"Midnight Dancer, Sea Dancer Series" Sculpture

About Sylvie -

Sylvie Pool Alvarez’s artistic journey began during her childhood in the Seychelles Islands in her grandmother’s pottery studio. She spent countless hours there—watching, touching clay, experimenting freely, and absorbing the tactile, intuitive way her grandmother approached creativity. Those early experiences shaped the foundation of her sculptural language: hands first, instincts forward, and an openness to exploration without rigid boundaries.

Her creative journey evolved through many three-dimensional media after she moved to the United States, including wax sculpture, stone carving, glass mosaics, wirework, beading, and polymer clay. She later spent almost fifteen years in Guam, where she taught art, completed her Master of Arts in Art at the University of Guam, and later served as an adjunct professor in sculpture and ceramics. Guam’s shorelines and natural environments had a lasting influence on her biomorphic language.

Currently based in Tampa, Florida, Sylvie is known for her biomorphic ceramic sculptures—sensual, fluid forms inspired by sea life, natural rhythms, and the organic movement of wind and water. She typically works with her bare hands, letting touch guide the emergence of each gesture and curve. Her pieces echo her childhood memories of ocean currents, island textures, and the subtle choreography of natural forces. Many of her sculptures are intentionally repositionable—created to be oriented in multiple directions—inviting viewers and collectors to physically interact with the work and experience new silhouettes through movement.

In recent years, Sylvie’s health reshaped her creative process. After developing MCAS and mold toxicity, wet clay became a trigger—forcing her to completely reinvent her studio practice. She responded by creating a fully mobile, outdoor studio, sculpting the early stages of each piece in open landscapes. Her works now begin on beaches, cliff sides, and while hiking through places such as Zion, Sedona, and the coastlines she travels. This shift forged a deeper dialogue between her art and the natural world, allowing each environment to imprint itself into the origin of the sculpture.

Sylvie’s work has been featured internationally, including with Women United Art Magazine, CosmoCreole, the Clay Center of New Orleans, Hyatt Regency Guam, and Eden Art Space in Seychelles.