Heeding mum’s call . . . Quoia aims to combine art and psychology

Since losing the one person who believed in her art more than anything else, Cequoia Holligan has been giving art her all. Though not sharing any major details, 22-year-old Quoia, as she is called in the art world, lost her mum Lisa Holligan in July 2014.

“As children, you normally grow up with both parents but recently I’ve lost my mother, and she used to tell me get back into the art, start to paint, draw and be myself. So for me, I took up the brush a few years ago and to my surprise everything came out beautifully. People actually enjoy what I was doing so I continue to do that,” she told Bajan Vibes.

The artist said her reentrance into the world of art started from the pain she endured as a child.

“I find that art is very therapeutic for me, especially while we are living in a world where there are a lot of mental health issues. I would say that people can embark on a journey once you put your mind to different possibilities and for me that’s what art is.”

Quoia has been drawing from the age of three and as a kid she said she always shared her work with other people.

“I have been painting for four years now and the best part is that I get to share my work with people. When I picked up the brush only four years ago, I was teaching myself. Then I started to go to college and learned some rules and I’ve started to apply what I learned in school to my work on the outside. So, my proudest moment is seeing how far I have gotten with my art in terms of my skills and techniques. I am proud… for being a self-taught artist as well.”

The past student of Christ Church Girls School explained she was encouraged to do art there and her teachers pushed every drawing that she produced for them lovingly. She also attended Harrison College, but she didn’t study art there or pursue it at the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) level.

Quoia then went on to the Barbados Community College (BCC) and studied sociology and marketing.

“In that year my mom passed away, and I started getting passionate about art so I started painting on the outside of school work and then eventually people used to see my work. I remembered going into one of the classes that was taught in the art programme and one of the teachers saw my art and told me he was willing to work with me. I had a lot of classmates telling me about my work and I said, you know what, I should really pursue art.”

Eventually in 2016, when Quoia completed her studies in sociology and marketing, she started to pursue a degree in Visual Arts.

“I have that degree and I really enjoyed that programme. Right now, I am on to UWI [University of the West Indies]. I study psychology at the moment because I am looking to dive into art therapy. That’s the path I am on. I am looking to get into art therapy schools abroad so I can combine what I know in art and what I am learning in psychology.”

Quoia is the brainy type and very ambitious. She said she sees herself involved in many ventures.

“I first want to teach creative skills to people who do art. I also want to dive into art therapy specifically for kids and adults and challenge them on how to use art as a means to channel what they are going through. I want to be well known locally and I want to continue to do private commissions for clients as well as companies. I want to get into hosting my own exhibitions, regionally and internationally.”

But before she realises her full potential, she is gradually overcoming some challenges.

“I was always shy, and I wasn’t sure if what I was producing was good enough but it was the artistic process that I have enjoyed more. I have always gotten really good feedback. One of my biggest challenges is not wanting to put myself out there, but I am glad that I have done that. I am also proud of some exhibitions that I have been a part of recently.”

Currently, Quoia said she is in wait mode for exhibitions with the onset of COVID-19. However, she is still working on commissioned work. She said she finds it interesting how artists are capitalizing on their lives to get their art out there.

“I find that a lot of my followers like my time lapse videos and watching me do the work and seeing how I go from little strokes to something that can be seen as a whole masterpiece. So I think having lives is a great thing. I haven’t done a live session. However, I am sure to do one during these times but I have done videos and time lapses of my work just to show my followers how I do things.”

She said she was told that they are very therapeutic to watch, and that is her aim. She is encouraged by the phrase: “Every stroke is a thought”, which helps her to compose her pieces.

“I like saying that to myself and when people see the work, it helps everything to come together. This is because I think about where I am going to put the next colour. I may be unsure about it, but I will still put it down. And you just watch it beautifully come together.”

With not much time to spare and with personal goals in mind, her main focus is her studies and getting her next degree in psychology.

“I work on commissions a lot and if not, I am either doodling or I am thinking about something that I want to paint next. I have fun friends, and I love spending time with people. But for the most part, it is between my art and my school work.”

She even spared some encouragement for her fellow artists in journeying onward. “Never stop doing new art for sure and always try new things. Never get too comfortable, always go outside of your comfort zone and never limit yourself.”

Quoia also has a thing for being behind the lens. “I really love taking pictures for the most part. If I am not drawing or painting, I have a love for photography.”

Some of her work has been displayed at local exhibitions. “I had an exhibition held at the University called The Artist Within sometime in November last year. I did a Christmas pop-up shop in December at the Hilton where I had my work on display and items on sale.”

Then, in March this year, she had an exhibition called Jazz, Art and Fashion held at the Errol Barrow Centre for Creative Imagination. She benefited too at Holetown Festival, where a lot of people enjoyed and had portraits painted of themselves.

The artist said she is always surprised by how appreciative people are of her work. “I love painting faces, realistically and expressively. I mostly enjoy the creative process.”

Recently, she has been creating wearable art where she has been moving the art from canvas and putting them on clothing, bags and hats.

“The same art that I love to see on canvas gives people the chance to wear that, and I have been into that a lot recently. But I am looking forward to all the other exhibitions to c nome my way.”

She said that Barbados should host more art festivals. “Artists should participate in the festivals. I mean, people love having live portraits of themselves. That opportunity is a good one. It is good for people to meet with you as an artist. It is good exposure, but it is a good experience as well.”  (MR)