Tenson talks about Caymanite and Dirty Joke Necklace

 

Tenson talks about his tools of trade, Caymanite and Dirty Joke Necklace

New Caymanite rings by Tenson at NIM Things

 

New Caymanite rings by Tenson at NIM Things

Our Rock Caymanite Exhibit at National Museum

Our Rock Caymanite Exhibit at National Museum features a few pieces by Tenson Scott and other artists.

Click on link below for more info about Exhibit.

http://www.cayman27.com.ky/news/item/6192

Brackers enjoy Cayman Went by Net News

http://ads.caymannetnews.com/brac/index.php?page=3

Catching Wahoo without a hook by Tenson Verbon Scott

The art of catching Wahoo without a hook
Published on Friday, August 8, 2008
Tenson Verbon Scott By Tenson Verbon Scott My name is Tenson Scott, nicknamed Dagwood, Fisherman, Hardrock. To the fishermen of the Cayman Islands, I, Tenson Scott, have made a big discovery in fishing. I’m 70 years old; fishing is in my blood. If videos were made of me when I used to go fishing with my boat, it would have always been a top seller in the islands. I never used a fish finder or a depth finder and I didn’t rely on artificial bait to catch Wahoo. Putting it plainly, I don’t fish by luck. For over twenty years I’ve been trying to get the people of the Cayman Islands to understand how to catch a Wahoo with a button, no hook. I met a policeman from East End many years ago when I was in Grand Cayman. He was boasting how many Wahoo he had caught and the season had just started. I said to him ‘why don’t you catch a Wahoo without a hook and then you can boast?’ He said ‘you think that I would be that stupid as the Cayman Bracker who said that’. Then I said to him, ‘I am Tenson Scott, the fisherman from Cayman Brac who said that’. These were his words: “Mr. Scott, if you are really that good you must have lots more great fishing stuff.” I said, ‘Mister, you called me stupid a while ago; what are you going to call me after you hear this’. Many years ago lots of boats were out in the ocean, fishing around Cayman Brac chumming for Wahoo. A Wahoo came to the boat eating all the free bait that came from the fishermen’s boats. No one could catch that Wahoo so it was nicknamed the ‘floater’. The policeman said to me: “I know about him; he is called a ‘Professor ‘ here in Grand Cayman. No one catches him, because he wouldn’t take the line; instead he would just eat all the bait. Don’t tell me, Mr Scott that you caught the ‘Professor’?” so I said to him “Yes”. I told him I had two witnesses that watched me catch him. The policeman said, “I want to look you up when I come to the Brac”. Many years have passed and I keep talking about the floater, aka the Professor, with a hook. When I caught the floater/Professor with a line, leader, swivel and hook, the style of the hook is called abracadabra, not magic but close. Upon trying to remove the hook from the Wahoo’s mouth I discovered how to catch the Wahoo without a hook. The hook was not hooked in the Wahoo; the fish just had his mouth shut tight and had no plans of opening it. All fish that catch other fish for food do not open their mouth unless it’s about to catch another fish. When a fisherman or anyone fishes for Wahoo with a hand line without a hook, as long as they do not hold the line too tightly, the Wahoo will not open his mouth; Mother nature teaches the fish that. How to catch a Wahoo without a hook Just remove your hook and put a button from your shirt or pants on the leader, then a dead or live bait on, remember no artificial bait. If you are using a rod and reel set your drag to minimum. Pretend your button is a one ‘O hook’, then you should know how much drag to put on, which would be very little. Catching Wahoo without a hook is a real big thing. As it is known, hooks are released from a fish’s mouth quite often, with the Wahoo being no exception; but without a hook no matter how much a Wahoo takes the button they can’t get away because there is no hook. What the fish is telling you is he doesn’t like the metal. Most fishermen should realize that baits, which look good to them, may not look good to the fish, so try to fish the natural way. The abracadabra is made up of four things: line, swivel, leader and hook but must be only four inches long. This fishing tactic requires a piece of eight-inch bait that the one 0 hook must be hooked into the end of the bait and pulled right through, even the swivel must come back through the bait. This must be done a few times until it goes in like a stitch then there is no hook, no swivel, and no leader hanging outside the bait. Two years after I caught the floater/professor the fishermen said to me that they saw the floater that day. Four boats with eight men in them saw him so they said, “Mr Scott, you never caught him”. One week after this, Lawford Tatum and I went fishing in my boat. As we got to the fishing area Mr Leon Brown was there fishing. Mr Leon said: “There is nothing here only the floater, you told us you had caught him”. I put my line out as usual to fish but he would not take it so I realized there was more than one floater in the sea. I said: “Well, my friends, today you will see for yourself how good I am”. Mr Leon laughed and Mr Lawford shook his head. The floater was about 55lbs. I took out of my fish box my little abracadabra gadget, and gave him two pieces of free bait to get him right up to the boat. Mr Lawford did not agree on giving out the free bait because he did not realize how important the two free pieces were. The Wahoo then took the third piece which was my abracadabra gadget. Mr Lawford shouted to Mr Leon, “He got it into him”. Mr Leon said: “It is impossible for anyone to hook the floater, he must be into another Wahoo”. So Mr Leon then threw about 10lbs of free bait. Mr Lawford tried to stop him from throwing so much but it was no use. After we caught the floater I told Mr Lawford to open the Wahoo mouth and get my abracadabra out. Mr Lawford said: “His mouth is locked, give me your big butcher knife” and then he gave a big shout saying, “if this fish had opened his mouth he could have gotten away”. I said: “Yes, I know because that is how it was with the first one you all said I didn’t catch”. Next season, John Scott (Johnny), a great fisherman, and I went fishing and we found another floater. Johnny did not believe what he had heard about Mr Lawford and myself catching the floater, so I fished at this floater the same as I did with Mr Lawford using the abracadabra gadget. When Johnny put the floater in the boat with the hook stick, I told him to open the floater mouth and take out my hook. When he did so Johnny shouted to me, “If this fish had opened his mouth he would have been long gone,” because the hook dropped right out in the boat.   http://www.caymannetnews.com/news-9177–7-7—.html

Tenson Scott in Cayman Went

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1158933/

Overview

Director:

Bobby Sheehan

Writers:

Jim Ritterhoff (screenplay)
Bobby Sheehan (screenplay)

Genre:

Family

Plot:

Cayman Went is the story of Josh Anders, a fading Hollywood underwater action star whose life takes on new meaning when he’s forced to spend time with the eccentric, endearing inhabitants of Cayman Brac and their local dive community.

Cast

 (Credited cast)

	Robin Weigert	…	Rachel
	Jeffrey DeMunn	…	Rodgers Bowman
	Susan Misner	…	Darby Thomas
	Mike Lombardi	…	Josh Anders
	Peter Maloney	…	Seaver
	Tuffy Questell	…	Lawson Peakes
	John Speredakos	…	Miles Baskin
	Laura Ford	…	Policewoman
	Lisa Barnes	…	Max’s Mom
	Franklin Ojeda Smith	…	Aniston Turnkey
	Pete Wiggins	…	Max
	John Mainieri	…	Hans Kopechne
	Tenson Scott	…	Himself

 

http://www.caymannetnews.com/bracker.php?news_id=5067&start=0&category_id=7

Hollywood comes to Cayman Brac

Published on Friday, February 1, 2008

 

 

http://www.caymannetnews.com/archivelist.php?news_id=5694&pageaction=showdetail&news_id=5694&arcyear=2008&arcmonth=2&arcday=29

The movie that ‘came and went’
Published on Friday, February 29, 2008
One of the final scenes in “Cayman Went”The cast and crew of the independent movie “Cayman Went” are getting ready to leave Cayman Brac at the end of this week, but they will leave behind an island that has been buzzing with the excitement of being a part of the movie business for the past two weeks.A story about Cayman Brac, with environmental protection as a major theme, “Cayman Went” has been shot on location since the crew arrived in mid-February, filming scenes around the island, many of them including local Brackers as extras or even with small speaking parts.“This is the talk of the town and will be for a while,” said local businessman Elvis McKeever, who has a small part in one scene shot on Public Beach (look for the guy cooking at the grill). “Everyone is excited – they’re all stopping and looking at what’s going on. This is a real good story and a good promotion for the Brac,” he said. But where did the idea for a movie here come from? According to Jim Ritterhoff, one of the partners of Cayman Went LLC, the company making the movie, it all began with a few stories and a lot of laughs one night at the Captain’s Table Restaurant back in 2002. Mr Ritterhoff is also a partner of New York marketing and entertainment company, Chowder, and he was on the Brac at the time to shoot part of a television commercial for the Department of Tourism. That night, he got to chatting with Moses Kirkconnell (now Sister Islands MLA), who told him about some of the hilarious things that happened on the Brac, particularly in the diving community, and they joked about making a television show like Cheers (a popular sitcom) set on the Brac. Well, that conversation was the spark that inspired Mr Ritterhoff to write the outline for “Cayman Went” when he got home, and later the first draft of the script for a project that has taken six years to come to fruition. Despite its slow start, production is now intense, and the man with the responsibility for making sure it all goes smoothly is Producer Gil Wadsworth. Having been on the Brac since early November, Mr Wadsworth has become a familiar face on the island. As well as scouting out locations and generally preparing for the two weeks of filming, he also found local people to appear in the movie. Mr McKeever he met, where else, but at the Captain’s Table, and Garston Grant, the owner of CB Rent-a-Car, who plays the chef at a bar in the movie, he “discovered” when he went to arrange insurance for the rental cars. “I never did any acting before but I think I can do it okay,” he admitted a few days before acting his big scene on Thursday. Not only does he have a part, but his business will also feature in Cayman Went. In return, Mr Grant said he offered the crew special deals and supported the project wherever he could. Local dive operation Indepth Watersports features prominently in the movie, and owner Craig Burhart and staff member Carl Nash appear as underwater doubles for two of the main characters. “It’s nice that Cayman Brac can get recognition for having some of the best diving in the Caribbean and for us to be able to showcase some of the beauty of the island,” said Mr Burhart. “It’s the biggest thrill to be able to interact with so many industry professionals – these are some of the best in the industry – and they’re all so enthralled by the island. I expect all of them to return. “Because of the excellent standard of photography, when this movie is done it will show the Brac at its best, and people who see the movie will want to come here,” he added. Meanwhile, the very presence of the film crew has been a boon to businesses across the island, especially hotel accommodation and rental cars. Lenny Neckerman said he and his staff at the Captain’s Table have been up at 4:00 am each morning to deliver breakfast to a crew by 5:30 am, as well as lunch mid-day. In the evening, they serve dinner to the group – and drinks at the bar to people coming out to see the stars and meet with the crew. “Gil has done everything he can to get local people involved,” said Mr Neckerman, noting that Brackers of all ages have been given small parts in the movie, from senior citizen Harvey Pierson, known to most as the General, to 11-year-old Jacob Scott. “There’s a guy with a real strong will to get things done,” said Mr McKeever of Mr Wadsworth. “He’s a fun guy to talk to – down to earth and smooth as ice.” “I am so pleased that the people of the Brac have had this great experience,” said Mr Kirkconnell. “This is nothing but good for this island, and I hope everyone from ‘Cayman Went’ enjoyed their time on the Brac as much as we enjoyed having them here.”

 Hanging out with the Stars

 

 

 

One Man Show 2007 – Opening Night

                         

Opening Night photos by Nicola Clarke

Thanks to Debra and her crew from the National Museum for a wonderful display set up!

 

Granny Bracyard a “Cayfest celebration”

 

Click on page to make it bigger as seen in the Bracker or click on web link

http://www.caymannetnews.com/archivelist.php?news_id=6942&pageaction=showdetail&news_id=6942&arcyear=2008&arcmonth=4&arcday=25

 

One Man Show 2007 at Heritage House

‘Sea beaf’ Dirty Joke Necklace Another Version

‘Sea beaf’ Earrings

‘Sea beaf’ 2-piece Dirty Joke Necklace

Caymanite

Horse Conch

Horse Eye

Caymanite

Caymanite braclet 

Caymanite braclet

Caymanite ring

Caymanite necklace

Nicker-Mouse

He talked about what they were used for in the old days.“The nicker was used as a marble when children could not afford to buy real marbles but it was the fun and enjoyment [of it],” he said. In terms of jewellery, the knickers he said is used to make a necklace called the Nicker-Mouse. The design takes the form of a mouse head or the famous ‘micky-mouse appearance and mentioned that the name nicker mouse could not be confused with anything else, neither could anyone sue him for using a particular name.

 

 

 

 

 

Caymanite

Caymanite

Caymanite

Caymanite

Caymanite

Whelk Heart

Caymanite

Caymanite

Caymanite braclet

Caymanite

Caymanite

Caymanite

Caymanite earrings

Caymanite earrings

Caymanite horse shoe necktie pin

Nicker earrings

Caymanite

Caymanite necktie pin

Caymanite earring

Caymanite earrings

Whelk earrings

 

 Whelk earrings

Tenson is very particular about a set of earrings having almost the exact lines and shades of color true every piece of Caymanite is slightly different. One has to know how to slab it and mark it just right.  He even tries to match whelk shells, which is almost next to impossible to get the black and white patterns matching but he still tries. He commented the other day that he must have been getting old because the two-piece dangle whelk earrings were not as perfect a match as he would have liked but after some thought would still put them in the show.  In turn gave them a special touch in the middle so that there is a small pearl effect to catch the light, which adds a sparkle to the front of the earrings. Particular indeed but that is what makes his pieces no matter the material of such high quality and in demand.

Mr. Tenson is now on the last of what he considers the good pieces of Caymanite (hard, fully formed) that he has in stock.  Has lots of what he calls bad Caymanite (soft, has holes or cracks) and refuses to use the less than perfect pieces. Even if he is almost finished a piece and find any of the bad items in that piece he will discard it and start on the process all over again with another piece or item depending on material he is working with. Therefore no pen holes nor cracks which he uses his fingers and magnifying glasses to check. 

Caymanite

 

Cayman Net News Articles – McCoy Prize 2006 and One Man Show 2007

Cayman Net News Articles

the-mccoy-prize-2006-award-ceremony

The McCoy Prize 2006 Award Ceremony

Monday, May 29, 2006

 

Captain Harris McCoy Jr presented coveted McCoy
Arts awards to Tenson Scott who won two prizes, one
in the Fine Craft section, and another new prize,
Best in Show, for his piece, ‘The Dirty Joke
Necklace,’ at the ceremony held on Thursday
evening. One of the most prestigious events on the
arts calendar, this year’s event drew attention once
again to the diverse artistic talent in the Cayman
Islands.

Nasaria Suckoo-Chollette won first prize in the Fine
Art section, for her painting, ‘Maiden Plum’

Tenson Scott won the Fine Craft with his piece,
called ‘The Dirty Joke Necklace’ as well as the ‘Best
in Show’ prize

Sheree Ebanks won first place in the Fine Art
Photography section for her photograph called ‘The
Light Bath’

The McCoy Prize 2006 Award Ceremony and Exhibition opening took place on the site of the old Gold’s Gym in George Town.

The exhibition, which is one of the most prestigious events on Cayman’s art calendar, features art solely from Caymanian artists in three categories, Fine Art, Fine Art Photography and Fine Craft.

Anita Ebanks, Director of the Cayman Islands National Museum, began by welcoming the guests. Later in a short speech, she took the opportunity to thank all the past and present Government Ministers who have been responsible for culture, for their support.

Angela Martins MBE, JP, Director of the Cayman Islands National Museum, spoke about value of an art event such as this one in helping Caymanians re-define what being Caymanian means, by not just looking back into the past, but also looking forward.

The awards for each category were presented by Captain Harris McCoy Jr. whose family founded the prize.

Nasaria Suckoo-Chollette gained the first prize in the Fine Art category for her painting entitled ‘Maiden Plum’.

Tenson Scott won Fine Craft with his piece, called ‘The Dirty Joke Necklace’ In addition, Mr Scott won the new ‘Best in Show’ prize, of $4,000.

Sheree Ebanks won first prize in the Fine Art Photography section for her photograph of the inside of a cave, called, The Light Bath.

After the awards were presented, the guests were welcomed into the exhibition.

Guests at the exhibition included the former Minister of Education, Roy Bodden, as well as previous prizewinners including Randy Chollette, Aston Ebanks, and Wray Banker.

The aim of the McCoy Prize Exhibition is to encourage Caymanian art by offering prize money for the best pieces of artwork in different categories.

Harris McCoy III created the prize, which the McCoy Family continues to fund each year. Mr McCoy also helps to administer the prize, along with executive Director of the National Museum, Anita Ebanks, and Director of the National Gallery, Nancy Barnard.

The prize money has been increased to CI$10,000 in total this year.

Each of the three categories, Fine Art, Fine Art Photography, and Fine Craft, carry prizes of CI $2,000 each.

The new category, ‘Best in Show,’ which is decided from the winners of each of the other three categories, carries a prize of CI$ 4,000.

There is also another new category, ‘Artists’ Choice,’ which has been included so that artists can choose their favorite piece from among their peers.

Early this year, in an interview with Cayman Net News, Harris McCoy III expressed his satisfaction that the prize and exhibition were achieving their aims of encouraging art among Caymanians.

“We have never had so much art work from Caymanians in the exhibition,” he stressed.

Other intangible benefits, too: “One of the key things (the exhibition has achieved) has been the feeling of respect for Caymanian art,” Mr McCoy said.

Mr McCoy was enthusiastic about the new venue for the exhibition: “We have 2,400 square feet. I hope that the size of the building will offer scope for artists wishing to produce larger work,” he said.

christopher@caymannetnews.com

 

 

 

tenson-scott-one-man-show

Tenson Scott – One Man Show
Published on Friday, December 21, 2007	Email To Friend    Print Version
Tenson Scott with guests Tenson Scott, McCoy prize winner of 2006 had his exhibition opened on Wednesday, 5 December at the Heritage House through the efforts of the Cayman Islands National Museum (CINM). The event was dubbed “One Man Show” where Mr Scott showcased some of his hand craft skills which firmly placed him in the class of master sculptor. Opening remarks and welcome were done by the Director of CINM, Anita Ebanks, where she stated that the Cayman Islands has a number of talent which needs to be placed in the public’s eyes. Mr Scott’s work is described as being the mosaic of the Cayman Islands; unique, unexpected, bold and always with a touch of humor intertwined with a good story. Cayman Brac’s artistic community has delivered a rich treasure with his ability to transform the rarest creatures of the sea into jewellery and then into art. His prize winning submission “The Dirty Joke Necklace,” was awarded the 2006 McCoy Prize for Fine Arts and Grand prize and is now a part of the McCoy Collection. In delivering his speech, Mr Scott spoke of his hard word and dedication to his work, even though recognition was difficult to attain. He spoke of ventures of climbing down cliffs on the Bluff just to acquire a unique or unusual rock, or simply retrieving something from Mother Nature which are adored by viewers. Mr Scott was born on the 4 May 1938 in Cayman Brac. “I have traveled all around the world as a seaman. I enjoy making jewellery as I always try to bring out the best in every piece, no matter the material,” said Mr Scott. Deputy District Commissioner Mark Tibbetts paid tribute to Mr Scott and spoke of the craftsman’s commitment and the exemplary leadership Mr Scott has been to the Cayman Brac community. He also said that Mr Scott has paved the path for other Caymanian artists. Mr Scott’s wife Starrie gave the vote of thanks, being exhilarated and grateful for the support that her husband and family have received. She inherently made mention of the zeal her husband has in sculpting. “I do enjoy going out on excursions with him, even though at times the expedition may be dangerous, especially when he does cliff hanging to achieve unusual art, but he enjoys what he does, and when he is happy, I’m also happy,” Mrs. Scott interjected. Some of the art work on display by Mr. Scott included pieces such as, Chiton Turtle, Dirty Joke Necklace, plaques and fine jewellery, and some of the tools used to create his craft. The event was well supported by the community, with guests expressing bewilderment at the various artworks produced by Mr. Scott and the level of perfection that was displayed in all of the pieces.

 

 

 http://www.gov.ky/portal/page?_pageid=1142,2426243&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL