“Although I was born in Queens, New York, I come from a very large family on St. Croix. My Mother is from St. Croix and our family name is Brady. I literally have hundreds of relatives that span three of the four US Virgin Islands.
I have been drawing and painting for many years. I began my passion for drawing as a child where I would copy characters from the comic section in the Sunday newspaper as well as from comic books. My Father was a postal clerk, who painted in oil and did ink sketches. I clearly remember my Father’s art work decorating the walls of our home in New York. When my Mother realized I was artistically inclined, my Mother bought me a set of paints, brushes and an easel. I began painting in my room while listening to the radio. I never stopped painting since then. Painting is my passion. In my early twenties I was already selling my art work.
I consider myself an Impressionist painter. I am influenced by Van Gogh, Gauguin, and impressionists like Camille Picasso and many more. I am especially drawn to the three dimensional, heavily applied work of Van Gogh. I like the idea of “seeing” colors and also experiencing texture as a part of work (sort of seeing and feeling in one piece). This method inspired me to use found objects in my art work and to try new ideas such as using cut canvas strips and fabrics to add visually to my paintings.
Despite my passion for art and the fact that I was also selling my art, I had other jobs ranging from retail, construction, and the restaurant industry. In 1990, I began a successful career as a Fire Suppression Officer for the US Virgin Islands Fire Department. After several years of service, I retired in 2014. I am now painting full time.
When I was not painting, I was involved in creating t-shirts and posters for many local events. I have also done logos, signs and advertisements for some of our local businesses on St. Croix.
I am predominantly a self-taught artist, however I attended both Pratt Institute and San Antonio Art Institute. I studied under local artist, Paul Youngblood in summer classes at the Tamarind School for a number of years. Additionally, I spent time working with another local artist named Dove when he lived in King Street, Frederiksted.
My philosophy of art is such–art is individual and personal to the specific artist. I have chosen not to partake in art competitions because I feel that art is an expression of the soul and is by nature not a competitive thing. After all, it is all relative. Who am I to say that one person’s self-expression is better than another’s. How can you have a contest to judge one mind against another? I think as artists we should be a global family. We should share ideas and help each other to achieve personal best, whatever that be.
My work has been exhibited all over St. Croix–Crucian Gold, Maufe Gallary, the Gold Worker, St. Croix Hotel, the Blue Mutt, the Alcove at Quinn House, Divi Hotel, the Agriculture Fair, The Good Hope Show, and the St. George Village Botanical Garden. Of late, I will be exhibiting my work on November 17, 2016 at Eden South on Company Street.
My art work is for sale exclusively at Sweet Lime Furnishings at 6 Constitution Hill, Christiansted, St. Croix. They are open from Wednesday to Saturday 10 am – 4pm. My work can be seen on Facebook at Stuart Rames Virgin Islands Artist.”
Stuart P. Rames
340-713-1494
[email protected]
