Artist Thai Mainhard Paints Memories With Color

Brazilian-born abstractionist Thai Mainhard has always had a particular affinity for green. Standing in her Los Angeles studio in front of walls painted in deep, earthy Irish Green—a color that’s been a part of Porsche’s legacy since the early 1960s and one of the four colors in the Porsche x Backdrop 75th anniversary collection—she tells us why. 

"Green has always been one of those colors that just really pulled emotions out of me," she says. "If I have to pinpoint a time where green really touches me, it’s when I’m flying into Brazil and I look down. The ground is covered in lush green," she shares of her native country’s tropical climate. "It’s pretty much this green," Thai says, gesturing to the dark hunter green-hued walls. "It’s all over."

Thai has been painting since she was 10 years old, but her path to abstract impressionism was far from linear. Marrying a passion for art with a practical sense of responsibility to pursue a steady and reliable career path, she began studying industrial design with the intention of becoming an automotive designer. The connection made sense for Thai, who had grown up around cars. "I grew up with my dad being a car fanatic," she says of her father, who owned a car dealership in Brazil. 

"Cars are really emotional, they’re more than an object," says Thai of her sentimental tie to the automotive world. Now being a part of the celebration of 75 years of Porsche with their most iconic colors of all time, the full circle moment is not lost on her. "Now I'm an abstract artist, and I feel so far away from automotive design, but then I look at a Porsche and Porsche is art," she says, as she stands in front of a work in progress featuring an abstract, deconstructed Porsche 911. "My art is all about feeling and sentiment and emotion," she continues, "so I feel you find some kind of connection there."

The emotional and nostalgic effect of Thai’s work comes to life through her multifaceted technique and commanding use of color. Thai works with different mediums, including paint, oil pastels, and soft pastels—all contributing different texture and dimension to the final piece. "I love the tension of the different mediums, of even finishes," she says.

Without planning or sketching, Thai’s creative process evolves organically. "My process is very, very intuitive," she says. "I just start it, and one mark will lead to the other, and then one color will pull on the other." Color, from Thai’s perspective, is the connective link that stirs memories, elicits nostalgia, and sparks reflection. When her father passed away in 2020, she turned to her canvases as a way to work through her own grief. "Color is the connection," she says. "It's so emotional. It can make you feel something. We can feel so connected through color."

Through processing life and telling her personal story, Thai hopes others can see their own story in her art. "I want people to look at it and feel some kind of connection. I want it to pull something from inside of them," she says. The aspirational hope taps into the sentimentality at the core of her work. "I almost want it to feel connected to nostalgia," she says, "which I think the beautiful thing about Porsche is, bringing back the memories and nostalgia," she continues. "And I feel like my paintings are a lot about that too, taking you back to your memories and a place."

Each of the four, limited-edition Porsche x Backdrop paints are available in custom-designed, co-branded collectible paint cans. Full gallons are $75.

Shop the colors at backdrophome.com/porsche.

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