Patricia Kluwe Derderian

                I’ve always loved to draw, and it was the smell of my uncle’s colored pencils that inspired me to major in architecture (since art was not an option in the little town in Brazil where I grew up). Since then, I used my art to express my projects and ideas. It also became my way of thinking.

                I like to start drawing freely and loosely, putting color after that, without any commitment to reality, letting the energy flow and the painting tell me what it wants to be.

                In Brazil we carry a rich heritage of multiculturalism. The series called Icons (on the other room), started inspired by the “Brazilian Tropicalismo”, a late 60s cultural movement based on a colorful mixture of cultures and symbols, assuming influences from all over the world. Now this series extended its inspiration to other “icons” and important artists that in some way have influenced myself.

                In my Cities series I paint places that I love, with people very loosely represented by little dots and forms – the true creators of the place. Without people, our cities, monuments and buildings are cold and lifeless. My inspiration comes from the energy of the place combined to feelings I had when visiting it.

                When I received the Creative Pinellas Emerging Artist Grant in 2020, and while our cities were empty, I stayed at home and went looking through my memories for that feeling of joy, that vibration… 

                What came to me were these precious Childhood Memories… at the same time, so strong and so faded away. What lasts is exactly what matters to me. That feeling, that energy you feel when you are with someone without the details and diversions our eyes can see.

                Just like a dream when you know who is with you even if you cannot see their face…

                For these experiments, I used acrylic paint and, to draw, I used charcoal instead of the markers I am used to. That allows me to draw faster and respond easier to the feelings and fluid images that come to my mind… 

                It’s interesting how that Grant turned out to respond in a way to what was and still is happening in the world. I had to look inside, and with that came memories of simple things, like listening to my dad play the guitar, eating grapes with the neighbors, mate tea with my grandfather, and so many other memories of my childhood in south Brazil, some of which you will see in the exhibit. I hope they make you feel something as they are my very raw feelings.

And finally I continued these experiments with more recent memories, brought from important moments lived during the most amazing Travels I have made (even if they were not that far away). The ones that change our lives and are a part of making us who we are.

Patricia