FORT LAUDERDALE — According to his wife Pat, people would ask the Jamaican artist who goes by the name Elgo how he comes up with the ideas for his paintings.
In response, she said, she put together an exhibition of his works that illustrates his life’s journey and provides some hints on how he comes up with his concepts.
The Dreamscapes exhibition is on show through July at the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center.
Errol “Elgo” Lewis, 61, who has been painting all his life, was born in Jamaica and attended school in England and came to the U.S. to visit his mother. He and his wife then traveled to Ghana, West Africa, for almost a year, before he returned to Jamaica.
“That is his life’s journey,” Pat said. “All the people he has met along the way, all the experiences he had and all these places — you will see them come out in one of the paintings or in what he writes. If he has met you once, maybe two weeks later, a month later, a year later, you might see yourself in one of those paintings.”
Although his paintings are on show at the Fort Lauderdale-based center, Elgo is in Jamaica, where he runs an art gallery in Montego Bay, trying to elevate Jamaican art and Jamaican artists and give them international exposure.
He is president of The Western Jamaica Society of Fine Arts.
“His life goal is to make sure a Jamaican artist gets $1 million in his lifetime for a collection of artwork,” Pat said.
Elgo is a favorite with the Jamaica Tourist Board and has exhibited with the agency on several occasions in Miami. He was commissioned by the board to create sculpture and paintings for visiting dignitaries.
Also, he has illustrated several book jackets, given lectures and held exhibitions around the world.
In 2009, his exhibition at the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center drew hundreds of viewers and critical praise. The center is located at 2650 Sistrunk Blvd. For more information, call
954-625-2810
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