Biography

Jervelle (aka Jerome Stovell) was born and raised on the island of Bermuda.  From very young, he always had two great passions – art and music.  

Coming from a musical family, he was very involved in music at his local church, where he developed as an accomplished singer/ songwriter, and keyboard player.   At the same time, he also pursued advanced level art courses during high school, and eventually traveled to the United States to attend the University of Toledo in Ohio, where he received a bachelor’s degree in art education. 

During his studies there, Jervelle developed a particular affinity for the cubist and early abstract expressionist painters.   “For me, there was something really liberating about taking a subject and interpreting it in your own unique way. There are no boundaries or constraints with respect to form, color and texture – I am free to experiment and explore. This continues to be my preferred way of working.” 

 At the completion of his studies, the artist returned to Bermuda to pursue a career as a high school visual arts teacher, where he taught for seven years and exhibited his work locally. He then returned to the US to complete a graduate degree in art education at Florida International University 

in Miami, and taught art for two years in South Florida before returning again to his native home where he resumed his teaching career for six more years.

“I will always treasure the many years I have spent working with young people," he says. "They often inspired me in unexpected ways. I have always embraced the challenge of helping to unlock their creative potential, and trying to get them to see that everyone has the ability to create, whether or not they intend to be a 'professional' artist.” 

After leaving the school system to work as a music director for a local church for several years, Jervelle returned to his artistic pursuits, and will launch a solo art show in May, 2014.  His current series of work is inspired by the natural organic forms of trees, roots and rocks. In constructing these works, he has chosen to use a mixed media approach which incorporates both digital and traditional media.  The resulting semi-abstracted “nature-scapes” are delightful explosions of color and texture. 

The Bermudian artist continues to teach art to young people at Kaleidoscope Arts Foundation, a local arts charity in Bermuda. He also continues to write and produce original music.