World Inspired Landscapes: Trinidad and Tobago

 

When researching Trinidad and Tobago, a tropical island in the Caribbean near the coast of South America, it turns out they have one of the most beautiful paper currencies in the world. Elaborately designed and wonderfully composed, their money is colourful and artistically masterful. Many of their bills represent the landscape, the people, and other culturally significant images. One notable exception is the Queen of England who did not appear on their money since Trinidad and Tobago became a Republic and they are no longer part of the United Kingdom since the mid 1970's. As the name indicates, Trinidad and Tobago is composed of two main islands, the bigger one, Trinidad, has a mountainous coast, a wide flat valley, more mountains, and a rocky/sandy coast plentiful in palm trees and nice beaches. 

To create an artistic representation of the landscape I simulated a paper bill, in this case its worth $25, just because I always put the year on my paintings, so 25 it is. On the bottom left I simulated a label, with my initials, with the series name and title just beside it. The illusion of a paper bill took several steps. First I researched fancy paper currency and thought about how to paint the features. Then, I established the big colour blocks you see in the background using a playful colour scheme of purple, yellow, blue, and coral orange. In doing so I left a rectangle for the faux label, a circle for the textured 25, and a square for the simulated hologram in the top right. Then I applied the thin, wavy lines using a number 2 brush, careful to keep the lines thin, pale, and separated by small gaps. Next I filled in the hologram using two layers, a colour, then a dark fade. Using red and magenta paint, with some dark blue and purple, I finished with the landscape rectangle, the guppies (which are endemic to Trinidad and Tobago), and the fancy flower and squiggle overlays. My idea was to overwhelm the image with details that in the end would come together in a cohesive paper bill. It might not win most beautiful currency of the year award, and nobody would mistake this for real money, but its a truly fascinating piece of artwork and neat addition to the series. 

The reason bills are so complex is to prevent forgeries, so I guess this is the hardest to forge painting I have ever done!

World Inspired Landscapes: Trinidad and Tobago, watercolour 4.5 x 9" cold press, April 2025