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Marlene Essucy

"I was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1939 and I work with acrylic paints. My greatest challenge as an artist was always finding a way to sell my pieces. For many years I painted without even worrying about selling at all. But there came a day when I needed to go out to the streets, where the lives of artists blend with other people. It was there where many interesting things started to happen to me. That is when I started to work with Novica, and I have achieved all that I want in life: respect and admiration for my work.

"I started painting just because I like it. I always had a certain fascination for painting. When I was a child I adored cutting out and copying the photos published in magazines. I entered my first art exhibition, and I loved it. I had been working as a teacher, but I didn't really like it and I decided to abandon it after 11 years. I studied painting in the School of Fine Arts of the Federal University of Rio De Janeiro and I also learned diverse techniques like engraving and interior design.

"From then on, I frequented several other artistic communities like the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro and the Visual Art School of Parque Lage, which was the center of the vanguard art scene of Rio De Janeiro during the 1980s. I seek to paint everything that it is happening around me, to express my emotion in the colors. In the paints I use I express what I feel, the impressions that life gives me, and the colors that I see. The figures appear as I perceive them in my subconscious, creating a sort of organized chaos.

"I describe my style as Figurative Abstract, and I passed through many different styles to arrive at this point. Over the years I have become more mature, and my technique has evolved.

"My family always reproached my career as a painter. It was my husband who gave me the force to continue, who supported my life as an artist. Today I intend to continue to grow, without many expectations. I say to my friends that I want to grow old with Novica. It was a great gift from God for my career, making possible my personal satisfaction and recognition. For now, I also am enjoying my two grandchildren, a 4-year-old girl and a boy of 2 years."

Prizes and Exhibitions:

1971- XV MAXI for the School of Fine Arts, prize awareded by the Jornal O Globo
1976- Honorable Mention in 1º Community Hall of Arts of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro--Niterói
1981 1º Prize of 1º Hall Painting Center Calouste Golbenkian
1982- Display in the naval school Custódio de Mello, the general consulate of France.
1985 International Competition in the embassy of Iraq, participation of the displays of Bagdad, Paris, Rome and London.