, and encourage locals and visitors to come in and see the beautiful hand-crafted wood, ceramic and bead sculptures and other items on offer at Devonish Art Gallery. For more information on Devonish Art Gallery, visit the website at devonishart.com.
By Shellecia Brooks-Johnson
