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Luiz Carlos Lima Santos learned his trade by himself, observing others around him in São Luís, where he was born and where he still lives. He remembers how since 1966 he started experimenting with different materials. He tried clay, resin, bitumen and whatever else he could find. “I used to work at the Culture Centre for Maranhão State, but left to start the Mãos na Massa Workshop. Young people could come here to learn. But things are harder today, we lack support. I’m a self-taught artist. I started with abstract work and then went on to do figurative pieces. In 1978, the director of the National Institute for Fine Arts in Rio de Janeiro saw my work in an exhibition and said that I should try to speak more about my town, of regional themes. When I came back I thought about it and started looking around me. I think back then I was too young. Then I started drawing and found the babaçu, a local palm tree. It’s a very regional element. I transferred my drawings to clay and the answer was there – that’s it!. I started making larger shapes, and needed a tougher material. Glue mixed with sawdust and resin works, I got that from a carpenter. After the babaçu I noticed other seeds and fruits, like tamburi and andiroba.” |
