Born in São Paulo, in the year of 1972, plastic artist Luis André had demonstrated interest on painting and drawing since he was a little child, coming from a middle-class family. Luis’ motherwas an intelligent and very sensitive woman passionate about classical music, and his father, a generous military man passionate about jazz, with great talent for drawing. They would spend the nights andtheir free time with their children making molds from drawings and cardboard figures to paint fabric, as a way to increase their family income.

Always encouraging their children, Luis’ parents entered one of his drawings in a contest named “Paint the spring”, promoted by a big supermarket chain store. Luis was only 7 years old at the time. His design, made with marker pens, was one of the few selected to win the prize, a set of wooden easel and case for painting, which still accompany him up to the present days. From that moment on, his parents realized their son had good skills, and decided to enroll him in an arts course, with the plastic artist Carlota Lopes de Oliveira. That was the beginning of Luis André’s artistic sensitivity development, and the origin of his apprenticeship on new techniques.

Being very young, Luis André became a kind of “mascot” within the painting course, which was taught in a centennial college in the heart of São Paulo. Over the years, classes were transferred to the studio of his teacher and mentor Carlota, in the neighborhood of “Ipiranga”. Luis André’s logistics and support staff included not only his parents, but also his two brothers, and his grandparents and uncles. During that period, Luis André participated and received awards in several art salons in many cities around Brazil, including in the lastSão Paulo Art Salon. With the beginning of his studies on Architecture and Urbanism in Mackenzie University, the artist stopped attending art courses after 10 years of study with Carlota Lopes, and proceeded to devote himself to his graduation. But he never quit painting or drawing during the short free time he had.

Nowadays, with a well-directed career in architecture, he integrates the group of architects at Dimension Projects and Planning.With more time to dedicate to his artistic production, Luis André continues searching for inspiration in walks on the streets, from images photographed by his friends, and fromtravelling around the world, which is one of his passions. To revisit places where he feels like a true citizen, and to discover new places and different cultures, is increasingly becoming the objective for this artist.

Portfolio: