Davi Ramkallawan’s artistic talent transcends her canvas and easel, making its way into many other areas of her life.

A librarian by profession, Ramkallawan is assigned to Chaguanas South Secondary School where her responsibilities include designing programmes for remedial students using alternatives to traditional academic learning methods. Among the tools she employs is her art, which she humbly describes as “doodling.”

She told WMN she has been a doodler for as long as she can remember – the perfect match for her wistful daydreaming during her teenaged years, and a source of irritation to her sister at that time. She said the restrictions during the covid19 pandemic period presented the opportunity for her to hone that skill, leading to the creation of some pieces of art that she felt were worth sharing – a few of which were recently on show at the Rotunda Gallery’s DigitAll: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality exhibition at the Red House.

[caption id="attachment_1012494" align="alignnone" width="730"] I am me: Strong in the roots of my heritage -[/caption]

At 37, she sees herself as a “late starter” mostly due to the unconventional route that has led her to her present destination. She said while at school, she was not academically driven. Nevertheless, after completing secondary school she tried the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants certification, but found that it didn’t suit her. She then ventured into business management, and later benefited from a scholarship to pursue her degree in library science, which she began at age 30. Interestingly, nowhere on this journey was there any formal art training, but the love for her doodling never abated. And even after successfully completing all of her academic pursuits, she has returned to her beloved form of self care which has taken her along an unconventional path.

She explained her relationship with art with the words of theoretical physicist Albert Einstein, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”

“For me,” she said, “Imagination is unlimited, you can’t put it in a box.”

For her artwork she uses of Pixilart, Canva and Paint 3D, and her inspiration to create the pieces she shares, in some cases, is guided by the theme of the exhibition in which she participates. Using the DigitAll exhibition as an example, she said she drew from her personal experience, recalling how the first profession that she wanted to pursue was in veterinary science, but her aversion to blood meant that realistically, it was not an option for her. But she has always been an advocate for women being involved in the sciences, which went against the grain of what she had witnessed as a student – the male students were being guided to the sciences while the female students were encouraged to pursue business and the arts.

[caption id="attachment_1012491" align="alignnone" width="768"] Artist and librarian Davi Ramkallawan. -[/caption]

“When I saw the theme, I said, ‘you know what, let me think of what I wanted.’ So my piece, The Future Me, for e