Handmade Haitian Home Sculpture, Birds in Mind, Voodoo Metal Folk Art 23x23in

Artist Profile- Jean Eddy Remy

Sculptor, painter, musician, dedicated family man, and occasional basketball player, Jean Eddy Remy has a seemingly boundless capacity for more. More action, more color, more complexity, more expression. His art is reflective of his lifestyle: full of fluid movement, and élan vital. Jean Eddy draws heavily from the Voodoo imagery that permeates Haitian culture. Often anthropomorphic, his designs are sinuous and seductive, giving the viewer a sense of recognition, but not revealing all. There is an element of the unknowable in their composition, as if the mysteries of the universe are hammered in, one strike at a time.

And he gets a kick out of it, which is kind of the best part. The punch line is that we can’t make sense of everything and we never will because we’re not supposed to, though we’ll knock ourselves out trying. Life is a mystery by design. And in this case, the design is Eddy’s.

Fair trade isn't just a good idea - its the way we do business.

We offer a hand up, not a hand out to our artist partners in Haiti. Each sale of their metal sculptures represents a positive step toward a better life.

The center of Haitian metal sculpture is the village of Croix-des-Bouquets, where the clanging sound of hammers striking chisels is a constant music. To begin, the artist chalks his design onto the metal. Chisels, dies and a large hammer are used to cut and shape the piece, giving it form and texture. When the highly intricate and physically demanding work is complete and the artist is satisfied with his work, he signs his name boldly with a small chisel and applies a clear, weather-proof coating. The result is a wonderful, fair trade piece of handcrafted art.