Don Sybil

Working in Abstract

“My paintings reflect where I’m from and where I am now—Port-au-Prince to New York. I’m interested in density, rhythm, color, and forms. I build each painting without a fixed plan, letting my mind go.”

Don Sybil is an artist living and working in Far Rockaway, Queens, commuting to Manhattan while continuing to paint daily. He lives with his family in a modest home by the beach and remains closely connected to them. Though far from where he comes from, he stays tied to nature and to his Haitian heritage.

Sybil engages openly with popular American culture. In his workstation, you can find figurines, Hot Wheels cars, and Sports Illustrated magazines alongside painting materials.

Sybil does not let anything interrupt his practice. “The first thing I like to do in the morning is meditate, pray, and paint abstract,” he says. He works from an office chair at a small desk, roughly the size of his 16 × 20 inch canvases—a format common for artists early in their careers. The materials he uses, including his paints, are easy to obtain and transport, allowing him to maintain a consistent daily rhythm.

Repetition in Sybil’s work is meditative and textile-like, reflecting the flow he incorporates into his daily life. 

What will become possible with greater resources available to him? Discussions of larger scale works come to mind.  

Abstract 3: A torso emerges through melted blocks of color. The figure remains recognizable, creating visual tension and bridge his figurative and non-figurative compositions.