Testimonials
"Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you;
spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life."
Amy Poehler
Katie Aiken Ritter
Author of Viking - The Green Land and A Man Called Black Mountain
Baltmore, Matyland
"Fernando is one of those individuals who befriends the world, with an outgoing personality and a great love of people and life. He cannot help making friends, and people cannot help liking him back. What keeps them liking him is that they soon find out he runs deep. I learned about volunteer work that he did in hospitals in San Paulo, and was impressed with that kind of human compassion in a young man just starting out in life. I also enjoyed seeing his artwork on Instagram. It was clear almost from the beginning the passion he brings to his art work, striving constantly to improve his skills.
As I worked through my second novel, I began to envision a particular cover – and that vision came from seeing Fernando’s work. I wondered if he might be willing to collaborate on a unique cover, and contacted him. My first concern was that he might not have the skills necessary to accomplish the work. Fernando assured me that he did, and we embarked on the project – and I am so glad we did. Besides artistic skills, Fernando has two other critical qualities needed in creating art for clients: he truly listens to the goal in mind, and he understands the necessity of doing multiple revisions to fine-tune the work."
Katie Schroeder
Visual Artist
Clare, Michigan
"I first discovered Fernando's art work on Instagram. He has talent that I believe to be a true gift from God. It's awe inspiring. Truly. Threw admiring his artwork, I have also discovered that his person is just as beautiful as the art work he creates. His kind spirit comes threw his art & each piece is a blessing. I truly love his work & enjoy each piece of work he creates. As an artist myself, I have also discussed artistic techniques. He's always helpful and eager to discuss art and tools to help others grow as well as himself. He makes for a wonderful friend as well as a teacher."
Cida Bizutti
Pedagogical Coordinator
São Paulo, Brazil
"I have worked for about 34 years as an English teacher at Santa Maria in Brazil – an American School run by sisters of the Holy Cross – whose headquarter is in Indiana, USA. I had the pleasure of teaching a responsible 12-year- old guy, called Fernando Couto Magalhães, in his 8 th grade.
Fernando, since the very beginning, impressed me with his ability to be articulate about different concepts and texts, his sensitivity to the nuances within literature and his passion for reading, writing, acting and drawing with tremendous creative expression. Throughout the school year he was an active participant in our discussions. His caring nature and personality allowed him to work well with others in a team setting, as he always respected others’ opinions even when they differed from his own.
At Santa Maria I started a project – On Educating for Love, working with drama classes, rewriting plays, adapting them, allowing the students to explore the foundations of the surface reality. The English Language was the tool we had and making performances was contrived for the benefit of the learners.
So, Fernando helped me a lot with his performances, singing and dancing abilities. Chicago the play we presented in 2014 in São Paulo, he was one of the main characters and it was really not only a great success but also a great challenge for all the group. As I had said before, Fernando is talented, an intelligent young guy with the charisma, confidence, strong values, and respect for others to make a huge difference in the world around him.
I’m looking forward to seeing all the good that he will continue to do and I’m quite sure he will always demonstrate the same diligence, perseverance and optimism that he showed myself and everybody he met."
Carlos Eduardo Colabone
Visual Arts professor at
Colégio Santa Maria
São Paulo, Brazil
"I have been a professor of Visual Arts area at Santa Maria School – Congregação das Irmãs de Santa Cruz, São Paulo, Brazil for almost 40 years. I graduated in Arts at Armando Álvares Penteado Foundation – FAAP, São Paulo, Brazil and as soon as I finished, I became a regular professor of the institution, responsible for Visual Arts Studios. As an artist, I had the opportunity of working in other Art fields, making scenery and costumes for musical and theatre performances, exposing my work in important cultural spaces in the city, which achieve a diverse audience, illustrating books and creating premises which that could tell a little of important paths of theatre directors like Antunes Filho. I keep my work in one of the studios at Santa Maria School and in my own studio where I develop the functions mentioned above.
Fernando follows a similar path.
He was my student at Santa Maria School and the life, as much as his energy and strong will of seeking and developing his work as designer, made him reach a level of professionalism as few people can. LOGO SANTA MARIA SCHOOL Fernando Couto de Magalhães brings in his work, part of the essence we use in Visual Arts Course. Search for a graphical and pictorial quality which achieves the perfection to the observer’s eyes, that enchants and makes the observer to reflect about the world we live. Either through fantastic or real the works of Fernando Couto de Magalhães, through the simplicity and materials used, reach the unique balance and beauty ! It is with a great joy and proud that I follow the work of Fernando Couto de Magalhães, work which deserves new spaces, new challenges, because is that way every artist gets transformations and quality in his work. Through his excelent work, Fernando Couto de Magalhães changes himself and gets quality in each trace he builds."
Danielle Serradilla
CFO at Sat Company
São Paulo, Brazil
"I've known Fernando for years, and across this time, he worked often with me and my associates. I can assure you that he has that rare quality of being a true artist as well as a good team member. Fernando often suggested creative and unusual solutions which I had not considered in a project. His ability to deliver clear and impressive results from pure imagination makes him a valued professional. Fernando has the ability to listen carefully to a client's needs and work with them to deliver exactly what is neeed.
It has been a great asset to have Fernando on my team, and a pleasure to work with him both in a professional capacity and as a human being. His good heart, ethics and humility are great differentiators in the corporate world. I will always be a fan of Fernando's art work, and hope for him to become more and more successful. His talent deserves to be rewarded, and the world deserves to know of this hard-working and talented young indiviual."
Paulo Pedro Felipe
Pedagogical Coordinator
São Paulo, Brazil
"I met Fernando Couto de Magalhães in 2008 when he began his career as a high school student at a private school in the city of São Paulo (Brazil), during the time I was coordinating a Social Inclusion Project. "Arte é Saúde" involved the participation of students in volunteer activities in communities in the periphery, public hospitals and in institutions that attended children and adolescents.
During the three years of high school, Fernando was involved in these Volunteer Projects promoted by the school. It was a time when he took every opportunity to develop and mature his artistic profile. He put into practice his artistic talents always with a lot of creativity, commitment, competence and leadership spirit.
Fernando excelled in the group of volunteer students for his creativity in telling stories, playing various roles in plays and improvised art, as well as the excellent musical performance developed in the various activities of the project. Fernando was also involved in a social journey, called "Holiday Mission", which promoted volunteer and artistic work in needy communities in the State of Paraná. Through all these places where we developed the Project of Social Insertion was notorious how much Fernando was able to involve people and infect children, youth and adults with his joy and creativity as an artist. "