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José Pereira doesn’t hide the fact that he still hasn’t fully recovered from losing his father – Artur Pereira – in 2003. “My father was the most famous sculptor in this area. He supported all his family with his work,and helped many other artists. I confess that after his death I got a bit lost, and now that I’ve lost my mother, even more so, but life goes on. I worked for 26 years with him. My brother-in-law, Biscoito, was the same. He taught us both. My father was old, and for the last 18 years I had been helping him with the larger pieces. I used to cut, drill and prepare the wood following his drawings. But the faces of the animals, the details, he did himself. Now I’m making stools that look like animals, like he used to. They are very popular.”
In the corner, the last piece sculpted by Artur Pereira, still unfinished, brings back good memories to José, who will certainly start to sculpt again once he gets over the losses he has suffered. And he guarantees this piece will always be there. |
