São José, a house near wasteground

*

 

 

 

São José,  a house near wasteground, oil on card, 18 x 12.5 cm - available

Painted back in September: back then I wasn`t happy with it: now it seems quite okay.

 

 

 

*

São José, looking across wasteland

São José, looking across  wasteland, oil on card, 11.5 x 13.5 cm

This is the last one from from Brazil for some weeks: now I must pack and get ready for the USA.

São José, near Rua Prof. Egidio Ferreira

*

São José, near Rua Prof. Egidio Ferreira, oil on card, 12.5 x 16 cm

Painted in a slummy district: these are always interesting.


*

Off Rua Thives, São José

São José, oil on card, 15 x 12.5 cm - unavailable

 

 

 

A small street in a poor district.

São José

*

 São José, houses on the river, oil on card, 16 x 11 cm  - available

 São José, the river, oil on card, 17.5 x 13 cm  unavailable

Two from the River Manuim. The textures on the second are nicely varied. Perfect painting weather, warm and sunny.

*

A visit to São José

*

São José , broken bridge,oil on card, 18 x 14.5 cm  SOLD

 São José, bicyclist, oil on card, 12.5 x 17.5 cm  SOLD

São José, Rio Manuim, oil on card 18 x 17 cm - unavailable

Well, here were are in  São José, on the continent, a separate municipality but now one which bleeds into Florianópolis.

It has the usual dreadful Brazilian mixture of dilapidated and occasionally charming, hand made, improvised structures; mainly from wood and clay tiles. There is much miserable modern- which looks as it it were made of painted cardboard in half an afternoon- and a few good Portuguese inspired structures, almost Moorish in feel. There are concrete blocks disproportionately large for their contexts, there are no gardens. Everything is a little dirty.

The bridge above, broke in a flood a few years ago- now a pier good for fishing.

  

*

The wanderer over Brazil (the red kite)

The wanderer over Brazil (the red kite), oil on card, 18 x 14.5 cm  SOLD

Painted at the the back of São José- the roads rise and fall and curve  beautifully, magical in the sun.

A delight of Brazil are the kites which children make and fly- the telegraph lines sometimes festooned with their tail ribbons. Sometimes this causes fatalities, and sometimes the authorities attempt to discourage kite-flying near the lines by putting up notices and distributing leaflets.

Entrance to a salvage yard

Entrance to a salvage yard, oil on card, 14.5 / 12 cm   SOLD

Painted in São José, among a network of streets where dilapidation is the norm. There seem to be a huge number of businesses devoted to car tyres in these run-down areas, these interzones, where towns becomes highways.

A poor neighbourhood

A poor neighbourhood, oil on card, 11.7 / 14 cm   SOLD

Painted behind the Havan store, Sao Jose.

As far as painting goes, these poorer areas are considerably more interesting than middle-class condo-land. There's a variety of buildings, in a range of colours, some of which seem to be ever in a state of construction and addition and people can be seen to be doing things, their lives not shut away behind doors.

There can still be found in Brazil considerable areas of cities taken up by the sort of repair shops, little restaurants, pubs, and stores that are the subject of some of Atget's photo series. In Brazil these are always at least slightly askew and brightly coloured. I think it would be fascinating for a child to grow up in such an environment. I feel dismay when I see emerge the new Brasil of identikit shopping malls and insipid ready made condominiums.

I feel nervous painting in such neighbourhoods though, sensing a close potential for disorder (I feel much the same about Brixton in London) - although the people who approached me were pleasant (much as they have been to me when painting in Brixton too) one kindly advising me that I had left my car lights on. Some of that nervousness is present in the picture, I think.

Working from the car, observing, painting seems voyeuristic and impolite but it is safer and more comfortable: if I'd known someone in the neighbourhood to introduce me it would have been better.