By Dr. Leanne Haynes

‘I recognize myself and my art, as something in the process of becoming. It’s impossible to speak definitively of what I’m doing, or where I am as an artist, because I really am not sure at all. I am just letting my sense of wonder, my infatuation with all small, half-broken things lead me’.

These are the words of Danielle Boodoo-Fortuné, a visual artist and poet from Trinidad and Tobago. Whilst carrying out some research for this article, I was surprised to discover that Boodoo-Fortuné only started drawing in 2011. Her work has been exhibited at Trinidad and Tobago’s Erotic Art week 2011, featured in St. Somewhere Journal, Anansesem: the Caribbean Children’s ezine, and is forthcoming in the WomanSpeak Journal, 2012. Boodoo-Fortuné’s illustrations exhibit a creative confidence, exude a passion for subject and develop a narrative that keeps on evolving, well after the observer has observed. For her, art is as necessary as breathing, communicating in the most powerful and intimate of ways.

Boodoo-Fortuné’s illustrations are a visual feast, some of which incorporate vibrant imposing colours such as Caribbean blues, hot-reds and deep oranges. She uses a variety of materials including pen and paint. Most of her illustrations depict female figures, strong women, returning the gaze of the observer.  See, for example, Birdladies (below). This drawing features two women, positioned side by side. The first figure transfixes a stare from the corner of her eye whilst the other appears much more fluid in her movements, looking over her naked shoulder, defiant. When asked if she consciously chooses to bring to the fore confident female figures, Boodoo-Fortuné simply replied ‘Oh yes’, adding ‘I love a quietly defiant gaze.’ Both the females in Birdladies are surrounded by flora and have a bird on one should, adding to its symmetry and creating an unspoken connection between the two figures.

Danielle Boodoo Fortuné's 'Birdladies'

Birds are a favourite motif in Boodoo-Fortuné’s illustrations: Blackbird Joy (below) and Blackbird Sorrow are prime examples. Boodoo-Fortuné cleverly creates a narrative between drawings and as the titles suggest, the former reflects a moment of joy, the latter a moment of sorrow. In each case, the Blackbirds accentuate the emotional state of the figure: in Blackbird Joy, one Blackbird sings while the other looks at the female, giving the impression of an understanding between human and animal.

Danielle Boodoo Fortuné's 'Blackbird Joy'

On the contrary, Blackbird Sorrow (below) is much darker, with three Blackbirds sitting on the woman’s back. She appears restricted by the gown that only partially covers her naked body. The Blackbirds do not return the gaze of the female but instead meet the eyes the viewer, grabbing your attention, drawing you in to its narrative, bridging the gap between the observer and the observed. Birds play an important part in Boodoo-Fortuné’s personal life; she has been feeding and fostering them for many years. She adds: ‘The symbol of the half-wild bird has now become bound up in how I imagine myself as poet, artist and woman.’ She is currently exploring these ideas in a new watercolour-and-ink series.

Danielle Boodoo Fortuné's 'Blackbird Sorrow'

Boodoo-Fortuné is exceptionally skilful at pictorially reflecting human emotion. See, for example, A Strange Thing Happened on the Way Home (below). This is a pencil image with no strong flashes of colour like we have seen with Boodoo-Fortuné’s other illustrations, which demonstrates her ability to work effectively with the very basic of materials. In this drawing, a female figure stares out onto a ghostly scene. Boodoo-Fortuné captures the confusion in the woman’s face and this is further emphasised in her posture: we see the muscles in her neck tensed, her hand braced, thighs clenched together.  The woman’s stare directs us to the ghostly faces, suspended behind the window. Boodoo-Fortuné successfully conjures up a sense of unease and her use of black and white accentuates the human response.

Danielle Boodoo Fortuné - 'A strange thing happened on the way home'

One of my favourite illustrations by Boodoo-Fortuné, mainly because of its sentiment, is a wall mural called Hope is a Thing That Grows (below). This mural is on a classroom wall and appears in Anansesem: the Caribbean Children’s Ezine (September 2011). In this eye catching painting, a figure stands by a vibrant blue tree, picking orange orbs, symbolic representations of hope. Anchored in the background is a cityscape: skyscrapers and business blocks follow the topography of the land and significantly hardly any greenery can be seen. The foreground is dominated by the natural tree of hope, with its luscious bold fruits reaching out to all corners of the page, offsetting the imposing growth of development. For the artist, the mural plays with the ‘ideas of childhood and wonder, as well as the encroaching presence of development.’ Although Boodoo-Fortuné does capture an element of childhood, she also tackles the serious problem of urbanisation. She is not afraid to use the visual medium as an effective tool to explore serious issues like development (of particular relevance in the Caribbean), whilst delivering a powerful message of hope.

Danielle Boodoo Fortuné's - Hope is a thing that grows

Danielle Boodoo-Fortuné’s work featured in Bim: Arts for the 21^st Century, The Caribbean Writer, tongues of the ocean, Anthurium: A Caribbean Studies Journal, Poui: Cave Hill Journal of Creative Writing, Womenwriters.net, St. Somewhere Journal, Breadcrumb Scabs magazine and Small Axe Literary Salon. In 2010, Danielle was awarded the Charlotte and Isidor Paiewonsky Prize for first time publication by the Caribbean Writer’s editorial board, and in 2010 she was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She was shortlisted for the Small Axe Poetry Prize in 2009 and 2011. Danielle was a participant in the 2010 Cropper Foundation Caribbean Writers’ Residential Workshop. Examples of her work can be found at: http://danielleboodoofortune.blogspot.com/