Heather Thompson
Detail of a few fabrics designed, printed and tie-dyed by Heather Thompson
Detail of a few fabrics designed, printed and tie-dyed by Heather Thompson

Using faith as a guide to her art practice

By Dominique Hunter

Detail of a few fabrics designed, printed and tie-dyed by Heather Thompson

“GROWING up in the hinterland region of Guyana I was blessed to wake each day to the sounds of nature and the beauty of pristine, blue mountains in the distance. Those memories have been forever etched in my mind,” Heather Thompson recalled fondly of her childhood.

The Mahdia native spent about 12 years managing her father’s business in the interior before moving to Georgetown, so that her daughter could pursue her secondary education. It was during this time that she had the opportunity to venture into the culinary arts at the Carnegie School of Home Economics, a decision that would later have a ripple effect on her working methods, even after she would have switched fields.

A mixed media leather and textile artwork titled “Peace”

“Food was one of the things that interested me first. So I went to Carnegie where I did a full-time one-year catering course. After that, I worked in a number of restaurants. I worked for about 12 years with Trans Guyana and while there I did a part-time textile course at the E.R. Burrowes School of Art. Later I went on to do another part-time course in leather. But it wasn’t enough for me. I found that I wanted more.”

Thompson explained that once her daughter had completed her studies at the University of Guyana and she became an empty nester, it felt like the right time to shift her focus to something she had longed to do for quite some time. She opted to go back to the art school to pursue a higher level of formal art training by enrolling in the school’s full-time two-year course.

Reflecting on her experience as a mature student at the art school Thompson shared that although she sometimes experienced difficult times, she refused to allow herself to be distracted by what was going on around her. Instead, she kept her eyes fixed squarely on her goal, rolled up her sleeves and went to work.

“It was very humbling and sometimes very frustrating. To learn you have to become a child. Even as an adult there’s a lot of things that get thrown at you but you have to be focused on what you’re there for. You can’t let the other things get to you.”

Her greatest joy, she explained, came from being able to overcome the challenges she first experienced with certain techniques and being able to use them in various combinations to produce the work made for her graduation exhibition, which was recently on display at the Umana Yana.

Detail of a mixed media leather lampshade

“I did a lot of things on my own. I read, researched, tried small pieces and then went on to bigger pieces. My proudest moment was definitely when I was able to put into action all of the techniques I was taught throughout the years,” she stated.

When asked to give some insight into her art-making process, it became evident quite quickly that her initial approach is rather methodical, something she credits as having come from the many years she spent writing recipes.

“All of my work starts with a plan. I would go to the sketchbooks and sit for hours sometimes, sketching different lines. I would see which ones look like they are taking the form of something and I would make it into that. Then I would start thinking about the construction aspect of it.”

Thompson admitted that her sketches don’t always materialise according to plan because the construction simply might not be possible, in which case she is forced to go back to the drawing board to work out a more practical alternative.

She went on to explain that although the preparatory stages of the work are, to a large extent, methodical, her textile designs are usually rather spontaneous and free-flowing. So on one hand, while great care is taken to mix each colour individually after a series of rigorous testing and planning, each design is actually the result of a different type of process entirely.

“As I go along I would get inspiration and things would fall into place. I cut pieces of rubber and arrange them in different patterns to make my own prints. I have lots of pieces of cloth with samples on them to see which ones would work where and how they would work. But I always test them first before I put them on a big piece of fabric.”

A similar series of small tests are employed during the production of her leatherwork, long before any attempt is made to construct the actual piece, she explained.

“I would have pieces of leather and I would do different types of stitches to see what stitch I want. If it’s a print then I would test the tool and the tooling method I want to use. For example, if I want to create a snakeskin texture I would test a piece of leather to see how it would look. I would then stain it to see if I want to grade it from a yellow to a green etc.”

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path”

Like all of the other graduating students from the art school, Thompson was tasked with establishing a specific theme that would be used as the conceptual framework for the final exhibition of her work. After careful consideration, she decided that the most fitting theme was “The Creative Word.”

“I was working with nature but I found that everyone was doing something with nature. So I went past nature and asked myself, ‘Who created nature? Where did it come from?’ That’s how I got to the creative word and the light,” she explained.

Thompson’s continuous exposure to ‘the word,’ as she describes it, was influential in selecting the creative direction of her work. She cited the Bible scripture Genesis Chapter 1 Verse 3, which describes the creation story, as the foundation upon which she produced most of her art pieces. She explained that after a thorough study of this scripture she was able to identify at least one major principle of art: balance, more specifically, the creation of light and its separation from the dark. It was her ability to make a connection between the two that encouraged more meaningful explorations of biblical themes to bring consciousness to ‘the word.’

“As a Christian woman I enjoy bringing my faith and beliefs to life through my art using bible verses that have encouraged, inspired and comforted me in the hope that it will do the same for the viewer,” she explained.

Now that her journey at the art school has come to an end, Thompson is excited about what the future holds for her creative practice.

A mixed media piece done using sticks of bamboo, leather and paint on fabric

“There’s a lot I want to do with textile, like move on to fibre art. I see myself going in that direction and doing unique leather art.”

In addition to having better access to the full range of art materials, students are usually required to have, Thompson also stressed the importance of fostering an “art conscious” society. It is only then, she says, that we could possibly begin to move towards a much more sustainable local art scene.

As a recent graduate of the E.R. Burrowes School of Art, Thompson had a few words of wisdom to share with those who might be contemplating formally pursuing art at the institution.

“Work hard and be humble,” she says. “You have to work because if you don’t and you take time off to relax, it will be hard to catch up. You have to stay on it from the beginning. Things will come your way but you have to stay humble. That’s the most important thing.”

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