ANA MARIA PLANT

“Ana Maria’s work has been characterised in the past by a predominance of Brazilian themes. Her pictures feature a variety of aspects of her native country, ranging from its wild life and indigenous cultures to its colonial architecture and the religious manifestations which have emerged from its racial and cultural melting pot. Now living in London, Ana Maria takes advantage of a fresh source of inspiration, by producing a series of paintings with local themes.” André Carvalho

“Since drawing and painting have always been a pleasure and a challenge for me, I tried to express my ideas from the start while learning how to do it. Little by little the subjects began to come naturally, inspired by my surroundings at the time, and the scenes appeared like a series of illustrations in a story…

In London, I first exhibited a series of paintings called ‘Os Donos da Terra’ at the Ecology Centre, Covent Garden, previously composed for an exhibition in Strasburg to commemorate the Christopher Columbus 500th anniversary. When I came to live in London it was like entering a fairy tale with all its history, its castles and traditions, above all featuring a queen in her horse and carriage surrounded by all her guards. The famous red objects and costumes were always present in these compositions which featured the adventures of my children in London. These compositions then inspired the publication (in English and Portuguese) of a trilogy called ‘Little Miss No and Co’. This character was originally created by António Andrade Neto based on my daughter and published with my illustrations by Civilização Brasileira in 1980. Our new English version of the trilogy published by Timothy Plant is also now available (Please enquire at the gallery for more details)” Ana Maria Plant

Turning 80 this year, Ana Maria has been working as an artist all her life. Painting since she was a child she first exhibited her work  at the age of 18 in her native Brazil in a gallery looking over Copacabana beach. Her work first focused on the indigenous people of Brazil and the tropical flora all around. Her larger than life figures have become her signature style. Over the years Ana Maria has enjoyed sell out exhibitions with collectors from around the world and has featured in many articles in Brazil. After meeting Timothy Plant a mural artist she accompanied him painting murals across the globe from Brazil to Switzerland.

Settling in the UK  she has in more recent years focused her attention back to her own paintings. With a sell out show in 1997 featured in the Independent. She prefers to create collections with a running theme connected via a story inspired by her surroundings and her beautiful interpretation of London Town; the splashes of red throughout the city, the hustle bustle of the city., the diversity of the city, the total excitement of city life.