Grand Turk artist Aysha Stephen has built a thriving career painting the island's donkeys, selling her quirky, colourful works to cruise passengers and high-end collectors from her Front Street gallery near Pillory Beach. The Guyana-born, self-taught painter calls herself a "quirky donkey artist" and estimates she has created several thousand pieces, mostly sold through her website.
Donkeys dominate her studio — usually bespectacled, each painted to capture its own personality. "Donkeys are the main thing I love to paint. I love their fur, their whimsical character and the fact that each one has their own personality," she says. Her favourite is 'Orange Jack', which appeared on the cover of the summer 2024 edition of Times of the Islands. Several donkeys wander through her yard, including one she feeds apples — and calls Hamas, since he "started off as my nemesis" but became part of the family. Formerly in hospitality in Providenciales, she moved to Grand Turk three years ago to teach art classes to cruise visitors and stayed.
In summer 2025 she released the children's picture book 'Midnight Donkey', about a mischievous donkey navigating Grand Turk. She advises aspiring artists: "Keep going. Don't stop and wait for the market to find you; create your own." Her work can be browsed at www.mahadevcorner.com.