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Helenice Dornelles

"I was born in Santa Maria, RS in 1959, where I studied art at the Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM). While studying arts in the south, I participated in courses related with the Winter of Gold and Diamantina festivals in Minas Gerais.

"After graduating, I went to live in Minas Gerais and took art courses at the Escola Guignard. I believe it was my experience in the Guignard, where the teaching of art felt freer, that influenced me to develop what was already a part of myself – the use of strong, bright colors influenced by expressionism.

"In Belo Horizonte, I participated in art salons as well as collective and individual exhibitions. During this period, I also participated in exhibits in other Brazilian cities.

"In 1989, I decided to move to Rio de Janeiro, and in 1991 I moved to New York, where I showed my work in museums and galleries there, in Miami, in California and in Washington. In 2005, I returned to Brazil where I continue to paint and exhibit my work.

"I find that I identify a lot with Matisse in his manner of treating shapes and color, composition and the way he visualized the forms that he represented. We share the same passion for color and the joy of painting.

"The theme for my work is color itself, keeping it pure and simple. I compose a painting by isolating and magnifying small details and environments within my home. There, life's common, everyday items such as teapots, vases, plants, furniture, clothes, etc. aquire a greater significance on canvas. And therein begins a game of shapes, composition and colors."