BEATRIZ MILHAZES

Brazilian artist born 1960. Painter, printmaker and collage known for colourful, ornamental surfaces inspired by Brazilian culture.

 Gamboa, c. 2008

 Sal (Salt), c. 2009

 Mariposa, c. 2004

Teu Sangre se Transformara' en Flores, c. 1984

Like Milhazes, I recently been drawing inspiration from the cultural influences in my life. With a mother who grew up in Holland combined with the experience of living in Texas and Hungary, I have been exposed to a variety of different cultures. Being British alone means that I have felt the influence of various cultures already, with a rich history of Printmaking and through the various countries we conquered and lost, we have a vast and diverse input. Growing up near London, a melting pot of every type of people on the streets and museums such as the Victoria and Albert and the British Museum, there are artifacts to be seen from through out history from every corner of the world.

Growing up, my home had signs of Dutch influence, our crockery is blue and white, often with quaint scenes of windmills and Dutch towns. This palette has nostalgic as well as aesthetic appeal to me and so I adopted it when painting an intricate floral pattern, inspired by a print found in the V&A. Britain has a rich history of floral patterns, a design obviously inspired by the abundance of flora and forna that adorns the country in the warm months in England. With artists such as William Morris (1834 - 1896), a textile designer, patterned prints paved the way for contemporary textile artists such as Cath Kidston to continue and development the tradition.

 William Morris

Cath Kidston

My attempt...