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Lu Gomes

"I always observed my mother painting. I felt such curiosity, and wanted to pick up a brush and paint. I wanted to begin to see the forms that I saw in the world appear on the canvas. But my mother didn't allow me in her studio. One day she left and I quickly decided to slip inside. I took a canvas, I stretched it and began to paint colors on the white surface. It was sensational!

"My mother and my father [Rogério and Ana Martins – Novica-featured artists] returned and they began asking me about what happened. My father, with his keen eye for art, saw my self-confidence and agreed to let me begin painting. At the time, I was 15 years old. I began to study painting and other techniques. I had a lot of my mother's influence, but I didn't want to follow in her footsteps, because I was seeking my own identity in painting.

"Once, while observing a sculpture in a public square, I was attracted by its modern lines. I went home to try to produce something similar to what I had seen. I adored it! I then started to research forms and people to try to extract their anonymous modern lines. First I studied the technique – it defined the colors that I wanted to use and I thought about things that I wouldn't like to paint. Only then did my art began to take on my face, my ideas and ideals. I tried to express feeling, movement and depth in paintings that resemble sculptures. That discovery in the world of art is one of the greatest emotions I have felt in my life."