ST. HELENA - A native of Lisbon, Portugal, Paulo Fernando Paiva Ferreira, studied at the Escola Artistica Antonio Arroio in Lisbon, St. Martins University of the Arts in London, and in the sculpture department of the Beaux Arts in Paris. As a painter and sculptor, he was educated in classic techniques - encaustic, lacquer, oils, marble, and bronze. His painting and assemblage incorporate both traditional materials and new media, while his sculptural work includes clay, lost wax bronze, aluminum casting, acrylic resin casting, and marble sculpting.
Co-founder of Colored Horse Studios with his wife, Theresa Whitehill Ferreira, they often collaborated on letterpress poetry broadsides, combining her poetry and typographic treatments with his monoprints, linoleum blocks, and screen-printing. Paulo's commercial commissions included illustration, custom tap handles, and display and environmental design.
Paulo passed away in St. Helena, CA, in April of 2023. Nimbus Arts, where he worked as an arts educator, is initiating a metal casting foundry to be named in his honor, teaching the casting of aluminum and lost-wax bronze.
Donations in his memory may be made to the Paulo Ferreira arts foundry c/o Nimbus Arts.
Private celebrations of Paulo's life are planned for St. Helena and the Mendocino coast.
