WHAT started out as a hobby for a 42-year-old single parent, Guyanese mother living in Barbados, has turned into a thriving Arts and Craft business, as she uses natural and recycled materials to brighten the homes of others.

Jacqueline Marshall, who hails from Bartica, has a background in the education system, having taught at the St. Anthony’s, St Stephen’s and St. Pius Primary Schools for seven years before migrating to Barbados in the year 2000. In Barbados, she gravitated to the medical field studying Medical Transcription/Medical Language and other related courses but in her spare time, Jacqueline found herself using recycled materials like the sanitary spoons and plates, and natural materials such as leaves and branches to create wall décor.

“As a child growing up in Bartica, my granny would send my sisters and I to take bread to the baker shop…there was a gentleman that did sculpture work under Ms. Marie’s house- she’s deceased and I don’t know what became of the man- but I used to sneak over and would be amazed by the work he was doing,” Jacqueline told the Pepperpot Magazine, while sitting in her gallery enjoying the afternoon breeze on the South Coast of Barbados.
“I love making things with my hands and being creative,” she added as she smiled gazing into the open.

Inspired by her daughter, Jada, and the wonders of nature, Jacqueline for 14 long years turned “ashes into beauty” transforming the interior of homes during the Easter and Christmas holidays.

CREATIVE DISTRACTION
It was during that period that tragedy struck, and to cushion the impact, the single parent mother, who has just about a few relatives living in Barbados, found even greater comfort in Arts and Craft.

“Actually I really started to dive deep into it as a form of therapy, after losing two family members in less than five years apart. They were so young – my sister Shondel, and my cousin Shelly- it really dawned on me how fragile life really is, and I guess reaching deep inside of me this is what helped me to cope with all the hurt and shock of losing them,” Jacqueline said as she explained her drive to transform her hobby into a business venture.
“It’s like I got onto this artistic train and there is absolutely no stopping. So eventually friends were asking me to make décor pieces for them as seen in my home, and I started to use Facebook as a medium of getting the word out there. The feedback was really encouraging and I’ve never looked back,” she added.

In June 2017, the Barbados-based Guyanese registered her business ‘Decor Plus & Metal Works.’

“We specialise in the making of decorative pieces using Biophilic Designs – this is the idea of using natural materials to give wellbeing benefits and improve our human connection to nature and personal adornments. The Metal Works is my ‘other half’s’ fabricating and welding aspect of the business which he has been doing for over 25 years now,” she further explained.

Foam, plastic, sanitary spoons and plates, shells, dried leaves, plastic bottles, wine bottles, twigs (dried brambles), wood, natural fibre, bark, bamboo and jute (rice bags) are among the recycled, natural and biotic materials used by Jacqueline.

Explaining how she makes the Mahogany Mirror, the former teacher said when the fruit from the Mahogany tree falls, there is a shell that is placed to dry for a few days. “This natural material must be treated and placed to dry for a few days and sand-paper for any rough edges…It is then painted according to what design will be used, in this case acrylic pour technique was used,” explained the self-taught artist.

Though sourcing of the materials is often times a challenge, the entrepreneur is thankful for the progress made in developing her business. Jacqueline told the Pepperpot Magazine that she could not have done it without the support of family and friends, particularly her daughter, Jada, and nephew, Nicholas Collymore, who help to process the materials.
Through Facebook, Jacqueline has generated great interest in Guyana, particularly from persons residing in Georgetown and in her home town, Bartica.

“I already have orders from Guyana. I’m working on all possible opportunities available in making it as smooth and productive,” she disclosed.

Within the next five years, Jacqueline is hoping for Decor Plus & Metal Works to become a household name known both in Guyana and Barbados, primarily for its Biophilic Designs.