The Brazilian

The Brazilian

Medium: Oil paint on Gessobord (acid-free, non-yellowing, and archival)

Size: 30.5 × 30.5 × 2.3 cm

During a backpacking journey through Latin America, I took the one bus a day down a dirt track to a remote Brazilian village. I enjoyed an evening with some local residents in a small bar and was later invited by the owner to a community party.

There, among the music and beer, I met this gentleman. We shared little language — he spoke Portuguese and I spoke none — yet his mischievous smile, lively eyes and dancing feet made an immediate impression. He readily agreed to be photographed, and those photographs later became the basis for this painting.

For me, this is not just a portrait of an extraordinary face, but also a memory of an extraordinary encounter: a brief connection with someone whose energy and presence have stayed with me ever since.