In the famed metal smithing town of Croix des Bouquets, amidst the banging and clanging of mallets, chisels, and knives into steel, you’ll find Josnel Bruno an active part of the soundtrack. He’s been turning out striking contemporary designs that deliver a lyrical mix of repurposed heavy industrial metal and organic design. Studying with metal master Serge Jolimeau, Bruno refined his talent and learned to take risks. As a sculptor and surfacer, he is highly accomplished. His elegant natural vibe — the Lotus flower, its open petals gracious and incised – belies his disturbing surroundings. Bruno lives in the most impoverished part of the western hemisphere, in a town now an epicenter of gang control. His superb metal works, and those of other leading sculptors in Croix de Bouquets, operate even as the streets have given way to gang warfare. Once a child running wild in many directions, Josnel ultimately found cutting and manipulating metal centering. “After years of struggling to make a living, finally the world has discovered our artful town.” It’s a treacherous travel destination, but the town draws tremendous artistic talent and increasing attention from collectors because of the masters like Bruno. He is a standout for his enterprising, experimental, often improvisational work like his wide oil drum bowls on display. He manipulated the metal to form over an old truck’s hubcap, and then used the wheel’s lug nuts to create the protrusions throughout the surface. He stripped and sealed the piece, lustrous and silver. The metal sculptor’s works have been exhibited in the Caribbean, Europe and the United States and sold to collectors worldwide