Signed Naif Painting of Saint Joseph from Brazil, "Saint Joseph"

Sculptor, artist and writer, Telma Morais was born in Goiânia, the capital of Goiás. She was always involved with education and culture. While working as a primary school teacher, she also taught reading and writing to adults.

She lived in the Amazon and Rondônia regions for three years, where she worked with underprivileged children who were living in conditions of poverty, exclusion and social risk. At the same time, she nourished her own desire for culture by venturing into the field of art with wood sculptures.

After moving to the US, she lived in California for ten years, working as a nanny while continuing to create wood sculptures. She exhibited her work in art fairs, and festivals, such as the Art and Wine Festival, and also in exhibits in San Francisco, the University of California in Berkeley, and the Brazilian consulate in San Francisco. During that period, Morais wrote three books, two of them on environmental topics for children. The third book, The feet of Prátima, is a romance set in the savannas of Goiás.

Back in Brazil, she began expressing her art through painting. "My favorite themes are angels and Madonnas with expressions of happiness in vivid colors that transmit the sensations of peace and harmony that I feel when painting, in spite of working with physical limitations, lying with the canvas on my thorax for reasons of health," the artist says.

"Among the animals I admire is the sloth, because it has very innocent eyes, an expression that seems to smile, and its slow walk suggests patience to me.

"My mother was a self-taught sculptor and she is my role model, my example. The family always supported her and they also support me, mainly my daughter Taís.

"I think haven't had many difficult moments in life. I always had a lot of faith in God and I understood that chance doesn't exist. Everything that happens is to make us better people. Happiness, looking for humor and putting it in everything that I see and do — want to convey this in my art.

"My friends consider me a very good humored and fun person.

"My great hope is to share with the world the message of the angels and what we can do to help balance the planet Earth.

"I believe in Angels. Do you?"