I create acrylic portraits of Black individuals experiencing ordinary yet deeply meaningful moments, aiming to capture the emotional weight of everyday life.

Grounded in familiar moments, my work incorporates symbolic domestic elements that evoke shared cultural memories. Through these narratives, I honor and uplift my community, exploring the intimacy and spiritual symbolism of Black Brazilian life.  I invite viewers to reflect on their own stories, recognizing connections across time, place, and identity.

Each painting begins with a memory—be it an old family photograph, a childhood moment, or a significant personal experience. I am particularly drawn to casual family snapshots, the ones where no one is posing, and daily life appears naturally. Memories of the house where I grew up, the objects and memorabilia that surrounded it help to shape my visual language. 

From there, I layer the composition intuitively, introducing figures, gestures, and symbolic domestic elements that evoke cultural memory - a potted plant, handmade crafts, a family photo frame - each element contributing to the visual narrative as it unfolds.

Spiritual symbolism and devotional imagery thread throughout my work, drawn from memories of being raised in a Catholic household. These details reflect not only my personal history but a broader visual language familiar to many Black Brazilian families. Some references are rooted in my mother’s religious practices, while others emerge from deeper spiritual layers in an ancestral sacred connection. They often evoke the presence of our elders, those who offered protection, guidance, and comfort, signaling the central role of faith in their life. These motifs are not decorative; they are integral to the emotional landscape of each painting I create.

My paintings are known for their vibrant, contrasting colors. I don’t work with a predefined palette; instead, I trust my instinct, placing colors to make the patterns pop. Patterns play a central role in my work — they are not just surface treatments, but structures that anchor the composition. I invent them intuitively, drawing inspiration from forms found in nature, household textiles, vintage tiles, African symbolism, particularly Adinkra motifs, and devotional artifacts. Pattern, for me, becomes a visual language — it holds memory, creates movement, and connects each figure to the space they occupy. During the underpainting phase, I establish the foundation of the color structure, using hue and value to define the direction the colors will take. A piece feels complete when every element is linked through pattern — when in my eyes the composition speaks with consistency, rhythm, and balance.