Freedom 7 Drawing

Leonor Brazao was born in Lisbon, Portugal. In 1975 she moved to Brazil where she studied Dance, Music and obtained her degree of Visual Communication from Mackenzie University.Back in Portugal, she started an advertising career as a Graphic Designer and Art Director. She worked in several multinational companies such as J.W.Thompson, Comunicar and Bates Portugal. In 1998 she moved to the US where she continued to develop her artistic work exhibiting regularly. In Texas she was selected for the inaugural exhibition of the Latino Cultural Center. Since living in VA she is working for Abrakadoodle, an art education company, where she is the artist in residence. Brazao has works in several private and public collections around the world: Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, Guatemala, NH, TX, MA, RI, VA, MD and DC.My artwork is a clear expression and reflection of my personal life experience. The bold and confident lines that form these images on canvas express symbolically a search for the essence of life and reveal the profound influences of my Portuguese heritage. The strong and vibrant colors of Brazil symbolize my intense celebration of each moment of life and demonstrate more clearly than words how the use of colors can change our lives. Mainly I paint characters from my path whether they come from my time playing in an orchestra, my experience as a dancer, motherhood, through a connection with nature or from simple day-to-day encounters. And lets not forget the pop influence brought from the years of working as a commercial artist in advertising.And the final and most indispensable influence on both my life as an artist and a person is the sense of humor which I try to bring to it all.