Arts: Renowned Ceramist, Sculptor Gene Pearson Dies, Age 73

 Ceramic artist and sculptor Gene Pearson, known worldwide for his massive "head" sculptures,  has died. 

The 73 year old, died yesterday in a Corporate Area hospital after being admitted  for what a close friend has described as a "massive stroke". 

Born in Wood Hall, St Catherine, the same community with spawned Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, Pearson moved to city Kingston in the early 1960s, and was one of the first students of master potter Cecil Baugh at what would become the School of Art.

When asked why he decided to become an artist, Pearson responds “I’ve always been a revolutionary, and I decided early on in life that art would be my revolution.” It is this revolution that has brought much prestige to the artist’s’ life and work. Pearson’s work has been exhibited both locally and internationally, and in 2015 he was awarded Commander status in Jamaica’s Order of Distinction Officer Class for artists.

 In 2015, Pearson was awarded the Order of Distinction — Commander Class, for his contribution to the development of the fine arts in Jamaica. This was an upgrade to the Officer Class designation he had received some years prior. 

While he created other works, including pots and larger sculptures, the "heads" remained his favorite pieces to make, and he jokingly referred to them as "passports.... They get to travel around the world. I call them passports,” 

Pearson's ex wife, Jacquelyne Hussey-Pearson died on Tuesday after battling cancer for some time. The two are parents to a 14-year-old son