A New Yorker by birth, I have made Brazil my home since 1981.  Living in the concrete metropolis of São Paulo, initially I was shocked by the poverty interlacing the wealth of this city.  People beg on street corners and live in hovels, slums and under bridges. All this, amid a kaleidoscopic mix of cultures and sometimes staggering riches. At first, I tried to turn a blind eye and then slowly over the years, I began to observe and then really look at the people in this country. I noticed in Brazilians a deep belief in God and an innate happiness which help them get through the obstacles of their day-to-day lives. This essence is what I try to capture in my sculptures and art installations.