Paulo Ferreira's life began in Brazil. It was here that Ferreira grew up with a strong military influence from his grandfather. Meanwhile, Ferreira's father was very involved with the Mormon church. The artist soon followed in his father's footsteps, serving as a missionary for four years and becoming the youngest Mormon priest in Brazil.

After discovering he was gay at age 22, the artist shared the news with his family, the church elders and his congregation. This ultimately led to Ferreira leaving the Mormon church.

Throughout the 1990s, Ferreira travelled extensively throughout Europe. These years still influence him and his art in 'every aspect you can think of', he says. His journey began in Paris, working as a banker, but whilst on a short trip to London he fell in love with the city. Ferreira remained in London for several years and says that the city has a very special place in his heart. Whilst on a holiday to the Netherlands in 1998, Ferreira met his now husband, Giovanni. Paulo Ferreira has lived and worked in the Netherlands ever since.

Ferreira always had a creative impulse. He first began creating art out of necessity at a young age in Brazil where he was selling jewellery for a small profit. Whilst living in London, he began creating line drawings with calligraphy pens. However, Ferreira began to feel constricted by his line drawings and sought out a new medium. The artist compares moving from paper to canvas to a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. It was on canvas that his distinctive style truly began to evolve.

When viewing Ferreira's art, it becomes evident that he puts his soul onto the canvas. As a child, his mother told him that you only ever fully get what you want out of something if you put your full self into it, and Ferreira has absolutely adopted this philosophy. His work is an expression of his true self. Ferreira says that every day he wakes up inspired - his brain tells his body to create and share what he believes to be beautiful.