Brazilian Street Artist Uses Trees as ‘Hair’ in Unique Graffiti Art — Gets Unexpected Recognition

Dotted along the streets of Brazil, tons of lucky trees are transforming into gorgeous black women. One day, there's just a dense, lush canopy rustling in the breeze, maybe some roses or other flowers, and all of a sudden, a woman's face materializes beneath the canopy, turning the dull streets and sidewalks into enchanting fashion banners ruled by these women. The portraits may make you want to meet these women. But you can't. The supermodel faces depicted in these banners are projections of a man's imagination, a man whose art is making headlines these days. Meet the Brazilian street artist Fábio Gomes Trindade (@fabiogomestrindade), who marries colorful graffiti with nature's elements to create a form of street art never seen before by the world.

Trindade walks the streets of the town with a bag of art supplies strapped to his shoulders. The location has to be perfect, probably one that has some dense flowering shrubs that can be used as the coifs. Once the canvas is finalized, he takes out his markers and paints to sketch the portrait on the wall. Using the tree canopy or the flowering bush as the starting upper portion of his portrait, he transforms it into the face of a beautiful girl or a woman, something he has been doing for the past 20 years, ever since he was inspired by an acreola tree planted in the backyard of a small house in the town, according to Bored Panda. 

One Instagram post reveals a housefront wall standing dull and empty in the backdrop of a motorcycle parking slot. Trindade sprinkled magic dust into this wall, bringing it alive with color and glamor, as the next picture in the Instagram carousel shows. Empty spaces in the filigree of the tree leaves were utilized to pop a hair ribbon and other decorative elements like smiling bumblebees and clouds. Some of these women depicted in his portraits are also dressed in glittering jewels, from golden hoop earrings to shiny silver choker necklaces. At times, Trindade also plays the role of a make-up artist, daubing these women's faces with glittery blushes and electric eye shadows. 

Trindade's portrait models aren't just limited to fictional women. He also uses trees and flowery bushes to create banners of celebrities and Hollywood personalities. One banner, for instance, shows a funky hip-hop-style banner of Will Smith, which he created using a square cluster of tree leaves as his hair. According to Bored Panda, his art also captured the attention of Oscar-winning Viola Davis and Beyonce's mother. Having received such a warm response to his art, the artist feels validated. "I am very happy and surprised by the positive reactions to my work of art. This inspires me to continue doing what I like and to earn a living from it," he told Travel Noire. Being an artist whose art form is atypical is not easy. But Trindade's art is not just visually satisfying, but also wholly inspiring.

You can follow Fábio Gomes Trindade (@fabiogomestrindade) on Instagram to browse his art gallery.

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