FINDING NEMO – Acrylic and oil on canvas – 36×36″ – 2024
Did you find it? Yes, the little cute clownfish is kind of hidden there. As a big fan of animation movies I could help to fall in love with Finding Nemo, but the idea came up while I was doing the digital sketches for this painting. I was catching fishes on the internet to make this composition and hit on Nemo and Dory. How cute they are.
But the idea here was originally display a scene with an Asian woman – I’ve always captivated by their beauty and intelligence. Beyond its visual elements, the painting carries a statement against the racism towards the Asian community in New York City.
AQUARIUS MEDITATION – Acrylic and oil on canvas – 36×36″ – 2022
The inspiration: Movies, music, books, magazines, and astrology are some of my passions. One of the remarkable movies I watched as a teenager was ‘Hair’ by Milos Forman (1979). Still living in my hometown in Brazil, I recall leaving the theater with a sense that the world could be better somehow, somewhere. The singer Renn Woods’ opening scene singing ‘Aquarius’ is a classic. The hippies dancing to Twyla Tharp’s choreography in Central Park have stayed in my mind ever since.
The message: I painted this piece during the Covid pandemic. The woman’s figure, in a profile position, evokes a sense of deep meditation, as if she is inhaling hope and meditating for a better future.
Note: I was born in February under the sign of Aquarius, and later in life, when I did my birth chart, I discovered that my rising sign is also Aquarius. So, I’m doubly Aquarius, and I like it.
BREATHE – Acrylic and oil on canvas – 36×36″ – 2023
The fashion world calls me!
My husband, Jorge Veronese, and I received a beautiful hardcover book as a gift, celebrating 150 years of Bazaar Magazine.
Among its pages, the image of a magazine cover from 1960 immediately captured my attention. The pose intrigued me – the figure ‘enveloped’ beneath a blanket, with a serene expression delighting in the autumn sunlight under a blue sky. I added some flowers and green foliage, evoking a sense of tranquility, beauty and nature. The original photo is credited to American photographer Richard Avedon.
AUDREY HEPBURN AND THE HUMMING BIRD – Acrylic and oil on canvas – 36×36″ – 2022
Besides being recognized as a film and fashion icon, Audrey Hepburn left forever an image of sensitivity and graciousness. Beyond her acting career, Hepburn was also recognized for her philanthropic work. She served as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and actively participated in humanitarian missions, especially focusing on the welfare of children in developing countries. Hepburn’s legacy continues to influence fashion, film, and humanitarian efforts to this day. She remains an enduring icon of beauty, grace, and humanitarianism.
I painted my first portrait of Audrey for the exhibition Happiness, Brazil 2017. I created a composition with the humming bird looking away while Audrey observes it. For the background I mixed acrylic colors to get closer to Tiffany’s blue. For this second portrait I wanted to play more with the actress and bird interaction: Audrey is looking to us, while the bird is staring at her with fascination.
POWER – Acrylic and oil on canvas – 36×36″ – 2023
I often find my eyes drawn to fashion magazine covers and articles, and one particular issue of Bazaar magazine featuring a striking image of a black woman adorned in a Balenciaga gown on the cover really caught my attention. Every time I glanced at it, I felt compelled to do something inspired by that image. The cover portrayed a dramatic scene, with the model striking a powerful pose against a futuristic backdrop.
This image lingered in my mind for months until I finally decided to recreate it in a new composition. I added a bold red turban and emphasized the hands, aiming to convey a sense of strength and resilience. Was she a woman who had overcome life’s challenges? What message did she wish to transmit to the world? Perhaps it was a simple yet profound declaration: ‘never again shall we tolerate slavery.’ The bracelets and chains, once symbols of confinement for black people, now serve as mere fashion adornments. The woman emanates empowerment, poised for anything that comes her way.
MINDSET – Acrylic and oil on canvas – 36×36″ – 2022
In the midst of pollution and the frenetic pace of big city life, amidst the constant hustle and bustle, there’s an invitation to shed it all and immerse oneself in a tranquil state of mind. Meditation offers the means to unplug, to distance ourselves from the relentless gray of the concrete jungle.
And serendipitously, buried within my collection of magazine clippings—a bag brimming with pages torn from magazines—lay a black and white, bluish advertisement.