Caribbean Pirate by George Patience
George Patience was a naive painter working out his shed in The Ferry, Little Exuma, Bahamas. I was a visitor in The Ferry making a documentary movie on boat builder and natural marine scientist Clarence Fitzgerald. I boarded on the couch of George and Gloria's tiny bungalow for 6 months in 1969. George painted using acrylic colors.
Even in those days, The Ferry had a very narrow bridge that serviced this tiny community at the Northwest end of Little Exuma island. Zoom into the map and notice the few dwellings at the cut between the islands, about 1/3rd of the way from Forbes Hill, Great Exuma to William's Town, Little Exuma.
4 comments:
Hi Steve,
It was wonderful finding this painting on your blog by George. I can remember as a child seeing George in khaki trousers, bare-backed and tanned with his paint brushes and canvases.
I'm actually Gloria's granddaughter. My mum is Gloria's oldest child. I moved to England about 20 years ago and it was a bit of a shock to hear of my grandmothers death as when I last saw her she was as gregarious and larger than life as ever. She was 1 of those people that I thought would live forever. I started researching my family tree when she died. Is there anyway of seeing your documentary about Clarence and are there any stories you can remember about the family?
As a child, I didn't realise what an interesting family I was a part of. I didn't know a great deal of them very well and now as I've gotten I'm very interested in knowing more about them.
It would be really nice to hear from you.
Kind Regards
Nancy
Hi Nancy,
George and Gloria were wonderful folk and I have stories to share. At this moment I am in my studio working in a way similar to how George worked, but in my case creating "art" for the cellphone screen. Look for "aZza" to soon appear on the Orange OUK Store site. I've got to get back to my code now but please stay in touch and keep nudging me like a tough oyster to get my several peculiar stories on George and Gloria, and Clarence "Clary", and rest of the family. Is your mum the beautiful young woman I met at Gloria's, who I rediscovered several years ago (20+) running the hotel in Georgetown.
Best,
Steve [dot] Bull [at] gmail.com
Hi Steve,
I'd like to communicate with you regarding the work you did at The Ferry during the 60's. I was there at that time and remember you taking a lot of photographs. I look forward to hearing from you.
Lewis Fitz-Gerald
I grew up in Exuma, well at least my summer and Christmas vacations, and I can still hear George with his heavy Scottish accent talking to Gloria. Gloria had the very heavy strong Bahamian accent and there was always a story. Gloria was much more extraverted than her sister Wilma and I can still viviedly remember the stories of "Long William". He was the ghost of a slave driver who was buried in the spot that Gloria and Wilma's father built his house. Long William then haunted the Ferry and the Fitzgeralds.
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