Strength (Major Arcana # 8) Print

I am Italian-born, and grew up in Africa from the age of 12, in Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia). I studied Geology and Chemistry in Cape Town, South Africa, but I was always intrigued by philosophy, and art. I sought to answer Gauguin's three questions: "Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going?" by living and assisting in the development of alternative lifestyle communities. Later I worked for many years in hi-tech/internet technology in the USA, UK, and the Netherlands before moving to la Gomera, and dedicating myself to painting. Artist's Statement My inspiration are the island of la Gomera, its people, and a constant flow of personal memories. I follow a method I call "chaos-based" painting. Whether engaged with a portrait or landscape I paint my expressionistic experience of the subject. More often I like to start a canvas empty of all concepts of what might emerge, without aim nor end-result in mind. I believe true art emerges from beyond me, and I am, at best, its instrument. So although my paintings are figurative, they often begin as abstracts, gathering form over time. You may see the results in the section called Gallery - Revelations. I sign my work as "brazza" - the Italian Africa-explorer - as a reminder to keep learning, and to meet new challenges with his grace, and magnanimity. For all inquiries (availability and price of originals and prints), please contact me at mmenato@gmail.com