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1. Tell us how it all started and how you got into abstract painting.

I've been painting abstract acrylic paintings since 2021. There's no particular reason why I started painting. At first my thought was to try something new.

2. What are the predominant/dominant colors in your palette?

I really like the blue, red and yellow tones. White should definitely not be missing.
 
3. What can you tell us about your painting technique and creative composition? Are there any techniques or formats you prefer?

I like to work with glazes and all-over coverage, as well as with layers of paint. The compositions develop during the painting process. I like to start very simply and leave my actions to chance.
And then I think more about it.

4. Have you always wanted to pursue this career?

Absolutely no.
 
5. What is your source of inspiration?/What motivates you to create?

I could now answer that I am inspired by nature, but I don't feel that way. The play of colors in nature impresses me, perhaps I subconsciously absorb a spectrum of it and incorporate it into my subconscious.
 
6. In general, what impression do you want to give to the viewer of your images?

Every viewer can and should decide for themselves. My pictures are intended to create a moment of happiness and good feelings.

7. How do you make your works? Are you creating a specific project or are you acting spontaneously and emotionally?

I work without a concrete plan, which also suits my chaotic side. Depending on my mood, I choose my colors and just get started. I always feel immediately whether it is a good or bad creative day.
 
8. Does the place you live influence your art?

No 

9. What do you think about the digital age we live in as it relates to art?

Everyone should decide that for themselves. It's not for me.

10. What are your plans for the future?

My primary goal is to continually improve what I do and deepen my knowledge. I'm working on making more space for my art during everyday life. To maintain and expand my existing customer base.
 
12. Something I didn’t ask you that you would like to share with us?

I would like to thank you for allowing me to be with you. It feels almost personal to work with you even though we have never met.

1) How did your journey in the art world begin?

It was the year 1971. After completing my studies at the Bologna Art High School, my hometown, I enrolled in the Faculty of Architecture in Florence. However, I had already been painting and creating wooden sculptures partially covered with various materials for several years. The artist Mario Nanni, one of my high school teachers, followed my research work and introduced me to a gallery owner in Bologna. My first exhibition, held at Galleria Duemila, was the beginning of the shows listed in my curriculum. From that moment on, dedicating myself to artistic research became my priority. "A sculptor by vocation, an architect by necessity" was the answer I always gave when asked about my profession.

2) Where do you draw inspiration for your abstract works?

In the early stages of my research, I was attracted to circular and oval geometric shapes. Then came an "organic" phase, featuring sinuous forms in both sculpture and painting, inspired by what my spirit and imagination brought to mind. Later, I entered the "Stelae" period, characterized by the presence of cuneiform characters. This was followed by large canvases exploring "impossible things" enclosed within wooden "cages." During that time, I moved my home and studio to São Vicente Island in the Cape Verde archipelago, where the mountains became my main source of inspiration. "A grande ilusão," "Landscapes in the Soul," and "Monochromes" are some of the creative moments from the last decade. Currently, I am reflecting on my next project, titled "O futuro atrás de mim" (deliberately left in Portuguese) as a tribute to Luca Massimo Bolondi, a dear friend who curated my exhibitions in Mindelo, the cultural capital of Cape Verde, and with whom I still enjoy wonderful phone conversations.

3) How do you select colors, shapes, and textures for your works?

Sculpture and painting always coexist in my artistic process. I use natural and stained wood for sculptures, and various materials and colors for paintings. I don’t follow a specific selection process; colors, shapes, and textures often vary depending on each creative phase. I particularly love black, brown, white, ochre, and brick red above all others. In the past, I often painted with cobalt blue, which remains my absolute favorite color, though I can no longer seem to integrate it into my work.

4) What techniques do you use to bring your creations to life?

Sculpture: I often sculpted using a "subtractive method" (to quote Michelangelo), relying solely on chisels, gouges, and mallets. However, this process has become physically demanding for me, so I now work with an electric saw, assembling the forms I create and adding colored inserts using acrylic paints.
Painting: I have always used oil paints. Now I dilute them with turpentine and alternate layers of paint with layers of colored tissue paper, fabric pieces, and cotton threads. Everything is applied to thick cotton canvas, often mounted on wooden panels. Additionally, I construct the frames for my paintings myself.

5) Do you identify with a specific artistic movement or style?

Rarely. At different times, conceptual art and abstract art have influenced my work. For many years, I have felt closer to a form of abstract expressionism, occasionally leaning toward informalism. My "artistic triad" consists of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, Marc Chagall, and Emilio Vedova. The courage to innovate, a sweetness tinged with melancholy, and the strength of the gesture (though never violent). Above all, however, there is Marco Bettocchi, with his ideas and personal achievements.

6) What is your creative process like? Do you follow a specific plan, or do you let instinct and emotions guide you?

I have always made sketches for all my works, both sculptures and paintings. Yet, I always modify and partially disregard them. Instinct and improvisation play a significant role; the movement of my hand is often decisive, and the mark becomes the protagonist. However, everything is always controlled by the mind. The mark goes where I decide it should; how it turns out depends on chance. If I don’t like it, I erase it and start again.

7) What message do you wish to convey through your works?

I firmly believe that abstract art can help viewers expand the boundaries of their imagination, awakening the creativity that exists in every member of the so-called Homo sapiens species.

8) What are your goals or aspirations as an abstract artist?

Throughout my life, I have always wanted to see what was around the next corner. This applies to social and human relationships, as well as my artistic research. Imagining this research as a long journey, it has been punctuated by many small detours representing different explorative phases, each lasting no more than two years. I have always felt the need to change, discover, and adapt. This has allowed me to fully embrace my creative journey and makes me feel alive and active, even now, with three-quarters of a century behind me.

9) Do you have any future projects or dreams you’d like to share?

I returned to the art world just a year ago after over thirty years of absence, though I continued working in my studio and exhibited my works only in Mindelo (in the Cape Verde archipelago), where I lived with my wife for five years. I believe deeply in my work—I have dedicated my entire life to it and will continue as long as I can.

My dream today, given my age, is to find admirers of my works and to achieve something tangible.

1. Tell us how it started, how did you come to abstract painting?  Have you always wanted to pursue this profession?

Talking about my art, I have always liked drawing since I was a kid. I even took some art classes outside of school. But since I’ve been married, my life became fast paced, and I couldn't follow my ambition. But it was always in the back of my mind, that I love drawing.

Having 3 children kept me so busy. So, one day I told myself, that in order to draw I needed to be calm, and me and my life were not calm, so I decided to put this passion aside for later on in my life, where I would have the opportunity to sit, relax and paint. So, with that decision, I didn't think about drawing or painting anymore. I even went back to school for 7 to 8 years to study psychology, which is my other passion. 

Last summer (2023), I saw a doodle art, created by one of my relatives. I asked about it and she explained it alittle and told me I can watch more of this genre of art being created on Pinterest or Instagram. A few days later I bought sketch books and markers.

And that was the start of my journey into the art world, even though my life still wasn't that calm. It seems that I didn't choose the time to start, it chose me.

Since I haven’t had any formal education or teaching lessons in art, I don't feel as if I have any boundaries in my drawing. And this felt SO good. Sometimes, I feel as if I need to learn the skills to draw/paint, but ultimately, I feel that if I get an education or lessons in art, then I can't be that free. This way there is no right or wrong way, I just follow the path my emotions or my instincts take me.

At the beginning I just used markers, but then I decided to try using pencil, with color over it, but it wasn't as good, because I was trapped in judging it, and kept erasing it.

So I put them aside and told myself, just draw, it doesn't matter what the result is. But surprisingly, I started getting compliments on my artworks. And I enjoyed creating them too.

I don't usually plan what I am going to draw. Sometimes I have a vague idea, but it usually changes in the middle of my artwork. So I am as curious and surprised as anyone else, to see what is the outcome is, and that's one of the biggest joys that it brings to my life.


I always tell myself, it doesn't matter if the final work is going to be good or not, just create and enjoy.


Sometimes I have so many ideas in my head, that I don't have time to make it alive on paper.

2. What is your source of inspiration?/What motivates you to create?

I’m inspired by nature, leaves, shapes, and also the work of other artists that I have seen.


3. How do you make your works? Do you create a precise project or do you act spontaneously and emotionally?


But most of the time I don't think about my drawing. It doesn't have a topic.  Maybe just choose some colors and think that today I want to go with those colors, but, quite often that changes too.

4. What are the prevailing/dominant colours in your palette?

I really don't know how I decide on colors, maybe my feeling, or mood? Or some paintings that I have seen? I am not sure.


5. What can you tell us about your painting technique and creative composition. Are there any techniques or formats you prefer?


I usually like my brush to move on the paper and make shapes, so my shapes are mostly curves or circles, very rarely I use sharp shapes.


I also love colors. I don't have many black and white artworks.

My artworks are mixed media. One method that I learned from other artists is pouring colors (acrylic ink or ink) over leaves, flowers, wood and even small stones, whatever I find in nature, that can give a texture or shape to my colors. I then let the color dry, and pick those materials and draw over them. Or I like using a colored base with watercolor or acrylic ink or ink and then doodle drawing over it, with different pattern or shapes. Some times I even use natural colors ,like coffee, or cook beets ,it's really beautiful.

How did you begin your journey in the art world?

• I spent most of my childhood creating. I would sit on my own for hours making beads jewelry and sewing, but when I became an adult it got lost. However, around 12 years ago, I moved to India and started to draw quite often. I guess the change in perspective caused by the cultural shock generated an urge to express myself. I have then experimented with collage, sculpture, crochet… I would feel relaxed while creating with these media. Still, none gave me the answers that painting does. I somehow always knew that I had to paint, but it was only after a dream that it became inevitable. I dreamt I had a studio in New York City and would create these huge black-and-white paintings. When I woke up, I knew that was the direction I had to take.

2) Where do you draw inspiration for your abstract works?

• Mostly from my inner world and feelings, but also from other artists, from nature, from everyday life… The other day I saw a garment rack with a few jackets hanging on it. The color combination and the way those jackets were displayed consisted of an incidental artwork.

3) How do you select colors, shapes, and textures for your pieces?

• I work continuously to increase and refine my materials and techniques library. It contains a limited color palette to choose from, which simplifies my practice quite a bit. I believe that too many variables can easily get an artist stuck. Thus, I selected a few colors that bring me joy and made them my go-to. I also have the circle as one of my staples, which I combine with more organic shapes to create the compositions. I have been experimenting with various finishings and textures, but it’s been a challenge to apply them meaningfully. Furthermore, I prefer to dive deep into a given element before incorporating it into my practice. For individual pieces or series, shapes are normally the first thing that arises. Colors come next and are selected along the way, according to the message or feeling the painting needs to convey.

4) What techniques do you use to bring your creations to life?

• I use a blend of acrylic painting and mixed media on canvas. The pieces are a combination of geometric shapes and more organic elements, whose aim is to represent the balance between control and surrender. The sharp edges are obtained through several layers of painting and precise gestures.

5) Do you identify with a particular movement or artistic style?

• I have been influenced by Street art, by the minimalistic aspects of Suprematism, even though I shy away from sharp edges, and especially by Orphism. However, I do not see myself as part of a specific movement. I feel that there are a lot of surprises to appear in my path, and it’s exciting to allow the process to make my style evolve.

6) What is your creative process like? Do you follow a precise plan, or do you let instinct and emotions guide you?

• Most of my paintings have a fairly well-defined vision in the beginning. At first, I sketch them without using colors. Most of the time, I fail to materialize the feeling I had when I imagined the painting. Sometimes, I get frustrated and drop the idea, other times I just accept that I will never be satisfied, so I head to the canvas and try to render the shapes to the best of my abilities. Yet, in a few instances, the process offers pleasant surprises and the painting evolves into something richer than the original idea. It depends a lot on how I feel. The calmer and happier I am, the more likely it will be that the process will take over and surpass the initial vision.

7) What message do you wish to convey through your works?

• I like to explore themes of perception, mindfulness, and hope. I see painting as a way of designing future realities and decoding complex feelings and intuitions. Thus, I would like my paintings to offer a glimpse into more harmonious mental states, or at least to remind the observer that nothing is as permanent as it seems. I also believe that mindfulness and tranquility are a type of rebellion act. All the over-stimulation our brains are exposed to non-stop is designed to keep us trapped, rigid, and fearful. Art can fight it by connecting us back to our inner worlds. For me, good art should offer hope.

8) What are your goals or aspirations as an abstract artist?

• My main goal is to keep practicing in order to materialize my artistic vision the best I can. I wish to be able to make art that brings me joy. If other people can feel joy and calmness by looking at my paintings, that would be even better.

9) Do you have any future projects or dreams you'd like to share with us?

• One of the next goals is to render my paintings more immersive. I am under the impression that small pieces induce people to want to decipher them, while large ones engulf the viewer, forcing him to get out of his head. Hence, my next projects will be either scale up or blend painting and sculpture.