6 for a 9: Exhibition with Ronald Williams
I’ve spent the past several months creating new work for 6 for a 9, my co-exhibition with Barbadian digital collage artist Ronald Williams, curated by Punch Creative Media. The show opens October 17, 2018 at the Morningside Gallery in Barbados and runs through November 2. This is the first time Ronald and I are showing together, and it has been one of the most satisfying collaborations I’ve experienced so far.
Why 6 for a 9?
The title 6 for a 9 is drawn from a popular Barbadian idiom, “don’t tek a 6 fuh a 9,” a call to pay attention and avoid misreading what’s in front of you. That spirit runs through the entire exhibition. Ronald and I worked side by side at the Barbados Community College in the months leading up to the show. Having that shared studio space allowed us to immerse ourselves in each other’s processes and created a natural, unforced exchange. The result is a collection of works that speak to each other across difference—gender, nationality, aesthetic language, and generational perspective.
Inkling No. 9
I am presenting two new bodies of work. The first, The Inklings, marks a departure from the vibrant color palettes of my previous series. These works began with a literal accident—a black ink spill across watercolor paper. I decided to follow that impulse, using just three or four colors per piece and letting the figures emerge from minimal gestures and sharp contrasts. The subjects are often turned away or partially obscured, yet still carry a strong presence. This series continues my interest in the female figure, but pushes that exploration toward abstraction and erasure.
The second set includes six full-color collages, among them Put On My Dress, a five-foot silhouette piece made from painted paper and mixed media. It is the largest collage I have made to date, and a clear evolution from earlier works like Celine. The scale brings new energy to the figure and allowed me to experiment with texture and negative space in a more expansive way. Working in the Morningside Gallery ahead of installation gave me the room to build the piece physically and conceptually.
Alongside Put On My Dress, I am also showing five new 16" x 20" collages on acrylic paper. These are loose, lyrical, and layered. Each is named after a song I listened to in the studio—tracks from Aretha Franklin, Roy Ayers, Tori Amos, Sia, and Beth Orton. The titles hint at the rhythm and tone behind the imagery, where line and color work in sync with intuition and musicality.
Call and Response in Action
Ronald’s work also shifts for this show. Known for digital collage, he chose to create a large-scale handmade piece, Cocksure, as a kind of response to my method. In turn, Put On My Dress echoes the boldness of his visual style while retaining my own materials and voice. Seeing the two pieces next to each other reveals a quiet, layered exchange.
Lanor and Ronald challenged each other to create 5-foot, three-dimensional collages that speak to admiration of each other’s work as an overt homage to their work’s inherent dichotomies. (L: Llanor’s “Put On My Dress”. R: Ronald’s “Cocksure”) Photo: Llanor Alleyne
This exhibition grows out of mutual admiration and trust. Ronald and I are friends as well as peers, and we share a deep respect for each other’s work. That openness shaped every decision in this show. Our collaboration is built on conversation and curiosity, which makes the experience of exhibiting together even more meaningful.
The Punch Creative Media team brought everything together with great care and support. I’m thankful for their professionalism and for the space they created for us to take risks and push boundaries.
6 for a 9 invites the viewer to slow down and reconsider what they see. Through silhouette, fragmentation, and restrained or exuberant color, each work offers a layered, personal reflection. The show is not only about seeing but about re-seeing—what we miss, misread, or must look at again.
