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The lack of jobs in the village of Ibimirim forced Maria Elda Alves Sobral to work in the fields and make fishing nets. “Around here many people worked as saint makers, and I liked it. I used to help a brother-in-law finish the pieces, and one day I decided to make a whole piece from scratch. I made an archangel and no one could believe it. I do the entire process, from felling the wood with an axe to the finishing touches. Today I am the only female saint maker in Ibimirim, and I’m known as Master Elda.”
It’s not surprising that she is careful in her work. She wants to improve and makes her figurines more and more human. “I think the pieces have a sort of look like us. I have a big face and large eyes, so maybe that’s why my images look like that.” Master Elda demands a lot of herself and of the process of making her images. “I don’t care if I don’t sell everything now, or if I don’t produce very much. Most people don’t value it. They make draught on a machine and everything ends up looking the same. I make everything by hand. I know that outside, when people are going to buy, they don’t care if it’s handmade or not. But I care, and that’s what matters.” |
