The Beginnings of Lisbon-based Creative Kenya Saint-Lôt
Tell us a little about your background, and how you ended up moving to Portugal?
“My name is Kenya Saint-Lôt, Im 22 years old and I was born and raised in Montreal, Canada. I’m a mix woman from a Portuguese mother and a Malian father! I lived all my life in Canada, but in 2018 I met my current fiancé, then we went traveling for 2 months doing a world tour. I immediately realised there are alternative lifestyles out there that concord more with me. I am someone who needs to be out in nature, close to the waves of the ocean and the sun. Canada unfortunately is a gorgeous country but when it comes to weather, it isn’t the best. My fiancé and I decided to come visit my mother’s country in late 2019 and we never flew back home, which means Lisbon is our home country for now! We absolutely love the weather, the food and the diversity of nature here as well.”
As someone who is relatively “new” to painting, how did you find such a bold style early on in the process? How have you been handling staying true to your style, prices, budgets and overall work requests?
Indeed, I am new to the art world. It’s been only 2 years now!
I think that artists, we constantly evolve into new styles or find deeper meanings for our own art. I don’t think I’ve found my definitive path yet, and that’s the most interesting part… We never stop learning and growing. I am true with my style because I simply ALWAYS improvise. I never know which colors will end up on the canvas, it’s an impulsive process for me, which concords exactly with my personality.
Concerning my prices, I simply base them on the effort and worth I feel i’ve put on the painting. It is difficult to be a full time painter, especially at the beginning so of course I need to do other things on the side for my budget to be flexible.
What are some of your favorite pieces you’ve created so far?
- I love my abstract paintaing called « This Must Be the Place » because it’s the first abstract piece I’ve ever did and it was also the first painting I did in Portugal. It means a lot to me and I got approached by a gallery in the Algarve (South of Portugal) who absolutely wanted to represent it. It was sold a month after !
What do you find influences your overall style the most?
So, I practice two completely different styles: abstract and street art. What inspires and influences my abstract style, isn’t real. I can’t really tell! It’s in my mind and it happens on the moment. I don’t consider myself the typical artist who gets her inspiration from « the sound of nature » and « the colors that surround us ». Im just there, with a paint brush in my hand and paint in the other.
The moment a lightbulb pops in my head, I start to create!
For my street art paintings, I usually represent powerful people, not necessarily known, but people that portray a strong message just their facial features. I love to focus on African tribes, black woman, Native Americans- those that represent a whole culture and ideology. I think they are not represented and glorified as they should be. People of colour are rarely in the spotlight, I use my art and platform for them to finally be in it.
Where do you feel your next step is?
I sincerely don’t know, but I trust the process. I am self-taught, but my grand-mother is also a painter. I grew up around it. Painting is my passion and I don’t want my passion to become a « job ». The next step is basically that I will continue doing new series, especially representing African and Indigenous tribes. I will do my best to be represented in galleries across Portugal or even Europe, but I wont put pressure on myself for it.
