In an interview in 2018, at the foot of Sentry Hill, Cynric Griffith told the story of the first time he met the Queen of the Netherlands and other stories of his career as an artist and teacher.

My name is Cynric Griffith. I was born on the island of St. Kitts, the first of January, 1919. I came to St. Martin in 1956 and from then on, many other things has been happening.

I’m a portrait painter now, I paint landscapes. I’m from the Renaissance, the days of Rembrandt. I’m still painting. Not actually painting, but doing pen and ink drawings and so on, you know. Well it seem to me that every subject matter that I work on, it’s a part of me, you know? I have no choice, I can pick up my brush and my palette and start working with oil paint. The next time I could get the pen and ink, next time watercolor.

When I was at the Pasanggrahan Hotel, my boss told me that “The Queen is coming!” And she was staying at Little Bay Hotel. He said, “I need you to help, and serve her, and you has to have a white coat, and a black tie and a black pants.”

Mr. Wathey [the island Commissioner at the time], he came to me one day and said, “You know, the Queen is coming here, and what you’re going to do, you’re going up into the hill and you’re going to paint a picture of the area where the Queen is going to cut the ribbon for the new airport.”

So I did that, and when the Queen came, I was asked to serve her coffee. Mr. Wathey gave me the painting to deliver to the Queen, I think that was a couple hours after I gave her coffee. And she looked up at me and said, “Haven’t I seen you somewhere before?” I said, “Yes, I served you coffee!” And this was the way it went. From that day on, they always, when she’s coming, invite me to receptions and so on.

I got a call from the St. Maarten Academy, this new college. They said, “Would you like to teach?” I said, “Yes.” So I went into it and I taught there for nine years.

And there was no shop, no store that sells anything like [art supplies], so I brought a stock of materials. The school did not have any paper and things to work with, so I gave it to them all. I would bring them all up here in this very place, all up in the hills. We used to walk it all the way up and look around and paint all the houses, anything that we can see.

Today, I get some surprises. When I’m sometimes sitting outside on the porch, I hear a voice,“Is that Mr. Griffith?” So I look up and say, “Yes, who are you?” “Don’t you remember? You use to teach us and take us all up in the hills to draw.” You know, it makes you feel good. I have achieved something, I have given something. And it goes on like that from day to day.

Find more true stories about life on St. Martin in Stories of St. Martin.