I am a photographer of architecture, portraits, nature, events, art, and conceptual images. I am driven by my photos by themes such as gender, environment, poetry, Portuguese language and culture teaching, identity, and memory.
Being a female photographer undoubtedly has its advantages, particularly in some of the areas I work in. I do a lot of portraiture at and outside people’s homes and there’s a certain ease with inviting me into a personal space, both men and women.
KEY QUALIFICATIONS
Since I was little that I like photography and art in general, this big word that I have the courage to say «with which I identify myself». I have learned thus far a lot but I know that I have a long road ahead of me to travel in order to evolve furthermore. However, I shall not give up my will since I have in me the creative genes of my family and I like to explore such potential.
I photograph since the end of the ‘ 80. I did particularly travel photography, in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania. More recently I have been more aware of the world «at home, Portugal, where I am based» which is what this portfolio reflects.
For me, photography, art, and other areas of knowledge go hand in hand. For this reason in the ’90, I explored drawing at the Sociedade Nacional de Belas Artes, in Lisbon. In the new Millenium, I did a Master in Development Studies with a major in Gender and Development at the University of Melbourne to add more value to my Bachelor in Law, from the Universidade Católica Portuguesa. At the same time, still, in Australia, I attended the life drawing classes at Linden Gallery, using Indian ink, pastel, and charcoal, and did a creative writing course at the Center for Adult Education.
Back in Lisbon, after ten years overseas, I participated in the weekly artistic encounters at the studio Nº1 of Coruchéus, of the great but humble sculpture Mestre Soares Branco, where we did with diverse materials life drawing, especially charcoal and felter pens. I also had from 2013 to 2015 classes with the sculpture Mestre Milício on watercolor and pastel.
In the last five years, I have been painting oil with the mixed technique with the artist Sofia Freire d’ Andrade and had ceramic classes with the ceramist and jeweler Sara Matos, through the Junta de Freguesia do Areeiro. I always tried to develop my own artwork and bring original ideas to them. In 2019 I enrolled in the painting course of SNBA and attended since then the life drawing classes from Museu Vieira da Silva, now online given the pandemic of Covid 19.
From 2016 until today, I have been doing a Multimedia and photography modular course at Cenjor, using different types of digital software (such as Photoshop, Indesign, Illustrator, Bridge), infographics (using Animate e Aftereffects).
Finally, I work as a volunteer at a cultural association, where I promote cultural events and others, such as poetry and gender equality. I am also a teacher of Portuguese to foreigners, linking the local community to migrants and refugees through a startup. Since March 2020, I have been doing this work online. I have another hobby which is singing Acapella (among others, the Areeiro choir/Cancioneiro Regional Português by Giacometti; ADECAM and Lisbon Community Choir, both now online).