Alain and Joselyne KEREBEL have a very interesting background history...
"Interesting people make interesting art."
    Alain's history is simply fascinating. Born and raised in Paris, he was always interested in the arts, but the path he took to become the artist he is today was a little unusual. Working as an interpreter for the American Army during WWII, he was living in Normandie while the infamous invasion took place there and had the good fortune to survive it. After the war, he promptly moved back to Paris to study painting and sculpture at the FINE ART ACADEMY in Paris.

A love for Africa
     He then moved to Africa and immersed himself in a culture he was fascinated with since he was a boy. He lived in Guinee and Gabon for over 20 years doing a variety of different things to survive. According to him, as a result of never really having a lot of money, he ended up doing some pretty interesting things there. First, he guided for Big game in his own Cessna 182 Skylane for a few years, racking up over 6500 hours over the African bush. He then operated a giant steam engine shovel in Conakry Guinee, bought and sold trucks, and operated a Piper cub spraying banana plantations with pesticides, among other things.

    Along the way, he managed to participate in not one, but 2 REVOLUTIONS in Africa, both in Guinee and in Gabon, wherein his actions found the favors of the president of Gabon himself, Leon M'ba. After the revolution, he took a job as a personal security officer to the president himself! Not only his size but his skills as a Paratrooper (at the time the equivalent of what the Special Forces of the US army is today), made him quite good at his job. (This isn't surprising if you see how big and powerful Alain is upon meeting him)

    At this time, he still found time for his art passions and managed to open up his own painting and jewelry studio, which he ran and worked out of for several years.

    From Africa, Alain moved to French Polynesia, where he discovered Moorea island and promptly purchased a nice lot. He had a plane and was working the different islands when he met Joselyne in Papeete, where she was working as an announcer for a French television program. Their unique and outgoing styles immediately complimented one another, and their relationship was born. Alain shared his jewelers craft with her and she learned quickly. They had 3 children, and used their plane to fly their kids to school every day for over 10 years.

    Now, the kids are all grown up. One is in the Real Estate business living in Scottsdale Arizona, (where Alain seems to draw much of his western influences from). Another is a beautician living and working in Paris, and the 3rd is a 27 year old pilot living in Gabon now for over 4 years who has recently opened up his own Art Gallery in Dakar, Senegal!
(Sound familiar? A possible case of Art imitating life perhaps...?)
Alain and Joselyne visit their children in the states and France every year, and Alain still travels to Africa on a regular basis.

    The Kerebel's current remaining property on Moorea is 6 acres, where they live quite happily with their 2 dogs, a few rabbits, a duck ("The Duck"), and several pet birds. They have been on Moorea for over 20 years.

THE DUCK (and the Necklaces)


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