Please click on photo for an enlargement.

Many of the photos are the courtesy of Bil Sullivan: http://www.bilsullivanphotography.com/

Inspiration, Celebration and Passion …
Welcome to my world

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thank you for being here. It is a real pleasure to share with you the fruit of my work and, I am deeply grateful to TLU for inviting me. A special thank you / goes to T. Paul Hernandez, Landa King, and the art students / who helped graciously in setting up the exhibition.

Once upon a time,
When I was 14 years old,
I read a book, and
Something extraordinary happened to me.
From that day,
It changed my way of seeing things,
It changed my life,
It gave me a vision.
A few sentences from
The Little Prince of: Antoine de St-Exupéry
Stayed with me to this day.
Thus it says:

“It is only with the heart
That one can see rightly;
What is essential
Is invisible for the eye”.

The sculptures you see before you hide a deep story of inspiration. In the mid 1990’s, I met a master carver who inspired me when he said: “Madam you can carve”. I was shocked and I was skeptical. One day, I went back to him with a set of tools and said: here I am; you said you would teach me isn’t it so? … Yes he did. For months, he stood by my side, passing on to me/ from earlier generations of Haitian sculptors the art of sculpting wood together with his love for this profession.

It’s been twelve years, since carving took me along as a disciple. Twelve years of discipline and labor. As a result, my sculptures are a reflection of my evolution through time and vision. They portray the sanctity of daily living which is a mix of happiness, / sensuality, / anger, and majesty.

When I am asked: How do I carve?
I say:
· I carve with my heart and my soul.
· I carve by instinct

Why do I carve?
· Because I want to share my dreams with others;
· But above all, because there is sacredness in what I do/ and I want to leave my sculptures as a legacy to celebrate life’s nobility.

For all these years, carving has become my true passion. Along the path I do encounter risks, frustration, and discouragement. Sculpting consumes my energies. At the same time it propels me forward. From the rising of the sun/ until the rising of the moon, mallet and chisel ring out against the intrinsic beauty of the wood and my inner spirit soars to new heights.

This partnership heals my mind and my spirit. / Whether mythology or religious beliefs have influenced me in the process,/ my sculptures portray / the inspiration for the unusual and the unexpected./ These poets/ take us to a world/ where mythology and reality / merge into a joyful dance;/ where ancient gods / provide succor and sustenance./

One tends to think that the sculptures speak for me. / No, they do not. / They speak their own language. / They speak to you. / You hear them. / You hear them in your own way. You travel with them / far into your imagination. / With an inner strength, / they go beyond / the boundaries we erect for ourselves. / Arm-in-arm you go with them to a deeper place. / Their poetry touches you; / and in some way, / you and the artist enter the domain of inspiration and together celebrate the eternal passion of creativity.

The fox was right in telling the Little Prince:
“What is essential
Is invisible for the eye”.

Ladies and Gentlemen it was a pleasure talking to you and now, I welcome your questions.