D A Y D R E A M S by Sonya M. Albury

Native to the Bahamas, I grew up on a small island surrounded by the beauty of God's creations on land and sea. Animals and plant life have always caught my eye and I have always appreciated them. Growing up, I started to take an interest in things that were not of this world but only in the imagination. A growing desire to try my own hand at duplicating this variety of subjects became apparent when a foreign teacher (that just happened to be an artist on the side as well), Miss Mary Kay Westhoven, came to teach in my little two-room schoolhouse. Thanks to her, I began developing my "skills" and she planted a seed in me that slowly continued to grow a long time after I finished school. With a few exceptions, I am a self-taught "artist". My family has always worked with their hands.Both my grandfathers were boatbuilders and my paternal grandfather, Emerson Albury, in his latter years, began making model boats and furniture from a variety of wood. This craft he passed on to my father, Andy Albury, who is now a master woodcraftsman (but he's too humble to admit it). My maternal grandmother, Sally Sweeting, has been a seamstress for longer than I can remember and was one of the first people to carry Androsia fabric in Abaco. She makes a variety of clothing for her boutique, as well as cushion covers made to order from the Androsia. In my youth, I began working for her week-days after school. She passed on some of her knowledge of sewing. Many summer days in a boutique can become boring, so I began painting tropical scenes on T-shirts to sell to the tourists. After a few years I came to work in Marsh Harbour at a sign making company, thinking that I could have an outlet for some creativity. During my time there I met an artist, Kimberly Roberts, and eventually went to work for her at her craft shop, Bahama Dawn Designs. At her craft shop, she continues to create her silk paintings and various sewing crafts. Here, I was able to learn more about sewing anything from pillows to bags to potholders and a renewed interest in Abaco's art world was springing up. Through her, I was encouraged to participate in various local art-shows. Although I don't still work for Kim, we are still friends and participate in shows along-side eachother. I have even gotten my father to branch out from "the shed" and show his craft all over the Bahamas. To say the least, I have had an abundance of help both spiritually and artistically from all the people mentioned here and with the encouragement of my family members & friends. I have always liked to work with pencil, charcoal, and acrylic but I am now experimenting with new mediums such as the soft pastels and trying out some mixed mediums. It is my hope and dream to become a better artist as the years progress. I vow to always keep an open mind to new techniques. One can never come to the end of a craft and know it all, there are always new and exciting avenues to explore.