Artist with Attitude

Painter and philanthropist PJ Stewart finds life’s purpose among shelters for the poor. Alexandra Edwards learns more
Photography by cookie kinkead

The bumper sticker on her cacar reads “Angel with Attitude’’. But that only hints at the mamany layers to the life of accaccacclaimed artist PJ Stewart.

She calls herself a “true Gemini’’ and embodies many of the astrological sign’s signature traits: curiosity, versatility, and adaptability. Not only is she a prolific fine art painter who exhibits frequently but she is a tireless promoter of Jamaican culture, and for nearly 30 years, she has worked with legendary “ghetto priest’’ Fr Richard Ho Lung, putting on musicals at home and abroad to raise funds for six Kingston shelters for the homeless and destitute.

Born in England and raised in Kenya, PJ (as everyone calls her) graduated from the Hammersmith College of Art in England where she was a lecturer for four years. She found her way to Jamaica in 1972 to take up a teaching post at the Edna Manley School of Visual Arts in Kingston. She married, raised a family and became a citizen. She is anxiously looking forward to becoming a grandmother to her daughter Jamie’s first child.

Her palette, influenced by the strong tropical colours of the Caribbean, is lush with vibrant greens and luxurious pinks which flow through expanses of pastoral tones. Growing up on her father’s farm in Kenya undoubtedly fostered her love of nature and why she also paints beautiful floral studies.

Although PJ likes to experiment with mixed media and different techniques, she prefers oils which she employs in thin layers, as with tempera, relishing the clarity and transparency she can achieve, especially with skin colour. Bold and freeform, her figurative paintings, inspired by the people and “human situations’ that surround her, exude a compelling intimacy. “I am not into total realism,” she says of her work, which has an almost lyrical abstract element. “I like things which are ambiguous so that the viewer has to work and find the image.” In a recent oil painting I’m With You Always, a female torso stands just off-centre, head dropped to her right, face hidden by a fall of blond hair. Behind her is a male form, the nuanced outline of head and torso merging into the background while his fully realised strong hands frame but do not touch her upper arms. The intriguing narrative is left to the viewer to determine.

P J easily developed a passionate love for her adopted country. “Jamaica has been really good to me and given me a great life. We are only a breath away from turning into such a productive place because we have all the ingredients: we just haven’t figured out the recipe yet! But you just can’t ignore Jamaica — it’s in your face, and there’s nothing bland about it!” This passion found a practical outlet when in the early Eighties she met Father Ho Lung. “I went to see one of his smaller musical productions,” she recalls, “and was captivated by the rhythms. It was so lively and varied. Then a friend took me to visit one of the homes, and I reckoned I could spare a little time now and then to help.”

S he is being typically modest for that “little time now and then” turned into much more of a commitment. Not only does she spend time with the children in the shelters, playing and providing stimulation through art, and receiving in return hugs, laughter and unconditional love (“They light up my life’’), she has also become production manager for the musicals and is responsible for all the painted finishes.

The performances involve a huge group effort from singers, actors, dancers, musicians, and stage crew, all of whom give their services freely. “There’s a lot of creative interweaving with the talented production team,” she explains, “so that costumes, lighting, set and direction build a whole image.”

PJ’s studio and set work frequently dovetail, and the people linked with the performances often inspire her. Working in the theatre has also influenced the size and scale of her work. She has just completed a 60-by-25-foot canvas backdrop which she draped with different fabrics before painting the surface. “I use collage quite a lot as it is quick and forces a reaction.’’

W hen it comes to her own studio work, she craves quiet and privacy. “I can at times be very anti-social,” she says. PJ’s airy and spacious studio adjoins her Kingston home and opens onto a garden, a reflection of her need to constantly adapt the space to accommodate the work at hand. Visiting, one might find it abuzz with assistants working on backdrops for one of the musicals, or else with curtains closed and the soft sounds of classical music, signalling not to enter.