Maria de L. Cândido

Maria de Lourdes Candido was born in 1939 in Juazeiro do Norte, Ceará State. She began producing toys for her own children when she found clay with good binding in a spring of drinking water near her home. She achieved good results and decided to “bake” the figurines and took them to be sold in her hometown’s Central Market. She met other artists and folk artisans and risked new themes and figures, developing her own style. Today the figures she produces are prepared from white clay with multi-coloured paint, and eye-catching delicate details. She has a variety of themes, including angels and fantasy figures and everyday characters. She is the mother of the artists Maria Candido Monteiro and Maria do Socorro, and is Ciça’s sister.