Belisle Art Gallery Displays Talents of Rachael Heusner and Son, Dean Martin

Rachael Heusner has been a household name for many years for the many art exhibitions that she has mounted. The celebrated artist spent many of those years in Trinidad where she also honed her skills and produced many pieces depicting natural scenes. Known also as an art teacher, Rachael has put together a collection of historical pieces and, along with her son, Dean Martin, has mounted yet another of her exhibitions where you can also make purchases. The exhibition is part of an effort to revive the Belisle Art Gallery and host displays from other Belizean artists. News Five’s Marion Ali reports.

Marion Ali, Reporting

The wide-ranging pieces of paintings depicting historical parts of Belize City, done by renown Belizean artist, Rachael Huesner, juxtaposed by smaller ones by her son, Dean Martin, portraying tranquil fishing scenes, are on display currently at the Bliss Centre for the Performing Arts’ Belisle Art Gallery. The collection was carefully put together by the artists.

Rachael Heusner

Rachael Heusner, Artist

“Recently I’ve been focusing a lot on like historical style pieces, things that represent Belize in the olden days and so on. So that’s, I have a bunch of stuff like that, like the old market, the bridge. I hear the bridge is going to be changed very soon. There’s that old triangle building, when you come off the bridge. It’s gone. You know, and there’s so much memories that people have so and then with the advent of social media, a lot of my clients are all over the world and they miss Belize, so when they see these things, you know It strikes a chord for them and they just love it.”

Heusner says she uses colours to deliberately create the mood in her paintings.

Rachael Heusner

“I like to have the paint and whatever it is, just kind of happen, you know, to whatever rhythm of the moment.”

Marion Ali

“Does it ever depict your mood?”

Rachael Heusner

“I don’t think so. If it happens, it happens, but I’m always working, and like I was telling one of the other commentators, that inspiration has to find you working, you know, so while you’re working on a piece, it may come out a little bit melancholy, or it may come out a little bit happier. It depends on the kind of colors that you use, you create that mood, and it could be very, very intentional.”

Dean Martin & His Mom

Heusner shared that her son, Dean Martin, still a shy teen, has also come to embrace his art career.

Rachael Heusner

“My son just turned 18 the other day, and he never really wanted to be any artist, you know. He always said, “Mommy, you’re never sure when you’re going to make a dollar from that.” But, he just woke up one day and says,” I better stop fighting it and started painting.”

Dean Martin, Artist

“Sometimes I have to stop, watch it, walk around, come back, watch a movie, then come back and watch it again then I’ll start back.”

The artists are among the first whose works will be featured at the Belisle Art Gallery in this revival effort to keep the gallery flooded, according to Director of ICA, Kim Vasquez.

Kim Vasquez

Kim Vasquez, Director, Institute of Creative Arts

“We are trying this year, especially being it’s the 20th anniversary of NICH, one of our initiatives is to really encourage and have more art exhibits and events hosted at the Belisle Gallery. And so, we’re very pleased that Rachel Heusner is in Belize, at home. She’s one of our master, our most renowned visual artists, and the wonderful thing is that her son, Dean Martin, has followed in what we say, artist’s footsteps, and is also now painting as well, and so this is a mother and son joint exhibit.”

The mother and son exhibition will be on display until the end of this month. Marion Ali for News Five.