Armindo De Matos

Armindo De Matos is a Portuguese–South African artist currently living in Hemel Hempstead. After spending nearly three decades in engineering, Armindo completed a degree in Photography at the University of Bedfordshire at the age of 50. His work is informed by his engineering background, with a strong interest in light, colour, contrast, and structure.

Have you always known you wanted to pursue art?

My art career started at a very young age. At school I won quite a few art awards. When I was 11, I came third in a big art competition in Johannesburg, and my work was shown in the gallery there for about three months.

Later, when I moved to Portugal, I also came third in another competition and my work was displayed at the Portuguese Embassy. Art was always there – it just wasn’t something I was allowed to pursue properly as a career at the time.

How did you get into photography?

Photography was always in the background for me. After I came to England, I finally got the chance to study properly. I went to university at 50 and got my degree in photography. So, I ended up doing at 50 what I wanted to do at 20.

What is it about photography that inspires you?

I’m like a magpie with a camera – I take pictures of everything. Lampposts, ducks, reflections, anything. I’m drawn to shapes, contrast, shadows, and colour, which is why I also love black and white. It reminds me of oil and water from my engineering days, that separation and contrast. I’ve always been obsessed with shadows on shadows.

I’m also a dive master, and I’ve done a lot of diving along the Mozambican and South African coasts. Underwater, you see these incredible colours and shapes, and as you go deeper the colours start to disappear. That really fascinates me.

What ideas are behind the work you’re showing in the gallery?

The orb series started as a university project. We were told to “study light”. Everyone did prisms, rainbows, diffraction – the usual things. I had a large glass orb, so I put it on top of a light box and photographed it from above. I noticed how the light changed colour as it travelled through the glass, and I just kept experimenting.

I started noticing tiny defects inside the glass. At first, I thought about polishing them out, but then I realised they gave the work character. It stopped looking digital and felt more physical, more photographic. I began using different filters and colours underneath the orb, shining white light through it and watching how the colours clashed and blended. I really enjoyed that process.

Where do you think your creativity comes from?

From both my parents, really. My mum was a high-end seamstress ­– she made wedding dresses, did all the beading and patterns. As a kid I spent hours with her, threading needles and playing with coloured threads.

My father was a carpenter, so I did a lot of woodwork with him. Back then you didn’t buy new nails – you pulled them out, straightened them, and reused them. I learned how to use chisels, hammers, all of that.

So, I got my sculptural side from my dad and my artistic eye from my mum. I’ve always felt like I’ve had a touch of both worlds.

What do you want visitors to take away from your work?

I want people to smile, especially with the orbs. They’re not serious or confrontational works. They’re just feel-good images that can sit anywhere and lift a space a bit.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to pursue their creativity?

Honestly? Look at Pinterest for inspiration. But then put the phone in your pocket and go for a walk. Open your eyes and look. Look at patterns on water, on ducks, on buildings. Look at reflections, faces, expressions. There’s so much going on around us all the time. Just slow down, observe, and really see things.

Armindo’s work will be displayed in The Broadway Gallery from Thursday 15 January - .Saturday 14 February 2026