By Felix Paul

Trinidad Guardian

December 20, 1997

Page 22

It has been a long haul for this little girl from Mucurapo Girls' RC who had to be continuously scolded for scrawling crayons all over her copy book pages.

Back in the 70s, no one initially recognized that there was something more than just an idle child making mess in her pages when she should have been practicing her penmanship. Well, at least not until she entered third standard.

After having visited places like the oil refineries and the natural habitat of some of our local birds, she would get books and copy the pictures relating to what she had experienced in real life.

Following her Common Entrance success, she went to Mucurapo Junior Secondary where Art was being taught as a separate subject. Everything else seemed unimportant to her. At Mucurapo Senior Comprehensive, she became even more convinced that all she ever wanted to become was an artist.

But in Trinidad and Tobago, to even think about art as a livelihood was discouraged by the elders. You had to be a Carlisle Chang or Leroy Clarke, and they too would attest to the pitiful state of the young artist.

This 15-year-old, however, remained undaunted and pursued her love with a passion akin to a mother's first baby. She obtained a grade one in art following her CXC exams, and was good enough for her teacher to immediately obtain a job for her at Muriel Ceramic Studio in St James.

Most of the beautiful designs that adorned those well-known vases and pots came from the hands of a still young and inexperienced 18-year-old woman. That job did not last long and for the first time in her life she questioned herself and her choice of career.

Today, at 28, Kelly Anne Bailey is now one of the more sought after artists in the country. Whether they come from the mas' camps, the hotels, the print shops, or even the manufacturing sector, "can I speak with Kelly please," is the common cry over the telephone.

Kelly, as she is known by all, is also a disc jockey. She is one of the trio who makes up Syndicate, one of their DJ's which will be providing music for Poison's 1998 presentation, Colourfest.

Syndicate, a member of COTT (Copyright Organization of Trinidad and Tobago), has also been registered to supply music for the Children's parade of the Bands on Saturday, February 21^st. The other two to make up the group are Jonathan Fournellier and Stephen Mohammed. The group has become quite popular in a number of band launchings this season.

But Kelly readily admits that it was her art that got her on the music scene, and if she has to choose, it will be her art that will take her off the music scene.

Ever seen the elaborate drawings along the Cocorite wall in St James done by Signs and Banners? That's Kelly's work. You know Stag has an advertisement depicting Maracas Bay with its beer? That's Kelly's work. What about those beautiful nature designs used by Molly Gaskin for her Wild Life Trust's promotions? Kelly's work again. Yes, Victor Rique always gets praise for his J'Ouvert Band T-shirts designs. Well that too is Kelly's work. Ad this year she again did his designs for Safari.

Kelly is also responsible for the T-shirts artwork for Babarossa's Botay, their 1998 presentation. And when you see the "Limbo" and Penny's special section "Nubians" in Botay on Carnival Monday and Tuesday, know too that these designs were done exclusively by Kelly.

What about Poison? The entire gents' section for "Orchid" is her design. Did she stop there? No. Now that this talented lady has mastered the computer, she was contracted to draw all of the male costume designs (some ten sections) to put Poison's Colourfest on the Internet.

She observes, however, that an artist has to be very careful with the computer. "When you start doing a large number of work on the computer, there is a tendency to want to master the mouse. But in so doing you might find yourself losing that special touch you would have had with your hands. So it is always important not to divorce yourself totally from the basic tenet of art… how to create images with your hands," says Kelly.

It was not all that exciting for her though. For some time, Kelly could not get much work as a freelance artist and found herself folding and packing printed jerseys coming off the dryer at the Print Shop Limited. But as the saying goes "you can't keep a good man (oops! woman) down".

So now if you visit the Print Shop Limited (a business which is booming almost out of control), at 10 Nepaul Street, St James, you will find Kelly Anne Bailey either sitting at her computer, guiding her understudy, or conversing with some client over a new design. She is now the resident artist at Print Shop Limited.

And by the way, you might have seen a logo at the new Ambassador Hotel on Long Circular Road for their urban-styled pub named "Cocktail and Dreams". OK! You've got it Kelly Anne Bailey again.

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