Rita Morel dreams of turning her Kaz An Bwa home into a gallery |01 August 2015

Her dream is to turn her Kaz An Bwa home tucked in between Le Duc de Praslin hotel and Côte d’Or Chalets at Côte d’Or into a gallery and she is convinced it will be a success story.

Rita Morel expressed her wish to President James Michel when he visited entrepreneurs in the Baie Ste Anne district on Praslin last Saturday.

Mrs Morel discussed with the president the possibility to acquire another plot of land so that she can build a house and turn her present home into a gallery.

Speaking to Seychelles Nation, Mrs Morel said: “I am using just one room and the verandah of my house as the gallery. It is full and I need more space.”

“My wish is to turn the Kaz An Bwa into a gallery so that more Seychellois artists from Praslin, La Digue and even Mahé can exhibit their work. Right now, I can only accommodate a few of them as the place has become too small. Sometimes it becomes a nuisance for visitors when they come to the gallery and my daughter is at home, especially after school hours,” added Mrs Morel who was born Payet on August 4, 1986 on Praslin.

At Rita's Art Studio & Gallery one can find original art works exclusively made by the artist. The young professional paints land and seascape of Seychelles, exotic tropical flowers, endemic birds and plants, underwater scenery and still life.

After completing her primary and secondary education on Praslin, she joined the then National College of the Arts in 2004 and received Higher Certificate in Art and Design. From 2005 to 2006 she did her diploma in fine art. While doing her final year at the then College of the Arts in 2006, she sat for her A-Level art examination (GCE) of Cambridge and obtained a distinction.

At the end of her studies in 2006 she was voted the outstanding performer for the visual arts programme area of the Seychelles Polytechnic.

In 2007 she joined the then National Institute of Education to become an art teacher but after some times she realised that becoming a teacher was not what she really wanted; for her in a studio creating works of art was more in her nature and her wish.

The following year she applied for a small cottage business industry license and started her own personal gallery at her house built in 1997 by her father, situated at Anse Volbert Praslin.

Considering herself as a conservationist of nature, most of Mrs Morel’s art works are related to the immediate environment of Seychelles.

“I have always considered myself as a conservationist of nature and I always appreciate the importance that such a place has on an individual, but the interpretation of such state of mind is, I believe, shared and acknowledged by many,” said Mrs Morel who added:

“I understand values, balance and rhythm of life, my own and others’, by learning from the natural wonders of life itself.”

A former chairperson of Mizopwen, the association of photographers of Seychelles, she is currently the treasurer of Seylar Federation and is also registered with the National Arts Council of Seychelles.

She has also taken part in many exhibitions on Praslin, La Digue and Mahé.

G. G.