Editorial Illustration

Editorial illustrations, actuality, political or cultural based; cartoon; celebrity portrait; book illustration, book cover.

Ugly Drawings

Alla prima paintings, drawn directly on ink (and watercolor) on paper, without preparatory sketch, vignette or outline, that often don’t turn out as expected. Very quick and fun to do, they offer freedom and interesting results.

On Pina

Based on Pina Bausch’s incredible choreographies, which work as paintings per se, I developed this small collection of acrylics on canvas (except for one oil).
Some works are not based on Pina's works directly, but are somehow influenced by her on my view of our surroundings. I call that small group "other dances".

Female Gaze

The female right to exist in the visual space (artistic, political, social) without the concern of pleasing or match aesthetic stereotypes and under unusual contexts: Aging, ugliness, worrying, uneasiness, attrition and even annoyance.

Women as creators and not only as muses; Also, in intimacy, at rest, and in a more introspective posture.

Me, Ugly

This new series was started in 2018 and (so far) completed in 2019. It’s a series of self-portraits in which I depict myself in an unflattering way, for the first time in my life not trying to look beautiful, embellished or pleasant. I'm looking for flaws, signs of age, even scary features, according to the tradition and the patriarchal culture under which we live.

Portraits

Diverse portraits, in different styles: some more realistic, other with some abstraction, in all sort of materials (acrylics, oils, ink or watercolor…) over a few more supports (canvas, paper, wood…).
In constant updating.

Icon Collection

Iconic figures from our collective imaginary. Scenes from moveis, tv series, music or sports…

Commissions

A large range of subjects, from people to pets or landscapes.

What’s On?

The book is out!

The crowdfunding for the printing of “The Shortest Story in the World” (Portuguese edition) is completed!

You can buy it (Portuguese edition, shipping to Portugal), here!

If you want it shipped to another country, please contact me by email or DM at social media.
It’s safe and easy! Thank you <3

What’s New?

Well, well, well!..

I'm so, so happy to tell you that my Lo-Lee-Ta illustrations for Almanaque Mag have been Longlisted for the World Illustration Awards 2023, in the #Editorial category!

There are 500 entries on the longlist, over 10 categories, chosen from over 5,000 entries, so I really feel this as a great achievement.

Thank you so much, The Association of Illustrators, Directory of Illustration and World Illustration Awards!

#WIA2023 #worldillustrationawards

You can check all the entries here, and see the Lo-Lee-Ta illustrations in its original destination, here.

I’ve been doing a lot of illustration

Cover and inner covers for La Saga/Fuga de J.B., Gonzalo Torrente Ballester, in its Portuguese edition by Quetzal

Cover for Poesia Completa (Complete Poetry), Jorge Luis Borges, in its Portuguese edition by Quetzal

And a lot of work for Almanaquemag.com

From covers, illustrations and text, to Art Direction.

Check out more at the Editorial Illustration segment, and follow me on social media, where I post more often.

Also!

My limited edition of Giclée Prints of The Middle Finger Lady are still available at the store.

I still haven’t put the original in the shop :) will do so as soon as possible.If interested, contact me!

There was a solo exhibition:

Essential Portrait
When is a portrait a portrait?

Casino de Lisboa
Until July the 31st

Sundays to Thursdays: from15:00h to 03:00h
Fridays and Saturdays: from 16:00h to 04:00h
Children are welcome

The work that I have developed as a painter is almost entirely centered on the human figure. This observation is the result of a preference, a natural inclination, which I do not fight back and which has been developing since childhood, having had a more oriented approach during college and been very free since then.

Rather than the landscape or objects, what interests me are people and the expression they carry in themselves, their bodies, gestures, and faces. And then, the relationship of these bodies with space, light, objects, and animals.

Just as in childhood we draw our mother, father, brothers, friends, and ourselves, I resumed drawing and painting, after an interregnum of years, through the portrait of those dear to me. I do not claim more erudite or strenuous reasons than affection. From here to the affections of others it was a quick step and I started doing commissioned portraits on a regular basis.

Normally, when people ask me to portray someone they like, or themselves, they expect an immediate recognition of the portrayed and wish that their best physical characteristics are reinforced, in a pleasant and nice outcome. This pressure can sometimes weigh on the enjoyment of the creative moment and it systematically leads me to adopt a contrarian approach, away from monotony and the expected.

As examples of this resistance I bring you three small escape series ("Female Gaze", "Me, Ugly" and "Ugly Drawings) that generally counteract the perfect, the beautiful, and the precious, and, in what constitutes the novelty in my journey (and only there), the most recent path I have taken in the search for the essential portrait, the minimal (but not minimalist) portrait or the limits of the portrait.

As this path is far from complete, I invite you to join me and reflect on these questions: When is a portrait a portrait? And when does it stop being one? What degree of abstraction can it handle? How far can one go so that the subject is recognized, or recognize itself, and when does the observer start to project something else? Ultimately, is there a sweet spot? Is it reached when each one recognizes themself and, almost simultaneously, each one can invent other subjects? The relationship between the sign, the signifier and the signified.

In this journey, I experiment with materials and approaches; I make variations on known or previously worked themes, and I also ask you: which one do you like the most?

Lia Ferreira, April 2022.

What else?

Mixed Medium Figure

Portrait and figure studies while exploring mixed medium.
Figure study exploring different mediums and finding volumes and lines.
For instance, take this double sided portrait of Gal Costa; I’m exploring the apparent inappropriate behaviour of the tracing paper when combining it with ink and liquid materials, so that it ripples and gains this 3D aspect. Also, I’m embracing and loving its translucence.
This work can be seen on both sides, therefore I recommend using a double sided acrylic or glass frame.
I’m adding some of these works to the shop.

Mixed Medium Studies and Illustrations

While exploring mixed medium, some exercises stand out and turn on little studies that work on their own.
I’m adding some of these works to the shop.

What’s hot too?

Casa Palafítica 4, Indian ink on watercolor paper, 32x24 cm

Cais 1, Indian ink on watercolor paper, 32x24 cm

Illustrations for a short film by João Lagido, November 2020.

I made a series of illustrations for an animation to be included in the opening/credits of a short film by João Lagido that is still on the editing process. Let’s hope he finishes it! :)
Meanwhile, here are a few.
The originals are available. Please, fill free to contact me through email or DM me on social media.
They are all made on Indian ink over watercolour paper, size 32x24 cm.
They are not framed.

My Latest Exhibition

It was in Tavira, Algarve, Portugal

My work is stayed in Casa Álvaro de Campos, in Tavira, for the summer. From the 4th of June until the midst of September.

Fell free to contact me through email at liaferreira.info@gmail.com or DM me at my social media:

Before:
”Female Gaze” Exhibition

What was it about?

The female right to exist in the visual space (artistic, political, social) without the concern of pleasing or match aesthetic stereotypes and under unusual contexts: Aging, ugliness, worrying, uneasiness, attrition and even annoyance.

Women as creators and not only as muses; Also, in intimacy, at rest, and in a more introspective posture.

All new work was at show now at the “Female Gaze” exhibition at Ordem dos Engenheiros, in Lisboa, from October the 10th to November the 10th, Mondays to Fridays, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m..

The unifying element of this exhibition was "female gaze", which means "the representation of women without being subject to what Laura Mulvey defined in 1975 in" Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema "as" the male gaze ", which stems from the fact that, traditionally, in the film industry, women are generally the object / focus of attention and men are behind the camera and therefore the point of view is masculine (…) ".

What’s New?

Full interview.

I was featured in Lux Woman magazine, September 2019 issue. Check out the 4 page interview.
Journalist: Leonor Antolin Teixeira.
Photos by João Silveira Ramos.

Me, Ugly

This new series was started in 2018 and (so far) completed in 2019. It’s a series of self-portraits in which I depict myself in an unflattering way, for the first time in my life not trying to look beautiful, embellished or pleasant. I'm looking for flaws, signs of age, even scary features, according to the tradition and the patriarchal culture under which we live. That's why I finished the series (that has simpler self-portrait paintings, under these features), with this composition based on the Medusa figure, for so long associated with women out of control, witched, with an evil spell casted on. Medusa was also the representation of the older women, unapologetically showing signs of senescence, elderly, rage. Here, I don't show a head full of snakes, but full of oppressing, stressing hands, that pull and push, oblige, measure, threaten and bully, trying to silence and make this older, raging woman, deaf and tamed. Like the spell casted on the originally beautiful maiden, because she was raped by Poseidon and got pregnant, these hands are the forces that try to condemn women upon their conceiving, through the impossible tasks of perfect motherhood, perfect marriage and superb career management, as well as implying they can not grow old, be ugly, relax and live to themselves, fulfilling their wishes and dreams, tracing their own, independent, satisfying plan.
"When we asked women what female rage looks like to them, it was always Medusa, the snaky-haired monster of myth, who came to mind”, in The book Female Rage: Unlocking Its Secrets, Claiming Its Power by Mary Valentis and Anne Devane.
Well, I say that women must address their rage, commit to their anger, command their own lives and that for that they deserve praise.
We have the right to be old and celebrate it. If not depending on the opinion of others, such as the male gaze, getting old is becoming better, happier and in many ways life gets easier. Not being under constant scrutiny, by one’s self or others, regarding seduction or erotic capital, is radically liberating.
We have the right to be ugly. We have the right to occupy the public space with our real looks, free from stereotyped beauty impositions, impossible eternal youth, and be portrayed as humans, full of interests, knowledge, self-assurance and flaws.

These are the themes I'm wishing to work on in the nearest future: aging women, female rage, ugliness and the right to be rather than to seem.

Ugly Drawings

I imposed myself these exercises of freedom.
As I usually look for resemblance and tend to perfectionism, I've been loosing a lot of freedom to draw.
So I set apart any guidance or amendment, in order to error freely and do some “ugly drawings”.

I started with the enraged, greedy and grotesque, profoundly human characters from “Fleabag”, my favorite series of the moment, and set myself loose with the brushes and ink on watercolor paper. Some drawings diverged immensely from my object, but I love them all the same. 
And some came up really nice! Never the less, I find them very interesting.
Then, I started painting some politicians and world leaders in order to invest in some contemporary, actuality and political illustration. I also did some cultural icons and didn’t resist the temptation of portraying some friends too, although these are not fair pictures of their handsome features.
These are rough, quick drawings made with no previous sketches or studies and I do not correct them, in the sense that I can not undo the trace of ink on paper, so, I just go for it, wherever that leads me. It’s been refreshing and fun.

Check more ugly drawings here or in the “buy originals” section of this website.
And there are always new updates on my Instagram.

Natassja, first impression. Acrylic on Canvas, 90x65 cm. SOLD.