We saw Rey’s work a few years ago and were so impressed by his skill and by him as a person. At first we were surprised to find out they were Rey’s sculptures. His quiet and reserved demeanor never reveals his talent. After much prodding he began to tell us about his work, and about his passion. Immediately there was a change in him. His reservation faded away and while his humility remained, it was lost in the excitement of talking about his work. We have found in the years of knowing Rey that he continues to be surprised by the positive reactions to his work. We are not sure if he understands how talented he is and perhaps that allows him to create the way he does. For Rey it is not something he does, it is who he is, a creator.
Born and raised in Cuba Rey’s love of Italy began on a vacation, like so many of ours does. Under the sunny skies, exploring the mountains and countryside, so different from his home country, he found a new possibility, a different life in Europe. He felt immediately at home in Italy so Rey found work and made the move away from his family to relocate in Tuscany. For more than 15 years Rey has lived and worked in Italy, finding new passions, loves, friends and work. He has settled in the town of Lucca, where he has completely integrated into the life, culture and language of Italy.
One of the things that struck us first was that Rey works in olive wood. It is one of the hardest woods and therefore most sculptors generally shy away from it. But Rey doesn’t, even though it is extremely difficult to find. Olive trees in Italy are highly protected by government regulations and the wood is coveted, so finding pieces large enough to sculpt can often be a challenge in itself. The benefit in working in olive wood is that it has characteristics which make the sculptures unique. The coloring, the graining and the patina are all exceptional. Rey works in olive wood because he considers it a valuable wood and inspirational. Knowing Rey we think he may also enjoy the challenge, as his entire life consists of rising to challenges.
Inspiration for Rey’s sculptures come from his moods and his environment. He loves being outdoors and finds much inspiration from his explorations either on foot or bicycle. While sculpting Rey always feels exhilarated and excited, much like when he is cycling. There is a part of Rey that comes to life when he is creating. He has found this part of him to be very important. It has existed in him for as long as he can remember and so without even knowing it he feeds it whether through sculpting, building or transforming.
When Rey was 8 years old, living in Cuba, he visited his Uncle in the country. He was curious about sculpting wood so he asked his Uncle about it. His Uncle showed him how to sculpt and Rey took to it immediately. Incredibly, his first sculpture was created using only a sharpened railroad nail found at his Uncle’s home. When we thought about this 8 year old being inspired enough to create a sculpture with a sharpened railroad nail we realized we had found a true artist, a man who cannot help but create.
Rey’s talents do not stop with wood sculpting, in fact he loves to build furniture, and create beautiful home decor. But his strongest passion, behind wood carving, is to customize bicycles. Rey spends his free time cycling, hiking and running through the hills of Tuscany. He is an accomplished cyclist, runner and hiker. This love of being outdoors helps to keep him centered, creative and energized.
In his gentle and humble nature lies a soul that sees the world through different eyes than most of his. He finds the beauty, the calm and the mystical in things and gratefully is then driven to share them with us through his creations.
You can see Rey’s intricate and exceptional olive wood sculptures on our site. They are available to ship around the world.
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