scapeCONTEMPORARY ART REVIEWLand Special Editionnudes on a beach
Facebook and my website, I am attracting awider online audience. As I say, I recentlybought a painting from a show in Milan,without seeing it in real life, just from theimage emailed over by the artist, Lisa Ivory,after I spotted her Instagram post. Generally,I would like to see artwork at an exhibition orin someone’s studio to gain an emotionalresponse to it and hopefully meet the artist.Of course, I have attracted people to myexhibitions by posting images of my work onFacebook, Instagram, my own website andnow, hopefully through your wonderfulmagazine. I like to display my artwork in reallife and I’ll continue to enter open calls forexhibitions. It’s quite a thrill to have yourwork accepted and to see people millingabout looking at it, alongside a wide range ofother artists’ work. It’s even more of a thrillwhen a red sticker is attached!We have really appreciated the multifacetednature of your artistic research: your artserves as a powerful tool for challengingpreconceptions and opening up freshperspectives, which is a vital function ofcontemporary art. Before leaving thisstimulating conversation we would like tothank you for chatting with us and forsharing your thoughts, Nicola. What projectsare you currently working on, and what aresome of the ideas that you hope to explorein the future?Thank you very much for giving me thisopportunity to talk about and display myartwork. I hope I have challenged the preconception that you can only sell art if you goto art school in your twenties!scapeCONTEMPORARY ART REVIEWNicola Hill Land
I constantly monitor open calls forexhibitions. There is one now for marinepaintings, so I deliberately took lots ofphotographs and did quick sketches at PortGrimaud and St Tropez when I was there lastmonth. I am now working on experimentingwith different styles from the pen andBrusho combination to oil paintings. I canenter up to four paintings, so that’s myproject for the moment. I am also working ona commission to paint a friend’s house andgarden. I know the garden and house wellbut am working from three photographs. Iam using pointillism to depict the flowersand plants growing in the garden and aroundthe front door. It’s effective but ratherpainstaking. A quick spritz of Brusho mighthave been more effective, but I was worriedit would be too impressionistic or evenabstract!Going forward, I would like to explore thebalance between realism and abstractpaintings, so that viewers can see what thepainting is describing but the style still leavessomething to the imagination.Links:Nicolahill.netMimi's Easy Art (mims-easyart.com)Instagram:@nicolawadehillOther references:@walthamstowlifedrawingscapeCONTEMPORARY ART REVIEWLand Special Edition
Nicola Hill scapeCONTEMPORARY ART REVIEWLandEpping ink
Hello Lorna and welcome to LandEscape.Before starting to elaborate about yourartistic production and we would like toinvite our readers to visithttps://lornaritz.com in order to get a wideidea about your artistic production, andwe would start this interview with acouple of questions about yourbackground. You have a solid formaltraining: after having earned your BFAMy painting is an act of faith. I search for that which I have not yet experienced but can feel. Painting is asolitary way of life, but I am steadfast to live the life I most want to live. When I make a paintingbreakthrough, I am exhilarated and accomplished, which gives my life meaning. I share my inspiration witheveryone around me. I tightly stretch my own canvases and glue them in the ol’ Renaissance method. Ithen construct frames. Ideas come from outside of myself and are the ones I trust most, rather than mywillfully making decisions. How ideas connect to the whole of the painting is what makes the painting. Ihave an incessant curiosity to stay present in the moment of seeing. I feel the right decisions rise up frommy feet through my body to my hands placing paint. Bruce Chatwin's \"Song Lines\" describes aboriginalpeople communicating at geographical distances through the earth. I get my messages from the earth. I wasa dancer for decades and now a yogi, relying on my body to guide me. My arms reach out to the canvas upfrom my feet rooted down. My paintings are informed by Impressionists and the Abstract expressionists.Compositional concepts absorbed decades ago are continually evolving within me to this day. ColorHarmony is my language. I best express my most passionate realities, (the story beneath ordinary everydaylife things), producing on canvas much of what people feel when they get religious. I look for spatialrelationships right away. The picture plane in the paintings changes constantly through the volume thatcolor creates, (in a constant state of relational movement). What one thinks is coming forward then shootsback when in relationship to something else coming forwardAn interview by Ralph Landau, curatorand Melissa C. Hilborn, [email protected] scapeCONTEMPORARY ART REVIEWLandEscape meetsLorna Ritz@orpheus47
scapeCONTEMPORARY ART REVIEWLand Special Edition“Peonies” 48 X 38” oil on canvas 2022
from Pratt Institute, you nurtured youreducation with an MFA in Painting andSculpture, that you received from theCranbrook Academy of Art, BloomfieldHills, Michigan: how do these formativeexperiences influence your evolution asan artist? Moreover, how does yourcultural substratum address the directionof your current artistic research?Lorna Ritz: At Pratt Institute I workedwith the great painters/teachers: GabrielLaderman, Erlebacher, Dugmore, JamesGahagan, and Ernie Briggs, to name afew. To this day, I remember theirpresences, each distinct from each other,and the concepts they each taught. To thisday, they are the Foundation from which Ikeep leaping forward. It has taken medecades to understand that my bestpainting comes from the mere act ofapplying oil paint to the flat surface ofcanvas to be an expression of who I am. Iam a continually evolving self that revealsitself as I paint, (not anything everplanned or assumed). It is the search thatgives the work its meaning. Althoughformal visual problems remain embeddedLorna Ritz scapeCONTEMPORARY ART REVIEWLand“Sunset Walk” 48 X 38” oil on canvas 2021 “August Landscape” 48 X 38” oil on canvas 2022
as an intellectual uncovering of painterlyproblems, it is the physical reaching outto the canvas from my core that showsme the new dance step, i.e., a newrhythm, or, the interval between colorsthat creates a new kind of volumetricspace. I trust this unending process toevolve, like a dialogue, which is myresearch. My solid footing deep downinto the earth allows me to find the mostmysterious, creative search that is mylife's meaning. I know it is good paintingwhen it comes from outside myself, asthough being guided. Painting is myreligion.The body of works that we have selectedfor this special edition of LandEscape —and that our readers have already startedto get to know in the introductory pagesof this article — has at once captured ourattention for your holistic approach tocomposition, where each element holdsequal significance, infuses your workwith a captivating sense of harmony andinterconnectedness. We're particularlyintrigued by your description of yourpaintings as \"crystallized chunks offormal experience.\" This phrasesuggests a fascinating interplay betweenabstract form and lived experience.Could you elaborate on how you distillyour personal experiences into abstractcompositions? We're especiallyinterested in your process of translatingdirect, sensory experiences into thelanguage of color, shape, and texture.scapeCONTEMPORARY ART REVIEWLand Special Edition
Lorna Ritz scapeCONTEMPORARY ART REVIEWLand\"Evening Stretched Out Across the Mountain\" 38 X 50\" oil on canvas 2024
scapeCONTEMPORARY ART REVIEWLand Special Edition “Mud Season” 30 X 40” oil on canvas 2022
Lorna Ritz scapeCONTEMPORARY ART REVIEWLandLorna Ritz: I don't need a clock orcalendar to tell me what time of day it is,or season. The landscape keepsinforming me what is going on 'outthere.' The light changes throughout theday, is never the same moment tomoment; I chase these changes that laterinform my painting. I look for structure,the space between things, in both thedrawings and in the paintings, but in thedrawings, there is gravity. In thepaintings, none, but rather, a plasticspace, a moving back and forwardbetween relational, vibrating colors. Ineed to draw the landscape, to 'look out;'I love drawing the shapes of themountains coming through treebranches. This actual doing, (the way myhand moves across the paper as I lookout there, translates spatial relationshipsI found in the landscape to the abstractpaintings, where I do not need object.Painting is more courageous becausethere is nothing from which to work. Thecanvas is blank and stares at me.Therefore, beginning a new painting isalways so hard, to start from nothing. Ihave a perfect visual memory fromdrawing mountains, clouds, sky andhayfields, that feeds the abstractpaintings to create movement, with afocus on a particular inner sense light Ifound in the landscape, having to do withhow colors relate to each other. I alwayswant the spiritual sense of awe I feelwhen I am drawing landscape to comeinto the paintings, in spite of how each isa different type of search. In both the
scapeCONTEMPORARY ART REVIEWLand Special Editiondrawings and the paintings, there isalways a sense of something larger thanmyself I am after; I can't make it happen,though. In the right mindset, it presentsitself, always.Your description of color harmony asyour language is fascinating. We'recurious about how you developed thislanguage over time. Can you walk usthrough your evolution as an artist interms of your use of color?Lorna Ritz: In the beginning I did notknow how to mix colors, probablybecause I did not yet know how to seethe warms and cools in colors. So Ipainted mud! (for years). But the mostaccurate answer to how I discoveredcolor harmony is through seeing it in thelandscape and on canvas. My colorharmony will always be a search. In oneclass I was teaching. a student asked mehow to mix skin tone. I asked, \"whoseskin)?\" I had every student in a class of 22put their arms out on a huge round table.“First Morning Birdsong”22 X 16” oil on canvas 2024“Crimson Red Peonies”48 X 38” oil on canvas 2024
Lorna Ritz scapeCONTEMPORARY ART REVIEWLand“Eyes Telling the Hands How to Move” 42 X 36” oil on canvas 2022
scapeCONTEMPORARY ART REVIEWLand Special Edition“Peonies” 48 X 38” oil on canvas 2021
The students saw what it took for me toget each person's skin tone, thusforegoing my plan for that 3-hour classthat day. They saw how I kept looking atthe skin, adding a tiny bit of warm or coolcolors to each mixture, until I got the coloraccurate for each person. This taughtthem not just a lesson in mixing, but innot being generic. The assignment afterclass was they each had to composethree trees and make them distinct fromeach other. Colors respond to each otherby one absorbing the life of the other andback and forth like that. If they can't doLorna Ritz scapeCONTEMPORARY ART REVIEWLand“The Angels Among Us” 38 X 38” oil on canvas 2020
that, they are not harmonious. I searchfor a sense of light I see in my mind, or,'out there,' and then I can mix the colorsfrom that vision. I remember it and canpaint it. It is most certainly 'a vision.'Chords of music present colorrelationships to me as well, (thus thecollaboration between composer LewSpratlan and I presented at SmithCollege). All my colors are mixed. I canget every color with just these: cadmiumyellow light, cadmium red deep, cobaltblue, thalo blue, and titanium zinc white.I scrape away what does not work: inpainting with a pallet knife, and indrawing with a razor blade to removescapeCONTEMPORARY ART REVIEWLand Special Edition”Wild Garden Under Pink Cloud” 40 X 50” oil on canvas 2024
scapeCONTEMPORARY ART REVIEWLorna Ritz Land“And the Light Came Pouring In” 48 X 40” oil on canvas 2023
scapeCONTEMPORARY ART REVIEWLand Special Edition “Song Lines” 48 X 38” oil on canvas 2023
the oil crayon, then drawing back into thecrayon with the razor. Nothing scrapedgets discarded: I reuse everything. Whenoil paint gets scraped, the mud color iswarmed up or cooled down with anothercolor in order to obtain the exacttemperature range. I even use the colorthat sank to the bottom of the can tobegin another painting with thin washes.Just a really excellent quality of oil paintdictates the application thinner or straightfrom the tube.Your connection to the physical aspectsof creation is evident in your artisticprocess. You've mentioned yourbackground in dance and your currentyoga practice. This bodily awarenessseems to play a crucial role in yourapproach to painting. Could youelaborate on how this physical intuitiontranslates into your technique?Lorna Ritz: I relate to my emotionsthrough how my body moves. When I ampainting well, I am not thinking logicallyLorna Ritz scapeCONTEMPORARY ART REVIEWLand“Night Dropping Down Fast”34 X 24” oil on canvas 2023“Ruby Red Peonies”40 X 30” oil on canvas 2023
what works and what does not,(although these formal visual problemsare my root and therefore alwayspresent). When my body chooses whatcolor goes where and how it is placed, Iam not even aware of it, because at thatpoint I am outside of my body watchingthe painting be formed by somethingother than myself. This is always such awonderful feeling after the fact, when Isee that the painting is transformed fromwhat it was before to something deeper.I remember that my feet were rooteddeep into the earth, my mind was silentand still, from which ideas flowed and gotpainted, my arms outreaching withbrushes and pallet knives filled withmixed oil paint.Given that you mentioned cadmium reddeep as one of the five colors in yourlimited palette, we're curious about itsrole in your paintings. We'd love to hearabout the emotional or symbolicsignificance you attribute to red, if any.Could you describe how you manipulatethis vibrant hue to create differenteffects, perhaps in relation to the spatialrelationships you seek in yourcompositions?Lorna Ritz: No one color is moreimportant than any other, alldemocratically used. All colors are inrelation to each other. No one is more orless important than another at any time. Imix all my colors with each other, so I canget a cadmium red that has blue in it butscapeCONTEMPORARY ART REVIEWLand Special Edition
scapeCONTEMPORARY ART REVIEWLorna Ritz Land“Sunset, Moonrise” 24 X 36” oil on canvas 2024
scapeCONTEMPORARY ART REVIEWLand Special Edition“A Concert Conversation” 24 X 36” oil on canvas 2023
is still red, just a cooler red, or a cobaltblue that has a tinge of cadmium yellowin it so it becomes a warmer blue. I am allcolors at all times, searching for how theyexude specificity of a season or time ofday.Your landscape drawings — as AppleTrees and Mt. Norwottuck, HolyokeMountain Range and Tall Trees — seemto occupy a distinct space in your artisticpractice. Could you elaborate on yourapproach to landscape drawing? We'recurious about how you choose yoursubjects and how your abstractsensibilities might influence yourrepresentation of natural scenes.Lorna Ritz: The paintings inform thedrawings by how the colors relate, andthe drawings to the paintings that sameway. I have been drawing the HolyokeMountain Range for 38 years, which I cansee from my house. The main peak has ashape I can never get right the first manytimes I draw it. I always have to find itagain, each drawing. The search is whatgive the drawing it's inner life.I set my easel overlooking one of the onlyeast-west axis mountain ranges in thiscountry, formed by glaciers. I reworkeach drawing for many days, obtaining aspecific light from the sky falling on themountains that will never bring theseparticular colors again. (This is how I learnnew color relationships that create aharmony, or a dissonance, that will feedLorna Ritz scapeCONTEMPORARY ART REVIEWLand
into my abstract paintings). Everything inthe drawing has equal importance; thetree is as important as the mountainbehind it, the sky as important movingbehind them, as important theforeground coming up towards theviewer. Everything is democraticallyrelated, a conglomeration of spatialmovements interrelated, needing eachother to survive. Whatever goes on 'outthere' goes from my eyes to my hands.The way you describe your paintingprocess seems almost spiritual,producing \"much of what people feelwhen they get religious.\" We're curiousabout the emotional and perhapstranscendent aspects of your creativeprocess. How do you cultivate this stateof mind, and how does it influence thefinal outcome of your work? Do you findthat viewers often have emotional orspiritual responses to your paintings?Lorna Ritz: I thrive off instinct, feelingand faith. I am after something as thoughthis is the last day I have to be all that Ican be. I feel a presence in my studio,(and everywhere), that wants to see mebe at my best self, to do what I amsupposed to be doing, which is painting,and being a good person. There is alarger force than I am that guides me,especially when I am frightened. Fearnever stopped me, but there are timeswhen my inner strength has to beaccessed with renewed hope. I do nothave time to mope. I just go where I amsupposed to go so the best paintingcomes forth. It's true I know how toaccess that place, from where my bestself comes forth. It's the way I live, also,a pulling back, waiting before acting orspeaking, a mediative place, a place thatfeels good and right, pure and true. Icould not always do this, because I didnot know about it until more recently.This is the spirit I want my viewers toexperience when they look at mypaintings, and many do. Some peoplekeep going back to the painting, tellingme they don't know how to see it, but,they keep seeing more each time theydo go back. Something in the paintingwas grabbing them which they felt butdid not understand, and so got annoyed.When asked, I would always findsomething to say to help them on thisnew, (to them), journey.We're particularly impressed with yourresourceful and sustainable approachto art-making. Your technique ofscraping away and reusing materialsspeaks to both an ecological mindsetand a unique creative process. Couldyou delve deeper into this practice?We're curious about how youdetermine what to scrape away andwhat to keep, and how this constantreworking affects the evolution of apiece. Does this process of removal andreapplication ever lead to unexpecteddiscoveries or new directions in yourwork? Additionally, we'd love to hearabout how you repurpose the discardedscapeCONTEMPORARY ART REVIEWLand Special Edition
scapeCONTEMPORARY ART REVIEWLorna Ritz Land“Sky on Earth” 48 X 38” oil on canvas 2023
scapeCONTEMPORARY ART REVIEWLand Special EditionThe Day That Does Not Want to End\" 40 X 30\" oil on canvas 2024
materials. You mentioned reusingeverything - could you give us somespecific examples of how you'veincorporated these 'recycled' elementsinto new pieces?Lorna Ritz: Here you are talking aboutthe creative process. I never know howto begin a painting. Scraping oil paintenables me to paint over all that Iscraped, over and over again. This can goon for many weeks. It can be maddening,a perfect mixture of a highly developedskill along with an everlasting frustration.But I don't give up, and that's the key. Ihave to remind myself I go through thissaga every painting, but it always feelsnew each time, like. \"why is thishappening to me again?' I scrape whatfeels flat, or trying to work when it nevercan. In order to 'get in,' I have to playthese silly games that drive me mad. But Iam good at knowing when I am wastingpaint and time trying to seek resolve.That's the entirely wrong attitude, butthat is my process, and mine alone.. So Iput up with the games for just so long,and then can access that very pure andbeautiful place to which I then know howto enter, to do the work I need to do.There are no shortcuts. Scraping oil paintleaves imprints so I work with those.Eventually, most probably because of mystubbornness to find my way through, animprint gives rise to another imprint andthey begin talking to each other, with lifein them. Where there is no relation of onething to another, I remain stuck, helplessand lost. Once things begin to move thespace enough to become an idea, Ifollow that, and I'm in. At that point, Igo into a mediative space so the newideas begin to flow, ones I had neverbefore seen or ever imagined, so ofcourse I would not know how to paintthem. They are always new andtherefore, my painting progresses fromone to the next and the one yet tocome.We're particularly impressed with yourdedication to traditional craftsmanshipin preparing your materials. Yourcommitment to hands-on work, fromcanvas stretching to frameconstruction, is noteworthy in an agewhere many artists outsource thesetasks. Could you elaborate on thesignificance of this meticulouspreparation in your creative process?How does engaging in thesefoundational steps influence yourmindset as you approach a new piece?We're curious about the relationshipbetween this physical groundwork andyour overall artistic philosophy,especially in terms of how it mightcontribute to your sense ofaccomplishment and exhilaration whenyou achieve a breakthrough in yourwork.Lorna Ritz: I am one of those stillstretching and priming canvases, in theold Renaissance method, most probablybecause I can already feel my presenceLorna Ritz scapeCONTEMPORARY ART REVIEWLand
in the process. \"What will this newpainting become?\" I do not want to painton a store bought, generic canvas notbuilt as good as what I have built. I havea work ethic about what breakthrough Iwill make on this new painting, from itsvery beginning. Only I know what I gothrough when I live on a flat surface ofcanvas for two months; it's my ownpersonal search and meaning.You are an established artist. Over theyears your works have been exhibited inmany occasions: how do you considerthe nature of your relationship withyour audience? By the way, we're seeinga significant shift in how art ispresented and consumed, moving fromtraditional gallery spaces to street artand, increasingly, to online platformslike Instagram. This change is reshapingthe art world's landscape. In your view,how does this evolution impact anartist's relationship with a globalizedaudience?Lorna Ritz: There is nothing like standingin front of an actual painting to get whatthat painting is. Seeing my painting onthe internet flattens the space, I amalready reclusive enough; Instagram hashelped me to connect with others withwhom I taught or exhibited decades ago,especially from other countries. I willalways believe that my paintings are allthe more needed in this crazy world thatcan so easily go to war at any moment,or, at the very least, help people whoscapeCONTEMPORARY ART REVIEWLand Special Edition
scapeCONTEMPORARY ART REVIEWLorna Ritz Land\"Evening Stretched Out Across the Mountain,\" 38 X 50\" oil on canvas 2024
scapeCONTEMPORARY ART REVIEWLand Special Editionduplicated\"Mt. Norwottuck and Apple Trees\" Holyoke Mountain Range, Amherst, MA.15 X 22\" Holbein oil crayon 2022
have the power to make humane choices,rather than chosing power over others..https://instagram.com/orpheus47We have really appreciated themultifaceted nature of your artisticresearch and before leaving this stimulatingconversation we would like to thank youfor chatting with us and for sharing yourthoughts, Lorna: we're curious aboutwhat's on the horizon for you. Could youtell us about the projects you're currentlyimmersed in? Additionally, we'd love tohear about some of the ideas or themesyou're eager to explore in your futureartistic endeavors. How do you see yourwork evolving in the coming years?Lorna Ritz: I have struggled with my healthand was almost not here anymore last year,which has caused me to think about legacyfor the first time. Where would I want to seemy paintings, who would be the rightperson to possess my writings, whichmuseums may want to collect my work?These things are already forming. I amcontinuing teaching but on a much smallerscale, and sometimes lecturing, but mybiggest goal is to paint my best paintingsyet. I can only hope the paintings will beappreciated all the more so in time, as thepaintings continue to evolve. I want tobecome more of who I already am, and maymy paintings become more of what theyalready are.Lorna Ritz scapeCONTEMPORARY ART REVIEWLand
Hello Jaio and welcome toLandEscape. Before starting toelaborate about your artisticproduction and we would like to inviteour readers to visithttps://jaiopaintings.wstd.io in orderto get a wide idea about your artisticproduction, and we would start thisinterview with a couple of questions\"My art aims to impress with quality and attention to detail and to stand out with its unique style.\"I center my art on the harmonious relationship between humans and nature.Jaio Dos Anjos is an abstract artist living in Germany. She was born in Angola as a Portuguesecitizen and had to flee at the age of 6 to South Africa, living in a refugee camp and had been resettledafter 2 years to Portugal. She employs acrylics to convey her abstract style, characterized by vibrantcolors and intricate details.Jaio Dos Anjos is a self-taught artist who couldn't attend art school due to financial constraints. Shehoned her skills by studying art books and watching related programs. Through trial andexperimentation, she has progressed to her current level of expertise. Her choice of mediumsincludes paper, canvas, and synthetic plates.Her works can be found at the private foundation, Rohnerhaus, Austria, and in the collections of artenthusiasts worldwide. In 2021, as a finalist of an international art competition, she showcased andsold artwork at Art Revolution Taipei, A.R.T. in Taiwan.An interview by Josh Ryder, curatorand Melissa C. Hilborn, [email protected] scapeCONTEMPORARY ART REVIEWLandEscape meetsJaio [email protected]
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about your background. As abasically self-taught artist, younurtured your education by studyingart books and watching relatedprograms: did these formative yearshelp you develop your attitude toexperiment? Moreover, how doesyour multifaceted culturalsubstratum address the direction ofyour current artistic research?I never wanted to conform to thegiven norms and follow a strictdirection laid out for me, which isprecisely why I chose the self-taughtpath for my artistic journey. Thisparticular path consists of continuoustrying, failing, learning, andexperimenting with differenttechniques and styles. My childhoodexperiences, filled with exploration andcreativity, along with my deep love fornature and vibrant colors, have greatlyinfluenced my artistic developmentover the years. Each encounter with thenatural world has inspired me toJaio DosAnjos scapeCONTEMPORARY ART REVIEWLand___ 2 ___ 3
express my feelings and thoughtsthrough art, allowing me to createpieces that resonate with my innerself and the beauty I see around me.The body of works that we haveselected for this special edition ofLandEscape has immediatelycaptured our attention for the wayscapeCONTEMPORARY ART REVIEWLand Special Edition___4
Jaio DosAnjos scapeCONTEMPORARY ART REVIEWLand___ 5
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Jaio DosAnjos scapeCONTEMPORARY ART REVIEWLandyou capture the raw power andbeauty of nature, intertwining it withpoignant personal and contemporarythemes, making your artisticproduction both timeless andprofoundly relevant. When walking___ 7
scapeCONTEMPORARY ART REVIEWLand Special Editionour readers through your usual setupand process, would you tell us howintuition is important for you?When I create a work of art, theintricate process involves deeplyengaging with the canvas in a___8
meaningful way. I begin with only arough idea of what the subject shouldbe; however, as I progress, the finalresult emerges from my ongoinginteraction with the canvas and myintuitive responses to the colors,shapes, and textures. Each piece ofart becomes a unique journey into theunknown, filled with surprises anddiscoveries that unfold as I work. Thisexploration allows me to express myemotions and thoughts, making eachcreation a personal reflection of myartistic vision and creativity.We are struck by the emotionalcomplexity of your work, particularlyhow \"Noah-Lee's Secret RainbowGarden\" manages to express bothloss and hope simultaneously. Couldyou guide us through your creativeprocess and explain the specificartistic decisions you made toachieve this delicate balancebetween such contrasting emotions?In general, how does your personalpsychological makeup influence thesubtle emotional tones and nuancesyou choose to incorporate into yourart?This extraordinary and deeply movingwork of art is dedicated specifically toNoah-Lee, a precious baby girl whoseshort life was tragically cut short dueto SIDS (sudden infant deathsyndrome), an unimaginable andheartbreaking loss that has left hergrieving parents utterly heartbrokenand struggling to cope with theiroverwhelming grief. It is alsothoughtfully dedicated to all parentsaround the world who experience theprofound sorrow and pain associatedJaio DosAnjos scapeCONTEMPORARY ART REVIEWLand___9
with the devastating loss of a child.Each of these beautiful childrencontinues to live on forever in abetter, more peaceful world, a worldborn from their parents' deepestwishes, hopes, and dreams for abright future filled with possibilities.Through this heartfelt artwork, Iaspire to convey a message ofcomfort, love, and healing, remindingparents that their children's spiritsshine brightly and eternally in the vastuniverse, watching over them withlove and peace.Another aspect of your works thathas impressed us is they rigorous andessential sense of geometry, a visualquality that is particularly evident inThe Symphony of Chaos. Would youtell us something about such refinedgeometric aspect?As a direct result of the intuitive andengaging interaction I experiencedwith the artwork, I decided to createthis particular style of geometry toinfuse the painting with a modern,contemporary touch that resonateswith today’s aesthetic sensibilities.The careful repetition of thegeometric patterns lends the artworka profound sense of calmness andtranquility. Additionally, since I amoriginally from Portugal, my culturalbackground plays a significant role inscapeCONTEMPORARY ART REVIEWLand Special Edition___ 10
shaping my artistic vision, and I findmyself deeply influenced by theintricate geometry found in thefamous azulejos that adorn manyJaio DosAnjos scapeCONTEMPORARY ART REVIEWLand
historic buildings and streetsthroughout my homeland. This richheritage inspires me to incorporatesimilar elements into my work,scapeCONTEMPORARY ART REVIEWLand Special Edition___ 11
bridging the gap between traditionalinfluences and modern expression.In exploring themes of cognitivedecline and memory loss, The Day IDid Not Remember Myself — a workinspired by the World's AlzheimerDay — inevitably touches uponprofound existential questions.Memory serves as a cornerstone ofhuman experience, shaping ourunderstanding of both personalhistory and collective culture. Howdo you consider the theme ofmemory playing within your artisticpractice? More specifically, howimportant is for you to drawinspiration from personalexperience?I am an abstract artist, but I want todifferentiate my unique work fromother abstract pieces by giving myartwork a deeper meaning. To trulyimbue the artwork with rich emotionand profound inspiration, it must befilled with my personal experiences,thoughts, and feelings that resonatedeeply within me. This way, eachpiece not only reflects my artisticvision but also tells a story thatconnects with viewers on a moreintimate level.It took you nine months to refinish\"Noah Lee's Secret Rainbow Garden\"and we really appreciated yourlaborious, meticolous attention toscapeCONTEMPORARY ART REVIEWJaio DosAnjos Land
details, as well as the accurateselection of multilayered nuances ofcolors that marks out your artworks.How important are details for you?Do you plan out all the details fromthe start, or do you discover newelements to refine as you go along?As mentioned above, the intricateprocess is the intuitive and dynamicinteraction between the canvas andme, where each stroke of my brushcommunicates emotions andthoughts in a way that transcendswords.With their unique combinationbetween references to reality andabstract atmosphere, the works fromyour Winter is Coming and TheBridesmaids urge the spectatorshipto a participative effort, to realizetheir own interpretation. Manyartists suggest that leaving someelements to the viewer's imaginationcan make artwork more engaging.how important is for you to triggerthe viewers' imagination in order toaddress them to elaborate personalinterpretations? In particular, howopen would you like your works to beunderstood? In particular, how openwould you like your works to beunderstood?The most important aspect ofabstract art is undoubtedly theincredible freedom that it provides tothe viewer. I want to give mypaintings a certain meaning, one that Ihave carefully considered and infusedinto the work, but it should always beup to the viewer to interpret andexplore the artwork in their ownunique way. Each individual bringstheir own experiences, emotions, andperspectives to the piece, and thatpersonal journey of discovering whatthe artwork means to them is a vitalpart of the entire experience. Inessence, abstract art invites a diverserange of interpretations, makingevery viewing a different adventurefor each person who stands before it.Your choice of large scale in some ofyour paintings is quite impactful, andprovide the viewers with suchimmersive visual experience. Howdoes the size of a painting on such alarge scale affect its impact or themessage you wish to convey?I want the viewer to be able to fullyimmerse themselves in the image,engaging with every detail andnuance, so that they can truly feel theentire energy and emotion that theartwork conveys.scapeCONTEMPORARY ART REVIEWLand Special Edition