About Me

Rita Fernandes
I am the sun and the moon. Sometimes I am light, other times I am heavy. I like to look at the sky and see the shine of the stars in the darkness. I am a mother, I am a daughter. I am human, I am cosmic. I am from this world and from others that I know within me. I am caring and gentle, and also a little crazy. I am Rita — this little Rita, the child, and this big Rita, the adult — who, deep down, are one in many. I am for adventures and walks, I am for the sea and the mountains, I am for friends, and I am for family. I am mine. I am here to offer the world my kindness, my colors, my dances, my work, my presence, my art… for a more colorful world. From my hands come beautiful things, full of meaning.
About the process of my work, I believe that it is through the attentive and, at the same time, distracted observation of what surrounds me that my gaze emerges. There is always a certain spontaneity in collecting the leaves and small plants that grow on their own, and that’s where the process begins. Nature fascinates me, and I have the privilege of living on a hill, surrounded by life. The landscape is my main source of inspiration. Being able to give a new dimension to the plant through engraving reveals all its details when the paper passes through the press, and what was once invisible now appears in relief. Engraving is always a mystery, one that unfolds with each impression.