Buffon was born on April 2, 1960 in Cap Haitien, Haiti. His father is a shoemaker and his mother a hairdresser. Officially, he began to paint at age 18, but like so many other young artists in the north, he became aware of art around the age of 6 or 7 on visits to the atelier of Philome Obin. Although he has painted some political paintings, Thermidor is noted for his painstakingly detailed renderings of Cap Haitian architecture, which he loves. He says that he wants to be sure that his grandchildren will be able to at least see paintings of the fabulous gingerbread structures in the event that the grand houses themselves are replaced by "des cubes de beton", concrete boxes.