Originally from Madagascar, the flamboyant tree was given a name by the French that
evokes light and intensity: flamboyer—to blaze. With its scarlet canopy and striking
presence, it became a tropical symbol in France—an admired exoticism from afar. In
Brazil, however, it was embraced as part of daily life, weaving itself into the emotional and
nostalgic landscapes of many childhoods—Teresa Pessoa’s among them.
“I remember climbing its branches, watching the crown of leaves stretch across the sky
like a living curtain. It felt like an extension of who I was,” the artist recalls. Decades later,
when the majestic flamboyant in her garden had to be cut down, Teresa responded as
only a true artist would: with creation. Every branch and root was rescued from extinction
and given a new life—transformed into organic sculptures, sculptural tables, and
contemplative objects that celebrate the strength of nature and memory.
With a degree in Fine Arts from FAAP and creative inspiration from her father—an
architect and artist—Teresa grew up surrounded by the scent of wood and the quiet hum
of workshops. Her fascination with epoxy resin—its clarity and fluidity—blends with
reclaimed wood in a truly unique conversation. Her art doesn’t attempt to imitate nature,
but rather to honor it—translating what it was, what it still is, and what it might become.
To Teresa, wood is more than a material—it’s a living presence. “Each fragment holds
stories, pulses of time,” she says. The grain, curves, and textures aren’t altered—they’re
revealed. Chance and instinct guide her creative process: a crack calls for resin; a curved
form invites sculpture. Often, it’s as if the piece creates itself—Teresa simply listens and
translates.
When the tree was cut, the pain of loss quickly gave way to a lesson from nature itself:
“everything comes back—in new shapes, new energies, new colors—while still preserving
its essence.” And so, the twisted trunks, branches, and bark of the flamboyant began to
speak to Teresa. “It’s almost like a silent conversation with the material,” she shares. “It
tells me what it wants to become, and I simply listen.”
The word flamboyant, that fiery French term, takes on poetic resonance in Teresa’s work.
Transforming what was once discarded into something that blazes with new life—infused
with crystal-clear resin and preserved flowers from the cerrado—is more than art: it’s an
act of reverence for Brazil’s natural beauty. The wood of the flamboyant, in its resilience
and transformation, has taught her about time and impermanence, about blooming
fiercely even in the driest of seasons.