Mystery, Sanctuary and Celebration:

the visions of Brazilian artist Adriana De Castro

A veritable Girl from Ipanema who emigrated to the United States in 1997, Adriana Santos De Castro, also known by the name Dayana on the beaches of Rio De Janeiro since childhood, is an evangelist touching the hearts of all whom she encounters. Naturally exuding the warmth, charm and affection of the Brazilians, Adriana is an inspirational tour de force whose timeless, borderless artistic expressions are ripe for a world seeking the deeper interpretations, celebrations and meanings of life - a world ready, it would seem, for her … “Factory of Dreams”.

After experiencing her creations of art, almost all agree that, from beneath the surface of this beautiful and cultured Brazilian – a tropical songbird and accomplished singer who immerses herself in classical music as well - emerges a surprising genius, strangely mirroring her fanatical appreciation of Beethoven … an artist whose bold and novel uses of creative media has elicited from an award winning doctorate level veteran of the fine arts to such commentary as “very excellent”, “gifted and visionary”, and “reminiscent of Chagall, Picasso, and Klee”.

More than this, and the growing number of followers that assert her to be a very certain new talent in the art world, is the story of Adriana – for she has truly journeyed much farther than the 7,000 miles that separate her from the U.S. and her native Brazil– as she is a recovering victim of domestic violence … facing and conquering, with a relentless dedication to art, the problems she faced during her brave journey over the past three decades.

Born November 26, 1965 , into a simple family that lived amongst the orange groves outside of Rio De Janeiro , from early childhood, Adriana exhibited the energy and creative talents that her mother and father advanced in the areas of music. And as destiny would have it, she was encouraged to seek a true direction for her heart to follow; a passion that was the gift of voice. This dedication eventually led her to Sony Music Brasil as a singer and composer.

However, it was in 1999, at the birthing point of the millennium, and under circumstances best told in her own words, that she was deeply inspired to extend her personal creativity into the ageless and universal medium of art. She discovered an extraordinary new set of feelings of creativity within; she felt she had to put them into a visual extension of her spirituality – giving permanency to her most raw, real and compelling feelings as could never be expressed in any other way. She was, in fact, willing to cease her music ambitions and go to the visual fine arts.

Once Americans began seeing her work, validating this premise by the consistent surprise in their reactions to learning that the gifted artist was a top singer from Brazil, Adriana was encouraged to the point where all she did, day and night, was produce artwork. As had been the case with her voice, her artistic skills rapidly developed and she soon found herself captivated by a particular style that grew out of a remarkable technique she discovered.

Using the world’s finest quality soft pastels (Schmincke, Rembrandt), she invented a unique approach to suit her objectives in uses of color – a process of grinding the pastel sticks into powders, and literally hand-painting the largest portions of her works, using detailed fingers movements, and blending colors and patterns in a bold, yet choreographed symphony of mysterious forms – reminiscent, in degree, to powdered sands used in mandalas.

But, perhaps even more radical, oftentimes, from a serene and multi-hued backdrop, she will draft an entire family of exotic life-forms, seemingly extraterrestrial or otherworldly … a psychedelic adventure unfolding before the eyes.

collector - Roosevelt (Montagne) family