"Bananal" Print

I was born in a small town in a rural area of Southern Brazil called Bela Vista do Paraíso (‘beautiful view of paradise’ in Portuguese) in 1962. I spent my early childhood in the fields, on a coffee farm, where I used to pick guavas and Brazilian grapes from the trees. I chased chickens all over the land and drank crystal clear water from the spring, which I collected using a banana leaf. When I grew older, I got a degree in Arts from Santa Marcelina College, in São Paulo, where I also got a Master’s degree in Communication and Semiotics from PUC - Pontifical Catholic University. I’ve been working as an artist, more specifically with paintings and sculptures, since 1982. Actually, I started my work as a woodcarver and at that time, I had the opportunity to learn several different techniques, among them cement carving and oil on canvas. Although very different in their expression, I enjoy and feel comfortable using both techniques. Recently, I got interested in digital art and started experimenting with computer software to produce my own digital artwork. In fact, I reckon that form of art is as expressive as traditional painting techniques. To me, most digital artwork seems to have also been created through the use of brushes and paints. Personally, I would not call myself a traditionalist, much less an apocalyptic. What I do believe is that traditional techniques will coexist with modern digital techniques; a coexistence that has always been part of the history of art in the world. My artistic inspiration is based on the way I imagine and perceive the human being. Although my artwork seems to say otherwise, my creations are not meant to expose social problems. In fact, I define the artwork I do as the result of a ‘moved imagination’, that is, the result of the attention I devote to the flow of images that cross my mind and soul, emotionally touched by people’s dramatic lives, by compassion for their poverty, their humble work, and the cheap fun.