Travell Blackman was admitted to the E R Burrowes School of Art in 2001, as the youngest student due to the excellent portfolio he was able to present to the interview panel, since the age for admission to Burrowes was 18 years at that time. This ambition, displayed at a young age, has been constantly showcased in Blackman’s art.
Blackman was a major in Painting and minor in Textiles at Burrowes. He graduated from the art institution in 2004, copping the awards for Best Student in Painting and Best Graduating Student.
After graduation, Blackman started teaching at President’s College in the Visual Arts department from 2004 to 2006. He also taught Drawing for the Modular Programme at Burrowes in 2006 and taught Visual Arts at ISA Islamic School for six months in 2007.
From 2002 to present, Blackman has participated in several drawing and watercolour competitions held by Castellani House, winning several awards. In 2002, he won the only prize in the 16 to 18 years old category with his piece “Active”. In 2004, at the Fifth Biennial National Drawing competition, he won the silver medal for “Holly”. In 2005, at the 4th Castellani House National Watercolour Competition, he won gold medal for his piece “In the Midst of Life”. Other noted works include “Midday at the Market”, among others. He has taken part in exhibitions both at Burrowes and at Castellani House.
Since early 2008, Blackman has been the Creative Director and layout artist for the Guyana Shopping Guide. Later that year, a collection of his work was on exhibition at Castellani House under the title, The Colour of Truth.
In addition to being an artist, Blackman is an application/web developer, and graphics designer.
In 2014, he graduated from the University of Guyana with a degree in Computer Science.
“So I am still in the realm of creativity, since fine art is about creating something tangible while computer science is about creating something intangible. And my experience in fine arts has proven to be an invaluable asset in my computer science projects,” the artist said in an interview with Guyana Times Sunday Magazine.
The artist admires the work of surrealist painters Salvador Dali and Max Ernst, as well as Vermeer and others of Dali and Ernst period. Strong influences in his life have been his supportive family and his former painting and drawing tutor and mentor, the late Chekama Skeete.
