Correspondance from Mr Luis Marques Pais of Portugal on the 'Butterflies Are Monsters' work and thoughts on wildlife art in general.

Email from Mr. L.M.Pais received 31/08/06
 
Hi Chris,

I hope you´re enjoying this summer envolved with all your projects.
 
Just a few words to say to you that I think your renovated site is very nice indeed! I think that your new project about butterflies and monsters is fantastic. Now I think that you´re creating a new vision about wildlife painting. I think this project will be a success.
 
I also think that could be interesting explore the connection of wildlife with the «human way of living and seeing it». I don´t know if you understand what I mean but for example I imagine a «colobus monkey» trying to read an old bible that he found somewhere lost in the kenyan rainforest; or a tame little gazelle in the middle of a baroc and colonial living-room in an african farm house; or a tiger cub sleeping near an  ivory box at budhist monastery in India... well, this kind of thing. One painting more than a realistic vision of an animal, also a special link with our world; I mean about our relation with wildlife, the way we see the animals ( a lot of them sacred since the old ages) and the way we can deal with it.
 
I think that people now are looking to the old times with a new vision and are tired of «modernism» and things without quality that often they don´t understand but only say that enjoy and eventually buy because an art dealer wrote somewhere it was very good...
 
I hope you don't think I ´m talking too much but I think that it could be interesting to you also listen to the common people's opinion.
 
About our new project I ´m still saving money ( the summer has been hard!).
All the best,
Luis.

Email from Mr. L.M.Pais received 1/09/06

Hi Chris, .

Karen´s owlet is already framed with a large and old dark-gold frame and I think it is perfect. I need to ask my brother-of-law to photograph this and the other paintings framed in order to send you. I was very proud to see «our» hornbills in your site...I think it is a very nice sketch indeed.

I´m glad we share the same ideas about wildlife painting (the big male lion is great!) and I will see who Walton Ford is. I have some very different ideas about new commissions but I need to save some money first. You see, I think that money flies ( we don´t know how it flies) and the walls rest empty waiting new works. Anyway, I think that at home we should have what we really like; if not the walls are much better empty...So, we will wait sometime! But we will have a new project together, I promise you.

Of course you can quote my opinion on the «words» page of your website. But please see the english first, if everything is correct, right?! I will see your site every week and if you need any opinion it will be nice discuss it with you.

So, we are in touch.

All the best, Luis.

Email from Mr. L.M.Pais received 5/09/06

Hi Chris,

Walton Ford has, in fact, an impressive style. His work is very good and I think he reflects «our» idea. Anyway I think your detail is better, perhaps because you have had a stronger influence from the classics and the old style. So, I believe if you take this new path you could go very far, using your knowledges and rigour you always have when you are doing a work ( for example about «Karen´s owlet» all the details you wanted to know before begining the painting; it reflects an extraordinary way of working very unusual today). So I think that this word «detail» is your best weapon: detail  in your trace ( pure technique ), details you need to know before begining a work ( profissional vision ) and detail about choosing a new work ( personal exigence ). Tthis is my point of view.

All the best, Luis