A mata das folhas que curam
2024
Acrylic paint, soft pastel, and oil pastel on canvas
72x69 inches
This painting is about my relationship with my husband and its many ups and downs and our growth and transformation within its hills and valleys. A healthy relationship requires transformation and this painting is about two people that meet and cross paths, and within the dance of life decide to transform, shedding layers that no longer serve them so that new ones may grow. The title of this painting translates as “The forests of healing leaves,” which is apt as forests are sites of transformations of life and death, healing and regeneration. The idea for the title of this piece came from a deity, an orixá named Ossain, an Orixá from the religion I am part of Umbanda - Ossain is the Orixá of the sacred and healing plants.
Na mata eu ouvi o assobio dos pássaros
De lá me trouxeram o manto sagrado
Esse de onde nascem as plantas que curam
Na mata eu ouvi o canto do pássaros
Lá me embebedei de suas lágrimas
Nas águas encontrei a fonte da cura
Águas que embebedam as folhas que curam
— poem by Natália Matos
