Found at: http://www.anguillaguide.com/article/articleprint/5054/-1/136/
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Louise Brooks Opens Art Gallery
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Louise Brooks, a well-known Anguillian artist, has opened her own Art Gallery on the Shoal Bay Road, a heavily-travelled area by tourists.
Alak Art Gallery, housed in an attractively-designed and new building constructed by her husband, is a place of excellence and fully stocked with an assortment of paintings which any art lover would want to own.
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Mrs. Louise Brooks
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“Art is my passion,” Louise, an Art Teacher at the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School told The Anguillian. “I grew up with art and love to teach it at school and since then I see there is a way forward in art and I decided to open by own art gallery eventually.”
She went on: “Looking at art in Anguilla, I see that there is a lot of growth in the tourism industry and we have a lot of people coming in and opening galleries so as I have the skill I asked myself – ‘Why not open my own gallery?’ I always encouraged the children in school to do artwork and one way for me to show by artwork properly is to have my own art gallery.
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Alak Art Gallery at Shoal Bay
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“This is a brand new building I built for myself, just to showcase my work. I used to showcase my artwork in other galleries, but I think I needed to have me own gallery. Tourists always ask me where my gallery is and I can’t tell them I am using someone else’s gallery when I have the skills to set up my own.
“I have a lot more years in school and I really want to impart what I know to the students to get them interested in art in Anguilla. As Anguillians I think we really need to get out there and display our talents.”
Asked to describe her work in the art gallery, she said: “I have lots of paintings of traditional houses in Anguilla, various local sceneries and flowers. I also have hand-painted t-shirts and special hot-pressed t-shirts.” Also among her stock is metal work featuring fish and other creations done by a friend. “I do some pottery, bags, small painting pieces and various patterns of wood work,” she further explained.
Alak Art Gallery, located at the eastern side of the road, is an easy stop to and from the popular Shoal Bay Beach. Talented local artist Louise Brooks has certainly acted on a good idea, part of the development of the new Anguilla.