At the age of 24, and specializing in expressionistic realism portraiture, we have the talented and intriguing, Alanis Forde. She’s a fun-loving Barbadian contemporary artist, navigating life through a portrayed paradise that analyzes concepts regarding black female identity in an idealized, exotic, Caribbean space. Whether she’s internationally exhibiting in New York City, being featured at the Vermont Studio Center, or even teaming up to complete a 30 x 60 foot mural on the Barbados Postal Service building, Alanis pushes the envelope with her art. Through the main use of oil paint and collage, she’s brilliant at creating thought-provoking pieces to reflect her emotions and inner ongoing conflict of dwelling in a place that is viewed as paradise but often, a place she desires to escape. We’re definitely pleased to find out more about her, her work, and a little advice for other promising artists.

1) Why contemporary art as your form of self-expression?

“Contemporary means present or current so technically, everything I create next would be ‘contemporary’ in that sense but why I chose to become a conceptual contemporary artist is to view the world/ my surroundings through an abstract lens. To examine what it means to be Caribbean, to be a female, to be black differently and uniquely through oil paint and collage.”

2) How much of your own life is reflected in your work?

“My life is reflected in my work through the concepts I’m exploring. It depicts an ongoing conflict between comfort at home and the desire to escape the ironic paradise I reside in.”

3) What are some of the issues that you’ve faced as an artist?

“I have been very lucky in my career so far in terms of meeting personal goals, but some issues would be things like artist block and self-doubt.”

4) What makes you laugh the most?

“Memes mostly.”

5) What’s it really like working on a mural project?

“The easiest part of creating murals is putting the paintbrush to the wall. Everything else from setting up paints to the back and forth labour is the real energy-draining part of murals. The exhaustion is quickly forgotten when you see the finished wall though. For example, working on the Barbados post office mural was the most challenging due to the massive size alone. Akilah Watts and Anna Gibson are the two other artists I worked with on that project, we have a business called A3 Design Studio where we complete murals and other artistic projects throughout the island.”

6) What would further success for you look like?

“Being financially stable is always a plus but having a studio space outside of my home is my current short-term goal. I’d also like more international exhibitions and projects in the near future. Actually, I may be well on my way as I’m now represented by Paris Texas LA Gallery in California and I’m super excited about soon having my first solo exhibition there.”

7) What advice would you give to up-and-coming artists in the Caribbean?

“Treat it like you would any other job or business. They are many layers to being an artist, it isn’t just about the creative part.”

A little about “Alanis”

At the age of 24, and specializing in expressionistic realism portraiture, we have the talented and intriguing, Alanis Forde. She’s a fun-loving Barbadian contemporary artist, navigating life through a portrayed paradise that analyzes concepts regarding black female identity in an idealized, exotic, Caribbean space. Whether she’s internationally exhibiting in New York City, being featured at the Vermont Studio Center, or even teaming up to complete a 30 x 60 foot mural on the Barbados Postal Service building, Alanis pushes the envelope with her art. Through the main use of oil paint and collage, she’s brilliant at creating thought-provoking pieces to reflect her emotions and inner ongoing conflict of dwelling in a place that is viewed as paradise but often, a place she desires to escape. We’re definitely pleased to find out more about her, her work, and a little advice for other promising artists.

1) Why contemporary art as your form of self-expression?

“Contemporary means present or current so technically, everything I create next would be ‘contemporary’ in that sense but why I chose to become a conceptual contemporary artist is to view the world/ my surroundings through an abstract lens. To examine what it means to be Caribbean, to be a female, to be black differently and uniquely through oil paint and collage.”

2) How much of your own life is reflected in your work?

“My life is reflected in my work through the concepts I’m exploring. It depicts an ongoing conflict between comfort at home and the desire to escape the ironic paradise I reside in.”

3) What are some of the issues that you’ve faced as an artist?

“I have been very lucky in my career so far in terms of meeting personal goals, but some issues would be things like artist block and self-doubt.”

4) What makes you laugh the most?

“Memes mostly.”

5) What’s it really like working on a mural project?

“The easiest part of creating murals is putting the paintbrush to the wall. Everything else from setting up paints to the back and forth labour is the real energy-draining part of murals. The exhaustion is quickly forgotten when you see the finished wall though. For example, working on the Barbados post office mural was the most challenging due to the massive size alone. Akilah Watts and Anna Gibson are the two other artists I worked with on that project, we have a business called A3 Design Studio where we complete murals and other artistic projects throughout the island.”

6) What would further success for you look like?

“Being financially stable is always a plus but having a studio space outside of my home is my current short-term goal. I’d also like more international exhibitions and projects in the near future. Actually, I may be well on my way as I’m now represented by Paris Texas LA Gallery in California and I’m super excited about soon having my first solo exhibition there.”

7) What advice would you give to up-and-coming artists in the Caribbean?

“Treat it like you would any other job or business. They are many layers to being an artist, it isn’t just about the creative part.”