Charmaine Watkiss was born to Jamaican parents in London, England in 1964 and completed an Art and Design Foundation course at the City Literary Institute (2015), followed by an MA Drawing at the Wimbledon College of Art (2018). Her art, deeply rooted in her African Caribbean heritage, explores themes of diaspora, ritual, and ancestry, with a special focus on the portrayal and empowerment of Black women. Her works, primarily life-sized drawings, using materials such as charcoal, watercolor, and coffee, interweave historical narratives with personal memories. Her exploration of indigo and botanical elements reflects a commitment to cultural storytelling, embodying resilience and the rich tapestry of African and Afro-Caribbean traditions.
Artist Charmaine Watkiss was born in London, England in 1964 to Jamaican parents who came to Britain in the 1960s as part of the Windrush generation. She completed an Art and Design Foundation course at the City Literary Institute (2015), followed by an MA Drawing at Wimbledon College of Art (2018).
Informed by her African Caribbean roots, Watkiss’ art addresses a variety of themes, including ritual, ancestry, mythology, cosmology, and ecology, offering a rich, multifaceted portrayal of cultural heritage. She creates life-sized figure drawings, working mainly with pencil and paper, as well as watercolour and ink. She has stated, ‘I love the intimacy of drawing, it feels private, and allows for attentive mindfulness’ (Phaidon). Integral to her art is the use of natural materials, such as coffee and charcoal, which serves as a reminder of the historical exploitation and enslavement of African people, linking past to present. Through her art, Watkiss acknowledges this painful history while celebrating the survival and evolution of African traditions across the Atlantic. Watkiss' artistic exploration of the colour blue, particularly through the lens of indigo, delves into the historical and cultural significance of this colour, from the colonial plantations of America and the Caribbean to its sacred use in funerary rites, spiritual beliefs, and cosmologies, especially in West African and ancient Egyptian contexts.
At the core of her practice lies the exploration of 'memory stories': the representation and evocation of memories, both personal and collective. These narratives, meticulously researched, are primarily focused on the experiences of the African Caribbean diaspora. Watkiss uses female figures as the canvas upon which these stories are mapped, embodying the collective journey of a community with deep historical roots. Her aim is to reconstruct the image of Black womanhood, countering long-standing malign portrayals. Another major theme in her work is the herbal healing traditions of Caribbean women. Her mother, from St. Thomas in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica, played a pivotal role in shaping Watkiss' connection to herbalism and the land. This region, known for its lush vegetation and rich botanical history, provided a fertile ground for her early exposure to the world of plants and their uses. Watkiss' mother treated her and her brother with various herbal remedies, instilling in them an appreciation for the natural world's healing powers. This intimate experience represents a direct link to a lineage of knowledge passed down through generations. In her work, Watkiss explores the broader implications of this heritage, examining how the knowledge and traditions of her ancestors have been carried forward, transformed, and adapted over time.
Watkiss’ first UK solo exhibition, The Seeds Keepers, was held at Tiwani Contemporary in London in 2021. The title acknowledged Black women as keepers of culture and ancient wisdom, and likened seeds as archives for the future. The show brought together her interests in various disciplines such as botany, herbalism, ecology, history, and Afrofuturism. Exploring the spiritual properties of herbs traditionally used for holistic healthcare, it featured her Plant Warrior series, in which Watkiss personified plants in the form of a matrilineal pantheon of 'plant warriors', who were depicted as guardians and facilitators of cross-generational knowledge and empowerment. These warrior queen figures, symbols of strength and resilience, stood as icons of peace and social transformation, serving as a testament to the enduring wisdom and power of African and Afro-Caribbean traditions. The plant drawings also evoked botanical sketches by 18th- and 19th-century travellers, highlighting the complex legacy of these works, often linked to empire-building.
Watkiss’ 2022 residency at Launchpad LAB in South-West France marked a significant expansion of her artistic exploration. Here, Watkiss immersed herself in nature and ecology, integrating her skill in drawing with the creation of sculptural forms. This period of intense creative development culminated in her commission for the Liverpool Biennial 2023, Installation, which explored the resilience of those who endured the crossing of the Middle Passage of the Atlantic. The installation featured two spirit deities: The Water Goddess – Ode to the Land of Wood and Water and The Earth Goddess – Oracle of Our Forebears. The Water Goddess, emerging from the ocean, mapped Liverpool’s role in the slave trade, while the Earth Goddess, connected to land and cosmos, honoured the survival of wisdom and culture across the Atlantic. The exhibit also included The Return (2018), a tribute to the Black Atlantic crossings and ancient burial rites. Surrounding these central figures were objects including broken clay pipes, symbolising the trade in tobacco and its production in the Caribbean and Americas. Watkiss’ group exhibitions have included Drawing Attention: Emerging British Artists, British Museum (2022) and 1-54 Presents Transatlantic Connections: Caribbean Narratives in Contemporary Art, Christie’s London (2023). In the UK public domain Watkiss’s work is represented in the British Museum; Government Art Collection; Cartwright Hall Museum, Bradford; and Abbot Hall, Kendal.