Latoya Grindley, Features Writer
Lloyd - Photos by Norman Grindley/Deputy Chief Photographer
"You will be surprised to know that I am from Kintyre in Papine, St. Andrew," said a proud 17-year-old Owen Lloyd in response to a question about his background. A past student of Tarrant High School in St. Andrew, Owen is this year's recipient of the regional top performer award for the best three-dimensional visual arts piece in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exams.
"No one expects people in inner cities to push forward and to strive to get a good education. Because of this, I am very proud of my accomplishments, and I am even driven to prove people wrong. I want to prove that good can come out of communities like mine."
Owen explained that he had a passion for art ever since he started drawing while at primary school, and honed his talent when he entered high school. Since then, he has decided to pursue a career in the visual arts.
With guidance from his mother, Owen concentrated more on drawing while balancing other subjects.
"It was just pure drawing and my mother used to tell me to cut back on the drawing and focus on other subjects too. I did just that and went to ninth grade being a top student and it never changed," he said.
The budding artist's winning piece is entitled 'The Crossing'. According to him, the painting is open to different interpretations.
"I wanted when someone looks at it, they could relate. I mean, there are so many crossings out there. For instance, there are political crossings right here in Jamaica between the two parties. There are many others out there. My concept was designed with a bridge, having ghettos on both sides of it and for more creativity I used a dog to walk on the bridge instead of an old man which was my original idea."
Hard work and experience
Owen Lloyd hard at work.
Owen noted that he used direct and indirect experiences to craft his piece and a lot of hard work had to be invested in this project.
With his enthusiasm, it seemed as if he knew he had a good chance of getting the award. But Owen said he was extremely surprised.
"When I got the call, I was, in fact, drawing, and when I heard, I was wondering if it was true or not and then I rushed to my mother to tell her. I just never expected it. I mean, I knew I was the best in my class, but still, I thought there were others better than me out there. I am just so overwhelmed with excitement."
Growing up in humble circumstances, Owen credits his mother for his success.
"I can say I never had to worry about getting to school, no matter what the situation was, I can't say I stopped from school and I am happy to make my mom proud," he said.
Notwithstanding this, living in a community like Kintyre which is occasionally plagued by violence, Owen said there were times he felt vulnerable.
"Violence did affect me somewhat. Some mornings when I was going to school, I would wonder if anything would happen to me, like I would get caught in some crossfire. Sometimes you don't have to do anything. I even think about some of the things that can happen when I am home. But I am a fighter. God controls what He wants to happen, so what is to be must be," he said.
Also basking in the success is Owen's mother, Sharon Rowe, who stood by her son's side even during the interview.
She believes his talent is genetic, as she also did visual arts in school and loved it. But Rowe is glad her son got the opportunity for self-actualisation she did not get. She said she is very proud that her only child is doing so well.
"I am 100 per cent behind him as well as his family. What makes me even more proud is that out of all his cousins, he is the only one to have accomplished so much. All his cousins are looking up to him now and taking him for a role model," she added.
Albert Corcho, principal of Tarrant High, said he was ecstatic. This accomplishment, he said, came as no surprise.
"He is one of those diligent, hard-working and quiet boys. Nobody is really surprised at the school because he worked very hard," said Corcho of Owen.
"This just shows that it doesn't matter where you are from, you can achieve. Since the announcement, more students are beginning to realise they can succeed."
Great achievement
He continued: "I wanted a student to get even a local award, but the fact that Owen got a regional award shows that something good is happening at the school. I want the public to understand that nothing is wrong with non-traditional high schools. If given the resources and help, they can get the best results."
Owen says he is looking forward to meeting the administrators of the Caribbean Examinations Council when he arrives in St. Lucia to accept his award in December. Come next year, he will commence his studies at the Edna Manley College of Visual and Performing Arts. He deferred studies for a year in order to sit additional CXC subjects. He will be pursuing a degree in painting.
latoya.grindley@gleanerjm.com
