capoeira art

MICHELLE DOYLE'S childhood heroes were Michelangelo and Wonderwoman. At the age of 7, she received a standing ovation from her classmates for one of her drawings. She began to paint in 1980 at 14 and today her work is part of private collections across North America, in Europe and Brazil. Her portfolio displays work that falls into many categories, but it is in the world of capoeira that she has made her mark. The paintings in her capoeira series are rich and vibrant expressions of a complex art form. The fierce grace of Capoeira captured Doyle's imagination in 1997 and she has since become a devoted capoeirista. CIGANA, the Portuguese word for gypsy, was the name given to her at her first "Batizado", an event where students are initiated into their group or advance to a new level in Capoeira. The name suits her, a small powerful young woman with waist-length chestnut hair and a talent for music as well as art, Doyle is somewhat of a modern gypsy and CIGANA is how she chooses to sign her paintings. Michelle Doyle's artwork can be seen in feature films and television shows such as The Sentinel, Bones, Dark Angel, John Doe, Pay Check and Scary Movie 3.

Capoeira is a brazilian dance/martial art developped over 400 years ago by Africans taken to Brazil as slaves. It is a living art, a beautiful fight and a tricky game. Prints of most of these paintings are available by special order (see the link to my e-mail at the bottom of my home page).

roda

Roda at Itapsuma.