Thiago de Souza Queiroz

You could be friends with someone forever and think you’re all BFF — complete their sentences, tell secrets … all that wonderful stuff — only to find out one day during your usual Sunday soccer game that they can operate a fork with their toes and has been practicing it since you were both 14. I don’t know Thiago de Souza Queiroz very well because he’s super shy, but I would’ve thought that our mutual friends in Brazil would have dropped me at least some hint that he was such an amazing artist. His style’s clearly inspired by wood block printing and mosaic and geometric arrangements, but I also adore the more candid, still-life pieces. No doubt his talent has lead him to some work for Brazilian magazines, but he seems most comfortable when left to his own devices, as evidenced by the non-commercial, personal-works section of his site. At just 21 years old, Queiroz could still change his style, but we can already get a strong feeling of tranquility when looking at his art, even if it’s in the form of a sharp-clawed cougar. Inspiring.