Using river stone found locally, Jean-Claude Duemas and artisans working with him chisel the form and features of this sculpture. The original color of the stone is gray, but artisans rub a black paste, made from water-soluble aniline dye, into the face, arms and legs of the sculpture to dye it. Next they apply a coat of black shoe polish and then a coating of beeswax to add luster.

Seventy percent unemployment in Haiti makes consistent and fair income critical for artisans such as these stone sculptors. Artisan group Comité Artisanal Haitien, or Haitian Committee of Artisans, based in Port-au-Prince, works to provide this income to Jean-Claude and 200 other artisan workshops in Jacmel and Croix de Bouquet. Since 1972, this nonprofit has marketed and exported crafts made by Haitian artisans, cooperatives and craft groups.