Tell us a bit more about your background and your current work?

I’m a decorative painter for private homes, hotels, and more. I graduated from the Van Der Kelen Logelain Institute in Bruxelles, which specializes in the traditional techniques of decorative painting. I create each mural according to my clients’ requests, the location of the painting, and its surroundings, and I begin each project with a handmade watercolor “sketch” before painting the life-size decorative mural. Because of my childhood in Florence, my main stylistic inspiration is the Renaissance; the colors, shapes, and landscapes are embedded in me and quite present in my works. I’m also a big fan of pencil drawings, especially Yves Saint Laurent’s sketches, particularly the ones he did for the Paris ballet. I think fashion designers have a unique way of capturing a pose with just a few lines on a piece of paper. I try to recreate that sense of harmony, but, at the same time, freedom, in my paintings. 

Nature and landscapes in general are always a favorite of mine to paint. I’ve spent a lot of time just looking at the structure of plants and flowers, how they grow and flow; it’s just the most amazing thing to learn from what we have been given and to recreate it on a wall with paint. There’s no limit to how many colors you can find in the sky or the structure of a tree. 

Why did you choose to stay in Italy?

I never realized how much I missed home until I moved back to Florence. Growing up here, I certainly took a lot of things about Italy and living in Italy for granted. The most beautiful landscape I’ve ever seen is just outside Siena; the best meal I’ve ever had was at the lampredotto stand in Porta Romana; the most creative I’ve ever been was while sketching under a pine tree in Maremma. 

What do you see for the future of decorative painting in Italy?

I think Instagram and the internet in general have played a major part in resurfacing interior decoration and making it more accessible to everyone. During Covid, when people were stuck in their homes, I got the sense that we really began to understand how important it is to feel good in your own home, and how satisfying it is to make it your own. My hope for the future is that the industry keeps growing so that more people can experience and enjoy this amazing craft. 

What are the greatest obstacles and satisfactions that you face working in this country?

The biggest obstacle has to be the total lack of support young creatives have from the government, along with bureaucracy overall, which Italy is infamous for. 

My biggest satisfaction is watching my clients enter a finished room and see the mural: all the hard work is immediately repaid when I see how happy my murals can make people. My favorite project was a landscape I painted back in 2021 for a dining room in Florence. The background was neutral tones of gray and off-white with gigantic bronze pine trees. I painted it in autumn, which is one of my favorite times of the year, and I think you can tell just by looking at the painting how much I was inspired by the colors and general feel of comfort and warmth the month of October brings.