José Alves da Cruz, also known as Master José Alves, already at the age of 12 years old gave free rein to his creativity, sculpting with his small knife the trunks of banana trees that he found in the neighbourhood of Coelhos, Recife, the city where he was born. Restless, he always found himself going round and round with tree branches to materialise what his childish imagination indicated.

Today, from cutting to painting, the Master quickly gives life to the piece of wood, in his atelier in Olinda, where he manages to translate the beauty of simple things.

His sculptures are always black or black and red, made in blackened cinnamon blond wood and with a strong African influence. There are slave ships, cataventos, sacis-pererês, Indians, tribal warriors, biombos, complex structures such as articulated flour houses, within a wide range of sculptures.
His work has been widely accepted in countries such as Mexico, the United States, France, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland, as well as in several Brazilian states. The master has participated in exhibitions in Europe, the United States and Mexico - always representing Pernambuco in cultural events. He has participated since 2008 in the National Handicraft Business Fair -Fenearte, where he receives a prominent place in the Ana Holanda Popular Art Show.

At 64 years of age, the master, who adopted Olinda as his surname when he moved to the monument city, maintains the same restless spirit and seeks new challenges in his art. "I am very proud of my work and how far it has taken me. Through it, I raised my children and fulfilled myself as a person and artist".