Shoppers at Lake’s World Supermarket, on the Stoney Ground Road, are being given a rare opportunity to see a display of artwork, in terms of special carvings – and to make purchases while they move through the aisles picking up their groceries.
It is an exhibition of carvings by respected artist and sculptor, Mr. Courtney Devonish, using the mature and colourful wood of the historic mahogany tree that spanned the crossroads at the premises of the late Anguillian businessman, Mr. Albert Lake.
The mahogany tree, one of Anguilla’s landmarks, was a meeting place for community persons and religious gatherings. It fell across the road in 1971 and was believed to have been about three hundred years old. Its huge trunk and branches were kept in preservation by Mr. Lake, and a large portion was later made available to Mr. Devonish for his carving work and for posterity. It is from that hard wood that many relics of the mahogany tree are now on display at Devonish’s Art Gallery, on the West End main road, and now at Lake’s World Supermarket.
Speaking to The Anguillian newspaper on December 14, at the opening of his exhibition, attended by a number of shoppers and other persons, Mr. Devonish said: “If the people don’t come, you go to them. This effort is to introduce my work to members of the public because they don’t visit the Art Gallery. I hope that the public will visit Lake’s World.”
Asked how he associated the artifacts of the mahogany tree with the late Mr. Albert Lake, Mr. Devonish replied: “About thirty years ago, Lake met me on the road and told me that he heard I carved wood and told me he had something to show me. He took me to the back of his house and showed me this huge trunk with a couple of branches. He then told me the history of the tree. He quoted a price, which I am sure he exaggerated, but I wrote him the cheque. I guess he was surprised and realised I really appreciated the wood.”
Asked to comment on the natural brilliance of the wood, the artist and sculptor said: “If you look at antic mahogany, it is red. The mahogany is affected by the atmosphere and the older it is, the more red it will be.”
He went on: “The mahogany tree was about three hundred years old in my estimation. That is because the late Charlie Gumbs, when he was 102, told me stories that his grandfather told him about the old mahogany tree. That’s how I arrived at the age of the mahogany tree. It had to be at least three hundred years old. I was also told about a mahogany tree behind L&J not far away from where the old mahogany tree was. I have not seen that tree and I wonder if anybody knows how old it is.”
Among the spectators at the exhibition, was well-known artist, Mrs. Jo-Anne Mason. She commented: “Courtney is a standard in Anguilla. He has been in Anguilla for almost thirty years. He always carves a wonderful variety of pieces at all prices – and a lot of them are from the mahogany tree. He also does useful pieces such as lovely bowls, platters and other things which I haven’t seen here. But these pieces are also wonderful. They are lovely souvenirs from Anguilla.”
Questioned as to how she saw the production of arts and craft in Anguilla, Mrs. Mason responded: “Honestly, I wish more was done because children love to do art, and it is a very good way to express themselves. It is a very excellent way to get them to learn skills that might be useful, in other things, because it involves thinking and once you start thinking, you think about other things. So art is very important – absolutely.”
Mr. Devonish, who is originally from Barbados, served as an art teacher in Anguilla before launching his own arts and crafts business – and establishing himself as a sculptor and owner of Devonish Art Gallery in Anguilla’s tourism belt.
