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In recent times, the pebbles painted with drawings or messages on Cepães beach, in Esposende, have attracted the attention of those who have passed by. And there have been many admirers of that art who have shared photographs on social networks. The discreet “PGP” signature on the stones is by Pedro Gomes Pato, an artist from Barcelos, who through art conveys his concern for the environment.

“I did that to convey a message,” he begins by saying to O MINHO. “I am an interventionist. Nothing is overlooked: social problems, environmental problems. And I think that as I get older, I become more aware of things. I am not an extremist or a radical environmentalist, what I want is to minimize my impact here on earth. I can’t help but see a plastic on the beach and not catch it, because I know that when the tide comes it will take it out to sea ”, he adds.

Pedro Gomes Pato is a painter and, since 2014, a tattoo artist, with a shop on Rua Tenente Valadim, in Barcelos. A versatile artist, he is also a drummer and a veteran of the rock scene in Barcelona, ​​where he joined bands such as Urbanus and Barulhos do Cheiro. Right now, he’s working on a solo project at home where he plays bass. “As I like to write poetry, I write lyrics and I am composing some songs that, one day, I hope to have some friends with me,” he reveals in conversation with O MINHO.

Regarding the painted pebbles, which have caused a sensation, the artist says that he has “a lot of habit of going to the beach to reflect”, especially the “more isolated” beaches with “a lot of stone”, such as Cepães. And then the idea came up: “Why not leave some messages here? Because, if it is not for the year, people will come here, this will fill up and they will start to see them ”.

Besides the “more environmental messages”, Pedro Gomes Pato also likes to put “poetry” on the stones. Their interest is that whoever finds them reflects and gains environmental awareness.

He also draws pictures on the pebbles, hoping that people will take them home and wonder “who is the artist.” “I went to the beach three or four times and left several [pedras pintadas]. People will take the drawings, the messages that people will read ”, he points out.

“When I made the pebbles, I made it for everyone. Who wants to drink, take. It is as my spirit tells me. I want to arrive next summer and that people have a lot to discover there. It will be fun to see people trying to find a drawing of mine ”, anticipates Pedro Gomes Pato, admitting that it was“ a surprise ”the many reactions that the painted pebbles provoked.

Pebbles with anonymous messages on the beach of Esposende

Regular presence on Cepães beach, Pedro Gomes Pato also gives wings to his creativity in other ways, such as sculpture, recreating the figure of the thinker with stones, which has always given him a “good feedback”.

“People stop and take photos and when they catch me doing it they congratulate me. In social networks there was also a good feedback through my posts. I like to show what I do, ”says the versatile artist, who also has the habit of picking up trash on his trips to the beach. “I have already fished more than a ton in a year, alone, in one-hour walks.”

In relation to the pebbles, assuming that “it is not an exclusive idea”, he intends to continue making “people reflect”. “I will continue, because my way of trying to transmit things to people is through art. Be it good or bad, I do what I feel ”, he concludes.