All posts by bernardhoyes

Visual Art Master Bernard Stanley Hoyes About Bernard Hoyes Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Hoyes demonstrated artistic abilities early on. When he was trotted off to live with a great aunt in rural Jamaica, his exposure to revival cults, ceremonies and rituals planted seeds deep within that would manifest as art in his later years. Hoyes's formal art studies began at Junior Art Centre at the Institute of Jamaica. At age 15 he left Jamaica for New York City. His lessons continued at the Art Students League and Vermont Academy. A heady combination of his drive to excel and the influence of the civil rights movement placed Hoyes at the helm of propelling the Academy to institute social and cultural programs. Upon graduation he was the first recipient of the Frederick Stanley Art Award and saw the launching of the school's first formal arts department. When Hoyes attended an alumnus reception some years later, to receive the Florence Sabin Distinguished Alumni Award, he felt pride in seeing the new edifice housing a formal art department. He earned a Bachelor in Fine Arts in painting and graphic design from the California School of Arts and Crafts in Oakland. . During the 70’s he, worked intensively on his “Rag Series” which symbolize, document and prophesied his journey from a struggling artist to one of prominence. In the early 80’s he began works that recall his Afro-Caribbean roots, specifically the rituals of African Spirituality and Christianity, since the Middle Passage. In this body of work, there is a heavy emphasis on the roles and power of woman, especially in the realms of music, dance and magic. Hoyes has participated in numerous solo exhibitions here and abroad. He has created murals in the inner city of Los Angeles, Ca. He has curated exhibitions and held a position on the board at the Museum of African American in Los Angeles. Won awards of Excellence for his famous “Revival Series,” nationally and internationally. His works have been featured in numerous television and film productions, and collected internationally. His recognition and affirmation of traditional African religion and spirituality continues to find universal appeal, stunning audiences worldwide as evidenced by his "2009 Fall Tour - Europe." Oprah Winfrey, Natalie Cole, Steve Harvey, Keenan Ivory Wayans and the National Urban League are among his collectors. President Barack Obama has even been photographed in front of his work. His craft has been fêted internationally in galleries around the world. In 1997 he mounted a, 25-year Review at the Museum of African American Art and the Los Angeles Watts Towers Exhibition Center. Founded Caribbean Arts, Inc. in 1982 to publish and distribute his Fine Art prints. Still acting on the creative impulse, he has a Sculpture garden in progress on a 3 acre Mesa in Desert Hot Springs, Ca. Hoyes has developed a non-toxic etching process using an Electrolyte process and have pulled a collection of etchings since 1996. In the summer of 2006 he introduced Kensington Press Revival to the Arts community in Kingston, Jamaica. An Atelier for Printmaking, that shares Electrolyte etching with local artist. Hoyes held a 25 review of the Revival Series entitled ”Lamentation and Celebrations” at the Loves Jazz and Art Center in Omaha, NE. in 2007. His sojourn to China to live and work with Stonemasons to create the Blue Fin Tuna Commission is well documented. In 2009, he completed a three City Exhibition Tour of Europe that included an Artist residency in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Most recently Hoyes' work was on display as part of the "Places of Validation, Art & Progression" exhibit organized by the California African American Museum as part of the Getty initiative "Pacific Standard Time: Art in LA 1945-1980" exhibitions; and he is featured in Lyn Kienholz's coffee table New Art Encyclopedia pictorial, "L.A. Rising: SoCal Artist before 1980" also supported by the Getty Foundation. In 2012, “Se7en Paintings, a Story in Performance”, was Staged. Choreographed dance, music, theatre Video and Visual Arts each riffing on the other, weave together a tale rooted in Jamaica’s spiritual traditions. Seven of Hoyes Iconic Paintings came to life on the Ford Theatre Stage in Los Angeles."Seven Paintings" is sure to elevate, inspire and revolutionize the way we view art in the future. And to experience the work of Bernard Hoyes' beyond seven paintings, go to http:// www.BernardHoyes.com.
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Syncona Mesa

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Far off from my next neighbour Syncona Mesa
Springtime at Syncona Coo Doves in a Family way.

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This is my sanctuary for  the past twenty years.  Produced tons of Art, in all media, that went out into the world. Made a mark and made a living.  Now it a residence. There is a difference. Before I would seek solace and find my depth. I would get in touch with the Vortex that originate and radiate from this Table. Its always there, place settings for however many people present. I was the  sole guest for many stellar events. My tentacles ever reaching, to possess the spirits that avail themselves. Now I am in permanent observation. A turbulent flow in the absence of external forces.  Exposed, I am.  How will I respond to this pressure?

For one thing, its distracting as hell. There is always something. Every day is capitol. My first day on the Mesa was in the middle of Summer. The temperature was 120 degrees but felt welcoming. The creosotes blossoms were popping, filling the air with this resinous fumes. Its miasma took my breath away. As I gaged almost passing out, my thought was, I am too weak to live in this shit. But, the challenge to live in it was alluring. The seasons are distinct as the east and the west. Its climate is Caribbean and its Araby. The  winds are the nemesis and must be respected.  I have been close to ruination often.

Then there is the the arid land that hold all the minerals from the ground water. Great for bathing, but too unsafe for drinking regularly. But I find myself downing a glass ever so often to enrich my system. Certain plants cannot thrive in this environ. Oleanders, Palms, Eucalyptus and Evergreens flourish.

The wild life is ever present. Over the years I allowed them to have  sanctuary. A leaking sprinkler on the north side that I let drip, eventually formed a pond. With the high position of the mesa it attract Birds of passage. Roadrunners, owls, quails, Coo Doves, varieties of finches and sparrows. Lately the Crows are ever present. Late Spring the Falcons and Hawks appear to thin the population.

Cayotes, Bobcats, Wild dogs, Packrats and other Rats make their eventful appearances. Snakes, scorpions, Vinegarones, spiders, wasps and Bees are constantly invading the space. Once my dog  Tyson, let in a snake. I think he was spellbound by it. My son Berhane has a second sense with Scorpions and Vinegarones. He would sense them in the house and find them. The latter are like Scorpions without the tail with stinger. They do bite hot, and for a day or so, my spit had the taste of vinegar.

Then the season of the Bees. Discovering that they had set up living in the siding of the house. Waking up to what I though was an overcast turned out to be a swarm, blocking the morning Sun. Then the frightening thing, they zoomed in and pitched on the side of the house. I ran outside to see the spectacle.

They had cover the whole side of the house. The middle where a knot hole is located in the cedar siding, they converged into it like a whirlpool. In minutes they disappeared inside. Thousands of bees were now occupying  a cavity of the house.

The siding had to be removed. The queens found and two Honey combs removed. The Honey combs were the size of a extra large pizza, about a inch and a half thick, filled with delicious creosote tasting honey.

One of the most devastating ruin was from the water. The source, a Well only 90 feet down. Its totally live. All the minerals and diverse properties, being pumped out the ground at 98 degrees.

The other was a wind storm.  The winds up here, on average is 10 to 20 miles a hour. Being on a Mesa in direct path to the San Gorgonio Pass. That where the San Jacinto and San Gorgiono Mountains meet. That Pass accelerate the winds into a vortex aimed at the Mesa I call Syncona.

The saga of the Water ruin, I will tackle on another musing. Also the Wind storms, they have made two special visits over the years.  They will need their own rumination.

The year that it Hailed and Snowed was remarkable. I experienced a total contentment of being  truly Blessed. The mystical implications in regards to my work at the time, wasn’t explored and I should have. But, I was working on a show at the time. The event served as a sign that I was flourishing, on the right track. See, there was doubt. There was a lingering fear at that time.

That was the show that was visited by three Yuroba Priestesses.   Orishas from countries in the Caribbean. They were attending a convention in Maimi Beach, Florida, of  Yuroba Priestess from  the Diaspora. The visit was especially because of the works I am doing with the Revival Series.  A Symbolic communication was implied with this visitation. They were sent by the ancestor Eshu. To inform me of an entity that was in my surroundings that was not meant for me. So they told me, after doing a huddle to confirm whether or not they should clue me in. This too,  will have to take another musing to tell the whole story.  Actually, its a Saga that spanned over ten years.

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By the River, can’t get a drink.

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In my early life, I was a struggling Artist.? At every turn I was unable to get any recognition or reward for my work. I was at the River banks of the money flow and couldn't get wet. Get the drift ?
In my early life, my Art Degree was a disappointment. I was a struggling Artist. At every turn I was unable to utilize all the skills and knowledge gained. Proving myself was was more about how I looked and who was recommending me. A Stranger on the scene, on the make with very limited social skills. Chip on my shoulder with over the top confidence got in the way often.
My ambitions was weighing me down because it was not happening fast enough. My belief then, if I was going to be an Artist, I have to get busy being one, now. I have to get busy producing Art, now.
After committing two years of sequestering myself to painting. The self imposed demand that my works earn me a living was the next hurdle. To get any rewards or recognition for my work I had to face my dilemma. Overcoming being an introvert. I was living in the Golden State, where I wanted to be. Came here after high school seeking a new frontier. All the resources at my disposal.
I was at the River banks of the money flow,  couldnt get a cup, to get a scoop. Couldnt even get wet. Get the drift? I Love the metaphor of the River of Money. My Dad used it to give me a life lesson on getting hold of money. I was already grown at fifteen and full of myself, didn’t get it. My concern with possessing money was already eroded, because of the lack of it in my Mother’s world, as a boy. I loss the taste for it. I was already transformed into the idealist, the activist, having found Art.

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