A brand new exhibition opened at Arteccentrix Fine Art Gallery just recently, treating all who attended to a glimpse of the Sweet Life created by Alta and Gordon Solomon. Business Editor Lindsey Turnbull was in attendance and reports.  

Fine Art Gallery just recently, treating all who attended to a glimpse of the Sweet Life created by Alta and Gordon Solomon.

Alta and Gordon Solomon are not only a husband and wife team, they are also working partners, creating some exciting artistic work out of their various collusions that include a CD - Lamb and Lion – as well as art exhibitions that have featured poetry, painting and photography. 

Their latest offering, entitled Sweet Life, is a depiction of Gordon’s paintings and Alta’s photography, both artistic genres intertwining beautifully as they demonstrate the artists’ ability to take a step back from their daily lives and, as Gordon says, “Just smell the roses.” 

A celebration of family life and the innocence and playfulness of youth, the exhibition, which features 14 paintings full of movement that capture the imagination at every turn, was based upon an initial painting that Gordon had produced which he says, was the very opposite of the theme.

“’To be continued’ is a painting I worked on initially which speaks about the absence of family,” he says. “At one stage in my life, just for a moment I felt the sense of losing my family and what it would feel like to be without them.”

Digesting and processing this feeling, Gordon says it helped him appreciate the important people in his life – his wife Alta and their two children, Layish (age 4) and Ari-Mae (age 2).

“Not only that, it drew my attention to the simple things in life, such as love, laughter and play, and the artwork grew out of these sentiments,” he adds.

His exhibition, which features important themes painted in a playful manner with clever three dimensional effects, took just three months to create. “Once I have an idea in mind I don’t tend to have any variations to that initial idea. I just get focused and set to work,” he says.

“Our appreciation for seeing life through the eyes of a child has been rekindled with this exhibition,” Alta confirms. “One photograph, called ‘Queen’s Crown’, for example, is a throw back to my childhood and has poignant memories. The flowers used to cover a hedge that surrounded my parents’ home where I grew up as a child on the Brac. We used to make crowns for ourselves out of the flowers and I did so again last year at Christmas for my own daughter. It’s a simple photograph but it has a great deal of meaning for me.”

Bees are a constant feature in both the paintings, which are all vividly coloured almost fantasy pieces that cannot help but bring a smile to your face as you enjoy them, as well as Alta’s beautiful photography.

“I like to focus on the small details,” Alta says. “It’s important to me to note the small things in life, almost like an act of contemplation.”

Photography has always been a passion for Alta, ever since she had a small camera at high school and busied herself by constantly taking pictures of friends and family. Gordon’s first gift to her was a film camera. “It gave me so much pleasure to continue taking photos again that I eventually upgraded my camera!” she says.

Featuring blossoms and bees, Alta’s work is a delightful addition to Gordon’s lively, spirited artwork.

And to help visitors to the opening night truly appreciate the sweet life, Alta and mum Shirley Mae (with a little help from Gordon) created a delicious array of tempting good old-fashioned sweet treats, including stewed water melon rind (stewed in brown sugar and sweetly divine), coconut drops, duff, plantain tarts, Johnny cake and swanky, made with fresh limes from the garden and lashings of brown sugar.

A sweet life indeed.