In the 18th Century Brazil still used slave labor. These slaves created and practiced a Martial Art called "Capoeira". Capoeira employs defensive martial art technique mixed with dance and African Music. The original purpose was to decieve the slave owners into believing this was a dance, while they were really practicing techniques for self defense. Today in Salvador-Bahia this is widly practiced and popular martial art and is also performed in other parts of the world.

This is a painting of a "Capoeira" show at a toursist locale in Salvador-Bahia, Brazil. In the right corner is an African God who is believed to protect these fighters.

This picture is named Goddess of the Sea. The African Goddess is named Yemenja. She protects the fishermen and when they go to fish she provides an abundance for them to eat. In this picture a man sleeps dreaming up Yemenja. His soul is outside of his body, going to meet Yemenja. She calls for him, and he is hypnotized by her beauty. This is why his soul has left his body, and in his dream he chooses to stay with Yemenja forever. The picture takes in place at Farol Da Barra, a lighthouse constructed by the Portuguese when they first went to Brazil and defended the coasts against the enemies. Today it is a tourist point in Salvador. In the far distance, next to the Lighthouse, you can see a group performing Capoeira.

This is an enlarged view of Yemenja, African Goddess of the Sea.

This is a folklore group making a demonstration of Capoeira in the Countryside of Bahia, Brazil. This group tours all over Brazil. I have tried to show the traditional outfits of the Bahiana African Women. In the background there is a man with a donkey who has stopped to watch, he is representative of a man living in the interior of Brazil.

This is the Capoeira academy I trained at in the United States. I painted a fantasy scenario about this school in San Jose, California. On the right side of the picture you can see the African God's protecting the fighters.

This is a woman wearing a traditional Brazilian-African dress.

I took a picture of this woman who is selling fruits and vegetable in Salvador-Bahia, Brazil. She felt very ashamed when I took the picture, but I thought she was cute and representative of the simple life many people live over here. The rose behind this woman symbolizes the duality of her fragile spirit and strength and vivacity for living life under difficult conditions." The vendor"

I drew this picture in San Jose, CA. The technique is guache. This is the countryside of Brazil, about 30 miles outside of the city of Salvador. This drawing mixes the main religious influences practiced in Bahia, Portuguese Catholicism and African Gods and Godesses. The Catholic church makes up the background and Iemanjá, the African Goddess of the Sea, is in the foreground. Title: " Mysticism"

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