"Campagna Toscana Eng: Tuscany Countryside" Painting

I was born on 08/17/1941 in a small town close to Ferrara, in the north east of Italy. When I was attending elementary school, I was attracted to drawing and I was able to draw successfully with pencil.
The subjects were mainly the comics characters since I was an avid reader and Television at that time was just for rich families.
Only later my father bought me a suitcase with oil paint and brushes. My first paintings were influenced by the sunny plains (sometimes foggy) typical of the Po plain (my home town was just a few miles away from the big river). I am a self taught artist but my art teachers helped me to develop my skills.
When I graduated as a textile expert, I moved to Tuscany where I still live after 50 years. I won contexts but art has always been a passion and not a job for me. Art to me has always been my happy place where I could forget about all the issues I had to face in my life (and I had quite a few).
I am a private person who enjoys his family and the pleasure of painting. My art style is driven by the figurative tradition with some references to the Impressionists and mostly to the Tuscany Post Macchiaioli.
Tuscany has always been a constant inspiration for my works. I have always been painting what I come across during my bike rides. It is something hard to explain but when I am cycling I am always focused on the beautiful countryside of Tuscany and I keep taking pictures so when I am back home I only have to choose my favorite one for my next work.
But not just landscapes, I also did portraits for my clients as well as holy images and sculptures for the local church.
My paintings are present in Italian, European and even US houses.