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Rachel Oliveira

"I was born in Minas Gerais, and when I was a teenager I moved to Rio de Janeiro. Growing up, I had significant contact with the arts because my father was an artist and my mother made beautiful crochet and tricot work. I remember our family environment as tranquil, and I had the freedom to choose for myself what I wanted to do for the future. I wasn't pressured in one way or another with regards to art, which was in fact what I admired the most but did only as a hobby.

"I studied Business Administration, but due to certain twists of fate, I re-discovered arts and crafts in 1991. Back then, the kind of work I was doing doesn't compare to what I do now. However, I remember how satisfied I felt with them, and how encouraged I felt to develop new ideas and improve on quality. Initially, arts and crafts were for me a hobby, a way to relax. But the possibility to give new life to old things was fascinating and eventually I turned my hobby into a profession.

"I took several art courses in different specializations, such as patina, textures, etc., which helped me to develop as an artisan. I regard artistic expression as a type of energy that emanates from the moment of creation, is directly reflected on the final work of art. Art gives us the possibility to fill our life with color and bring simple things to life. This is what fascinates me.

"I think it is relevant to emphasize the importance that art brings into my life in terms of personal growth. Liberating my creative part as a way to defeat obstacles contributes a lot to my personal journey. Each piece, each technique, is always a challenge in the search for something new and different.

"In addition to this search for something new is my ecological conscience, so I strive to work with first rate materials that will not damage nature.

"To me, being in a partnership with Novica is a satisfying opportunity. I see it as a partnership in success based on the promotion of my art, which was once a hobby and has turned into my passion."