One of the conversation corners in Mary Brown's house. - Contributed

Her name might not be set in lights in the way that her brother, Dennis Brown - the blazing star widely regarded as the 'Crown Prince of Reggae' - set his in his time. But those privileged to move in the same circles as Dennis' shy sister, Mary Brown, know that she has been quietly carving out her own niche on Jamaica's artistic landscape.

The first step through the gate to her home marks an entrance into a world of awe-inspiring creativity. While the lawn to the right beckons the visitor to linger a while and simply enjoy the sunshine, it is the garden to the left - designed and created 'from scratch' by the elegant hands and green thumb of Mary Brown - that draws you irresistibly to wander through the magnificence of flora and fauna and to simply forget the cares of the day.

'Revolution' - piece done in tribute to her brother Dennis Brown.

dazzlingly unusual colours

From the hibiscus in dazzlingly unusual colours to ferns, roses and orchids in full flower, Mary's garden speaks of the loving care she lavishes on her 'beauties'. They repay her by producing the gorgeous blooms she photographs to adorn the covers of the Christmas cards and notelets that are her latest project, and which patrons are already snatching up to dispatch to friends and family at home and abroad.

"I have been growing flowers forever!" Mary exclaims. "I started my hibiscus collection with a number of plants from Evergrow Garden Centre, but I have since expanded to collecting them from Albert Benjamin, or any location from which I can find unusual plants. At first, I gardened more for the aesthetics of the activity, but then that changed. It's great when what is produced comes together in a way that allows me to expand my enjoyment of God's bounty, which my gardens represent, to others through my cards," she says.

Of course, a step into Mary's home shows that there is much more to the bounty that she is sharing with the world. Stunning conversation corners display all of her unusual finds - paintings, pieces of sculpture and furniture, books and much more - which she collected on her travels across Jamaica and the world. The items are all elegantly presented with an irrefutable touch of artistry.

layout of home

The layout of her home also mirrors the warmth that is so much a part of Mary Brown, and echoes her belief that "one's home, however humble, should be very warm and comfortable." If people's homes do indeed express their personalities, Mary Brown's home positively declares: "I am an avid collector of beautiful things, and I am an artist even more than I am someone who has worked with figures all of my life!"

Indeed, this artist has worked professionally for years in an area that many would consider quite staid. Her first job on leaving school was in advertising and she continued in the field. Only recently, she retired from a more than 30-year stint in the Finance/Accounting Department at Berger Paints. But, as strange as this may seem, it serves as an example of the complexity of a woman who, because of her quiet demeanour, could easily be dismissed as being one-dimensional.

Well, not that easily. Even those who don't know the extent of her artistry have always been privy to one glaringly obvious example of it: the lady is a style maven. Her exquisite range of at-least-four-inch-high shoes pushes her five-foot six-inch frame, with its long torso, closer to the six-foot mark - giving her a statuesque bearing which is ideal for the unusual and spectacular designs she favours, and which it wouldn't be hard to imagine being worn by models on the catwalk. Mary Brown enters a room and people take notice - again just a tad unusual for someone who is very shy and would just as soon stay out of the spotlight. "I love to experiment with colours and various accessories. Some mornings when I put on certain things, I say to myself: 'Brown, you look like a jonkonnu!' And that is the morning I get myriad compliments," she says.

This and the other outlets she has found for her creativity - while using her work in finance to satisfy her need for structure - have helped Mary Brown lead a rounded and satisfying life that many might only dream of. She credits both her mother and her father for this creative leaning. "My crea- tivity is a gift from both parents; my father, Arthur, was a well-known actor, and I am sure my mother, Iris - a homemaker who had a penchant for using flowers and ordinary things to decorate our home beautifully - must have been royalty in her first life. Her entire bearing was very regal," Mary adds.

Regardless of the source, Mary demonstrates her creativity in enviably diverse ways. For instance, she is a trained dancer, having studied dance with Ivy Baxter, one of the pioneers of Jamaica's dance movement; she proved good enough to perform onstage and on television - inclusive of being a member of a troupe which travelled to New York to perform during a celebration of Jamaica's Independence by Jamaicans in that state.

award-winning potter

Mary Brown is also an award-winning potter. She took leisure classes at the Edna Manley Art School with Norma Harrack, one of Jamaica's leading ceramic artists, and Harrack's influence is very obvious in the well-crafted and finished pieces which enhance the décor in Mary Brown's home. They include a piece, 'Revolution', which she did as a tribute to her famous sibling on his passing in 1999. But others have also benefited from Mary's creativity, as is evident in this little anecdote that she relates:

"There was a time in my life when I made every single gift I gave to friends, my bosses, and other acquaintances. Once, when I visited the home of one of my bosses and was admiring some pottery that was on display, I couldn't help but comment to his wife about one piece which I thought was particularly beautiful work. She told me to turn it over ... and that's when I realised that it was a piece of my work I had given them for Christmas! That was a very, very exciting moment in my life because it reminded me that I have done a huge body of work; my pieces are all over the place, both locally and abroad," she notes.

As if that were not enough, Mary is also a trained floral designer - having studied ikebana with Joyce Shaw ... and then modified it to create her own unique style of flower arrangement. Many of these arrangements are also on display in her dining area, as well as in some of her home's conversation corners.

taken up photography

And now, she has taken up photography - her most recent passion which she is putting to good use. She created and photographed the designs for the four Christmas cards and four notelets that she is already offering to the marketplace, and which have been attracting enough positive notice to push her front and centre of public attention in a manner with which she is still not entirely comfortable.

But what encouraged her to explore that new area? Mary explains it like this: "It started out as a hobby. I have always photographed my plants, which is why my bedroom only has photographs of items from my garden. But then I started to see the activity from a different perspective; so now, if I go into the garden and I see a fabulous bloom, I just take it into the house and the inspiration comes from some other item that's around - say, a foot of shoes or a piece of ceramic - and I simply combine those and photograph them. It seems to have worked!" she adds.