Gardens on my mind

Ana Ventura’s series of illustrations “Jardins na Cabeça” (“Gardens in my Head”), are the poetry in the various versatilities of her prose. Drawn with the soul, with the heart, torn from the guts, are pieces of love, fear, hope and happiness lived and felt as two when the illustrator was expecting a child. The simple gestures of the figures, the protective movement of their bodies, tenderness and concern of the glance towards the care of a garden that will, little by little, growing, blossoming sprouts, leaves and flowers and where birds are already singing, deliver us to the deepest feelings of motherhood. This tenderness comes out of the canvas, moistens our eyes and puts a smile on our face. This is what Ana Ventura is a master at. With the simplicity of her lines, this dialogue between the eyes and hearts, so feminine, so womanlike, enter our soul and cause a multitude of feelings in us, a return to our origins, an almost longing.

Rosa Margarida Pinto