By Tamara Bailey From The Jamaica Gleaner

MANDEVILLE, Manchester: Twenty-one-year-old Akinita Thomas, a final year arts and business major student of Northern Caribbean University, Manchester has travelled from the Cayman Islands to pursue her dreams.

Born in England and raised in Cayman, Thomas’ love for art evolved as she watched her uncle in his element as an artist.

“As a little girl, art has always been my thing and I think it started out from when I saw my uncle, he did his painting and I was like wow, I like to be like him and from there I just always had this passion for art and from high school I was already good in the complete aspect. I did a little side job where I did graphic designing, I brought markers and papers and anybody who wanted their names done in graffiti, I draw it for them and they would just pay me two dollars or three dollars,” Thomas told Rural Xpress.

When she got the opportunity to pursue her dreams and secure a degree in her beloved field, there was no hesitation.

“When I made that first mark and that first sculpture, it was good … that first, second and third piece showed my strength so that first semester, it meant the world to me. For the second semester, it was the portfolio that put my grade a little bit higher and the teacher said she knew I could do better. I like to think outside the box, but Miss Williams, she helped me and she pushed me so it made my art degree here at NCU the best,” Thomas said with delight.

An all rounder having knowledge in sculpting, graphics, painting, printing and photography, Thomas expressed that she is more interested in graphics and art and craft.

“I find out what I want to do first, I have these little visions and I write them down and I say hey, let me try this one so I look about the materials. I look about background information on the subject to come up with ways of how to make the visions in my head come to reality. I gather those materials and put them together and then assemble them into the project and also assemble the information that I have gathered into the project. Once I get all those in, then I do my hands on job and work on the project, fix it up and build it up. I also ask other people what they think about it, and once I’m finished with all that, I just put on the finishing touches and put it out there so that if anybody wants it, they can get it,” Thomas shared.

Describing herself as diverse and extraordinary, Thomas hopes to establish her own chain of businesses.

“I see myself owning my own personal business in interior design and other businesses on the side doing art & craft, teaching the little kids art and craft showing them how art can be used to help their daily lives how it can be used to express their emotions also continuing art with my grandmothers business that does culinary art. I also want to elaborate on that and bring it outwards,” said Thomas.

Her publicist Tanique Smith told Rural Xpress that this versatile budding artist is bound for success because she is not afraid to push the envelope.

“She has all these wild imaginations of how she can just take a vision and put it out there for everyone to see … she wants to get people to see that art is not a subject, it’s not just a course. Art is something that you can express your emotions through, it shows how you are living, how you see things, how you see people and how you see society and how you can get people to see those things and see within you,” said Smith.

To see more of Thomas’ work you can visit www.facebook//AkinitaThomas or www.facebook.com//StayCoolProductions.

IMAGES:

Titled ‘Star of David’, this piece is made using embroidery thread.

Akinita Thomas’ mixed-media piece titled ‘Tweety Bird’

Budding artist Akinita Thomas

For more on this story go to: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20160310/akinita-thomas-pursues-her-artistic-dream