Master Makushi balata artist George Tancredo has established a reputation as Guyana’s leading balata artist; and typical of his generous nature, he now shares his knowledge and skill with workshops among the indigenous population in southern Guyana, some of whom have developed these talents exceptionally well today.
Balata artist George Tancredo (George Simon blogsite)
Tancredo discovered his creative talents after several forays into the world of apprenticeship and work: leaving school at 16, he trained to be a mechanic, but wasn’t successful; he went to work in the gold pits of the “bush” but that didn’t work out well for him either. He then ventured once again into the “bush” – this time to bleed balata; a job once performed by his father, who taught him all he knew. And George found some measure of success at the task.
Balata derives from a hardwood tree called bullet-wood, also known as latex or rubber trees and is commonly found in the foothills of the Kanuku mountain range of southern Guyana. The village of Nappi, where Tancredo lives and works, is the base from which he and other balata artists make full use of this natural resource. These trees have been tapped or bled for many years; many of the trees bear marks or “scars” showing generations of being bled, and are considered hundreds of years old.
It was during his time as a balata bleeder that Tancredo’s keen eye for observation, which is revealed in the attention to detail in his artworks today, noticed that much of the unsold balata was being wasted.
Briefly rewind to Tancredo’s school years and the arrival of a teacher from the North West District called Patrick Abraham. Abraham was posted to the village of Nappi, where he would see in the village several items made of balata. Trained in modelling beeswax, Abraham set about experimenting with the balata, creating basic forms, the rudiments of which he taught to his students. Tancredo was one of the exceptionally talented pupils in the class.
But it would be about five years after school and after his miscellany of jobs that Tancredo would return to the art he showed so much potential for. Rediscovering the art of balata sculpting, Tancredo at first would sell all the balata he could, and with the remainder he would sculpt figurines of armadillos, which he sold to supplement his income.
From his humble home in the village, George would be surrounded by his tin pot in which he boiled the balata on a small wood fire to make it pliable to work with, and pieces of the balata and the various cutting tools and paints that help create his sought-after pieces.
As his figurine sales increased, so did his repertoire of balata creations of the region’s animals and village life. Eventually his work, once viewed mainly by tourists in the area, became more popular and his name more recognised as it reached Georgetown.
In 2000, an exhibition of Tancredo’s balata sculptures went on display at Castellani House upon donation to the National Collection by businessman Inderjeet Beharry. Entitled, “A dream of my ancestors and my past”, the collection remains on permanent display at the Castellani House “attic room”. It features Tancredo’s balata sculptures of indigenous village life, including a hunting scene, boat building, and cotton weaving. There is also a sculpture of the Kanaima of his indigenous beliefs, and figurines of individuals within his community, such as a warrior.
His work was also on display at Carifesta in Jamaica and in other countries, as well as at Guyfesta here in Guyana. It has sold worldwide as well.
Buoyed by his success, George began a Nappi village group called the Nappi Balata Artisans, and has taught interested persons the art of balata sculpture.
For some, it has become the foundation of their artistic endeavours, as they have begun producing exceptional works of balata art today, and those works have enabled them to provide a relatively steady income for themselves, their families and the village. (Taken from Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)
