There's no arguing the point: George Gabb is the premier Belizean artist; a master sculptor, poet and playwright, and a heavy philosopher with a definitive body of work. Now, he's in the autumn of his years, ailing from respiratory problems and other infirmities of advanced age. And on Sunday, NICH will be honoring George Gabb for his contributions in art and culture.

The event will try to capture his immense body of work in literature and sculpture. Here at Channel 7, we've developed a close bond with Gabb over the last decade, and today we went into our archives to find choice excerpts from the numerous interviews, and found out that like the finest wine, the gifts of Gabb become more appreciable with age.

Alfonso Noble Reporting,
You may know him best from his famed piece the sleeping giant that form part of the national collection but this is not all Gabb stands for. Gabb has dedicated his life to the arts and for this unflinching dedication he'll be honored on Sunday by the National Institute of Culture and History (NICH).

Yasser Musa, President NICH
"There is no doubt in my mind that he certainly is the greatest artist Belize has ever seen from the standpoint that he is not just a visual artist. We all know how great he is as a sculptor but what we will show in this celebration is that he is also a great playwright; he wrote one of the best plays in the 1960s called 'Yellowtail' which the Belize Theatre Company will feature on Sunday night. And he is also an accomplished poet; he won a very important and prestigious poetry prize in Washington a few years ago with the 'sculpted sculptor.' And everybody who knows him knows that he is an incredible philosopher; it is a man who has his own ideas, it is a man who is self-taught and his legacy is more than just in his art but also in the legacy of artists that have come after him."

"I think its hard to say greatest in these things but if you map out his life and the body of work that he has produced in the context of where he produced it, he was inventing all kinds of things back in the 1970s and the 1960s when it wasn't fashionable to be an artist or be associated with this word art. And of course all of that was in pre-independence time so his work spans such a long time that when you put it together it will be very difficult to argue that he is not the greatest artist in Belize."

And that's no over statement. Gabb embodies all that and more. He's considered by many one of Belize's greatest thinkers, philosophers, sculptors, poets, the overall Belizean renaissance man who's single handedly molded the Belizean art scene particularly in sculptures and poetry into a robust foundation of timeless pieces. Over the years here at 7NEWS we've caught Gabb at his best whether he's explaining the student or simply delving into philosophical thoughts. And as he's admitted time and time again he sees the work he's put in through the years as his duty notwithstanding that he's unmatched and in reality has no one to, as he put it, pace him.

George Gabb, Gifted Giant
"I believe I have a duty towards art in this country. I find it difficult for me sometimes because I don't have anyone here to pace me. And so I am not going to be modest. The little budding artists coming up maybe seeing what I do they say 'I want to be like that' so they have something to go after."

But where does the thing that Gabb ends up with come from? Well to that Gabb' s answer is simple- it's inspiration- inspiration that he conceptualizes, as being everywhere all we need to do is plug into it.

George Gabb, Gifted Giant
"I don't believe in anything like moments of inspiration; I don't believe that. There is no such thing as a moment of inspiration. I believe inspiration is here, there, and any conceivable place you can think about. We are within inspiration. We are the moments; we will be here and then we're gone. Inspiration is always here; we are within inspiration."

"We are the moments within inspiration."

Jules Vasquez,
It's outside?

George Gabb, Gifted Giant
""Yeah its right there. Any conceivable spot you can think of not only on this planet but on the entire creation its right there like electricity but if you don't plug it in won't work so its you dead not him because we are living within inspiration."

"I don't believe in a moment of inspiration. I don't believe that. I believe right now that we are talking…inspiration is right here. Inspiration is in every conceivable spot or place you can find on the entirety of existence…not only on this planet. We are the moments within inspiration so that's light and that force I am telling you about is always here and is always there but all I did was to try and plug it in so that it can be expressed through a sculpture."

If indeed that is true then judging by the works Gabb's created over the years in wood, metal, paintings and even poetry he himself is inspiration.

Prolific and always compelling in visual arts, Gabb is a firm believer that the most powerful form of expression is the written word. To believe him all you need to do is listen to a few excerpts of his philosophies.

George Gabb, Gifted Giant
"For me today there I think the beginning and the end are the same thing."

"I don't believe in any one thing but I believe absolutely in everything at one time. In perpetual and child like innocence you can find magic in a feather, you can hear an old tree singing, you can see and touch anything and dance with things that even angels don't have the pleasure to do with child-like innocence."

Firm advice that's led this master to where he's placed himself and president of NICH Yasser Musa says that it's only fitting that the man George Gabb needs to be honored while he's still with us.

Yasser Musa, President NICH
"A lot of the young artists like Gilvano and a lot people find him to be a kind of important icon in which we have a serious amount of respect for and admiration for because again it is not just his work but the leadership he shows in terms of his conversation. He is not an arrogant man; he is a man that wants to give. He has trained and taught a lot of sculptors that we see flourishing in Belize today. And so his humility yet his greatness in terms of the work he has put forward. Right now George Gabb is 76, I hope he doesn't mind me saying his age, but now is always the best time to honor a man who is still with us, who has all his energy and vitality. Although he is suffering from some ailments, in terms of his mind whenever you talk to him you can see that if it were not for his asthmatic condition with the sawdust and stuff like that he would still be working. He is still hoping that he can make more art and I think that is an amazing testament to the man."

The ceremonies honoring Gabb will be held at the Bliss Center on Sunday night and it will feature Gabb's award winning play yellowtail. Admission is free and it will be aired live on Channel 7.

7NEWS produced for broadcast by News Director Jules Vasquez
Edited for the internet by Keith Swift