"D" - Dunn's River Falls in Jamaica

"Budding Falls"  MM Sikes

Dunn's River Falls in Jamaica is another destination that the Passenger to Paradise loves. The first time we visited Jamaica, we took a side trip to the falls. I took dozens of photographs from the walkway and steps that border it. Then I developed a series of paintings from the photographs. I also wrote several travel articles later published in newspapers and magazines. Two of the paintings are 4 by 6 feet. One of those was purchased by the Marriott Hotel in Richmond; the other hangs in our bedroom. "Budding Falls" is smaller, about 42 by 54 inches, and from the same painting series.

We have visited the falls on subsequent trips to Jamaica and have been disappointed to see the commercialization growing all around. This is a unforgettable place of amazing natural beauty. It is a destination worthy of more than one visit.

My Fascination Abounds with Jungle Paintings and Jungle Settings

"Jungle Thicket" MMSikes

On our first visit to Jamaica a few years ago, I discovered a fascination with jungle flowers and foliage that follows me to this day. When I returned home, I couldn't stop creating pastel working drawings and large acrylic paintings until I had a large series of these works of art. I named that series "Tropical Fantasies" because of the love I had developed for the tropics.

Now I am bringing that jungle obsession into my writing. From my first novel, set in Jamaica, I have wanted to place my characters into warm, tropical climates.

Much of the setting for my WIP (work in progress) takes place in the jungles of Central America, including Costa Rica. I have taken the characters from an earlier novel, Secrets by the Sea, and cast them in this book. While it is a story that will stand alone, it will be helpful to the reader to have read the earlier book first.

I find it inspiring to have photographs of jungles around me as I go deeper into writing this story. And we sleep beneath a 4 x 6 foot acrylic painting of Dunn's River Falls in Jamaica from my "Tropical Fantasies" series. This painting was the second large art work I created of this dramatic jungle waterfalls setting. The first was purchased by a large hotel chain to place in a new facility when it opened. I missed that painting so much I had to paint another of the waterfalls scene to hang in my own home.

Do you, as a writer or an artist, find a subject that attracts you over and over again? My fascination with jungles abounds. I wonder how much farther it will go...

Escape to the Tropics

Tropical adventures are one of my passions. They have been for a long time. That's why I love to vacation in the Caribbean, and that's why I set many of my books there.

Our first tropical escape took us to the island of Jamaica. I was entranced by the exotic beauty of this lush Caribbean destination and have returned there many times since then.

On an early trip to Jamaica, we visited Negril and stayed at Sandals before so many resorts filled the glorious seven-mile beach. We strolled barefoot in the almost deserted silver sand and watched goats climb the trees as Grand Lido (recently rebranded as Breezes Grand Negril) was under construction there.

We climbed Dunn's River Falls before so many vendors clamored for attention along the way. Of course, I fell in love with the scenery and took dozens of 35mm slides that I later developed into large (several were four by six feet canvases) paintings. They were part of my "Tropical Fantasies" painting series.

Rose Hall Great House was another tourist location I visited during our first trip to Jamaica. The story of  Annie Palmer, the white witch, beguiled me. I learned about her ties to Obeah from several of the Jamaicans I met. When I returned home I researched Rose Hall, Obeah, and Obeah in Haiti. They later became the background for my first novel, Hearts Across Forever.

People have scolded me for going to Jamaica. "What about the poverty?" some of them ask.

Much poverty did and does exist, but there is such richness in the location. Even the poor have the beauty of the island surrounding them. The Jamaican people rely on the tourist industry for jobs, so they welcome their visitors even as many of them strive to leave the rich island of their birth.

The beauty of Jamaica still haunts me as do the memories. In the future, I will write of that destination again. And, of course, I look forward to other tropical adventures and future escapes.