Presenting “Art Lessons with Dunstan St Omer”—elementary painting tutorials for the general public for the first time on Television presented on NTN and coming soon to a popular local TV station. It features art instruction by world renowned Saint Lucian, muralist and master painter, National Cultural Hero, Sir Dunstan St Omer.
The program offers a unique opportunity for adults and children to learn precious tips from a living master, to experiment, to be creative, and to unleash one’s own hidden potential and to become exposed to St Lucia’s artistic and cultural heritage in a novel and exciting learning experience.
Created by Alwyn and Marcella St Omer, the program is produced by the St Omer Art Institute and the St Lucia Social Development Fund (SSDF). Video Production and direction was done by Hilary and Lisa Dublin of Eagle vision/Shine Studios.
The content would be elementary painting starting with simple subjects/themes as painting, sky, sea, hills and houses in an introduction to composition and harmony. The programmes would be repeated to encourage practice at home and to ensure that they are seen and understood by as broad a cross section of the community as possible. Exercises will be done in all painting mediums including watercolour, Acrylic and oils. After six months of programming viewers will be invited to bring in their work for review on the program. Sir Dunstan would then critique the work and give tips as to how to improve one’s painting techniques. After the public has been painting for awhile, the more difficult and technical instruction in perspective and drawing and shading will be taught. Art stimulates creative thinking and additionally, according to Dr Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligence, the psychologist states that generally, most people “speak”/have eight intelligences. However, schools traditionally test, reinforce or reward only two of them–verbal/linguistic and logical/ mathematical. The arts offer children an opportunity to nurture and strengthen their six other intelligences, which Gardner identifies as visual/spatial, bodily/kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, Intrapersonal and naturalist.
It is hoped that with the program can be sustained with support from the private sector and related Ministries. Art Lessons with Dunstan St. Omer” will also incorporate instruction/direction in marketing of art and craft locally and internationally towards developing/nurturing creative/cultural industries.
As noted by the UN 2010 report, the creative economy sectors can contribute a lot to growth and prosperity, especially to countries like Saint Lucia seeking to diversify its economy and build resilience to future economic crises.”
The program will first be aired on NTN, Tuesdays at 8:30pm, and later, broadcast on a popular local TV station.
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