Danilo Lopes

 

Este é o meu retrato de Danilo Lopes, um dos vocalistas e guitarristas da banda Fogo Fogo.

Deveria dar para ver por aqui, pela cara dele, como o Danilo sente muito. 

Ele deu-me complexidade. Isso levou-me a criar o mais trabalhoso fundo de retrato desta série. Posso dizer-vos que não foram horas, mas vários dias de trabalho para o concluir!

A roupa que usou no concerto tinha muitos padrões, cores e desenhos que me inspiraram e serviram de metáfora para o que eu queria expressar sobre ele. Seguidamente, partilho as analogias relativas às cores, formas, estética e materiais deste desenho.

Este retrato tem uma componente plástica (expressa através das tintas, pintura, e cores), pois há nele algo de divertido, que brinca e ri.

Penso nas línguas e culturas de Danilo. Requer capacidade de adaptação e regeneração. Nesse sentido, ao criar um sinuoso percurso da malha deste fundo, pensei na transmutável pele e percurso ondeante de uma serpente. 

A primeira camada do fundo, com as múltiplas cores a lápis de cera, visa o ser intuitivo e aberto ao mundo que ele é.

As riscas nas suas meias e o ter-me feito sentir em casa, influenciaram as escolhas para a segunda camada de riscas feita com tinta de parede branca usada em casas.

A terceira camada, com a grelha a caneta preta, foi inspirada nas gregas do seu colete preto e pisca o olho a algo de esquemático nele. Esquema, leva-me logo para padrões, jogos de xadrez e geometria, como entendimento do que nos rodeia. Além disso, o uso do preto, aqui, também simboliza a energia bruta(l) do carvão, um rouco cabedal, e o rock a rasgar que senti nele. 

Além disso, o Danilo é doce. Por isso, a quarta camada com as flores e folhas a tinta dourada foi baseada nisso, no seu colete, nas bolas de sabão, no mel e nas flores que dele recebi.

Inspirado no brilho dele e nas costas em cetim do seu colete, surgiu a quinta camada, em verniz brilhante.

Resumindo, o Danilo é uma força da natureza para vários gostos: é dia de sol, mar profundo, carvão, poço, escorrega e plasticina, tudo ao mesmo tempo!

English translation below.

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This is my portrait of Danilo Lopes, one of the vocalists and guitarists of the band Fogo Fogo.

One should be able to tell here, by his face, how Danilo feels deeply.

He gave me complexity. That led me to create the most labor-intensive portrait background in this series. I can tell you that it took me, not hours, but several days of work to finish it!

The clothes he wore in the show had many prints, colors and designs that inspired me and served as a metaphor for what I wanted to express about him. Next, I share analogies regarding the colors, shapes, aesthetics and materials of this drawing.

This portrait has a plastic component (expressed through paints, painting, and colors), as there is something fun about him, that plays and laughs.

I think about Danilo's languages ​​and cultures. It requires the ability to adapt and regenerate. Regarding this, when creating a sinuous path from the mesh of this background, I thought about the transmutable skin and undulating path of a snake.

The first layer of the background, with multiple colors in crayons, aims the intuitive being open to the world that he is.

The stripes on his socks and making me feel at home influenced the choices for the second layer of stripes made with white wall paint used in houses.

The third layer, with the black pen grid, was inspired by the greeks in his black vest and winks at something schematic about him. Scheme immediately takes me to patterns, chess games and geometry, as an understanding of what surrounds us. Furthermore, the use of black here, also symbolizes the brut(al) energy of coal, a hoarse leather, and the ripped rock I felt in him.

Plus, Danilo is sweet. Therefore, the fourth layer with the flowers and leaves in gold paint was based on that, his vest, the soap bubbles, the honey and the flowers I received from him.

Inspired by his shine and the satin back of his vest, the fifth layer emerged, in glossy varnish.

In short, Danilo is a force of nature for many tastes: he's a sunny day, deep sea, coal, well, slide and plasticine, all at the same time!

David Pessoa: De Chelas para o Planeta | From Chelas to the Planet

David Pessoa: De Chelas para o Planeta © Rita Draper Frazão 2024

Eis o meu retrato de David Estevas Pessoa, vocalista e guitarrista da banda Fogo Fogo.

É de Chelas, e para além da música, a arquitectura também fez parte da vida do David. Eu que cresci com Arquitectos perto, vejo esta arte como uma maneira de pensar o espaço e o movimento - das culturas, de uma época, das luzes e das sombras. As artes visuais dedicam-se ao espaço, a música ocupa-se do tempo. O David reune as duas.

Há qualquer coisa nele que me remete para o viajante, o antropólogo ou explorador. A curiosidade com o mundo, o que é exótico, a tradição, as raízes, o que é inato, o que é nativo. Penso na busca de beleza e de experiências na viagem da vida.

Como fazer um pote de terracota. Com um rolinho de barro tipo cobra (cuja forma é parecida com o que vêm no desenho), só depois se afina a forma. Isto remete-me à matéria, à terra, à construção e, novamente, à arquitectura das coisas.

Reparo nas suas pulseiras. Tribais anéis de Saturno. Pressinto o
espírito cigano e o arejamento mental (daí o cabelo para o ar, para o céu) de outros lugares e épocas. Penso nos torques e braceletes do Museu de Arqueologia (MA) em Lisboa. Se não conhecem, recomendo!

Tudo isto para vos dizer que o "corpo de torques" do David é uma mistura de muitas (ou todas estas) coisas diferentes. E, como dizia o José Mário Branco na sua Inquietação, "Essa coisa é que é linda".

O torque dourado foi inspirado na bracelete do compósito de Cantonha, Guimarães (MA). O do leopardo simboliza África, o exótico, o selvagem, o ar livre. O que é castanho remete para as raízes, para a cor da terra e do barro.
No azul eu queria pôr uma referência a Chelas, às viagens e à
arquitectura. Pensei logo num mapa, mas o traçado das ruas tinha que caber naquele torque e os nomes tinham que fazer sentido. Acreditem ou não, dei com estes nomes de ruas reais: Rua de Cima de Chelas, Azinhaga do Planeta e Rua da Quinta dos Ourives.

Nem era preciso mais nada. O conceito deste trabalho, o David e eu já tínhamos ali encontro marcado, qual ponto de partida para esta viagem conjunta: De Chelas para o Planeta (que é o título desta peça).

English translation below.

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Here's my portrait of David Pessoa, vocalist and guitarist of the band Fogo Fogo.

He's from Chelas and besides music, architecture was also part of David's life. I grew up with Architects nearby, and I see this art as a way to think space and movement - of cultures, of a time, of lights and shadows. The visual arts are dedicated to space, music concerns time. David brings the two together.

There's something about him that reminds me of a traveler,
anthropologist or explorer. Curiosity about the world, what's exotic, tradition, roots, what's innate, what's native. I think about the search for beauty and experiences in the journey of life.

It's like making a terracotta pot. With a snake-like clay roll (whose
form's similar to the one shown in the drawing), only then is the
shape refined. This brings me to the matter, to the earth, to
construction and, again, to the architecture of things.

I notice his bracelets. Tribal rings of Saturn. I scent the gypsy
spirit and the mental airing (hence the hair in the air, towards the
sky) of other places and times. I think about the torques and
bracelets at the Archeology Museum (AM) in Lisbon. If you don't know it, I recommend it!

All this, to tell you that David's "torque body" is a mixture of many
(or all of these) different things. And, as Zé Mário Branco said in
his song Inquietação, That thing's what's beautiful.

The golden torque was inspired by the bracelet from
Cantonha's Composite, Guimarães (AM). The leopard symbolizes Africa, the exotic, the wild, the outdoors. The brown one refers to the roots, the color of the earth and clay.
In the blue one, I wanted to put a reference to Chelas, travel and
architecture. I immediately thought of a map, but the streets layout had to fit that torque and the names had to make sense. Believe it or not, I came across with these real street names (translated): Upper Chelas' Street, Planet's Lane and Silversmith's Farm Street.

Nothing else was needed. The concept of this work, David and I already had an appointment there, as a starting point for this joint journey: From Chelas to the Planet (which is the title of this piece).

Estudo nº1 para Nos Rikeza | Study nº 1 for Nos Rikeza

A propósito do lançamento do seu novo album, Nha Rikeza, fui desenhar a banda Fogo Fogo, no B.leza há uns dias. 

O meu processo de desenhar músicos ao vivo foi mudando, desde que comecei a fazê-lo nos anos 90. No início usava só caneta e ou lápis, depois fui começando a usar mais materiais. Para quantos concertos e festivais não fui eu artilhada - qual loja de belas artes ambulante - não fosse faltar-me aquela cor do éter. 

Depois comecei a fraccionar a coisa. Desenhos e conceito ao vivo. Pinturas e acabamentos mais demorados, depois.

Até que, pela experiência, fui percebendo que quanto mais tempo passasse com os músicos, mais elementos teria para fazer o meu trabalho. Sempre que possível, é como prefiro fazer.

Assim foi com os Fogo Fogo. Já seguia o trabalho deles há tempos e até já os tinha visto a tocar, mas nunca tinha calhado ir desenhá-los. Com tempo.

Fogo Fogo fervilha ritmos de Cabo Verde. E eu, devido à minha história pessoal e familiar, sinto uma conexão forte com este país. Por isso, desenhar esta banda foi muito especial para mim. 

Desde que vim deste concerto, os últimos dias têm sido muito intensos, pois tenho estado a terminar os desenhos sem parar. 

Na minha cabeça têm corrido, a velocidade estonteante, ideias que me acordaram, dia após dia, a meio da noite: que cor, que padrão, que material servirá melhor o conceito, o que quero dizer nos textos...

A boa notícia é que, entretanto, os desenhos já estão todos prontos!  E, para além da imagem, tenho várias coisas a dizer sobre cada um deles. Para não vos sobrecarregar com informação, cada conjunto de desenho e texto será, por isso, publicado individualmente. 

Em jeito de prelúdio, inspirada no que recebi e no título do seu novo álbum, aqui partilho convosco um dos estudos para este conjunto de trabalhos, a que chamei Nos Rikeza (Nossa Riqueza). 

Aqui estão muitas pistas visuais para as outras obras. 

Que vos aguce a curiosidade e vos traga alegria ao vosso dia! Mais virão nos próximos tempos, estejam atentos!

English translation below.

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Apropos the launch of their new album, Nha Rikeza (My wealth in Cape Verdian Creole), I drew the band Fogo Fogo, at B.leza, a few days ago.

My process of drawing live musicians has changed since I started doing it in the 90s. At first, I just used pen and or pencil, then I started using more materials. How many concerts and festivals have I went to loaded - such as an ambulant fine arts store - so that, that ether color wouldn't fail me. 

Afterwards, I started to split stages up. Drawings and concept live. More time-consuming painting and finishing touches, later.

Until, through experience, I realized that, the more time I spent with the musicians, the more elements would I have to do my work. Whenever possible, that's how I prefer to do it.

So it was with Fogo Fogo. I had been following their work for a while and had even seen them play, but it never happened to draw them. With time.

Fogo Fogo boils rhythms of Cape Verde. And due to my personal and family history, I feel a strong connection with this country. Therefore, drawing this band was very special for me.

Since I came from this show, the last few days have been very intense, as I've been finishing the drawings non-stop. Running through my head at a dizzying speed, have been ideas that have woken me up, day after day, in the middle of the night: what color, what pattern, what material will best serve the concept, what do I want to say in the texts...

The good news is that, meanwhile, the drawings are all ready! And, besides the image, I have several things to say about each of them. In order not to overload you with information, each set of drawing and text will, therefore, be published individually.

As a prelude, inspired by what I received and by the title of their new album, here I share with you one of the studies for this set of works, which I named Nos Rikeza (Our Wealth in Cape Verdian Creole).

Here are many visual clues to the other works.

May it spark your curiosity and bring joy to your day! More will come in the near future, stay tuned!

Giz Ela Livre!

Giz Ela, Livre! © Rita Draper Frazão 2024

Passados bem presentes, intensamente agora, para amanhã ver mais além. Saber de onde e quem. A mistura da tradição e do vento geram outros alcances, outros temperos, outras temperaturas. Paragens do tempo, re-paragens* na viagem, paisagens em movimento. Como brincadeira de criança. Animal felino em fuga-cidade*.

Crivo das cigarras rumo aos silêncios. A cada hábito, um gesto, a cada gesto, uma observação, o olhar quotidiano profundo de quem vê para além do óbvio, a quem não mais tem amplitude para o aborrecimento daquela cena do costume, qual formiga trabalhadora que se chega à frente.

A graça, engraça, o canto, o encanto, a proibição do espalha-fato*, a tentação abismal da largueza.

Alquímica transmutação do chumbo. Entre corriqueira costura de drapeados e cicatrizes. Como se fosse fácil. Que deste ventre urge parir-se liberdade, sem medo, sem preconceitos. Ao som do vento, só, a ferro e fogo, nas profundezas de uma mina, cujo conhecimento é atributo dos audazes e de quem pergunta na busca de uma verdade velada, ao comum dos mortais.

Como o mistério da saudade, cujo som reverbera por antigos e eternos segundos. Que nem pancada no alvo* mármore, num sagrado panteão. Casa* (de) todos os Deuses. Casa* (dos) marcos. Vidas de outras vidas. Vidas que foram. Vidas que são. Vidas que somos. Vidas que acolhemos em nós. A nossa casa, o nosso corpo. O corpo às balas.

Marcha inaugural, gestantes palavras, palavras do ventre, palavras ao vento, sons das entranhas, branco e negro.
Como nas cores de um texto num livro ou numa partitura.

Tantas coisas aprendemos na escola.

Mas, mas, mas.

Tanto por fazer. Oportunidades para ser. As sete vidas dos gatos, á-gata. Diamante negro.

Que falta faria quem escrevesse no quadro, em alto contraste, vibrando as cordas sem amarras.
Pelas agruras, pelos extremos, pelos tabus, pelos inconformados, pelos excluídos, pelos injustiçados, pelas mulheres.
Trepidação dos nervos, auscultação de estalactites, sonhos em velocidade por um mundo melhor para nós.

As mulheres. As mulheres. As mulheres. O amor. O amor. O amor.
O batom e a cor das rosas, cor de rosa. Os saltos* da Gisela, o fado da gazela. Copo de vinho meio cheio. Festa crua. Coro* na arté-ria*. Sapos e trapos. Doces e Mel. Diz lá se és crente, se és carente.

Canto a rasgar veludo negro e rouco. Exorcizado grafito* descalço. Pirâmides de Gisé-lá* atrás. Vanguarda ancestral que balança com perfume na rua do mundo como com fresh-cor* no bairro da vida.

Por-tento*, palavras e palavrões. A fala de muitos que, qual bola, ela atira e diz altooooooo nas alturas, enquanto escreve na ardósia em tom de grito:

Giz Ela Livre!

Texto e desenho © Rita Draper Frazão 2024

Retrato de Gisela João feito ao vivo no seu último concerto em Lisboa no Convento da Graça, no âmbito do Festival Colina das Artes, a 14 de Setembro de 2024. 1974-2024: 50 anos do 25 de Abril. 

Texto escrito a partir do desenho.

[*Este texto foi pensado para ser lido e entendido com os múltiplos significados, associações e sonoridades das palavras que escolhi ou que inventei maioritariamente em Português. Não é, por isso, fácil de traduzir para Inglês ou outras línguas. Mas o texto em baixo em Inglês tem conteúdo sobre isto que o texto Português não tem.]

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This text regards the portrait I've made of the person and the singer Gisela João. The text in Portuguese above was thought to be read and understood with its multiple word meanings, associations and sounds I chose or invented mostly in that language. Therefore, it's not easy to translate this to any other language, sorry!

But, you guys know I am all for including everyone, so in my defense and in defense of those who don't speak Portuguese, I will say in English what I didn't in Portuguese, so both versions have unique contents.

The core message of this drawing and text, both titled "Giz Ela Livre!", regards poetry, sounds, lots of word puns in Portuguese language and many references of things I felt when I made this drawing. 

Yes, it's a portrait of Gisela João, but symbolically speaking, one could say, it's also a portrait of myself (as all portraits I do or did so far), and of many other women.

For those who don't know her, she started of as a Fado singer and has over time, been exploring new musical territories. She is a force of nature and an advocate for strong causes: women's rights, lgbtqia+, and I believe many others. Her voice is as hoarse as deep. She is heard. And is drop dead gorgeous too! 

That night, I used graphite (Black and white, the highest color contrast possible. A raw and natural material) and my own pink lipstick (a possible feminine universe) to make "Giz Ela, Livre!" The word livre means free in Portuguese, and was placed over her belly area in analogy to women (nutrition, feeding, womb, roots, motherhood, sisterhood, homeland) and freedom (give birth to something, not necessarily a baby, but an opinion, an idea, etc). 

It was pretty windy during the concert (I guess one could figure that one out, by the drawing too) but, as she was holding a mic, she never made that arms' move she's in the drawing. I imagined her so, in a free and open gesture. (Ahhhh the arts' wings that lead to freedom)

The clothes were in fact what she wore, and indeed one could see her tummy: a central point in my whole concept for drawing and texts.

All this relates to what she sang, to the Portuguese carnation revolution 50 years' celebration (the end of dictatorship in Portugal), to what she said in the concert and to what she, in my vision, conveys.

In Portuguese, Giz means chalk, and Ela means her so, the title of this work, itself, is a word pun between her name, her personality, her work, the current phase, and what I wanted this work to be about. Both Gis (Taken from Gisela. It isn't a real word) and Giz sound alike Diz, which means say. Giz/Chalk automatically takes me back to a school realm, learning and expressing skills. Livre you already know what it means. In short, thoughts about drawing, writing and saying freedom out loud for the future to come.

And, I couldn't end this without mentioning that there was no way I would post this, other than tonight, when a lunar eclipse in Pisces is taking place in GMT. Evolution in the works.

Enjoy!

Paulo Curado's images of freedom

Paulo Curado © Rita Draper Frazão 2014

The news of Paulo Curado's passing (1960-2024), yesterday, were a slap in the face. A big hug to his family, friends and the music community in Portugal, which got poorer.

What a great musician and a wonderful person he was!

The sensitivity, sense of observation and the enigma that distinguished him, turned special the music he's done and the human relationships he had. I had the feeling that Paulo lived in limbo between a fragile height and a strong depth. And now that I think about it, I believe that all the drawings I made of him convey, in a certain way, that tone.

He expressed himself musically through the saxophone, flute, composition, sound design and improvisation. Besides music itself, he's worked in the film, animation, television, theater, dance and visual art areas. In this scope, we both had long conversations about the relationship between image and sound.

There was a poetry in Paulo that made me dream and fly whenever I heard him play.

Luckily, I had the chance to draw him several times. Here's one of my portraits that Paulo really liked: it was his profile picture on his Facebook page for many years. Here, he was playing saxophone at the Mia Festival in 2014. You can see more about this here.

Another drawing from him available online, is the one I've made of him in 2015, at ZDB. You can see it and read more about that subject here.

Besides liking music and visual arts, we had other things in common. Regarding the fact that, way back, I studied flute, Paulo told me how starting to play this instrument, had been a lucky strike in his life, in a day he'd found a forgotten flute, picked it up and started to learn how to play it. 

At one point we were neighbors. It wasn't Paulo's style to brag himself, but one day, slipping through the cracks at my place, he told me about the times he played with his cousin, José Peixoto, with Janita Salomé, José Mário Branco or Carlos Paredes. Legends of Portuguese music from whom we have a lot to learn from. As we do from him too.

Eclipse for Paulo Curado © Rita Draper Frazão 2015

I liked Paulo so much that, at one point, I offered him this original drawing that I've especially made for him. The image was the cover of an article published at Jazz.pt and here on my blog Innertour. Yet only now I'm sharing with you the dedication I wrote on its back and its purpose: to thank him for everything he'd given me. Due to the respect I had towards him, I'm kind of embarrassed to say this, but Paulo told me he was a fan of mine. Which explains what I wrote in the dedication, on the back of the drawing:

Eclipse backwards for Paulo Curado © Rita Draper Frazão 2015

"26th of September, 2015

Dear Paulo,

This world is a more beautiful, colorful and certainly more inspiring place with musicians like you. Thank you very much for all the images of freedom and of rare beauty you have given me. I wish you all the colors in the world. It's not just you, I'm your fan too!

A kiss from your friend,

<3 Rita #"

How lucky was I to be his friend and to have been inspired by Paulo, so many times in my work and, above all, in life.

You can see some of the drawings and texts I wrote about him, here in my blog. One of the portraits was never published and is well stored to be published in other flights. Fortunately, I managed to show them all while he was still alive.

Being in Europe (in a country closer to me), yesterday a childhood friend of mine - who is Lebanese and lives in Beirut - wrote me because he remembered myself. Considering that this conversation took place on the day I received the sad news of Paulo's passing, this message was a symbolic reminder of how life goes by fast and how important it is to take care of each other and value friendship, sometimes with a simple message as this one. شكرا صلاح!

In today's world, where we're pulled in a thousand directions by social media, internet, apps, podcasts, publicity, press, artificial intelligence, etc, it remains in me the rare example of master Paulo: that in order to be heard, loved and remembered, one can also be, at the same time, reservedly remarkable.

And I'll never forget you, my dear friend. May you follow the light.

Gualdino Barros, the master of ceremonies

 

Gualdino Barros ® Rita Draper Frazão 2004

My latest article about the drummer Gualdino Barros, that recently passed away, has just been published in Jazz.pt magazine. 

For those who don't speak Portuguese, here is my English adaptation of it:

Gualdino Barros, the master of ceremonies

The drummer Gualdino Barros passed away on November the 21st. My heartfelt condolences to his family, all his friends and the many fans I know he had out there.

I have to confess that something broke inside of me when I heard about the news. Nito, Gualdin or Gualdinex as he was called by many, was 85 years old.

I don't know exactly when I met Gualdino, but I was a teenager and he was almost 50 years older than me. It might, even, sound strange to make friendships under such circumstances, but not is this case. Gualdino was a magnet for the younger generations. Regardless of his physical age, he must've been the most youthful spirit I have ever met. Those who liked music, learning and having fun, had an open door to his universe. Therefore, it was easy to like him.

In a context in which in Portugal, in his generation, there was still no official and organized education specifically aimed at jazz, Gualdino was a self-taught drummer. Through his curious and entrepreneurial spirit, restless soul and desire to learn, he listened and saw his musical idols play and, thus, learned to play. The drummer Luís Sangareau (who I still had the pleasure to meet) was one of those who, in Portugal, greatly inspired him.

The self-taught drummer, who was a Portugal's history of jazz milestone, had a very unique “sound of his own” (the cymbals and solos!) and a sense of style that never faded. Small in stature, anyone who might think he had ever gone unnoticed, would be mistaken. Chatty, Gualdino was the life of the party, loved eccentric clothes, wore rings and had a huge collection of hats, caps and berets, that became his iconic trade mark.

This musician was an old-school type of gentleman. He always treated me with the utmost deference and politeness. I also recognize a certain candidness in him. He had an enormous spontaneity, liked to take risks, was sharp as a tack and had an enviable ability to get away with things and improvise, both in life and in music.

Those characteristics made him feel touched and promote what was new and beautiful. He was proud to have launched a bunch of new Portuguese talents. Jorge Palma, Bernardo Sassetti, the Moreira brothers, Francisco Rebelo, Filipe Melo, Joana Espadinha, Rita Maria... all of them played with him at the beginning of their professional lives.

I can't help to mention the fascination he had with singers. Whenever we met Gualdino, his enthusiastic conversation, invariably, started with the new vocal talent he had just discovered with whom he was playing with. Regardless of the art we dedicated ourselves to (which contradicts the idea that he's only helped musicians and I am living proof of that), during a certain phase, when one was starting to enter the jazz scene in Lisbon, it was almost an initiatory ritual to the activity, to work with him. And what a master of ceremonies he was for us all.

I took and developed this photo of him in 2004, when we were on tour out there. By his invitation, I drew and photographed, he played the drums and managed it all. His degree of generosity went to the point he'd gave up his own cachet in favor of other artists, something I know he did to other people and that he also did to me. He had an unwavering faith in us and didn't abdicate our presence.

On this tour I took several photographs, one of which was published in the magazine “Grande Reportagem (see here)”. The photograph that goes along with this text, is another one and was special to him. According to what he told me, it would be the only portrait he had, in this position with the drums. His musical instrument of choice was a symbol of his complicity with music and the means by which he expressed the love of his life: jazz.

We are left with Gualdino's teachings, his sense of humor, his enormous generosity but... how not to  mention the gigantic repertoire of stories he had to tell? Besides being a drummer, he was Portuguese with roots in Angola where he lived, as well as in Germany, France and, of course, Portugal. He was a sacristan, played for Sporting de Braga Football Club, worked on construction sites, spoke several languages, was a good friend, brother (of percussionist Quim M'Jojo), uncle, engineer and so many other things...

His incredible life experiences deservedly inspired at least three cinematographic works: Inner Urge by Isabel Cardeira (2003) (in which I also participated), Um Mundo Catita by Filipe Melo (2007) and The ninth life of Gualdino by Filipe Araújo (2014). The last two movies were shown on Portuguese television, on RTP 2.

I was part of this huge class of friends of which Gualdino was the master. We stopped to listen to him, when he told us about his personal and artistic experiences with people like Nina Simone, Chet Baker, Max Roach, Bud Powell, Mickey Rooney, Amália Rodrigues, Jorge Palma, Fernando Girão or Duo Ouro Negro.

Here I remember one night, when the Hot Clube of Portugal (Jazz Club) had already closed its doors to the public and only a small group of regulars remained, who Fernando Mendes, affectionately, put up with behind closed doors, until late hours. We were all partying hard in jam session mode, when Gualdino jumped on stage, not straight to the drums, but to the microphone. 

Solemn moment. 

To everyone's surprise, he started singing “Autumn Leaves” in French. Who was also there and remembers this?

His life had great ups and downs. Between cold-blooded tonsil surgeries in Africa, sleeping under the bridge Neuf in Paris, severe burns on the hand, alligator attacks in the USA, overthrown addictions, strokes and countless challenges that he overcame from childhood until the end of his life, I believe that all these experiences made him the exceptional individual he was.

Powder and Shadow ® Rita Draper Frazão 2005

In his twilight years, when he was already very ill, his friends' mobilization to help him was massive and moving. Above is one of the drawings I made on tour with him that documents his great friendship with the pianist Rui Caetano. It was drawn with my left and right hands. I chose to do so, not only because of the ambidextrous nature of those who play piano and drums, but also due the complementarity of the two musicians. Like shadow to light and powders to magic. Therefore, it is titled “Powder and Shadow”.

After 2016 Euro's Portuguese football team's victory and the football player Eder having shared the importance that his mental coach had had in this process, a greater public awareness began to raise in Portugal, of the importance that such a tool could have in someone's life, in the evolution of a team or in the history of a country. But twenty or thirty years ago, nobody spoke about coaching in Portugal. Gualdino was an absolute visionary in this and was the best coach that an entire generation of artists here could've ever asked for. I think it's safe to say he left his mark in all of us.

In his own way, Gualdino was a philosophical and spiritual person. Without being something he talked much about, he confessed me that he was a Catholic and showed me the crucifix he wore under his clothes. Religions aside, I have no doubt that his faith in life was the biggest lesson he gave me. An example to never forget. A person from forever to forever.

Thank you for everything!

Fernando Alvim

Fernando Alvim © Rita Draper Frazão

Some time ago, I started a project called Radio Series. It's something I had in mind for years, and it's about portraying my favorite Radio Hosts. 

Today's the birthday of one of them, Fernando Alvim, whom I drew at Antena 3 Radio, during his Prova Oral program. 

Prova Oral is a talk radio show where he interviews a myriad of people. Alvim's been working in radio for 38 years and does this program, over 20! But creating and hosting this show is just one of the many things he did and does. 

Fernando wrote several books and articles, hosted many tv shows, created the festival Termómetro (Emergent music festival/contest), the magazine 365, or the Monstros do Ano (an event where the most uncanny situations of the year are awarded), just to name a few.

I started to listen this show, since its beginning, in 2002. Being broadcasted from Monday to Friday at 7 pm GMT, Prova oral was my perfect match, going home from the beach, when I was in vacation in a southern Portuguese location where, at the time, I had no tv and could access just a few national radios. Nowadays, with the new possibilities provided by the podcasts era, I listen to the show many times in different schedules. 

The portrait

First of all, I think never ending curiosity about the world could be Fernando Alvim's middle name. But other layers of his persona inspired me here, too.

I thought about the colorful part in the drawing as a mouth laughing, a heart or a window to another view (aiming his curiosity). Inside of it, a bright new day arises (yellow sun rays) over a sensitive liquid sea-tongue (light blue). Imagination and seemingly non sense ideas had to be here, too!

In my view, a portrait of Fernando had to consider his cheerful (hence the primary colors), romantic (red lips and heart) and funny character (laughter). 

The presence of the headphones and the colorful mouth are a referral to communication as well - listening (to music or in a conversation) and talking.* Basic traits of his craft. 

The quick graphite strokes in this portrait, allude to his mental agility and a kind of spontaneous and childish (primary colors) type of expression. 

I find there is also something very deep, intense and melancholic about Fernando. Something the black and white part of this work can relate to as well.

May life grant you as much happiness, as I am sure your work did with so many people over the years.  Happy Birthday Alvim! 

* Speaking about music, and as I footnote, would like to share with you that, while writing this, my soundtrack was PJ Harvey's We float, a song I also drew in the past and that you can see here.