Portrait #2 (2024) Digital Arts by Sofia Passos

I am presenting a language of perception, texture and colour but, most of all a mindful savour of each detail. Planetary landscapes from our planetary history to our subatomic dimension, flying over the surface of my conscience and sense of self, matter and light shining through the water. 

That's how I see us under our skin. Perceiving amazing creatures of matter and light shining through our 80% water bodies, sharing our perceptions as we go together in this journey called life.

I come from a long series of lost opportunities, bad choices and dead ends. This is not what a biography should look like, but I don't care. As a human, I did all I could with all I had and found peace with this recently as I'm almost 50 years old and after half a century of self-blaming I'm now conscious it could have been much worse. 

I was born in Huambo, Angola. Grew up near Lisboa Portugal. Studied architecture and completed my degree in set and costume design at ESTC College. A series of family, health and life events got in the way of what would have been another me and only in 2020/21 during the pandemic, I was back to fineliners, graphite, and got to know the pleasure of a digital table.

My inspiration is deep space, silent flying in space, light through liquid reflecting over surfaces, microscopic landscapes, minimal music such as Nils Frahm and Philipe Glass, and the powerful Mark Rothko paintings. I'm also inspired by the Taoist and Buddhist philosophies, by nothingness and the Tao. I am also eternally humbled by the dimension and beauty of the inconceivable giant celestial bodies we perceive as tiny stars.

I'm also presenting some digital portraits. I've been drawing tired, sad but also hopeful, shining expressions with wrinkles, simple lines, free spontaneous textures and a few moments of red and pink as well as some botanical elements. I'm inspired by Asian esthetic, philosophy and spirituality and by the Japanese white, red, black and pink, in what concerns portraits.

Although I understand digital illustration is seen as more "functional", it gives me a huge pleasure to work with RGB and light. I am in the middle point between both worlds. Instead of pigment, I'm using digital colours but my relation with the tools (Krita and Affinity), process and state of mind is the same as if I was before a canvas.

• Nationality: PORTUGAL
• Date of birth : 1974
• Artistic domains:
• Groups: Contemporary Portuguese Artists