< PreviousFEATURES | ART89 INSIDEOUT THE SOUL OF A WOMAN Artist Kaydia Gouldbourne captures the spirit of womanhood in her large acrylic-on-canvas paintings. Left: Beauty in Chaos. FOR ARTIST KAYDIA GOULDBOURNE, THE BEAUTY OF WOMEN is in their body language rather than their faces, and this is the essence she portrays in her work. A former primary school teacher, Kaydia has recently become a professional painter, opening a studio in West Bay. “I like to paint women,” she says, “Most of my paintings are faceless, and different shades of females, because I try to capture women’s body language in my art; I believe that can be felt and read louder than facial expressions. “I also feel that despite our diversity, as women we are united by common qualities such as grace, strength and confidence. True beauty is not the structure of our face but in how we carry ourselves.” Her canvases are large, giving her the space to be creative without feeling restricted, with many of her pieces painted at a point in her life when she felt that art was her only voice. Above: Kaydia Gouldbourne and daughter Abigail. Words: CATHERINE MACGILLIVRAY Images: SCOTT BRUCK IMA GES: SUBMITTED Jo Austin91 INSIDEOUT PURSUING HER PASSION Born to a Caymanian father and Jamaican mother, Kaydia grew up around art. Her elder brother Ricardo Ivey was an artist who not only taught her the skills of painting, but also paid for her to attend a creative jewellery night school course at Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts in Kingston. This further piqued her passion, but at that stage she still thought of art as a hobby and chose to pursue primary teaching, which she considered to be a more stable career. However, the COVID pandemic, which changed so much for so many, was the catalyst for Kaydia to make the switch to focus on her art. “I decided to build my own website and use the solitude that came with COVID to create and teach art classes on Zoom to provide an income,” she says. “TRUE BEAUTY IS NOT THE STRUCTURE OF OUR FACE, BUT IN HOW WE CARRY OURSELVES.” – Kaydia Gouldbourne Above: Grace. Left: Me Time.93 INSIDEOUT TEACHING ART This transition has also allowed her to paint professionally, and home-school her daughter Abigail, while also teaching children’s art classes. “I opened the studio because there is no art studio in my community and I thought it would be a great creative centre for females in particular, as we were in such a depressing time from COVID,” says Kaydia. “I also wanted the flexibility to continue home-schooling my daughter, so I taught her in the morning and operated the studio in the afternoons. Eventually I realised that, if I had art classes, my daughter would be able to interact with other children while I continued to work; it has grown tremendously since then.” Kaydia now holds children’s art classes at her studio on Friday and Saturday afternoons, and teaches art classes at West Bay schools on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. She also instructs her young students about the business side of being an artist and occasionally takes them to Camana Bay to sell their works. Above: Kaydia and her art class students. Left: Self Indulge. Right: At Peace. 94 INSIDEOUT Just Chill.95 INSIDEOUT My Love.96 INSIDEOUT FINDING CONFIDENCE On her own road to artistic success, Kaydia overcame the challenges of self-doubt in finding her painting style, as well as wondering whether she could sustain herself financially. She credits help given by fellow Cayman Islands artist Kay Smith for guiding her, as well as giving gratitude to The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman for allowing her to display work at the hotel’s gallery and sell to local and international clients. Participating in Cayman Art Week in 2022 and 2023 also bolstered Kaydia’s confidence and exposure as an artist, while support from her family has sustained Kaydia throughout her start-up period. Abigail, then aged just 7-years-old, also exhibited fluid art pieces in the 2022 art week, when all her work was purchased, and she now sells at her mother’s KGouldbourne Art Studio, which is located at Ketty’s Plaza on Stadium Drive. Abigail also has work for sale on her mother’s website and has two paintings in a collection in the Cayman Islands Hospital. Kaydia, who sometimes uses mixed media by adding feathers or beads to give texture to her paintings, is thrilled to be working in a creative industry. She also loves teaching art to children and being able to inspire the next generation to show them that art can be a career choice. “It’s my goal in the art field to open two locations on the island and to open the first kids’ gallery that sell kids’ art exclusively,” she says. “As for me personally, I look forward to continue growing and developing as an artist.” More of Kaydia and Abigail’s work can be seen online at kgouldbourneart.com. Kaydia’s studio is open to the public Monday to Friday 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. ■ “MOST OF MY PAINTINGS ARE FACELESS, AND DIFFERENT SHADES OF FEMALES, BECAUSE I TRY TO CAPTURE WOMEN’S BODY LANGUAGE IN MY ART…” – Kaydia Gouldbourne Above left: Boss Lady. Above right: Healing. • Design Services • New Installations – Residential and Commercial • Irrigation installation • Large Tree Transplanting • Water & Pond Features • Outdoor Lighting www.paradise.ky info@paradise.ky (345) 547-1530 #paradisecayman 97 INSIDEOUTNext >