Thandi paints her way forward

Story and photos by Lara Pickford-Gordon

snrwriter.camsel@catholictt.org

“I be happy painting my life and thing, I enjoy it,” said 39-year-old Thandi Jones with a smile.

She was in good spirits on April 23, the day after the opening of her first public exhibit, ‘Beloved III’, at the Art Society of Trinidad and Tobago (ASTT), Federation Park, which ran from April 22–24.

Jones’ work was shown to a limited audience at two private exhibits at her Chaguanas home for family, friends, and neighbours.

Her latest exhibition features 37 acrylic paintings on canvas created during her five years of painting. They show her love of nature and landscapes. Among them are ‘Tides of Toil and Joy’, ‘Caribbean Blush’, ‘Where the Water Listens’, ‘Break Bread with Me’, ‘Beaming Campobello Sunshine’ and ‘A Piece of Campobello Sky’, scenes from her cousin’s home in Canada. She shared a love of bathing at the beach.

Thandi said her favourite colours were blue, pink, yellow, green, and black. She paints from photographs, and her process involves seeing the image in her mind before starting to paint, “so I can stay focused [on the] painting, cause I work hard.”

During the interview, she repeatedly stated that painting helps her stay mentally focused and voiced pleasure, saying, “I do it good”.

Her father, Martin Jones, told The Catholic News that Thandi, who was born with Down Syndrome, started painting lessons in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. During that year, she had “episodes” which prompted him to seek advice on her mental health.

It was a difficult time, and Jones said he went everywhere, from “top psychiatrists to serious workers for Christ” to find relief.

At this time, he began experiencing his own health challenge. Jones emotionally said he had to find the courage to help Thandi and had to get out of his “pity party”. Hope was found in art.

“I did everything that I could to ensure that Thandi could have been able to persist in her art. And what you see here is the result of that persistence,” Jones said.

Jones explained he shows photos to Thandi, from which she selects the subject that gets her attention. He pointed to the painting ‘The Protected Sheep’, with Jesus embracing a lamb.

“This was one she selected, like in a flash, and she spent a considerable amount of time on it. She had to go back and go back and go back. I telling you, it was really as if that piece meant something very, very personal to her,” he said.

He is grateful for the community of people supporting Thandi’s work, “from the people living on our street at Caledonia Road, Lange Park, to the people who respond to the posts I put up on Thandi’s art on Facebook—people from Canada, people from England, people from throughout the Caribbean who support her”. Jones said when Thandi sees and hears about these responses, “you could see there is an ease”.

He said the last exhibit of her work at their Lange Park home last September was “grand”. A neighbour close to Thandi suggested that her work be exhibited for all to see. Jones was encouraged to get assistance from his cousin Sterling Adams, a member of the Art Society.

Jones said he knew of the transformative power of art, but when he saw Thandi’s work on opening night on Wednesday, April 22, it was like being on “a second honeymoon”.

Adams said Thandi is family, but he saw the opportunity because the display was a good idea. Although “it took a lot,” Adams added, “the joy that I saw in Thandi’s face last night was like ‘wow!’ This—meaning just being in this environment—is great”.

Thandi said she felt afraid doing her first public exhibit, but this passed. Asked why, she replied, “cause I try my best, cause my life is important”.