Lúcio Carvalho
I Am Staying Here, 2022.
Original oil on canvas.
Large-scale painting.
This artwork is framed and wall ready.

I didn’t have much access to art. I grew up on a centenary farm belonging to my maternal great-grandparents, a magical place surrounded by nature, animals, and many memories. My cousins, brother, and children on the farm loved to ride horses and play, except for me; I was only interested in drawing, coloring, and painting far from any urban center,  and I had little access to art.

It didn’t take me long to realize that I was different, that there was something else in me, unfamiliar with where I lived. I had never witnessed other people in my life creating art or showing the same interest in art the same way as me, so I deduced that drawing should be prohibited or something that should be done privately.

So I started hiding under a huge farm dining table, protecting myself from bullying, curiosity, and supposedly repressive looks. I saw an old wooden china cabinet with cut glass in front of that enormous table. From hiding under that table, I could observe the crockery and china reflected in the mirrors at the back of the cabinets, a small universe around me.

I saw myself in the mirrors that reflected people, portraits, paintings, cups, and teapots mixed together in a magical and unique image. I realized that all those memories and objects stored in the cabinet were as fragile as the beveled glass that protected them. — Lúcio Carvalho.

Lúcio Carvalho – Off The Wall Gallery Houston Texas.