Uniquely, Lou Ann Lewis-Jackson has always been someone who fits in, but always stands out! Running away from Mathematics classes at St. Joseph High, she sought shelter under the arts, painting and creating things throughout the Math period, and is now ranking high in the creative field.A teacher at the American School, the artist imparts her knowledge of English as a second language to students from around the world, but as an artist she has greater responsibilities and greater gifts, some that are still to be uncovered.
Lou Ann has always trusted in colours and wears her designs with confidence as she understands the power of her creation. She speaks to Sunday Chronicle about the uniqueness of her designs, the power of colour and the psychological work of art.
A woman well-learned in the field, she is verbally quiet about quite a few things but her work shouts aloud her expertise in recreating cloth. With a sure flair for individualism and communication, her work alone speaks into conditions, garnering favor with a hint of just the right colour.
“I know what I’m wearing, so it’s like my secret until somebody else finds out,” she told Pepperpot in an interview. “I know what orange can do to a man,” she went on, but just as the interview had taken a more attention-grabbing twist, a burst of laughter came, then she injected, “from a business perspective!”
The colour orange can diffuse anything, and even an aggressive man can become humble under the influence of orange.
“There was an issue I wasn’t pleased with and I knew I was going to meet a manager (so) I chose to wear orange because I knew that individual was a difficult person. I walked into the individual’s office and I watched the person change in front of me because of the colour I had on, and it diffused anything that was potentially going to happen.”
She investigated in depth the meaning of each colour, and knew that orange “..creates mood, it sets a tone, it says something about you . I know the power of orange and I know when to wear it and when not to wear it”.
Jackson explained that a simple motif can cause a reaction in the persons looking, even they themselves are not aware that something has happened, since according to her “it’s a subliminal thing” and that sometimes makes her work outstanding, delivering a message that is sometimes larger than life.
“A lot of thought goes into my piece(s), also a little of my own personal style, where I like comfortable clothing, but it must be outstanding. It must be outstanding not in a gaudy kind of way, but in an interesting kind of way. It may be a colour scheme, it may be a particular motif that is exaggerated, that is larger than life or you choose a part of the motif that stands out and you work with that”.
Though her fashions can identify with her own name sometimes, she said they have not changed but remain trendy. “It’s as interesting as the time period it’s in, so it’s always relevant to that fashion era. It always fits in but stands out.”
Lou Ann had taken some time off designing to pursue her Masters in English but created a recent line titled “Indigo.” She is also preparing a new major collection for Guyana’s 50th independence anniversary celebrations in 2016.
Indigo, a collection featuring white and blue, is a reflection of brilliance and was inspired by her students at the American school, who she said are “very bright.” Colour psychology explains that indigo is the color of intuition and perception and brings insight. “It promotes deep concentration during times of introspection and meditation, helping you to achieve deeper levels of consciousness. Service to humanity is one of the strengths of the color indigo. Powerful and dignified, indigo conveys integrity and deep sincerity.”
Over the past five years, Lou Ann had been transforming the lives of children with an annual art workshop which is held during the July/August break at Carifesta Sports complex. She has worked with over 200 children between ages 3 and 16, teaching them painting, textile designing, craft, cardboard and scissors and bluing in the program which is subsidized by cell-phone giant Digicel.
“The main premise on which I started this thing (is that) I saw the need for something outside of math lessons, and English lessons during the summer holidays or video games and I felt that we were losing part of society by not having art for our children. Art is always fun, but it’s more for development of the child. A lot of children don’t really have that art experience. Parents don’t like giving their children paint, because of the mess they sometimes make, and a lot of schools have removed art from their curriculum.”
Lewis-Jackson explained that art also “helps with problem solving because you’re drawing something, you look at it from here and go around there and then you find an angle that you can work with. That same skill you can apply to other areas of life where you can look at things from different angles before you can work out how you’re going do this thing; so it’s a skill that is transferrable it’s not just for art, but it’s for life.”
She knows that art “opens your mind so you’re more receptive to ideas from others, you’re able to be more empathetic.
“It gives you a wider perspective on life. You’re in a situation and some people just act and then they think after. Art helps you to think.”