Portrait Paintings by Mario Henrique from Portugal.

Somnium No. 9 Series III

An Interview with Mario Henrique.

Who and where are you from?

My name is Mario Henrique, i’m a painter based in Cascais, Portugal.

What brought you to Art?

I’ve always been curious and interested in art, even as child. I was fortunate enough to be able to travel quite a bit growing up, and living in Europe, it is relatively easy to move between different countries and experience distinct realities and cultures. My family always encouraged me to do so - I was exposed to museums, art galleries and exhibitions at a young age, and that was certainly a fundamental influence in my upbringing and visual culture.

What is your driving force?

Although I try not to rely to much on it - as it is more important to be self aware and mindful of your surroundings - one can draw inspiration from almost anything. A movie that I saw, a music that’s playing in the background, some old photos I revisit on my phone… the simplest things can trigger me into painting. Having said that, I’m more drawn to the human figure and facial expressions - that’s what I paint almost exclusively. But I can be driven or motivated to paint a face by being exposed to a completely different subject, like an abstract painting from another artist that may evoke an emotion that I relate to and then try to convey in my own work.

What kind of work you do and why?

I paint people. I find it to be the most interesting subject. I’m always intrigued by the subtleties and the double meanings of people’s body language, expressions, and looks… Whether I’m painting something more realistic, like the portrait collections, or something that leans more toward the abstract, like my “Ballerina Series,” I’m always fascinated by the unpredictability of the human behavior, the sudden movements, the brief glances, the impermanence of facial expressions.

Tell us more about your thought process.

I always paint with images and photos as reference. I donʼt like using live models, that gives me a sense of urgency and self-awareness. I prefer to use photographs, which I proceed to hang in my studio walls. I print the same image in colour, in black and white, with more or less contrast, more or less zoom. Then I select the colours that Iʼm going to use. Iʼm colour blind, so I have a short palette and paint directly out of the tubes and bottles, I donʼt tend to mix paints. I start by throwing paint at the canvas, without much thought. I have my photos as reference, but this process is inevitably random and chaotic. I use large spatulas to spread the paint on the canvas and when Iʼm happy with the result, I start to “dig out” the subject using dark and light colours to convey depth and emulate shadows or bright areas. Basically, where the paint falls on the canvas is where the figure will emerge, so my process is very much based on chance and spontaneity.

Please share with us the one modern artist whose work you find Interesting and why?

William Stoher creates incredibly deep portrait paintings, I really enjoy the texture, complexity and intensity of the expressions and the scale of the pieces. We are both represented by the same gallery in Atlanta, GA (USA) - the Bill Lowe Gallery - although I have never met him in person.

Mario Henrique and Somnium No. 11 Series III

Somnium No. 5 Series III

Materia No. 2 Series II

Girl With A Pearl Earring

Mario Henrique and Materia No. 2 Series I

Somnium No. 15 Series III

Vultus No. 1 Series I

Materia No. 3 Series II

Somnium No. 1 Series III 

Materia No. 4 Series I

Somnium No. 6

Somnium No. 4 Series III

Vultus No. 10 Series I

Somnium No. 5 Series I and Mario Henrique

For more of Mario Henrique Check the links below:

Website :- http://mhc.pt

Instagram :- https://www.instagram.com/mariohenrique.studiogallery/

Saatchi Art:- https://www.saatchiart.com/account/artworks/791208

All Images are copyright by: Mario Henrique

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