How It Began
Who are we without the story behind us?
I was almost always drawing the sea. And a few cats, owls, and animals. Strange, perhaps, for a girl born and raised in a landlocked country. Maybe I already knew something back then.
Through my teenage years and into adulthood, art slowly faded from my life. It survived only in handmade gifts for my family and friends. Then, at 21, I saw the ocean for the first time. Tarifa, Spain. It was love at first sight, and something inside me woke up. But just a glimpse.
When I discovered Peniche and tried surfing for the first time, I felt it deeper. Trip after trip, I returned, holding onto what felt like an impossible dream: moving to live by the ocean. In 2022, I packed my suitcase, took my board, and moved to Portugal. And here, my creativity — that core part of my true self — finally came back to me.
I have been drawing for as long as I can remember — and even before that. My mom would place paper at my level and hand me paints, and I was happily painting with my fingers before I could even hold a brush. My grandpa saved my earliest masterpieces, and one of them is still framed at my parents' home. According to family legend, a friend of his once wanted to buy it — but my grandpa said no.
What's interesting is that I never learned academic drawing, even though I attended a few studios as a child. The first was before school, run by my grandpa's friend — the outstanding sculptor Ivan Misko. I think of him often now: over 90 years old and still creating. That inspires me deeply. During school years I attended the studio of my parents' friend, artist Vladimir Schelkun. I'm forever grateful to them both for letting me express myselves without the limits of academic rules.
I was free — to experiment with different materials and techniques, to make it my playground. I still remember how in winter we painted our hands and ran outside to leave colorful handprints in the snow.
How It Grows
Now, what once felt like an unrealistic dream has become my life. And I'm already reaching for the next one — helping to protect the ocean through my art.
Why? Every time I'm on the beach in Peniche or Baleal, I'm amazed by the beauty of nature, by the beauty of the ocean. But I also see that it's in desperate need of care. It breaks my heart every time I see how polluted it is. Every beach walk has become a beach cleanup for me. Every time I go to surf, I pick up pieces of plastic, hoping to inspire other surfers to do the same. It all made me think — how can I upcycle the trash I find, at least part of it? And so my ocean art experiments began.
With my first embroidery work, I realized I could create pieces far more complex than I imagined. I kept the original colors of the ropes, which meant learning to work with a limited color palette. My idols were there to guide me. In my skies you'll find Van Gogh, in my people — Renoir, in my nature — Monet, Cézanne, and Gauguin. Sometimes I think I should have chosen a simpler technique, one that takes less time. But I believe my dedication, love, and patience are worth every stitch.
As an emerging artist in Portugal, I collaborate with Ocean Patrol, our local ocean protection organization. I create decorative pieces that help attract attention to what we do together and inspire people to participate in our activities.
I'm constantly exploring new ways of incorporating different types of beach trash into my work. With every experiment, my signature embroidery technique continues to evolve. For me, art is climate action — every piece I create removes pollution from the ocean and raises awareness about the urgent need for environmental care.
Every stitch I make, every brushstroke, every trash transformation — I do it all with love. I never create when I'm in a bad mood. I put my heart into my art: my love for the ocean, my love for our planet, and my love for people. There is so much pain in the world. I want to be a light, and to bring that light through my art.
I believe art is a loud voice for change. I believe my art can speak to people's hearts and encourage them to unite for our planet — as one.