Izaías Lopes was born in Belém of Pará, as the capital of the state is known. He has worked with craft art since 1974, and six years ago he fell in love with gourds, a regional material which abounds in the Quianduba River region, in Abaetuba (PA).
He lived for 12 years in Rio de Janeiro (RJ) and ended up attending a sculpture course at Parque Lage, with Jaime Sampaio. There, he learned woodcarving, the technique he uses to sculpt masks and oars.
On his return to Belém he was asked to work with regional materials using gouges (tools used in Marajoara style ceramics).
Today, Izaías Lopes sells all of his work and teaches young people in schools and other organizations. |
