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Ceica Mendes

"I've found pleasure in painting ever since I was a child, but it wasn't until I traveled by foot to Santiago de Compostela that I found the courage to assume such passion. For a long time my family thought painting was for people who had nothing else to do, they didn't think there was any worth in painting. I grew up hearing that the most important thing was to have a good profession and without noticing it, I had abandoned my painting. I studied architecture and it wasn't until some time later that I listened to my desire to paint.

"This procession to Santiago de Compostela [Spain] brought a new perspective to the way I looked at things. I began to discover the beauty within simple things, the ones that usually pass unnoticed by most people. I learned to depend on the minimal and I conquered a new vision, a child's vision of the world.

"My work gained a new expression. Now, my paintings are inspired by emotions, strong colors and fluid forms. I find these forms in the exuberance of Brazilian nature, which always inspires us like a great mother."

Winner of several awards, Mendes has exhibited her work throughout Brazil as well as in Italy.