Because nothing can replace direct contact with an artist in the presence of his work, I highly recommend a visit to Ligel’s studio. He enthusiastically displayed a series of mixed-media pieces called Made in the USA which feature paint and real American flags framed by bold colors and intense brushstrokes which mingle with the flag’s fabric and create a striking backdrop for the flag itself. He intends to create fifty of these pieces in total, and has completed 29 so far. He also has created many jazz-inspired paintings in which he adeptly renders the sounds and spirit of the music in a visual representation. Ligel is friendly and presents his work with passion and humor. He has an interesting life story which provides context for his visual explorations of identity and experience. He shared a sweet and interesting fruit with us called kenep (apparently popular in Haiti) and we chatted genially in his kitchen. He showed us his work right in the studio which made us feel close to the process and welcomed into the space where his creation takes place. We bought a beautiful poster of a painting called "Out of Notes" which combines the energy of abstract expressionism with a distinctive representation of a saxophone player. You can see this poster in his online shop, or better yet, drop by the studio and have him show it to you.