Cover design by Alvin Livingstone
Winner – Alvin Livingstone for his cover of Letisha Carrington Faracho’s Last Cry – “Great artwork, a kind of montage/collage, depicts the words/poem very well emotionally etc, the black/white effect is relevant/great too”*.
About the artist: Musician at heart (vocal, pan, composer); visual art teacher and teacher training student.
Artist Statement:”To approach this piece, I opted to spend some time reading to get a feel for it while making sketches that could interpret what was being read. After the initial sketches, I took a break for a few days then revisited the sketches to see if they brought back sentiments from the poem. I evaluated the various images that were sketched and experimented with their size and arrangement to determine which would be the best fit. I opted for black and white to highlight the racial aspects associated with the theme in addition to providing a base for the seamless blending of the various images being depicted. Overall, I believe I was able to effectively capture the feel of the poem while leaving some of the interpretation up to the viewer.”
Story/poem excerpt: “…a river of blood flows at my feet/And corpse of slaughtered bodies/Lie in heaps…” READ MORE
- Cover design by Emile Hill.
Second Placed – Emile Hill for his cover of Christopher Gittens’ story The Knock on My Door which the judging team thought created a sense of mystery that would make readers curious about the story inside, something you want in any cover.
About the artist: Emile is a painter, graphic designer, photographer and art teacher. He uses every opportunity to express his passion and love for the arts through any available medium.
Artist statement: “After reading the story, I honestly went with the first thing that came to my head and that was of a hulking shadow dominating a door. There are few things that can give a sense of foreboding quite like a shadow. Shadows imply so much while remaining so relatively simple. And it is this simplicity that allows the viewer’s imagination to run wild. It seemed like the perfect choice for me.” – Emile
Story/poem excerpt: “…It had a long pointed nose, beady eyes, four hairy arms and two legs. On its back were four tentacles, but worst of all it had sharp, long, ugly claws and teeth!” READ MORE
Cover design by Shaziane.
Third Placed – Shaziane for her cover of Kelvin Juwon Miller’s Delinquent Development – “Great modern/contemporary artwork for a very contemporary tale, clean lines, good colours”*.
About the artist: “I began dabbling in abstract art in 2007 and I’ve now moved on to studying for an Associate’s Degree in grahic design. In addition, I coordinated Happy Days Street Art Events in 2013 as a way of pulling interest to visual art.”
Artist statement: “To create the cover art, illustration was chosen with enough detail to give a sense of realness. The theme which stood out was relationship and its effect on our life-path. At first I intended to include all the major aspects but they were too much, and omitted those which revealed more than was neccessary. The home was the source of the theme, and the thing which made the protagonist feel small, so it was supersized and made the main focus as it was for the character. I wanted to make the reader curious while revealing a bit of the plot, and it feels about right.” – Shaziane
Story/poem excerpt: “Tried going home but mama won’t let me in this time/The streets is all I know now, I don’t know any better/I’m being labeled as a delinquent but I don’t know how to live any better/I have to rob a shop at night just to eat dinner” READ MORE
Cover design by Shem Alexander.
Honourable Mention – Shem Alexander for his cover of Arizé Lee’s The Cold Truth – “nice piece of art work, ‘simple’ and clean…depicts the words/poem well too”*.
About the artist: Shem Alexander is an emerging young visual artist, born on the 13th November 1992. From an early age he had a strong passion for art, following in the footsteps of his older brothers. He is a graduate of the Antigua Grammar School and the Antigua State College. He paints portraits and figures in oils and acrylics on textured surfaces, inspired by the traditional Antiguan way of life. Shem won the Wadadli Pen Art Challenge in 2010.
Artist statement: “It was a bit difficult coming up with an idea for the theme. I had many sketches and it took me a while to choose the final idea. I wanted a contradicting image to go along with the poem. It is an image of a sugar mill made of ice blocks on a beach with the sun setting, where there are foot prints leading to the light filled entrance of the sugar mill. I wanted to symbolize entering a different world or environment”. – Shem
Excerpt from the story/poem: “I walk about entrapped by fabrics,/For fear that I may freeze./I traded in the blesséd tropics,/For a bitter blizzard breeze.” READ MORE
*asterisked comments by chief art judge Joy James, curator and owner of Art at the Ridge gallery.
We want to congratulate all participating artists and in particular the finalists showcased in this post.
Copyright of all the art work on this page belongs to the respective artists, some are working artists, some future artists – support their work, support their development, support the arts; and no stealing.
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