Cardinal's Nest

Aster da Fonseca, born 1961 in Volta Redonda, Brazil

Aster da Fonseca has been a prolific artist since he first began painting in 1996 at age 35. As a new immigrant to the United States from his native Brazil, he discovered an instant affinity for the art form. Using self-taught techniques he closely observed in works at D.C. museums, Aster da Fonseca brings the memories of his past in Brazil into the present immediacy of his paintings.

“I moved to Washington, D.C. in 1995 and began painting in 1998. I have shown my work throughout the years in various galleries and other venues in and around D.C., VA, and Florida. I moved to Oakland Park, FL in 2016, where I currently reside.”

During the pandemic, as staying home was a priority, Aster da Fonseca turned to gardening, spending his time watching the painted buntings, parrots, hummingbirds, and other unique and fascinating birds and other fauna that would visit his favorite garden trees, the Plumerias.

Aster da Fonseca’s latest work reflect his new passion for nature, which allowed him to create a series of paintings using, in the beginning, the discarded blue tape he had from his previous geometric work. “I had many pieces of tape left from the hardline geometric works that I had painted in different colors, and pasted on a glass wall in my studio. I decided to cut the tapes out into shapes and paste them into vellum paper, creating a variety of patterns and schemes.”

Aster da Fonseca’s latest collages pay homage to fall and winter up north, a memory also treasured from his past when he lived in D.C., using neutral tones and falling leaves, frosty branches, surrounded by tweeting birds.