‘To me Art is more than just a hobby or a part time job or even a way to earn a living. It is a way of life; it is my life....”
Ellingworth Moses, a Painter, was born in the South-Eastern village of Petite Savanne. He now resides at Stowe Estate in the south of the island. He attended the Bagatelle Primary School and the Dominica Grammar School from which he graduated after five years, receiving the Artist of the Year Award.
Moses has always dreamed of being an artist but only took art as a profession at the age of eighteen. “My work has been greatly influenced by subjects from nature and the way they respond to light. In my early years of painting I painted mainly in a realistic form, my subjects being landscapes, seascapes, ruins and scenes that depict the typical country life where I grew up and is so attached to. But over the years my desires have grown and I have had to find other ways to give me that self-satisfaction I seek. I am prepared to work with any medium that inspires me.
My current work is not just representational of realistic scenes, but rather has grown more abstract as I find new ways of expressing myself and continue that journey to find myself. My work has also been greatly influenced by the work of Earl Etienne, a well known Dominican Artist”.
“I do not believe in human inequality. I believe that we are all people regardless of our nationality, colour, creed, or culture. We are one. This is what I am trying to portray in my work. The faceless characters in my paintings take away all our individual characteristics and leave us as people. Not black or white, not rich or poor. Just people. A united people living as one.
Ellingworth Moses is one of the younger generation of Dominican painters who has managed to stun his viewers over the past twelve years as his work continues to evolve from simple landscapes to more sophisticated subjects. These are more abstract and are executed using thread, plaster of paris mixed with glue, and many other media.
“I do not wish to limit myself to one particular style or medium” says the thirty year old Artist and this is very evident by the wide variety of work that he produces.
“Thread is used to tie or sew things together, hence I use it in my work to bind my subjects (people with people, people with their surroundings). “This is how I think life was meant to be. People living in a world where race, religion, class and political parties do not divide us, but rather a world where we are all brothers and sisters.” This he also portrays by his use of faceless figures in his paintings.
Moses Graduated from the Dominica Grammar School in 1992, where he received the Artist of the Year Award. Ever since he has received a number of other awards including a Special Recognition Award in 2004 for his work and his contribution toward the development of art in Dominica. He has exhibited in a number of countries in the Caribbean where it has been well received.
His work has been influenced by Earl Etienne his mentor, teacher and one of Dominica’s most prominent Artists.
Presently his work is displayed at The Art Storeroom at 31B Cork Street, Roseau and at Cocoa Cottages, Shawford, Trafalgar in Dominica.
