João de Brito

Who is João de Brito?

João de Brito is a Portuguese-American artist who has lived in Northern California since 1978, yet he travels extensively throughout California, the U.S. and Europe to paint in oils en plein air and from memory. From age 6, he has observed and studied art to acquire a passion for expressing himself using impressionist/figurative views on canvas.

Though de Brito sculpts and works in ceramic, he favors painting and incorporates his Portuguese roots along with influences of great French fauvists and California impressionists. In previous years, de Brito traveled to New Zealand to paint with Māori artists.

Joao de Brito has become well known for his use of vibrant colors that elicit light, life, energy and interpretive landscapes. Having unleashed a fresh creativity – inspired by memories of his homeland, scenes from his many travels abroad – de Brito’s oils stimulate the sense of sight to produce emotion and thought. As a result, de Brito’s works appear in galleries, museums, businesses, government agencies and affluent homes around the world.

Joao was born in Vila Franca do Campo, São Miguel Island in the Azores, Portugal and as a young boy immigrated with his family to the East Coast of the United States. In 1978, the artist settled on California’s Monterey Peninsula where he shares his talents with the local community as well as international art enthusiasts. Though he admits to often ‘swimming against the current', his painting philosophy is to awaken hope, invoke a sense of well-being and share colors of life, de Brito is content to quietly observe nature and to allow his images to speak to the human heart.