Artist Spotlight Series: Behind the Canvas with Ana Marlene Lima

I was born in Luanda, Angola. I came to Portugal during the war of independence. I currently live in Braga, in the north of Portugal. Since my childhood I have always loved painting and other forms of art. I worked for 20 years as a fashion designer until I decided, in 2014, to do what I loved most, which was painting.

 

 

 

 

 

  Artist: Ana Marlene Lima, Portugal

 

 

2. For artists who've always lived in their birth country, how does your homeland inspire your art?

Artists who born and raised in different countries, how do those experiences influence your art?

 

The first years of my life I spent in a city by the sea with a tropical climate. At the moment, I live in the capital of the Minho region, which is a region very rich in traditions, such as gold filigree, the colorful embroidery on Valentine’s scarves, very rich colorful folk costumes with elaborate embroidery and surrounded by a wonderful green landscape. Inevitably, African and Minho experiences end up mixing in my work, both through the colors I use and through the shapes.

 

 

 

 

 

3. Can you describe your art and your art style? What does your work aim to say?

 

Probably I oscillate between Geometric and Informal Abstractionism, but I don’t like to think in those terms. I find it reductive to define an art style. When I paint, I only think about expressing what I feel, I don’t worry about whether it it fits into any specific genre of Art.

 

 

 

 

  "Pictorial Vibration" by Ana Marlene Lima, Portugal

 

 

 

 

 

4. Who are your biggest influences?

 

I love art, so I’m constantly visiting exhibitions by various artists with very different styles. I will mention Portuguese artists that I admire and that deserve to be highlighted.Some are famous internationally, others are better known in Portugal. For different reasons I admire the work of Paula Rego, Armanda Passos, Graça Morais, Nadir Afonso, Joana Vasconcelos, Vieira da Silva among many other Portuguese and foreigners. There are also several artists whose work I follow and who end up influencing me. I think that’s inevitable. Artists are like sponges that absorb everything that surrounds them.

 

 

 

 

 

5. How has your career developed and evolved?

 

I attended school as a fashion designer, which gave me knowledge in the use of art materials and notions of aesthetics. I have already held some solo exhibitions and I’m represented by a online gallery. I have been selected for some art competitions and this year I was represented in two International Art Biennials. I have no idea how I got here! All I love to do is paint, so it’s been a wonderful journey to be able to do what I love the most. I know I work long hours, but for me it's a pleasure.

 

 

 

 

 

"Convergência"  by Ana Marlene Lima, Portugal

 

 

 

 

6. Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?

 

This is a question I’ve never asked myself…I’m not in the habit of living for the future or planning goals because I’ve already learned that life forces us to change our decisions on many occasions.

But what I would like to do in 5/10 years is to continue painting. I live happily surrounded by my canvases and paints. Probably, I would like to have a studio with a higher ceiling and more natural light to work on larger works, but essentially, I would like to continue painting and for people to feel happy when they look at my work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received as an artist?

 

It may seem strange, but I’ve never received any advice about my art. The only advice a good friend gave me at a certain point was that I should show my face because people like to know who is behind the work. I didn’t like doing it, but I understood it was necessary.

 

 

 

 

"Individuo" by Ana Marlene Lima, Portugal

 

 

 

 

8. How do you balance your personal life and your art practice?

 

It is not easy to coordinate family life with the creative process. For me, painting doesn’t fit into a schedule, so I have to be organized. I wake up very early in the morning and start working straight away. I usually work non-stop from 6 am until 2 pm. From that moment on, I start thinking about what is outside the studio. But if for some reason I have a thigh deadline everything else stands on hold. I try to make it up to family and friends during calmer times.

Fortunately, I’m at a stage in my life where no one else depends on me to survive, so I can afford, with rare exceptions, to paint as often as I want.

 

 

 

 

 

9. How do you balance social media and your art creation?

 

That is currently the hardest part of being an artist. The time and energy that consumes us and takes away from the creative process is impressive. Creating content, publishing reels, stories, posts on more than one social platform is exhausting. However, we all need social media to be able to show our work.

I lost my Instagram account because I was hacked when voting in an art competition and I spent the last months of 2023 exhausting myself trying to resolve this situation. It was a nightmare. I felt that the evolution of social networks has not been accompanied by security and that we have to be extremely careful when managing our pages or we risk being left without them.

In my case, 10 years of work completely disappeared. I had to start my Instagram page from scratch.

However, there is always a bright side in every dark, and I discover that I had a community of friends made up of extraordinary people who supported me and gave me strength to continue.

 

 

 

 

 

10. Can you share your favorite quote and what it means to you?

 

I don’t have a favorite quote. At different times in my life I read some that made sense at that moment, but I find a bit reductive to define myself or my work through a simple quote. Life is so unexpected and constantly changing that I can’t say just one. It would be the same with a book or a films, or even a music. I have several that I love and that were important to me at a certain time, but I can’t name just one.

 

 

 

 

 

11. Do you have any advice for aspiring artists or those thinking of starting an art career?

 

The only advice I can give is if you enjoy painting, or sculpting or doing any other form of art, do it! The pleasure you feel in that creative moment is only yours and no one can take it away from you.  

 

 

 

  

 

12. Where can people find your art?

 

You can find all my social pages and the gallery that represents me at https://linktr.ee/anamarlenelima

My work “Marulho” is currently in exhibition at the Biennial of Eixo Atlântico. This program stimulates artistic creation, simultaneously enabling cultural exchange and knowledge of artists of the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula. The exhibition is itinerant for a year, covering several cities that are part of Eixo Atlântico.

 

 

 

 

Contact Details:

 

 

Artist name: Ana Marlene Lima

 

Email: limaanamarlene@gmail.com   

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/limaanamarlene/  

Facebook: www.facebook.com/anamarlenelima