Turtle Shell Band

Description

I attended a painting workshop a year ago at San Pedro Ambergris Caye and the teacher, an American lady, started off the first morning as the wind blew off the sea throwing sand into our paint and blowing the paper and canvas all about, by telling us our first assignment was to do 3 paintings in 10 minutes. I was angry, at the wind for messing up my stuff and at her for being so ridiculous. At the end of 7 days I had humbled myself and learned a little about how to throw the paint on the canvas. The teacher challenged me to use her method to create something exciting.

I returned to my studio thinking I would try this method. I had in my mind for a long time the subject of Belizean traditional music and the music of the Garifuna culture seemed the right subject for this technique. I used the wildest colors I could find in my paint box, covered the canvas with turpentine, messed the paint about and stood back to see what would happen.

Mohobub Flores, Myme Martinez, Jeep Lewis and Higgins Higginio began to make their way through the reveling crowd, jousting drums, shells and other pieces of equipment along with folding chairs. They settled into a raucous Punta beat punctuated and accompanied by the Garifuna chants and howls from a tradition that came from the bowels of Africa.

The hicatee turtle from the rivers of Belize provide the shell which is beat upon with sticks to produce a hollow, melodious tone. Cowrie shells sewn on cloth bands and strapped to the knees, rattle in time. The hollow cedar drums topped with deer skin and lashed with tietie from the jungle produced a complex, resonate percussion when fervently spanked with expert hands, calloused from years of practice.

Pen Cayetano, my friend and fellow painter was not present at the time I took the photos from which this painting was done but he is thespiritual and artistic originator of the group.

I grabbed a paper towel and began mopping up the wayward paint, bringing it back into submission. Who knows what would have emerged had I let it run amuck. Next time, perhaps I can just let go and let it happen as it will and then perhaps the music will come from the canvas, authentic sounds of the Garifuna heritage the makes its home in Dangriga town on the Caribbean coast of Southern Belize.