The lake from Ishbel's house

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The lake from Ishbel's house, oil on card, 13.5 x 12 cm  AVAILABLE

 

 

The first of a little run of pictures from this beautiful house.

Many thanks to Ishbel for letting me work here, and for lunch. 

 

 

 

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Nocturne: in a new suburb

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Nocturne: in a new suburb, oil on card, 12 / 8.7 cm

Welcome to the new Florianopolis!: faceless blocks showing little imagination, with few green spaces, and little to delight. 

How do people remember which block is theirs?

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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.

Poplars, Rio Tavares

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Poplars, Rio Tavares, oil on card, 12 / 14.5 cm - unavailable

Quite hot: delightful to drive down these back roads, to sit painting in the car, listen to Bach and then have a wonderful Brazilian kilo lunch.

It doesn't get much better.

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Popular housing, Saco Grande

Popular housing, Saco Grande, oil on card, 14.2 / 12 cm - unavailable

The dog decided to lie in the middle of the road: it disappeared when the drizzles came on.

A heavy day, pregnant with rain, lending that luminous light, which I perhaps haven't quite captured.

I am becoming more and more interested in the movements of people, making these poorer, car free places much more fun to work in.

Early evening, Lagoa

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Early eveing, Lagoa, oil on card, 11.3 / 13.1 cm  AVAILABLE

Painted down in Lagoa

I tend to alternate between urban themes and nature. I fear obvious beauty...

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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.