By Lakhram Bhagirat
For 17-year-old Vimaldat ‘Chris’ Bissessar, art means expressing every emotion coursing through his body via his paint brushes, pens and pencils. Art gives him the opportunity to “create magic”.
Chris, as he prefers to be called, was born on May 6, 2000 and is an only child. He attended the West Demerara Secondary School, where he recently wrote CSEC.
“Growing up I was always an artistic child, constantly doodling on my text books. Teachers from primary school and my parents were always enthusiastic and very encouraging of the scribbles I gave them,” Chris recalled in an interview with Sunday Times Magazine.
Although his passion for art started from childhood, Chris explained he became even more enthused when he stumbled upon a watercolour ‘speed painting’ video on YouTube.
“I bothered my father to take me shopping for art supplies. I bought everything that I needed and instantly went home and slowly started painting. I remember being very pleased with my first painting. After that, I progressed and would use my savings and allowances to buy more brushes, paper and books on how to paint – which mostly helped – but my greatest teacher was the internet,” Chris recollected.
Additionally, the artist stated that his inspiration came from American painters, Bob Ross and Lena Danya. Inspired, Chris started with watercolour painting. He also wholly enjoyed the “simplicity” exhibited by French YouTuber called Tillth.
“I was inspired to pursue art because of its dying culture; this amazing and beautiful practice needs to be kept alive and practiced more frequently. Due to the greater development of technology, there is not much need for actual paintings. I feel that there is just a timeless beauty in art that needs to be preserved. It is a skill that should be encouraged in schools because it presents a way for individuals to express themselves, on canvas,” expressed Chris.
After becoming comfortable with watercolour, the artist then progressed on to oil paintings – a transition that many warned was the “hardest form of painting”. But Chris was up for the challenge; he saved his allowances and bought the necessary materials required to venture into oil painting. Looking back, Chris said he has no regrets and enjoys every second of oil painting.
The young artist pointed out that the art industry in Guyana is suffering. He believes that it is an area “no one sees as important”, but hopes this situation changes when he decides to officially launch an art career.
“I find some artists in Guyana only focus on real shots and references; there are no additions to make that painting more photogenic or whimsical, which is more my style. Art in Guyana is quite underdeveloped in my perspective. There are talented individuals, but there are very limited avenues of showcasing their skill or display their work,” Chris noted.
Apart from painting, Chris enjoys photography. Both the painting and photography processes push him to always produce his best.
“I aim for something to be beautiful with a photogenic attribute. My pieces are contrasted and heavily saturated, but they always vary. I find myself using cool colours, the majority of the time. At the moment, I’m hooked on oil painting, so who knows what other art form I shall explore later on,” he declared.
Though Chris’ artworks have never been on display, he aims to cement his place among veteran artists in the local art industry. Therefore, it is safe to say that we can expect to see Chris’ work being displayed in the near future.
You can connect with the artist at Chris Bissessar on Facebook or on Instagram.
