By Wendella Davidson

SELF-TAUGHT and full-time sculptor Lionel Aubrey Simon, is aiming to etch his name alongside the best known in the field in Guyana, such as the late Phillip Moore and Gary Thomas.
And while he is not yet at the peak where he would like to be, Simon said he is gradually getting there, while disclosing that he had already made a name for himself in Antigua, where he lived briefly.
His favourite pieces of craft to date are the bust of Antigua’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne; the legendary Bob Marley; Guyana’s national animal `The Jaguar’ and Mahatma Gandhi.

He, however, expressed his frustration that despite having returned home from Antigua upon advice, with the hope of obtaining a CARICOM-approved Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ) that would make him more marketable overseas, has been given the royal run-around.

“To tell you the truth, I really feel let down by my own country. I felt more accepted as an artist in Antigua, but that piece of documentation would put me on a better footing. I am not sure this CSME [Caribbean Single Market and Economy] thing is working for us Guyanese artists at all; we really need more recognition,” he lamented.
Simon, 51, told the Pepperpot Magazine that he was schooled at St Paul’s Primary School, Plasiance and Bladen Hall Multilateral, both located on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) and later at The Bishop’s High in the city, before he sought employment to help out in his large family which included 11 children.
According to him, his first job was that of a barber working at salons such as Blue Flame on America Street; Basic Beauty, North Road and Blue Lagoon on Albert Street, adding that this occupation saw him became very popular.
Long-time talent

“While attending school I developed a love for drawing and got into trouble many times for creating sketches on the walls at home. I subsequently realised that I wanted to make a living as an artist, even though I did not formally attend an art school,” he added.
Simon said he began honing his skill as a sculptor in his early 20s after he left school and he started assisting at the workshop of a family friend, Andre Sealey, who did abstract wood art. “I used to sit and pay keen attention to Sealey as he diligently laboured away on various pieces that he craftily made. At the end of the day, instead of throwing away the discarded pieces of wood as I was instructed to do, I used to pile them neatly in a corner together and fetch them home,” he said. “It was on those same discarded pieces of wood that I started to practise and whenever I took the finished product back to the workshop everyone was amazed at the excellent work I did. The praise I got boosted my confidence which matured over the years as I sought to perfect my skill, first as an abstract artist, and later doing semi-abstract work and realistic and portrait sculptures.”
Simon said initially and because he financially could not have afforded, he simply used to labour with only a chisel until

another friend, Rawle Pillay, presented him with a carving gouge.
Armed with the tool he really wanted to propel his work, Simon said he set about sculpting bigger items and found a Caucasian customer from Bel Air, who was very impressed by his pieces and used to purchase almost all of them. As a result of the creative and artistic masterpieces he produced over the years, Simon said he won several championships, both locally and abroad, he recalled.

The sculptor said he began entertaining the thought of attending the E.R. Burrowes School of Art, but needing to garner money to maintain himself, he shelved the idea. Meanwhile, a friend who does sculpting and who markets his handiwork on the avenue on Main Street, offered to assist Simon in selling his work.
New territory
In 2018 Simon migrated to Antigua with the hope of marketing his work there during the tourist season. At first, and maybe because he was `fresh’ on the market, he said sales were somewhat slow, so he took a job at the Royal Antigua Hotel, working as a steel bender. He, however, continued to do sculpting in his spare time.
He also recalled that when the job folded up, he went to the Antigua Heritage Market where locally made art and craft items are sold at a small craft section attached to the main building market and occupied a shed. It was there the sculptor said that he crafted several memorable pieces, including a sculpture of the country’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne.

In addition to the prime minister expressing his appreciation for the gift, Simon said he felt further gratified when persons would pass by, stop to admire his work and also remark “GT you bad man,” meaning they were pleased with his work.

As a result of the creative and artistic masterpieces he produced over the years, Simon said he won several championships both locally and abroad, he recalled.
According to Simon, his return to Guyana was prompted by the fact that because he was not a regularised Antiguan, he needed the CVQ certification to allow him to better market his trade on the island. “It was as a result of the advice I received that I needed to return to Guyana to effect such documentation, that I came home but now I am utterly disappointed and bruised,” he said.
In the meantime, Simon, though feeling somewhat down-spirited, continues to craft pieces to keep himself afloat, but lamented that the Guyana market is somewhat slow, with not much scope for an artist.
Responding to a query of where he sees himself in the next five years, Simon stated that unless there is a realistic change in the atmosphere as it relates to the well-being of artists, he may have to migrate again to sustain himself.