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In the small village of Correntes, it’s easy to find Sebastiana Mendes Soares’s house. It’s large and simple, welcoming everyone. Born there in 1933, Mrs. Sebastiana says she started playing around with a pocket-knife when she was a little girl making figurines in the woods. “I discovered everything by myself. Now this art has evolved but to me it started with my toys. It’s a gift from God, and nobody understood. I wish I had studied so I knew more. I create, but an education would help make things clearer. I walk around the countryside, and see beautiful things. I search for pretty things, and search for pieces of wood that say something to me. My only tool is the pocket-knife.”
Her life has had ups and downs, but she has never been far from her wood. Her Last Supper scenes, saints and animals charm with the simplicity of their lines. “I remember my mother had an altar and we weren’t allowed near it. But when she went out I would go there and look, without touching it. I used to try to copy the images. My mum started to get suspicious and said that if I went near the altar she’d spank me but I carried on making my things, and have never been spanked.” |
