ABSTRACT

This art journal focuses on the curiosity of cats and how cats are related to the Jamaican
society.

AUTHOR
CHRISTOPHE RICARDO LEONARD ALLEN
CATS IN THE CARIBBEAN
“Curiosity kills the cat”
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgement ………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………
Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………
Artist Statement …………………………………………………………………………………………………..………
Reason for selecting my theme? ………………………………………………………………………………….
Background history for theme………………………………………………………………………………………
Reason for selecting printmaking…………………………………………………………………………………    
History of printmaking …………………………………………………………………………………………………  
Artist studied for printmaking and Biography ………………………………………………………………...    
Five samples from printmaking artist ……………………………………………………………………….…  
Critique of artist work ………………………………………………………………………………………………...     
SBA reflections and progress 1-5 ……………………………………………………………………………….…...    
Words relating to printmaking………………………………………………………………………………………  
Textile  ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...……     
Reason for selecting textile  ………………………………………………………………………………………  
History of textile ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Artist studied for textile and biography  ………………………………………………………………... 
Five sample from textile artist ……………………………………………………………………………..……….
Critique of the artist work …………………………………………………………………………………………….
Comparison of the artist work ……………………………………………………………………………….………
SBA 6-10 and proses…………………………………………………………………………………………………..………
Words relating to textile ………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Bibliography …………………………………………………………………………………………………………..………
Art samples and questionnaire…………………………………………………………………………………..………
Gallery of past works……………………………………………………………………………………………….………
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The project would not have been completed if it was not for the support that I received from my
teacher Mr. Fullwood and my family. This School Based Assessment (SBA) has allowed me to
widen my knowledge on the expressive forms of printmaking and textile in the Art Industry. This
project gave me the opportunity to conduct research on  artists who practice printmaking and
textile in the art field, it has given me a feeling of appreciation for the time and effort that was
spent by these artists in creating such tantalizing pieces of work. I would like to express my
appreciation to my mother, Christine Patterson who has stood by me and provided the
encouragement, patience and the constant drilling to produce.  My teacher, Mr. Fullwood who
helped me to build my confidence and the guidance in producing this document and to everyone
else who made the time to participate and help guide me through this journey. Most importantly,
I would like to thank God for giving me the energy and sustaining my life to complete this task.
 INTRODUCTION
Art is a diverse range of human activities involving the creation of visual, auditory or performing
artifacts, which express the creator's imagination, conceptual ideas, or technical skill, intended to
be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power. This SBA focuses on the
expressive forms of printmaking and textile while closely studying cats in the Caribbean Region.
The document will include the artist’s statement, give reasons for theme selection, provide a
background of the theme, the reasons for selecting printmaking and textile expressive forms.

In addition to the above, the document will provide a bibliography about the artists and samples
of their work and will contain a critique of the artists work outlining a detailed description,
analysis, interpretation and my personal judgment of each artist's work.
 ARTIST STATEMENT
As a child I was attracted to animals and always found a way to care for them. It would fascinate
me to sit and watch them, their habits and ways they associate with nature and show affection. I
personally find myself fond of felines (cats) and researched their way of life; they would stretch
lazily while spreading their paws, they would rub the length of their entire body against your legs
in the hope of being cuddled and gaining a neck scratch and they would lay down with the
impression of being the centre of attention. My SBA will focus on the species of felines in the
Caribbean, their habits, behaviors and way of life. To represent my love for cats I will be using a
straightforward design that focuses on the importance of cats in our daily lives.
 REASON FOR SELECTING THEME
I selected the theme ‘Curiosity Kills the Cat’ because I expect to express that cats are relatable to
humans in multiple ways. A curious person may explore too much and can get themself into
dangerous situations which can be harmful to them. There is also the possibility of a curious
person that seeks difficult situations as a way to escape boredom and to solve these situations by
themselves. Using  the printmaking and textile expressive forms this is what I will display with
the use of Cats in my art pieces.
 BACKGROUND HISTORY FOR THEME
As a young boy I would always hear my grandmother say a statement, this statement which was

that “Curiosity kills the cat”. At that age I didn’t pay much attention to what she said as I didn’t

understand much. With age I grew to understand that a curious feline may get killed if it pries

too much into enemies territory although some animals in the cat family can also demonstrate

courage and leadership personalities. This SBA will portray the importance of cats in the

Caribbean their behaviors, habitats and ways of life. 

 REASON FOR SELECTING PRINTMAKING
From a tender age I fancied carving out figures and shapes into different types of wood/lumber.
My mother would keep me motivated by giving encouragement and consistently reminding me
that I am a talented boy. I would spend hours with a stone and a piece of wood just making
random figures and it helped me to alleviate stress and be free.
 HISTORY OF PRINTMAKING

Engraving is one of the oldest art forms. Engraved designs have been found on prehistoric bones,
stones, and cave walls. The technique of duplicating images goes back several thousand years to
the Sumerians , who engraved designs and cuneiform inscriptions on cylinder seals which, when
rolled over soft clay tablets, left relief impressions. They conceived not only the idea of
multiplication but also the mechanical principle, the roller, which in more sophisticated form
became the printing press.

Pollaiuolo, Antonio: Battle of the Naked Men

 The first authenticated prints rubbed from woodblocks were Buddhist charms printed in Japan.
It is believed that the first wood-block prints on textiles were made by the Egyptians in the 6th or
7th century, but the earliest printed image with an authenticated date is a scroll of the Diamond
Sutra printed by Wang Jie in 868 CE, which was found in a cave in eastern Turkistan.
 ARTIST STUDIED FOR PRINTMAKING

Albert Huie

Born in Falmouth Jamaica 1920, he started painting in 1936 and studied at Ontario College of Art in
Toronto. In 1947 he was awarded a British Council scholarship and then studied at Camberwell
School of Art in London. He received several awards, including the Institute of Jamaica’s Silver and
Gold Musgrave Medals in 1958 and 1974 respectively.

Mr. Huie was presented with an international award for painting at the Spanish Bi-Annual exhibition
in Havana, Cuba in 1959. In 1962, he received the Jamaica Government award for the best painting
in the annual National Exhibition of painting. He has also been the recipient of the Badge of Honour
for his contribution to art (1968). 
 ARTISTS’ WORK

Albert Huie- Family

Albert Huie-Pocomania
Albert Huie - Park Orators

Albert Huie - Sorrel

Albert Huie - Monday Morning
 CRITIQUE OF ARTIST WORK

3 ladies, 2 are seen barefooted and all sport head wear, one lady is clothed
in a horizontal striped skirt and a star patterned blouse with a shawl to her
left, The lady to the far right is clothed in a full white dress and tucks what
appears to be a white sheet under her right arm. The lady in the back is  

Title: Monday Morning

Artist: Albert Huie
Year: Unknown

Description 
Albert Huie represented an early ‘Monday Morning’ in this piece of work. Three women (2
without shoes) who appear to be middle aged (30-50) are busy doing household chores in a
setting which seems to be in the morning. The lady to the left is washing the dirty/used clothing
that is at her feet in a wooden pan, she herself is clothed in a horizontal striped shawl and a star
patterned blouse. The lady to the right clothed in a full white dress is holding up her left hand
and seems to be removing clothes from a line that isn’t visible while she also tucks a fabric
under  her right arm. Finally the lady dressed in a black bottom and vertical striped blouse is
hanging out a wet/damp white fabric on a visible clothing line. In the background are multiple
different trees which array from right to left (the tree to the right is closest). It’s an outdoor
setting with natural light from the sky, what appears to be a water source to the right and the
barefooted women are working in a clean environment surrounded by trees with no leaves on the
ground.

Analysis
In analysis of Albert Huie’s works, he portrays the feeling of an early ‘Monday Morning’ to any
onlookers, the image immediately shows them how busy it is for women doing household chores
not only on Monday’s but during the entire week. The artist clothed each woman, gave each a
separate task to do in a clean, tidy outdoor environment.  The message that Albert Huie displays
onto persons is that most females in society work diligently and effectively.

Interpretation
Interpretation about this piece is dedication. The piece shows hard working women who arise
early to get to work and get their tasks completed.
Conclusion: The art is well executed and shows a message about hard working women.
 WORDS RELATING TO PRINTMAKING
A la poupée - A single plate is selectively inked in different colors, using stumps of rag known
as a poupée.
After - When a printmaker uses the design (often a painting or drawing) of another artist as a
basis for a print.
Chine collé - A thin sheet of oriental paper is pressed to a heavier backing sheet when it is put
through the press for printing.
Drypoint - Drawing directly on the metal plate with a sharp point creates a rough ridge of metal
—a burr—along the groove. When the plate is inked, the burr catches the ink, producing dark,
velvety accents.
Embossing - Any process used to create a raised or depressed surface, sometimes without ink.
Engraving - Lines are incised into a metal plate with a burin. The curls of metal thrown up at the
sides of the furrow are cleaned away with a scraper.
Etching - A metal plate is coated with a varnish-like substance (known as the “ground”) that is
impervious to acid. The artist creates an image by drawing through the ground with an etching
needle, exposing the metal. The plate is immersed in acid, which bites grooves where the metal
has been exposed. The ground is removed, and the plate is ready to be inked and printed.
Intaglio - Lines are sunken grooves in the plate, as in engraving or etching.
Linoleum cut (or linocut) - A relief technique like woodcut, but using linoleum rather than
wood.
Lithograph - The design is drawn on a stone (or certain types of plates) with a greasy crayon or
ink. Water adheres to the bare stone but not to the greasy areas, while the printing ink does the
opposite; it sticks to the greasy areas but not to the wet stone, reproducing the design when
printed.
Monotype - Ink or paint is applied to a smooth plate. Because there is no fixed matrix, only one
strong impression can be printed.
Offset lithography - The image is transferred from the stone or plate to a roller on the press,
which then prints the inked image onto the paper.
Photomechanical reproduction - Various printmaking processes in which the imagery is
established photographically.
Planography - The design is created on a flat surface with no perceptible variation in depth, as
in lithography.
Plate tone - Tone created in intaglio prints by leaving a film of ink on the plate when it is wiped
before printing.
Relief - The image is printed from the raised portions of a carved, etched, or cast block or other
rigid material. The printing surface stands in relief above the rest of the block, as in woodcut.
Roulette - A tool with a spiked wheel used to incise lines of even dots on intaglio plates.
Stencil (or pochoir) - Prints are hand-colored through specially cut stencils.
Woodcut - The areas around each line are cut out of the block of wood so that the lines to be
printed stand out in relief.
Wood engraving - The artist cuts into the end grain of a hard wood using a sharply pointed
instrument called a burin. The surface of the block is inked and printed, producing white lines on
a black background.
 REASON FOR SELECTING TEXTILE
I admired the idea of creating unique clothing with the use of textile. When younger my favorite
shirts were the ones with cat/feline images on them who show aggressive behavior. My mother
bought me these shirts as she saw that I was fond of them. I was gravitated towards cats and their
peculiar behaviour and I will demonstrate that on different pieces of fabric in my SBA.
 HISTORY OF TEXTILE
The study of the history of clothing and textiles traces the development, use, and availability of
clothing and textiles over human history. Clothing and textiles reflect the materials and
technologies available in different civilizations at different times. The variety and distribution of
clothing and textiles within a society reveal social customs and culture. The wearing of clothing
is exclusively a human characteristic and is a feature of most human societies. Men and women
began wearing clothes after the last Ice Age. Anthropologists believe that animal skins and
vegetation were adapted into coverings as protection from cold, heat and rain, especially as
humans migrated to new climates.

Textiles can be felt or spun fibers made into yarn and subsequently netted, looped, knit or woven
to make fabrics, which appeared in the Middle East during the late Stone Age.[1] From the
ancient times to the present day, methods of textile production have continually evolved, and the
choices of textiles available have influenced how people carried their possessions, clothed
themselves, and decorated their surroundings.
 ARTIST STUDIED FOR TEXTILE
Colin Garland
Australian by birth and trained in Sydney and London, Garland came to Jamaica in 1962 and
adopted the newly independent nation as his home. Garland also showed mastery over his media,
his willingness to experiment with new formats, to apply collage and montage techniques as well
as create assemblages established him as one of Jamaica's important modern artists and within a
short time Garland's surrealist/ magic realist style became popular with collectors as well as other
artists. 

Trained in theatre and set designs, Garland's paintings although often small in scale read like
panoramic epics chocked full of imagery and painted in painstaking detail. In later years Garland
lived in St Mary on Jamaica's north coast and although he continued to exhibit abroad, through
his twenty years as a teacher at the Jamaica School of Art and through his consistent
participation in solo and group exhibitions, he became part of the art world mainstream.
 ARTIST’S WORK

Colin Garland - End of an Empire (1971)

Colin Garland – Venus Reliquary (1977)

Colin Garland – Patoo (1994)

Colin Garland – Kore (1996)

Colin Garland – Boy with Grass, 1975
 CRITIQUE OF ARTIST WORK

Title: Boy with grass

Artist: Colin Garland
Year: 1975

Description 
In this piece Colin Garland represented a hard working boy, you can see this as the young african
male carries grass on his head. He sports an open white shirt that is folded at the sleeves showing
his dark chest and in his left hand he sports what appears to be a bamboo stick. Above the grass
on his head is a tree branch which comes from the mountain which he is passing. To his upper
left there is a small patch of grass between the rocks. The mountain behind the boy is shaded
beautifully and light seems to be coming from the upper right.

Analysis
In analysis of Colin Garland’s works, he displays the technique of lighting and shading almost
perfectly and brings out the etiquette of the young African male in the piece. The mountain
behind him gives a viewer a realistic feeling of the travels of the young man. The bamboo may
represent a walking stick to help him climb the mountain/rocks and the heights he has to go for
the grass. The tree branch which dangles above his head may also represent the surrounding area
he is currently walking through.

Interpretation
The interpretation in this piece is about strength. He goes through an uphill battle to acquire the
grass. It shows his strength and determination to get what he wants.
Conclusion: The art is very well executed and I admire the courage displayed by the boy and the
attention paid to detail.
 WORDS RELATING TO TEXTILE
Alginic Acid - A gum used especially as a thickener or emulsifier
Acrylamide - A white crystalline amide of propenoic acid can damage the nervous system and is
carcinogenic in laboratory animals
Baize - A bright green fabric napped to resemble felt
Brocade - A heavy cloth with a raised design often of gold or silver threads
Cerecloth - A waterproof waxed cloth once used as a shroud
Cloth - A small piece of material, used in cleaning to remove dirt, dust, or liquid
Cutpiece - A piece of cloth, usually the last piece left from a bale
Drapery - Cloth hanging or arranged in folds
Fabric - Material for making clothes
Filament  - Thin thread or fibre of natural or artificial material
Gabardine - A firm durable fabric with a twill weave
Gauze - A very thin, light cloth, used to make clothing, to cover cuts and to separate solids from
liquids, etc.
Lint - Short threads that come off the surface of cloth when it is being produced
Padding - The pieces of material used to protect something or give it shape
Pile - A mass of something that has been placed somewhere
Strand - A thin thread of something, often one of a few, twisted around each other to make a
string or rope
Upholstery - the cloth used for covering a seat and/or the substance used for filling it
Wadding - Any soft material used for filling a space, especially in order to protect something or
to give something shape
Warp - If wood warps, or if water or heat warps it, it becomes damaged by bending or twisting
Weave - To make cloth by repeatedly crossing a single thread through two sets of long threads
on a loom
BIBLIOGRAPHY