United States Virgin Islands

The bright colors of the illegal tartans and the hooves of the Black Douglas whisper to the wind that I am Clan Morrison. The thousands of colors of black Sumie and the scent of chalk breathe that I am an artist. I have never been to the US Virgin Islands but after research, I realized that St. Croix deserved its own picture so that my piece to honor the USVI does includes only the northern cluster which is primarily St Tomas and St. John. Christopher Columbus named it calling it the “Land of a Thousand Virgins.” According to legion, the Danes claimed the chain by cutting their claim in a piece of fruit. The United States bought the Islands because of World War I. As part of the New Deal, it was turned into a tourist destination which it remains today and permitted to vote in local elections. During WWII the islands became a base of operation for the Navy.  It was not until 1970 that they could elect their own governer. The Virgin Islands are unique in that there is a large Jewish population in Saint Tomas. The main religion on the Islands though officially Baptist is actually obeah/Voodoo. I have my clan’s tartan scarf.

Saint Tomas and Saint John both have unique mythologies although there is not specific cryptid. Behind everything is one of the four working windmills which is currently in St. Tomas most of Saint John’s windmill are ruins. The windmill is sor the mass sugar plantations which were on the Islands. After using up all the covics for labor the Danes imported slaves. (The slaves were freed in 1848.) Everything is on the ruins of the wall of Fortberg. It was built in 1717 after the British were derived from St. John but during a successful slave revolt it was turned to rubble. (French troops were called in to defeat them.)   The British held the fort during the Napoleonic Wars. The hat is for it history of pirates especially Black Beard. From Columbus to the early 1700s, British, French, and Dutch privateers corsairs, freebooter, corsairs and pirates  rulled the area. ( ( various names because Eropean government (except for Danes) let them have the Islands) The Bamboo stalk is for the 7,000 acre Virgin Islands National Park. It is said that there are more types of bamboo in the Caribbean that the Orient. The ball belt is from the Cinnamon trail Archeological Site which is eroding into the sea. The artifacts date back to 840 BC to the time of Columbus and are from a Taino burial site. It is 9” x 12,” drawn with pencil and white chalk and completed recently.

 The name of this piece is Eternal Bamboo, is 12” x 18” and drawn with Sumi-e recently. The bamboo is a symbol of strength and the turtle is said to live ten thousand years. If you are interested in buying this or any other of my work email me at MatthewMorrison76@yahoo.com to order.