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On a regular day, 20 year-old D’dron Griffin lives his life as a boat captain traversing the waters mainly surrounding Virgin Gorda.

In his quiet times, his creative ability comes alive, and he is swallowed by a career he has been admiring since as far back as he can remember – the world of design art.

Over the weekend, Griffin could be seen in one section of the Virgin Gorda Festival Village, putting his artistic touch on canvass and different types of clothing for persons who dare to be different when it comes to fashion.

“Some people will buy a pair of shoe and they want a shirt to match it, you come to me and show me what colour shoe you got and I match it (with the shirt) as close as I can,” Griffin told BVI News Online.

He practices his art by mainly using a piece of equipment called an airbrush. The equipment, which looks a lot like a mini spray gun, is a small air-operated tool that is used to spray mostly ink and dye onto a surface.

It is up to the artist to allow his imagination to run wild, and create whatever pattern he wishes.

It is a skill that takes much practice and can be very lucrative if one knows the right people, explained Griffin, who said he was born in the BVI and raised in St. Kitts.

Reflecting on how he discovered the art form he has come to love passionately; the youngster noted that his parents who are natives of St. Kitts moved back to their homeland few months after he was born in the BVI.

While attending school in St. Kitts, he realized he always had a flair for art. “I always loved drawing, painting, sketching; that kind of stuff,” he said.

Griffin recalled that it was about the age of eight that he first came in contact with airbrush art, and a flame was immediately lit within him. “I grew up in St. Kitts with a cousin who used to do it (airbrush art). We were neighbours, and I always used to watch him and admire him, and say I want to do that one day.”

The youngster added that, while hanging around his cousin, he never got the chance to test his skills until years later. The artist within him told him airbrush art was something he was good at, although he never tried it out.

Back in the BVI

At age 18 when he moved back to the BVI in 2011, Griffin decided he would put his skill to the test once and for all.

“When I came down (from St. Kitts), I got my boat licence and got my first job at Biras Creek (Virgin Gorda). From then, I saved my money and bought all my stuff (art tools) from off the internet,” he told BVI News Online.

Whenever he was not working as a boat captain, behind closed door, the youngster would practice his craft on old pieces of clothes. After just four months of practicing, the big test came when he was offered a job to do a skeletal design on a vehicle.

Griffin confessed that he had his reservations about whether he was ready to take on the big job, but he didn’t allow that to stop him.

“You can watch somebody pull a nail, but you don’t know if you can do it until you actually do it yourself,” he said. “You are going to always have that fear. You want everybody to notice you and you don’t want to do a bad job; you want to do the best job.”

He stated that, when he finally completed the job, a lot of people were surprised about the quality of his work.

“People didn’t know I could do those thing,” said Griffin.

While noting that he used the Festival Village to market his craft, Griffin told BVI News Online that he is slowly developing his customer base mainly among locals.

But, while he continues to dabble in the art form at his own pace, he said he is keeping his eyes open for opportunities to further perfect his craft.

In that regard, he has not ruled out the possibility of going back to school. “I see myself going all the way; I am trying to push myself as far as I can go. I don’t think there is any limit. I am taking it more serious now,” added Griffin.

He also wants other youngsters to develop a similar discipline, and to follow their dreams despite the obstacles that are likely to pop up. “If you see something that you want, don’t let anybody discourage you. Push yourself to your limit until you can’t go no more. Don’t let anybody tell you, you can’t do it,” he said.