Caymanian Cottage
As its name suggests, this watercolour features the well-known ‘Old Homestead’ in West Bay, a prime example of Cayman’s traditional architecture. An increasingly rare sight in contemporary Cayman, such cottages have now become nostalgic symbols of a simpler time in our Islands’ history. With several layers of rich greens making up the thick tropical foliage enveloping the house, contrasted by thinner applications of paint in the foregrounding flowering shrubbery, Caymanian Cottage showcases Wood’s technical mastery, keen use of colour and fascination with light.
About the Artist
Betty Wood
Born in New Orleans, USA, Betty Wood began to paint the Caymanian landscape in 1979, and was particularly active in the 1980s alongside fellow artists associated with the newly formed Visual Arts Society. Her passion for the arts began during early education and continued through her studies at the Newcomb College Art School/Tulane University, taking her to Yokohama, Japan, where she studied Sumi-e and Ikebana, and later at the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts.