What do you think when you hear “Haitian art”?

Depending on your level of familiarity with Haitian art, you may want to think about folk art paintings on canvas. Or you may not think about anything at all.

If you haven’t heard of Haitian metal drum art, you’ll love it. Metal drums, the 55-gallon drums used to transport oil or other products, are transformed into whimsical designs ranging from trees and flowers, birds and animals, to people, angels and biblical scenes.

Although some parts are made from new oil drums, they are usually recycled bought near the port of the capital city of Port-au-Prince and brought to the neighboring city of Croix-des-Bouquets in handcarts or on top of a “faucet”. -tap” (taxi). Croix-des-Bouquets is the center of the Haitian metalworking movement, and many metal drum artists have their workshops there.

The art of metal drumming in Haiti began in the early 1950s with the blacksmith Georges Liautaud. In his humble workshop, Liautaud had been making and repairing tools and creating simple metal crosses for the graves in the Croix-des-Bouquets cemetery.

American master DeWitt Peters, who opened Le Center d’Art in Port-au-Prince in 1944, encouraged Liautaud to branch out into the creation of decorative metal sculpture. A few talented men apprenticed with him, and the tradition has continued; a metal drum artist will apprentice to others, who will branch out and go into business themselves. Peters provided exhibit and instructional space.

To create these works of art, the artist first removes the top and bottom of the drum and places them inside the cylinder along with dried banana or sugar cane leaves. He sets the leaves on fire to burn off the paint or other residue in the drum. Once the metal has cooled, the artist cuts the cylindrical drum from top to bottom, then strikes it into a flattened rectangle approximately three by six feet.

The artist draws the design onto the sheet metal with chalk, then cuts it out with a mallet and chisel. Using these and other simple tools, he hammers out various decorative patterns in the metal, including concave and convex areas; he creates intricate patterns by hammering out bumps of different heights. Some pieces have three-dimensional designs. Some are very colorful, while others maintain their metallic appearance.

The detail in these works of art must be seen and touched to be appreciated.

The artist signs the finished design and covers it with a protective varnish. Many art lovers prefer art to be aged with rust and then sealed. In either case, the pieces can be displayed indoors or outdoors.

Used oil drums turned into beautiful works of art. Who would have thought?