About Deise

I was born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil. 

I lived a very simple life in a quiet neighbourhood far from the hustle and bustle of one of the world’s biggest cities. It was not uncommon to spend your entire life on the same street, in the same house; it was uncommon to leave. I would have never imagined I would one day get out and find myself living on the other side of the world. 

In my teenage years, I felt the world getting smaller and more connected. Our mindset started changing and a revolution of customs and ideas started happening and shifting our outlook. At an impressionable age I followed with awe as the first man stepped on the moon and celebrated the peace & love era of the 70s while wearing mini skirts with hearts painted on my face. I embraced the newfound freedom of women who were now allowed to be ambitious and follow a new path beyond what was once acceptable. Without realizing it at the time, I know now everything I witnessed was shaping me into who I am today and how I approach my life and my art. 

In the 80s life got more interesting. I got married, moved to Rio de Janeiro and had three kids. Rio was our first home away from home. In the 90s we took a giant leap as a family and moved to the USA and then further still to Singapore a few years later.  The adjustment from West to East was huge but the reward of learning about new traditions and cultures were priceless. 

Through the many stages of my life I have always been creative. The creativity showed itself in different forms. I learnt to knit and crochet with my mother as a child. I took sewing classes at school, as was expected of young girls at the time. I experimented with painting wood and ceramics during my time in Rio and in Singapore I threw myself into learning Chinese brush painting. Regardless of the medium, I was always happy with busy hands and most specifically while holding a paintbrush.

After many years of classes and copying the old masters of Chinese brush painting, I was ready to take these traditional skills and add a little Brazilian oomph to it. I love experimenting with different papers and witnessing the way the paint reacts – making each work completely different than the one before. I enjoy the intricacies of small detailed subjects, flowers and landscapes but my passion is the bamboo.

After just over 20 years in Singapore and with all three children grown up, it was time my husband and I began another chapter. We have uprooted once more to beautiful Portugal.

New country, new art! Besides my beloved Asian themes, I am now newly inspired by traditional Portuguese motifs. 

Spend a little time in my galleries and as you flick through the many paintings I have created over the past decades you will witness the changing themes which have influenced me throughout my life. 

I paint with my heart and painting makes me very happy. I hope you enjoy my creations as much as I have enjoyed painting them!

Thank you, 

Deise