ART is LIFE Abrian Rankine
Eleuthera,
A noticeable trend on the island has been the return of young adults and families to Eleuthera, some descendants and others born here who somehow made their way back to continue to build their lives at home. 34 year old, Abrian Rankine, a naturally talented artist, and hardworking entrepreneur with his growing “Weakness fa Sweetness”, Eleuthera based, homemade desserts service, is one of them who returned to enjoy the unique quality of life offered to those who call this island paradise, their own.
In conversation, Abrian shared a bit about his art and his life:
would start with a basic Eleuthera inspired background or scenery. What I do depends on how I feel, and what’s in my head at the time. So it can begin and end as a simple scenery or advance to a full drip piece. My drip technique takes a lot of time and patience.
What is the inspiration for your pieces? All over Eleuthera. I’m very visual. If something catches my eye, that will be in my mind, and I may wake up at 2am in the morning to
How does Eleuthera play into your art? I grew up here, and my best memories, the best times of my life were in Eleuthera, hands down. So just being back home, with that freedom - it helps juices. I don’t have to worry, and there’s no hustle and bustle, so my mind is more open. As simple as going and coming from work. Sceneries, sometimes I would ride the same road all day, every day this week, and then on one day I would see something different - people on the beach, beautiful lighting today that’s different tomorrow. It would catch my attention, and I would go and paint that.
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sketch something, or to start a piece - which drives my girlfriend crazy! Sometimes I would ask someone for a random topic, especially If I have a block, and I’m just not hitting it. Something difficult, to get the juices flowing. Sometimes it’s just how I’m feeling. I would be listening to some ‘Bob’, and would feel some reggae, and I’d just start painting. It’s from all over the place.
How would you describe your style?
I’ve been told by other artists that Eleuthera has a special kind of light, different from other places. Is that something you’ve noted as well?
It’s a modern style compared to some of the other art styles you see around here. I like to experiment, so I dabble with a number of techniques. I
I can tell you right now, two places come to mind. The south side of Savannah Sound, the light changes during the seasons, but if you were to visit there each