I enjoy painting iconic personalities from pop culture as much as I enjoy creating anonymous faces and bodies—people are my favorite theme. I also get inspired by nature and its tropical elements; I think this is related to my childhood among beautiful landscapes on farms with my family. I like to blend flowers, foliage, birds, and people into an uplifting, sophisticated atmosphere that elevates the soul.

As far as I can remember, I have always been an artist. I have loved drawing since my childhood, and my mother was the biggest supporter of my natural talent, which she recognized at an early age. She was always ‘feeding’ me with pencils and sketchbooks, along with her very positive comments on my first amateur drawings. When I was 16 years old, she put me in art classes with a local artist from my hometown to learn oil-on-canvas technique. That was the beginning. My mother was the first portrait I painted in those classes. She loved and proudly enjoyed the piece before, unfortunately, passing away a few years later. Her physical absence just kept me going—she’s with me all the time.

When it came time to choose a career, I first thought of architecture. But it was a schoolmate who showed me album covers and school notebooks illustrated by professionals and said to me: “You should follow this path of advertising.” There were no artists or creative professionals in my family; my dad was a dentist, and on my mom’s side, they were mostly farmers. My family didn’t believe much in an artist’s career as a viable future, even though they supported whatever I chose.

So, instead of fine arts, I opted for a degree in Social Communication, with a focus on Advertising and Marketing. I saw this field as an opportunity to still use my creativity. I earned a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Advertising from Facha University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1991. As a creative director for advertising agencies, I designed billboards, posters, magazine ads, and brochures for big companies and theater plays in Rio. On the artistic side, I continued painting and learning more on my own.

In the end, the advertising world also became a source of inspiration. Images from magazine covers, stock image bank books, advertisements, posters, films, music, and all kinds of media caught my eye, sparking new ideas to paint.

The move to New York happened in the late ’90s. I first came for a three-month graphic design course at Parsons School, seeking further specialization for my advertising career as an art and creative director. Once in the Big Apple, I started visiting art galleries, sharpening my creative mind more and more, and expanding my horizons. Some kind of ‘New York City effect’ started to guide me, and here I am.

The message I want to bring through my art is love, beauty, and good vibrations. I believe the world has much pain, and a work of art must bring positive vibrations.

• Mauricio Porto