American born artist Tracey Greene Douglas is using the beauty of painting to inspire and empower children in the rural areas of Guyana.
Douglas believes in the power of painting. “When you pick up a brush, whatever fear or anxiety you are feeling, you address it when you paint,” she said.
“This is the same way children are inspired. There is an immediate joy when they paint,” said the multi-talented artist who sells her artwork online to supply the children with tools to paint.
Her pieces include prints on paper, canvas totes, pillowcases, cell-phone covers, duvets and tee shirts. The items are sold on the website www.redbubble.com under the heading Goddesstria images.
All of the proceeds go towards the purchase of art supplies to support the “Let’s Paint Guyana” project for children of all ages.
Douglas who uses a nontraditional concept to motivate the children and allow them to freely express themselves on canvas, has a deep spiritual belief that painting instantly brings the soul present for peace of mind and creative stimulation.
The ongoing artwork project that may possibly one day produce masterpieces, or the next Van Gogh, will in the future give the youngsters an opportunity to see their work on display at an art show, said Douglas whose tie-dye designs have garnered loud applause on many fashion runways.
A naturalized Guyanese who immigrated to the South American country with her Guyanese-born husband Warren more than 10 years ago, owners of Pandama Retreat and Winery, Tracey uses the tranquil backdrop of Madewini on the Linden Soesdyke Highway to let her creative juices flow, while sharing her skills with youth.
“The idea is just to show up and paint. Be free, we don’t have to be limited when we paint,” added Douglas who will help teachers to take the art form to the classroom.
Her program has also helped AIDS patients in a ‘connecting art’ with healing initiative.
From the moment she arrived in Guyana, Tracey connected deeply with citizens. The youth arm of the Rotary Club as well as NGOs where she has trained more than 60 children in the basics of paining, tie dying and drawing, is just an example of her commitment to the youth.
She runs “Camp Glow,” a girl’s empowerment program in the serene black water region of Madewini where she has hosted members of the Unites States Youth Corp and campers from around the world.
A successful businesswoman, Douglas, recently returned from United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland were she was nominated among nine other women from around the world for the Empretec Women in Business Awards (E-WBA), which is granted every two years to exceptional women entrepreneurs.
These women have overcome obstacles and persevered to establish and grow successful companies. They share a contagious passion for their work and are using their role to give back to their communities. Douglas represented Guyana at the Oct. 15 ceremony.
