Portrait of Gilberto Mendes

Above, a picture of Gilberto Mendes & I in the Guarany Theatre in Santos, Brazil.
Below, his Signature:Now I am feeling really blessed. This afternoon I've got the priviledge of presentiating the presentation of many artists (all of them from my birthplace) in my birthplace but of different areas in their best performances. A pianist played an encyclopedia of different musics from the Classical compositor Gilberto Mendes, a soprano sang his compositions, mostly lyrics from other poets born in Santos, such as Vicente de Carvalho, but also from S. John (The Woman and the Dragon) and I was exhilarated to see a painter (also from Santos but who lives in California now) portraying this moment. I looked out at the window of that beautiful big maison and then I saw surfers stretching out to ride the big waves. I was riding, right, but in the web of life, in extasis being surrounded by sound, visual delight and entering into a state of bliss. It made my heart complete to know that so many wonderful artists were blessed by the green waves of the sea of Santos. And they are all Saints, or at least touched by them.
Just a shame I didn't have my camera then. But that is recorded forever in my cornucopian corneal archive. Just to take out some curiosity here is an emblematic moment from this extraordinary man and his so well deserved coronation (in life as in his career) and laureated glories in his light-crowned head: