MarlieDecopain

Out of the original concept of just being a place to sell my artwork, Popiphi became a marriage of my heritage and current experiences, my challenges and triumphs, my quest and the conquering of my life's passion, my love for art and home decor, the countries where I've lived and my parentage. It's also a story of my desire to push others to follow their heart's desire. Thus, the inspiration for each item in the shop is usually multi layered.

But where did it all start?

I come from a country of sun and heat, colorful houses and colorful cars, colorful language and colorful sounds. I come from a country of art and music, a world full of promise and hidden gems. I come from a small city and the countryside and am of a big city. I'm from a Caribbean country and my parents knew since I was 5 years old that its colors and art permeated my world. A world, which then consisted of a nightly routine of sitting at the kitchen table, color pencil and paper in hand to draw my mother a picture. And so my journey into the world of drawing and painting began.

But in my early teenage years, another interest sparked and in my parents' very beige living room, I found myself contemplating how I would bring the colors of the country and those that danced in my head into our home.

And a few years and artwork later, at just 16 years old I was moving to another country. The colors of my past became fond memories and I embraced a different kind of colorful experience...the kind only New York City can provide.

As I went through college and entered the workforce, my art form and tools changed; my canvas and paintbrush turned into design software and a mouse, and I was creating art that my soul didn't connect with.

A few years of this however, fueled me with the desire to carve my own way while doing something I truly enjoy, and motivated by the challenges brought on by the recent recession, Popiphi was born and unexpectedly became a weaving of all the little parts of myself and my journey.