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Heather Sabga-McKenna
was born in Trinidad in 1947, to Gabriel Sabga and Marjorie
Gomez-Burke. During her childhood, her family moved from
Trinidad to Guyana and then to Jamaica. After graduating from
high school in Jamaica, she studied nursing in London, England
for three years.
In August 1967, she married Stuart McKenna.
They had four girls before moving to Canada, where they spent
twenty-five years educating their children. Heather was fully
occupied with family life until her children were older, when
she found time to begin to develop her creative side and
embarked on courses in Wedding Cake Decoration. After many
courses, she graduated as a Master Decorator in all aspects of
the decorating profession. She was recommended to the most
prestigious cake manufacturing company in Toronto and was
employed there as Department Manager and teacher, then was
promoted to General Manager.
Heather’s husband suffered a major heart
attack in 1996. He underwent by-pass surgery and they retired
to Tobago later that year. After two years of clearing and
planting their Tobago property, they met Heather’s Sabga family
members from Trinidad and particularly her father’s dear cousin,
Anthony N. Sabga. Dr. Sabga embraced them unreservedly and soon
she was appointed as the Manager of Club Pigeon Point, Tobago.
At Pigeon Point she was able to indulge herself in developing
the gardens, which was always a true love of hers, as well as
developing a reputation as an “Iron Lady”. When the Government
bought out Pigeon Point from ANSA McAl, she was forced to resign
herself to being a home maker, and began developing her garden,
which soon became a joy.
As Heather worked in her garden, she began to
feel the natural beauty around her. The more she looked, the
more she observed and she wondered if it would be possible to
capture what delighted her in the garden, on canvas. Her
daughter bought her a set of oils, brushes and canvasses for her
sixty-first birthday. Encouraged by Dr. Sabga and knowing that
two of her sisters, Angela Staples and Sonja Sabga, were
established artists in Jamaica and Canada, she decided to try
her hand at painting.
Artist’s Statement: “I
picked up a paint brush for the very first time in March 2008,
and soon realised that this was my true passion. I began
producing new paintings almost daily. I have spent the last
year working at my easel, studying the Masters and trying to
develop my own style. I love to experiment in different media
and different styles and enjoy painting flowers, landscapes,
nature scenes, portraits and still-life. I feel an intense need
to experience everything.”
Heather feels that Tobago is a painter’s
paradise with natural beauty everywhere one looks, which is very
stimulating to an artist. She acknowledges the tremendous
support given to her by her husband, who is an inspiration and
her most inspired critic.
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