While still in his thirties, a relatively young age for an established artist, Yves Telemak became a prominent member of the famous "Bel-Air school" of flag-makers. The son of a respected vodou priest, Yves began his career by working as an assistant in the atilye (atelier) of the Bel-Air flagmaker Joseph "Boss To" Fortine. After learning the craft from "Boss To", Yves ventured out on his own. Eager to design drapo Vodou that expressed his personal artistic vision, Yves transformed a room in his family compound into a small workshop and began making flags.