The story behind how artist Deladier Almeida immigrated to America from São Paulo, Brazil is a lovely narrative, worth your time to read at Caldwell Snyder gallery, here. But the art he creates is inspired by much more than his change of country. (Above: Geometry of Chance, oil on canvas, 74 x 120 in.)

Acqua Hills, oil on canvas, 36 x 72 in

On the flight from São Paulo to Miami, Del experienced what he remembers as an “epiphany” as he eagerly observed, literally, the lay of the land far below him. He marveled at the human “interaction” with the environment set against the natural environment itself. Del’s aerial landscapes were presaged by that first high-altitude view that stimulated a remarkable visual imagination – Del over the Delta

Caldwell Snyder Gallery

Today, this artist achieves bird’s-eye views by flying over regions of California in helicopters or small planes, the gallery writes. “With a rich palette and luscious brushwork, Deladier Almeida infuses vitality into each of his brilliantly observed landscapes. His images of California’s varied terrain . . . are alive with texture and movement.”

View of Siena (Tuscany), oil on canvas, 35 x 35 in.

Born in Brazil, Almeida has lived in California since the mid-1980s, earning his degree from the University of California, Davis. He has exhibited his work at galleries, museums, and art fairs including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the John Natsoulas Center for the Arts in Davis, and the Bennington Center for the Arts, Vermont.

Deladier Almeida’s website, here.