Joya: AiR / Neide Carreira / PRT

‘Arriving at Joya: AiR I was a somewhat of an artist's block and struggling to find the balance to create amidst the grind of day-to-day worries and obligations. The vastness, calmness and beauty of this place struck me immediately, and it didn't take long for ideas to start pouring and for the will to paint to come back. I feel something in my practice has been reignited.

I spent the days hiking in incredible landscapes, sketching and photographing. From the photographs, studies and memories I collected, I would then work in the studio, producing several drawings and paintings and starting two series that I will now further develop.

These were days of silence and tranquility, where the only thing I “had” to do was reflect and create. The freedom , the time and the distance were truly a breather and what I experienced not only served as inspiration for the works I did there, but will do for many to come.

I really admire what Simon and Donna have created. Joya: AiR is a very special place’.

Neide Carreira

Neide Carreira is an artist based in Lisbon, Portugal. She studied in the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Lisbon, where she obtained her bachelor's degree. She has been exhibiting regularly since 2017, in Portugal and abroad (Italy, Poland, Japan, UK, etc). In 2022 she completed the intensive course on realistic oil painting in the Angel Academy, in Florence.
From Matter to Line, Galeria da Graça, Lisbon, Portugal and Art Olympia, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan, are among the exhibitions she has participated in. She also counts with several awards and honourable mentions, such as 20th "Aveiro Jovem Criador" and the 5th "Infante D. Luís às Artes" Award.

Simon Beckmann27 June 2023