Le Secche Painting

Educated in England, I trained as an art restorer in Italy, first in Venice and then in Rome subsequently working on a variety of different artifacts. After many years in Tuscany I am now based in Campania. Though I drew from an early age, I approached painting only in the recent years calling upon the knowledge of the use of colour, the techniques of the old masters and the behavior of different materials. As a nature lover, landscapes are my preferred subject, rarely “contaminated” by the presence of mankind. In easel paintings I work from a neutral ground (which often acts as a medium tone ) juxtapositioning thin oil colour without any glazing, usually using a single dagger brush. In murals I work with fluid acrylic colour on a white luminous ground producing a mat gauche o tempera effect. Recently I discovered the pleasure of painting on wood using reclaimed door panels, gratifying also for my belief in the coalition economy-ecology. This however limits me to small formats where, not wanting to lose any feature, I inevitably use much detail. Contradictorily, having a keen interest in architecture and interiors, I particularly enjoy the larger scale of murals and trompe l’oeils which have a greater visual impact, enhancing and integrated in their environment. Occasionally I also do sculptural work where the theme is invariably inspired by nature. I prefer working with commissions, necessary of course for murals or trompe l’oeils.