Interview

Aug 12

Letícia Lourenço

Letícia Lourenço is a Portuguese artist and designer. She has studied at the School of Art at the University of Évora, where she has completed her degree. After that, she has graduated at the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Lisbon, where she has obtained a master's degree in the area of Design. From a very early age, she has demonstrated interest in the artistic creation and taste for painting and drawing. Her works are inspired by nature, travels, and the universe that surrounds us, and she seeks to reflect these elements and their essence in her paintings. Her paintings talk about thoughts, emotions, feelings, and aim to stimulate imagination and critical thinking of those who see them, about issues from our society.

What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?

“Art has always been a part of my life, from the way I try to perceive the world that surrounds us, to the form of expression of everything I see and think. For me, there is not just black or white, but a whole range of shades in between that have their purpose. Art has a purpose, having a very important impact on the world we live in. It is part of culture and generates knowledge. My training was always in arts. Between my degree in design and my passion for painting, I master different techniques and tools which allow me to have different perspectives and results. I recently started my own project ‘Lé.Atelier,’ and joined social media, not only to show my work, which I want to became my fulltime job, but also to promote art, and to encourage and inspire everyone who visits my pages. I am an artist, and this is my dream.”

What inspires you?

“Being an artist is a constant learning process and continuous search for new inspirations and perspectives. To seek new sources of inspiration, I like to travel to discover new worlds and open my mind! During my travels, I acquire more knowledge in terms of what I see, whether it is about new color combinations, textures, or shapes. One of the main inspirations, besides travels, is nature with its organic shapes and extremely diverse lines. It is a natural beauty that stimulates imagination and creativity. However, inspiration also lies in the way in which, in everyday life, we observe what happens around us and the impact it has on society, developing the ability to perceive situations and reasons why something happens and generate critical thinking.”

What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?

“In my art, I talk about feelings, emotions and stories. I believe that art should tell a story and that all these stories have the same relevance and impact on everyone's knowledge. The exchange of knowledge is important for everyone to become better. Furthermore, I intend to show everything that I learn and see throughout my travels or that simply appears around me. I would say that if there was a message to highlight, it would be to keep dreaming, because this allows us to develop our imagination and stimulate our thinking about what and/or those around us, share perspectives and ideas, and even know how to put ourselves in someone else's shoes.”

How would you describe your work?

“I think that in my work, the choice of colors, patterns and textures reflects the influence that nature and travels have in the way I see the world and, how I identify myself as an artist. For me, choosing the colors for a painting is like putting together the right ingredients to get something tasty. There are acidic colors, sweet ones, like pastel colors, stronger ones, and all of this, depending on the way there mixed, creates different sensations in the painting. I like to use floral elements, since I consider them an essential element for their nature and purity, for their dynamic and curious shapes when we try to observe them in more detail. It is through these elements that feelings and emotions are expressed, which is why they are present in almost all my paintings. I consider my art to be emotional, not only because I express my own emotions, but I also want to expose questions to the society we live in. These questions can be simple things such as someone wanting to understand more than what they see at first and learning how to put themselves in the shoes of another, because all emotions are valid and more than ever, we must have this capacity. With a magical style and sometimes with some surrealist influences that merge into an abstract universe, I intend to generate curiosity and some mystery.”

Which artists influence you most?

“I have several artists who inspire me, I would say the main ones would be Claude Monet in his harmonious compositions, Van Gogh for his expression, Salvador Dalí for his fantastic scenes and Georges Seurat for his representation of landscapes.”

“In my art, I talk about feelings, emotions and stories. I believe that art should tell a story and that all these stories have the same relevance and impact on everyone's knowledge.”

What is your creative process like?

“My creative process begins with my inspiration arising from everything I see around me, on my travels, on walks in the countryside, in contact with other cultures, among others. I often use my camera, which always comes with me, to capture details and images that catch my attention. With my camera, I can have different perspectives, when we have a wide vision it’s not the same as when we zoom in and find other details. I like to use my graphic journal to sketch and explore ideas that come to me. I also believe that experimenting with materials and techniques is important, as sometimes new and different effects are revealed, which better correspond to what I seek to represent in my work. In my works, there is always a part that arises from a defined idea and another, freer part that allows me to explore techniques and effects that emerge depending on what I feel throughout each painting. The way I feel about an idea is also important for the way I paint and express my art, which for me makes a painting much more than a simple representation, becoming a painting, unique, with a soul.”

What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?

“I think that art should stimulate thought and imagination, so that each person can create their own critical thinking and make their choices consistently and with value. This way you will see the difference. I believe that the artist is a creator who is constantly creating. His art is his form of expression, that way, he expresses ideas, feelings, opinions, visions, and that is what guides him. For this reason, and despite all the adversities that may emerge, an artist never stops creating, it is part of his being.”