My Journey to Morocco

Indra Persad Milowe is a Trinidad born visual artist living and working in Salem, Massachusetts, U.S.A. Her art brings to life many of her childhood memories of growing up in Trinidad in the 1950’s and 1960’s. 

My interest is in nature, still life and design. I adored my St. Augustine Girls High School art teacher, Mrs. Helga Mohammed from Madrid, Spain. She was married to a Trinidadian. On my first day in her class at age 12, written on her blackboard was: “Art is not only a painting hanging up on a wall, art is in every aspect of your daily life.” These words have stuck in my head ever since. My paintings were chosen for the high school’s yearbook for two consecutive years. At age 15, I painted from nature, orchids on a branch. At age 16, I did a still life, a display of an apple, pear, and a bunch of grapes. Those two paintings and all the incredible reviews that came with them lifted my confidence in my artwork. There is a personal story behind every one of my paintings. I painted every single festival celebrated in Trinidad as well as all the folklore stories that I heard while growing up.

I retired from general, ophthalmic and psychiatric nursing in 2019 after having worked in England, Malta, Trinidad and the United States. Through British Nurses Overseas, I was able to work in different countries. Ultimately, I decided to go back to art during my retirement. I prefer working on canvas with multi-colored and gold acrylic paints.