My first artistic medium was my film camera and I still reach for my camera to capture a moment or a striking composition. However, now that I started to paint, I find that I often take an image with the mindset that I can use it to paint form. Transitioning from the B&W darkroom into the artist’s studio has been freeing for me and my artistic practice. No longer constrained by the camera lens or by the time of day, I bring my photographer’s fascination with light into my paintings with visible brushstrokes and vibrant colors. A painting can easily distort reality and I want to present my own version of reality, my day-to-day. I am no longer just an observer of life; I am creating a vision of the world I wish I lived in.

With my senior project, I am creating a series of canvas paintings using mainly acrylic paint. My medium to large canvases depicts large cities using unrealistic and eye-pleasing color palettes. My artistic aim is to show that although they may appear cold and imposing, urban landscapes can be cozy and comforting. My art is about exploring color and homesickness. In Portuguese, there is a word that is difficult to translate, saudade. The Portuguese writer Manuel de Melo defines saudade as "a pleasure you suffer, an ailment you enjoy."