• Q. Tell us about yourself and how you came to be an artist…

  • A. I've always been a creative person. Since childhood, I loved to dance, was passionate about music and art; it was a fundamental part of who I was. Interestingly, my artistic inclination runs in the family – my great-grandfather and grandfather were painters, and my parents were avid art collectors. So, art has always been a rich and cherished part of my life.

  • Q. What is your creative process ?

  • A. My creative process involves lots of coffee and ample quiet time in the studio. Typically, inspiration strikes when a photograph or a mundane activity sparks a desire in me to capture it through my lenses.

  • Q. Your main character trait ?

  • A. I'm a dreamer and appear extroverted on the outside, but I have an introverted mind.

  • Q. Describe your work in three words...

  • A. Pacific, nostalgic and comforting.

  • Q. What's your favorite color ?

  • A. Ultramarine blue, turquoise, terracota, white and olive green. Can I list multiple favorites? 

  • Q. Has your origins influenced your practice in a way ?

  • A. Definitely, my origins have had a significant influence on my artistic practice. What I paint is a reflection of who I have been since birth. It's like a puzzle, with all the pieces of my life coming together to shape my work. This includes the way I see life, how my parents nurtured me, and how I've dealt with living 22 years away from my family and country and so on.

      • Q. There seems to be an energy of movement in your paintings. Do you somehow focus on the movement emanating from a body or form ?

      • A. Printmaking is a very expressive form of image making, and I use this technique to help breathe life into the people and ideas in my works. I focus on the size, direction and saturation of brush strokes to convey the emotion in my works; the subject matter in my works is very personal and draws on a lot of emotional energy. And the delight of printmaking is that the end result of pulling a print is a surprise. Part of the energy in the image is the relenting of control from the artist and giving way to spontaneity.

      • Q. Who are the contemporary art figures who influenced you the most ?

      • A. The first artist I was ever drawn to was Manuel Costa, a fellow countryman of mine. I began admiring his works when I was 15 years old, and they still resonates within me. Additionally, figures like my late cousin Paulo Gaiad, Joshua Perkin, Florence Hutchings, and many more have also influenced me.

      • Q. What makes you laugh ?

      • A. I laugh easily, both with my lips and in my heart. But my loudest laughs usually come when I'm sharing a good wine with my best friends and my husband.

      • Q. What do you enjoy the most about your friends ?

      • A. Our ability to share our innermost thoughts, our experiences as a family (since our best friends are also parents), and our ability to dream together. 

      • Q. If you could have diner with anyone dead or alive ?

      • A. Jesus.

      • Q. Are you experiencing any blocks in your practice right now ?

      • A. No, I usually don’t experience creative blocks. When I do, is typically due to a lack of sleep, so I take a nap, and that usually resolves it! 

      • Q. Your dream of happiness ?

      • A. Live by the beach in Portugal, have a dog, watch my kids grow into kind and mature individuals, enjoy my marriage (today, we are actually celebrating 17 years married), and continue painting until I die.

      • Q. What makes you excited about the future ?

      • A. I always think, 'It's just the beginning; it will only get better from here!'"

      • Q. Current state of mind ?

      • A. Peaceful and dreamer.