Lesly Cetout was born in 1972 to a poor family in Plain du Nord, south of Cap
Haitian. When Lesly's father died, his mother moved the family of six children
to Petion-Ville. Until her health failed a few years ago, Macula worked as a
hotel maid. In 2002, when Lesly was unemployed and struggling to support his
mother and four of his five sisters, he was hired as special needs teacher at
Wings of Hope Home for Physically and Mentally Challenged Children in Fermathe.
His passion, however, is art, and a year later when his paintings began to sell
in the United States as well as in Haiti, he left that job and is now a full-time
artist.
In July 2004, Lesly and an American, Sally Cole, who lives in Haiti, opened
an art gallery in her home. This Gallery occupies a special niche for two reasons:
15% of each sale is donated to Wings of Hope, and their focus is on the art
of talented and determined Haitians who refuse to sell their art on the streets
but haven't yet made it to the prestigious galleries in Petion-Ville. This "undiscovered"
talent is enormous and they feel privileged to display their work in the gallery.
We too, are proud to feature not only Lesly's works but paintings by many
of the other artists associated with this gallery.
Lesly Cetout was born in 1972 to a poor family in Plain du Nord, south of Cap
Haitian. When Lesly's father died, his mother moved the family of six children
to Petion-Ville. Until her health failed a few years ago, Macula worked as a
hotel maid. In 2002, when Lesly was unemployed and struggling to support his
mother and four of his five sisters, he was hired as special needs teacher at
Wings of Hope Home for Physically and Mentally Challenged Children in Fermathe.
His passion, however, is art, and a year later when his paintings began to sell
in the United States as well as in Haiti, he left that job and is now a full-time
artist.
