Jenesis Studio: Step Back in Time
Jenesis Studio, located on the Ridge Road of Tortola, is an Aladdin’s Cave of BVI art, history and culture. Created by Reuben Vanterpool and his wife Olive, it is a showcase for Reuben’s art and the island traditions that the couple grew up with.
Island heritage has always been a theme of Reuben’s art. And if you have driven past the extensive mural on Tortola’s Ridge Road near Reuben’s studio and home, you know his work. One of the BVI’s most prolific artists and a respected educator, Reuben painted several of the mural’s panels depicting BVI country life.
But to really get a feel for the lives of British Virgin Islanders growing up in the BVI in the first half of the 20thcentury, drive west a bit further until you see the sign for Jenesis Studios.
The concept just grew, Reuben told me. “I wanted to move my art studio out of Road Town and find somewhere I could highlight the culture, heritage and traditions of the BVI.” He found the perfect spot just below his house. Less than a quarter acre, the property makes up for what it lacks in size with fertile soil and a lush array tropical herbs and medicinal plants that thrive in the cooler mountain temperature.
I have known Olive and Reuben for many years and they greeted me warmly when I arrived. Both had been educators and had taught at the primary and secondary levels, but that was only one aspect of their busy and productive lives. Reuben had been the principal of the Ivan Dawson school in Cane Garden Bay, worked at the Ministry of Education as an Education Officer and was speaker of the Legislative Council from 1996 to 2003. But throughout this period, he painted.
In addition to teaching, Olive had been a school guidance counselor, an assistant supervisor of the Alternative Secondary Education Program and was later the curator and supervisor of the 1780 Lower Estate Sugar Works Museum in Road Town, where she mounted a rotating series of art shows and cultural exhibitions.
A 140-year-old mango tree shades the entrance to the property and as we sat beneath its canopy we chatted about Olive and Reuben’s ambitions for Jenesis and the challenges of the past few years. A small snack bar is located at the property’s entrance where local food and beverages are on offer; a gift shop is stocked with Reuben’s pottery and laminated copies of his paintings. The Ridge Road Murals: Reliving the 1950s in Tortola’s Historic Villages, which Reuben co-authored with artist Cedric Turnbull is among the books for sale.
Olive and Reuben guided me into the garden next. Herbal and medicinal plants were planted throughout. Olive is writing a book about herbal plants and her knowledge is evident throughout the garden. Signs identify common plants like rosemary. But although cooks use the herb to flavor stews and roasts, not everyone knows that it can also be used for gas pains and heartburn. The leaves of the paracetamol bush are used as a pain reliever, and the moringa, a tall leafy tree, which I also have growing in my garden, contains a variety of vitamins and minerals, and is utilized to lower blood pressure and protect against cancer and diabetes, among other traditional uses.
From the garden, we entered the studio. Damaged by Hurricane Irma in 2018, the studio has been restored and contains Reuben’s paintings and large, meticulously rendered models. Traditional thatched homes, a horse powered mill round used for grinding sugar cane (complete with horses and people) and a thatch horse saddle used to carry sugar cane stalks, animate a way of life that was once common in the BVI less than 70 years ago.
Reuben’s paintings are vivid and lifelike. In one, a mother applies a poultice to a young girl’s foot and in another, two boys doing homework by kerosene lamp. His most fanciful is a portrait of Miss Ella. According to local lore, this US Prohibition legend smuggled BVI distilled rum into St. Thomas in her pantalets. “On one trip, someone told the ship’s captain that she was smuggling rum,” Reuben told me. But before he could search her, the wily Miss Ella removed the bottles from beneath her petticoats and threw them overboard.
A centerpiece of Jenesis Studios is a traditional brick oven. A common feature of West Indian homes in days past, the oven was located outdoors and used to cook meals and bake bread. The one at Jenesis is fully operational and on the “Deluxe Tour”, Olive demonstrates making traditional cassava bread, once a staple of the West Indian diet.
It’s been a tough few years for Olive and Reuben. The destruction of Irma, the hard work that went into rebuilding, and now the pandemic, have curtailed tourism and the livelihoods of so many people in the BVI. The resilient Olive and Reuben say things are beginning to improve. With bookings for season increasing throughout the BVI, the couple have begun conducting tours again, sharing their love of the BVI and its historic traditions.
For more information on Jenesis Studio or to book a tour go to
facebook.com/jenesisstudios.com
