ABOUT US

Harmony Hall Art Gallery, near Ocho Rios, is re-vamping their email address list in preparation for our new website and upcoming season. We thought you would be interested in receiving invitations to openings and events if you live in Jamaica. We also send out a bi-annual newsletter to overseas visitors and love to have feedback from everyone. We are open from Tues–Sunday 10a.m.–5.30 p.m. (Closed for the month of September). Toscanini’s Restaurant is open for lunch and dinner (closed Mondays). At present we have a group exhibition including works by Cecil Cooper, Graham Davis and David Pinto, while the Intuitive Room is filled with the vibrant images of Albert Artwell and the delicate sculptures of Zacchaeus Powell.

Sadly we have lost four of Jamaica’s wonderful artists. Jonathan Routh, one of the world’s great eccentrics had an eclectic career becoming famous as the host of British “Candid Camera”. Writing numerous books including “The Secret Life of Queen Victoria”, he turned full-time to painting and writing when he moved to Jamaica. Jonathan exhibited in the opening show at Harmony Hall in 1981, and had numerous exhibitions with us, both in Jamaica and Antigua. He will be sadly, sadly missed. Christopher Gonzalez was one of Jamaica’s best known and controversial artists. His statue of Bob Marley and other commissions were powerful statements of his strong beliefs, and he exhibited regularly at Harmony Hall. It is also with great regret that we have to report the passing of Ras Dizzy, one of our favourite and more extraordinary artists. We will miss his far-fetched stories, but most of all we will miss his remarkable paintings. Another major Intuitive artist, Sylvester Woods, also made his transition.

In Jamaica we finally added a small balcony to the upstairs of the guest cottage in Ocho Rios and a tiny deck over the water for morning coffee or sunset drinks. We enjoy meeting the many guests from around the world. In Costa Rica, we celebrated the 10th anniversary of finding La Casita and did ongoing improvements including a new plastic Palmex thatch with its 20-year guarantee, so we should not have to mention this topic again until 2028. Talk of a massive marina/hotel development in Puerto Viejo was causing some concern, but it has been shelved for now, and the rest of the development in the area continues to be low-key and leisurely, unlike some horrific developments in Jamaica. We appreciate that everything that makes our lives so enjoyable is due to all of you who read this – artists, craftspeople, collectors, suppliers, staff, visitors, even friends who only come to our openings for the drinks – we thank every one of you most sincerely and appreciate your feedback.

Lastly, we are totally proud of Usain Bolt and all our Jamaican athletes at the Beijing Olympics. We cheered and cried at their amazing achievements, and urge all Jamaicans to contribute to the ongoing development of our athletes.