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Elenice

"My paintings try to make people conscious of social issues, especially those related to childhood. I was a street child for two years. When I was 16 yrs old, a German journalist inspired me to paint and to make music; she financed my studies.

"Living in the streets of Brazil is a reality for thousands of children. It is not an easy life, neither is it understood by society. Thus it is from personal experience that my canvases explode with color to call people's attention to this situation. Children are always present in my work, living in the streets always filled with hope and happiness.

"Nowadays my work is well-known. I exhibited my work at the World Bank headquarters in Washington, which eventually got me an invitation from Hillary Rodham-Clinton to be her guest at the White House.

"It all happened so fast! I was already working as an assistant to a professor at the School of Visual Arts of Parque Lage in Rio de Janeiro, where I also studied. A friend worked at the World Bank. She tended to use my paintings and drawings to illustrate her conferences about children in need, and she showed them to the institution's president. The president bought 14 paintings. My work illustrated the World Bank's campaign and a year later I was invited to exhibit in Washington.

"Today my work is varied. I have an intense and constant production to last until there are no more paints or canvases. I can't spend too much time without painting otherwise there will be a congestion of images in my mind. Like every artist, I am more interested in painting than in selling. Novica is an important space for artists because it makes art more economically viable. Living exclusively off my work leaves me open to the market's mood, which at times has very bad moments. Such moments compromise production in as much as they make it difficult to buy material.

"One of my future projects is to return to teach children and teenagers from poorer communities to paint. To stimulate youth through art, sport and culture is to open possibilities and roads to happiness. Art and culture improve education, concentration and bring a perspective on life."