The Artist

Luigi St Omer

~ Award winning exhibitor at many international art Exhibitions ~

~ Muralist with work in numerous municipal and commercial buildings ~

~ Former art tutor at St Mary's College and St Joseph's Convent ~

The St Omer name is synonymous with art in St Lucia. One of the first things children learn in school is that Sir Dunstan St Omer was the designer of the island's national flag.

For Luigi St Omer, Dunstan's second son, painting is life itself. Luigi has assisted his father on many acclaimed projects, including murals in three St Lucian churches, and the renowned Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Castries.

More recently he has been working on his own large murals, examples of which can be seen at the "Ti Banane" Restaurant in the Coco Palm Resort, Rodney Bay, Discovery at Marigot Bay, the Custom's Headquarters, Castries, and the Coconut Bay resort, Vieux Fort. Luigi is a prolific and energetic commercial artist, and examples of his work are ubiquitous in St Lucia, embellishing the walls of popular establishments from "Castro's", Gros Islet to "Po's Place", 'anba mango', Lafeuille.

In June 2007 he completed a spectacular new fresco behind the altar at the Catholic Church in Babonneau.

Other commissioned work includes panels at the St Lucia Ports Authority, and a mural in the lobby of the Government building on the Waterfront in Castries.

Luigi was drawn into art at a very tender age, exploring the landscape of life with his mind and paintbrush. His works are modern, with traditional themes. They speak of his love of colour and his love of the past: rural Caribbean life of the 1960's and 1970's, its landscapes, fishermen, and market vendors. Luigi uses powerful brush strokes to manipulate colour on the canvas, creating a feeling of movement and energy.

This unconventional style was developed during art school at the Edna Manley School for the Visual Arts in Jamaica. He later studied at The Art Student League of New York City and the University of Hartford. While still in school in New York an exhibition of his work was given magnificent reviews.

Luigi's paintings grace the walls of buildings far from the St Lucian shores he grew up on. He has exhibited and sold his original artwork in the Caribbean, Europe, South America, and the United States. He has worked commercially in the United States.

At 40, Luigi retired from teaching art at St Mary's College in St Lucia, and now paints full time. He says, "my work is strongly influenced by my father and by impressionist artists like Van Gogh. My art students, the purity and creativity of their youth, uninfluenced by any prior formal art training is also another source of inspiration. (My father) is a genius. He does not understand what he is because he is such a simple person. My work is a lot more modern than his. The truth is I went to many schools, but no one could teach me colour like my father."

Following a much acclaimed exhibition at Discovery at Marigot Bay, Luigi decided it was time to offer his work to a wider audience via the web. This web site offers art lovers and St Omer fans an opportunity to view original artwork by an exceptional artist. To buy prints of his work, please visit his online store: http://luigistomer.ecrater.com/

You can also view a selection of work from recent exhibitions, The Canaries and The Piaye collections.