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The Creative Process

The project began with two wooden panels, originally envisioned to contrast

the emotional highs and lows of the immigrant experience. I wanted one side

to reflect hope, resilience, and joy, while the other held space for fear,

isolation, and grief. As I worked, my signature use of vibrant color —

a core part of my artistic identity — emerged as a hidden but essential base

layer. Over this foundation, I added words, collages, and stitched thread

elements that connected back to my own journey, which began six years ago.

The process became deeply personal. I revisited feelings of disconnection, the challenges of adaptation, and the importance of meaningful connection. I collaborated with a dear friend who helped me incorporate metal details into the panels — symbolic of the painful “stitches” we make as we reshape ourselves in unfamiliar lands.

Small hand-drawn characters appear throughout the piece, representing immigrants in search of belonging in new and distant places. Each one carries its own emotion and story — fragments of all of us who have ever started over.

 

A Collective Expression

While deeply rooted in my personal experience, Threads of Belonging is ultimately a collective piece. It’s a tribute to every immigrant who has walked this path — and an invitation for others to reflect, connect, and share their own stories.

Beneath the maps, collages, and stitched words, you’ll still find the vibrant colors of home.

That’s where my essence lives — in the rhythm, in the energy, and in the powerful beauty of the Brazilian spirit.

I’m grateful and excited for the opportunities this project continues to bring.

It’s an honor to represent the immigrant experience through art — and to create space for voices that deserve to be seen, heard, and held by community.