BIOGRAPHY

Artist, photographer, painter, philanthropist and entrepreneur Emma Ferreira is a living example of knowing we have the key to her own destiny. Her paintings, photos and mixed-media works draw the viewer in and subtly convey messages of connection and harmony in the world. They exude passion and beauty and invite the viewer to Wake up! ... and live like you mean it!

Ferreira thinks well beyond, Carpe Diem, in fact, she chooses to seize every minute of life on this planet and make it her own. Prolific at her core, her creative muse and artful hands are constantly producing new works that stretch the imagination and blur the limitations of traditional composition to create something truly original and inspiring.

Now, after only a brief time on the Los Angeles art scene, Ferreira has earned the respect of multiple art enthusiasts, including celebrities, and the media, leading to a waiting list for commissioned pieces.

Art is where Ferreira will make a difference, and her mark. To this extent, Ferreira has already undertaken a journey to build a monumental body of work that will exhibit in cities around the world to raise funds for various charitable foundations.

In June 2007, Ferreira released When Life Dances: Instinct, the first in a series of 111 When Life Dances exhibits. Each series, destined as a force to be reckoned with, is intended to inspire others to engage in their passions, connect, and as Ferreira see it, allow her a chance to give back. Currently, Ferreira is attracting corporate sponsorship which will allow her to strengthen the charitable donations that will be going to various foundations.

Proceeds from her latest work in the series, When Life Dances II: Classic Beauty will be given to Operation Smile (www.operationsmile.com), a worldwide children's medical charity dedicated to healing facial deformities and to advocating sustainable healthcare systems for children and families.

Classic Beauty includes new mixed media creations and never-before-seen images and photography pulled from Ferreiras archives, all of which transcend various levels of perception and encapsulate an expression of Classic Beauty. This series suggests we raise the standard by which we individually, and collectively, make a choice to see beauty in life, in artwork, in people, and within ourselves.

Ferreira did not necessarily aim to become an artist of such magnitude. Although an artist talent and desire to create shone through Ferreira at an early age, she never imagined she would ever be on a mission to create a movement of healing and loving nature. As soon as she could, Ferreira left her native England and traveled around the world. To this day, she credits her travels as the force behind her creativity and the humanitarian visions that inspire her work.

I think that education is very important, but I believe that traveling around the world is the best education a person can get, says Ferreira.

After a few years of adventure and wanderlust, Ferreira focused on her career, honing a variety of skills both in and out of the art scene. At age 19, Ferreira cut her entrepreneurial teeth in music promotion living in Toronto and brining music acts over from London and producing her own music for various television pilots.

In 1998, Ferreira landed in the art centric community of Venice, California, where she would build a home studio and thrive as an artistic talent. It is here that she shifted her focus from music to photography and began creating portraits that expose her take on the nude figure as art. In 2005, Ferreira made a definitive shift from photography to an expanded art of painting and creating mixed media images.

With her use of light and movement, color, texture and layers, Ferreira creates images that honor the beauty and grace of the human form and celebrate our spirit. Much of her work pinpoints where our inner world is revealed. In works such as Fever, Breathe, Bear, Closer, and Karma, Ferreira examines and captures such intangibles as how energy works; the layers of untapped emotions beneath what we present to the world; our need for physical contact and what happens when we connect with another human being; even the inter-workings of the cause and effect of our actions.

Ferreira attributes the works of Peter Beard, Mark Rothko, and Lee Krasner as her greatest influences and inspiration. More than just the next it girl, Ferreira has the talent, staying power and heart for greatness. With a multitude of sold out shows, ownership of a lucrative gallery, and a well-heeled and celebrity client base under her belt, Ferreira has shown us all that an artist need not be starving to be true to his, or her, art.

Ferreira is an active member in the design and art community with annual participation in the Venice Art Walk and work featured at the CaBoom: Festival of Contemporary Design (2005), the Step Up Foundation (2005), and the Association of Interior Design (ASID) Los Angeles Greystone Estate Garden & Design Showcase (2007).

Emma Ferreira was born in Buckinghamshire, England. Throughout her career, she has mounted several solo exhibitions internationally and in the United States, Ferreira currently works and lives in Los Angeles. Her studio is located in the South La Cienega Design & Arts district at 3300 La Cienega Place, Los Angeles, CA 90016.