A MATTER OF THE HEART

by Silvia PintoSouza

I paint from the heart, and a gut feeling. I don’t follow scientific theories when it comes to color, composition, and shapes. I paint objects as my heart sees them and their potential to become works of art. My aim is to give ordinary elements of daily life a new identity. They can become “Stars,” no matter how humble their origins. I see Art all around me; anyone who has the eye of an artist, trained or not, would agree. The world is rich with Art, and our role as artists is to discover it.

I have been painting since early in life. My mother was an artist herself, and I used to draw next to her. She would just let me do what I pleased, and felt the results were not too disappointing; she thought that I had talent. Much later in art school, I learned the basics of many different techniques, especially in the artform of Printmaking, and after several years of experimentation, I decided that I needed something where development and results could be seen in a more immediate way. As a result, I have been painting for the last 30 years in acrylic. This medium gives me a wide range of possibilities by painting directly from the tube to diluting the paint in water to build up various values of color with multiple layers.

I believe my paintings are intimate, romantic, and direct. My message is the image itself, and what it can bring to your heart. I hope that when you look at my work, you are caught in that beauty and are living it because Art is comfort. It is where we take “Shelter.” It is the shoulder where we can rest our head.