Silver Palm from the Mosaic series
Silvia Pinto Souza and I were supposed to organize a show of her work in April, but of course we know what happened with that! I’m hoping to see her work up soon, as it is fresh and uplifting. Just what we need right now.
“Art should be an oasis: a place or refuge from the hardness of life.” Fernando Botero’s quote comes to mind when gazing at Silvia’s paintings. She uplifts ordinary objects with verdant paintings, creating art that soothes even in complicated times. She finds splendor in the natural world, delighting in the delicate shapes and striking hues of flowers and fruits. Reminiscent of her roots in South America, her palette is rich and vivid, with subtle textures.
Her body of work consists of diverse series, including Mosaic Paintings, Florals, and Still Lives. She paints to the senses, to what speaks to her heart. A beautiful image is what she wants, and as she says ‘The true objective in Art is the pursuit of happiness, but the world seems to have forgotten about it.’
Silver Palm from the Mosaic series straddles between abstraction and representation, appearing as fragmented, pixelized images up close, but developing a reverberating harmony from a distance. Silvia’s inspiration stems from her experience with photo-montage and abstract geometrical work, but also from the ancient tradition of laying tiles. Working square by square on a canvas, each square becomes a painting in itself.
Red Pot
Her Florals and Still Lives dazzle, taking recognizable objects as a basis for painterly exploration. As Red Pot, one takes refuge in the beauty of saturated color and vibrant shapes. By flattening perspective, the focus on the flowers is amplified.
Another quote of hers resonates with me during these troubled times: “Man needs music, literature, and painting-all those oases of perfection that make up art-to compensate for the rudeness and materialism of life."
Silvia’s professional background started with Architectural Draftsmanship, followed by an Arts diploma from the Byam Shaw School of Art and Design (now part of the University of the Arts London), and a photoprinting class at the Slade School of Art. While living in Rio de Janeiro, she worked with printing techniques at the Pontificia Universidade Catolica and the Parque Lage Art Center. For her last 25 years in Houston, she has focused solely on painting. She is an exhibiting artist member of the Archway Gallery in Houston, and her works are displayed in private collections in various countries.
Her website: www.sps-art.com