Gold and black...and white? Now that I think about it, maybe hot pink too...

My work has always been more focused on form and materials and avoided big statements of color. I use a limited color palette and lots of white. Before coming to Brazil, I got interested in Beatriz Milhazes' paintings, for the layering of various components. There is a really cool way she makes these, by painting each component onto plastic and transferring it onto the canvas layer by layer.

Beatriz Milhazes, O Elefante Azul, 2002; Courtesy Galerie Max Hetzler, Berlin. Image credit: db-artmag.com

I think her paintings have been in the back of my mind ever since, even though I haven't looked at them for a while. In the bleakness of the Pacific Northwest winter they seemed like the most fantastic and outrageous explosions of color. Being in Rio and seeing them again, they fit in harmoniously with the world around.

Graffiti in Botafogo.

A small paining by Ernane Cortat in the Museu Internacional de Arte Naïf

Under the table in the studio.

This tree, called "Monkey's apricot" is very common in public squares in Rio. The blooms are fantastic!

Wednesday morning fresh produce market in front of our apartment. Look at the colors of the produce!

Escadaria Selarón. Stairs leading from Lapa to Santa Teresa by the late Chilean artist, Jorge Selarón.

Colonial stained glass roof in the Royal Reading Room Biblioteca Real - Gabinete Portugues de Leitura. 

Biblioteca Real - Gabinete Portugues de Leitura

Baroque lavishness in the Igreja Venerável Ordem Terceira São Francisco Penitência. Gilding galore. 

Stained glass windows in the austere Catedral Metropolitana de São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro. 

Catedral Metropolitana de São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro. Designed by Edgar Fonseca, the cathedral is entirely made of stacked concrete panels and stained glass. It has a futuristic look with a hint of Mayan architecture.

When searching for material options for my work, I quickly landed on leather and fake-leather (vinyl). I like their resemblance to skin. They pliable and can be cut easily but, unlike paper, can also hold a form. It is also worth noting that certain materials, like paper, typical art making supplies, metal and clay are extremely limited here in Rio.

The finished map. This way of presenting it seems uninteresting to me right now. 

This way is better. 

Yes.