Kenneth Abendana Spencer
Encyclopedia
Kenneth Abendana Spencer (born Kenneth Abandamo) (April 13, 1929 - December 28, 2005) was a Jamaica
n artist.
. In the 1950s he traveled to the UK but did not take the opportunity to attend Art School
. Instead, he continued to sell his works, eventually buying a car, which became both his gallery and means of transport. He became an habitué and favourite of the basement clubs and jazz bars of Soho
. His artistic education, such as it was, consisted of frequent visits to museums and art galleries
where he picked up his technique. On returning to Jamaica
in 1986, he started building a large house in Fisherman's Park, Long Bay, Portland. Six stories high with circular staircases and a vast studio, it was half castle and half temple, surrounded by a high wall. Here he settled with his common-law wife and two sons. It remains a tourist attraction
. From there he continued to paint figurative
canvasses - seascapes, landscapes, vignettes of Jamaican life and, from the 1970s, individual character sketches. He died on December 28, 2005, aged 76.
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n artist.
Biography
Spencer had talent as a painter of scenes of Jamaican life which, as a boy, he would sell for pocket-money in the capital of KingstonKingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
. In the 1950s he traveled to the UK but did not take the opportunity to attend Art School
Art school
Art school is a general term for any educational institution with a primary focus on the visual arts, especially illustration, painting, photography, sculpture, and graphic design. The term applies to institutions with elementary, secondary, post-secondary or undergraduate, or graduate or...
. Instead, he continued to sell his works, eventually buying a car, which became both his gallery and means of transport. He became an habitué and favourite of the basement clubs and jazz bars of Soho
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable...
. His artistic education, such as it was, consisted of frequent visits to museums and art galleries
Art gallery
An art gallery or art museum is a building or space for the exhibition of art, usually visual art.Museums can be public or private, but what distinguishes a museum is the ownership of a collection...
where he picked up his technique. On returning to Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
in 1986, he started building a large house in Fisherman's Park, Long Bay, Portland. Six stories high with circular staircases and a vast studio, it was half castle and half temple, surrounded by a high wall. Here he settled with his common-law wife and two sons. It remains a tourist attraction
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
. From there he continued to paint figurative
Figurative art
Figurative art, sometimes written as figurativism, describes artwork—particularly paintings and sculptures—which are clearly derived from real object sources, and are therefore by definition representational.-Definition:...
canvasses - seascapes, landscapes, vignettes of Jamaican life and, from the 1970s, individual character sketches. He died on December 28, 2005, aged 76.