Artist Eduardo Santos shares the mysteries of the sea

10 Feb 2023

With his new exhibition, Mar Dentro, meaning ‘sea within’, artist Eduardo Santos uses his relationship with the sea to conceptualise a period of great personal growth, and takes observers on a journey through the natural cycles and endless mysteries of the ocean.

Eduardo’s abstract paintings have come, in part, from a period of personal turmoil, and looking to forge a path of recovering his spiritual equilibrium. “The metamorphosis was mine, and this body of work has accompanied me as I’ve emerged from that journey.”

“As with everything in nature, there is a sense of connectedness to something larger than myself,” explains the artist, who creates his works purely from experience and imagination, showing the connectedness between humanity and nature."

“Oceans are an integral part of who I am. Like the ocean, we all hold complex emotional layers. We are a sea of mysteries and curiosities. I have a great connection and respect for the ocean, and in my art, I explore its energy, power, calmness and mystery. Mar Dentro is an exploration of the internal oceans within us. It explores the duplicity of the oceans, both in their physical and emotional state.”

Mixing earthy and vivid Resene paint colours with sand and earth, his paintings have both a spiritual and physical connection to the land and sea, and like the coast, show elements of erosion and enduring that only time can reveal.

“While I could probably use other brands of paint, they wouldn’t have the same quality – of pigment, texture, everything,” says Eduardo. “I use a lot of water when I paint, and the pigments Resene paints release are stunningly beautiful.”

Otomys is an art gallery in Melbourne currently exhibiting Eduardo’s latest work. Otomys describes Eduardo Santos’ work as exploring “layers of the coastal landscape that are not often appreciated. Many of the primal landscapes within Mar Dentro resemble pale sandstone and textured rock, weathered by years of erosion. Rhythmic lines echo the form of fossilised arthropods or sea anemones, as if the seabed has been imprinted onto the surface of the painting. Santos’ paintings create a unique impression of the seascape, as the artist approaches the sea from a subsurface perspective.”

Brazilian-born artist Eduardo Santos uses Resene products to create his abstract landscape paintings. Behind him are two panels from his latest collection, Becoming Home (2022), which feature Resene Half White Pointer, Resene Rice Cake, Resene Half Resolution Blue, Resene Aviator, Resene Retro, Resene Decadence, Resene Nero and Resene Toffee.

Having left Brazil, his homeland, in 1993, Eduardo moved to London to pursue new adventures. Although he didn’t have a plan at the time, he says he trusted his instincts and followed his heart.

“Creativity was always a part of my childhood, and it’s something that reveals itself over time,” Eduardo says. Much of his creative inspiration comes from Eduardo’s grandparents. His grandmother was a self-taught dress maker, and grandfather a raw clay artist who also gave Eduardo an interest in the alchemy of mixing paints. Though he did initially study fashion, he soon moved to painting as his preferred form of artistic expression.

One of Eduardo’s favourite products is Resene SpaceCote Flat, which he loves for its low odour and VOCs, and lovely texture.

Eduardo is currently drawn to Resene’s earthy tones and some of the colours he is using in his current series are Resene Rice Cake, Resene Coral, Resene Alamo, Resene Pendragon, Resene Sante Fe, Resene Toffee,Resene Hot August, Resene Pioneer Red, Resene Dusted Grey, Resene Cargo, Resene Friar Greystone, Resene Highball, Resene Half Resolution Blue, Resene Deep Koamaru, Resene Aviator, Resene Stingray, Resene Milk Chocolate, and Resene Nero.

If you’re wondering where else you might have seen his work, you might find the cover image of BlackWhite issue 05 very familiar.  View Eduardo’s story from BlackWhite.

Mar Dentro Eduardo’s latest art show is currently on at Otomys art studio in Melbourne until February 17. For more information and to attend the exhibition visit https://otomys.com/viewing-room

To see more of Eduardo’s work, visit www.eduardosantosartist.com.

Eduardo’s painting, Mar Dentro, is painted with Resene Half Emerge, Resene Stingray, Resene Celtic, Resene Green Meets Blue, Resene Middle Earth, Resene Teal Blue, Resene Blanched Pink from the Karen Walker Paints range, Resene Double Alabaster and Resene Scoria. 

Published: 10 Feb 2023