Aster da Fonseca: Seagrape with Love-Me-Knots

Aster da Fonseca’s artwork is an example of fine art meeting craftsmanship. Da Fonseca doesn’t use traditional canvas or paint directly onto paper. Instead, he paints textured hues onto tape, meticulously cuts the tape into intricate shapes, and carefully arranges them on paper to form tropical scenes inspired by his Florida garden. Take a look at these collages, and you’ll see his garden come alive. His use of painted tape adds a dimensional quality to the work. The layered shapes create texture and movement, as though the leaves are swaying in a warm breeze or the birds are hovering mid flight. From the palm trees to the hummingbirds, Da Fonseca captures nature in a way that feels both alive and serene. Da Fonseca's palette, crisp greens, bold blues, and sunny yellows, recreate the lushness of Florida. He translates everyday observations from his garden into artwork that feels very universal. It’s as if we are also in his magical slice of paradise. There’s something poetic about the way Da Fonseca transforms something as ordinary as tape into extraordinary works of art. Each collage is a labor of love, a testament to his patience, precision, and deep connection to the natural world around him.