Meet the Artist

Born in Nassau (The Bahamas) in 1967, Ritchie Eyma grew up in Haiti in a household where one uncle was a ceramist and another was enrolled at L'Academie des Beaux-Arts. The various artistic activities around him soon began to influence him so much so that his favourite places to hang out became the National Art Gallery and the Galerie d'Art Nader, in Port-au-Prince. His first attempts at creating art were stenciled comic books characters using colored pencils as a medium. Then there were those watercolors that bore the mark of a fruitful imagination combined with the influence of the local Haitian artists. When he moved to Nassau, his art teacher at C.C. Sweeting Senior High, introduced him to oils and acrylics. After passing his G.C.E. 'A Level' art exam, oil became his medium of choice.

During the late 1980's and early 1990's, Ritchie exhibited his work at the Central Bank of the Bahamas Annual Art Exhibition and Competition. He also participated in numerous shows of the Longbranch Artists and Artisans. After a decade of absence, he returned to his love of painting in 2003. At the very first exhibition of the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas, one of his acrylic paintings "Fort Hill Houses" was accepted. His first major show to date was the Minnis Family Exhibition in November 2005 where he exhibited twelve of his oil paintings with his wife, Roshanne, along with Nicole and Eddie Minnis.

A blend of impressionism and realism, Ritchie's work often reflects the influences that shaped his childhood. While the subject matter is taken from Bahamian life, there is often this special touch which reminds the viewer of his Haitian roots. He works mainly from the Nassau studio he shares with his wife. His original paintings and giclee prints can be found in local galleries and private collections in England, Jamaica, and the United States.